I thought of writing a private letter to the editor of the journal in question and in fact did draft a letter. In that missive, I pointed out how irresponsible I thought the review was. I suggested that when people see an opportunity to comment on race that they will say the most outrageous and clichéd things without any true thought at all just to seem as if they are somehow socially aware. I affirmed that as a black woman who edits books, I am certainly sensitive to how African Americans are depicted and perceived in books, especially those I personally edit. I revealed that the author and I had had multiple conversations about how to ensure that all the characters in this book were three-dimensional and in particular this African American character. I pointed out this character's innate kindness and sense of justice and the great thought that this character put into helping the "well-to-do" protagonist at tremendous risk to himself (a point the reviewer took issue with) before taking the risk, and that this black character decided to help because at the end of the day this character is human, and not a black role-player. I pointed out the very distinct characterization work that the reviewer must have missed and the organic bond that was formed between these characters from very different backgrounds.
I railed against what I saw as a wrong-headed and clichéd point about race--the assumption that when a black character appears in a book told from a white character's perspective that their relationship couldn't possibly be complex or nuanced, which to me reflected more about the reviewer's feelings on race than any characterization misdeed by my author. I assured that my author had handled the characterization of this black character with love and care (that I felt that love and care), fully developing him and his struggles, and giving him a back story that explained who he is without resorting to stereotyping. I assured that my author had, in fact, shown that this character is likeable, conflicted, and again human; that reaching out to this white protagonist had actually nothing to do with race. I challenged the assertion that this black character had led to the growth of the white character (as the growth belonged completely to the protagonist). And also questioned that even if this character did have a hand in a white character's growth, so what? The fact that this character is black makes this problematic? I reject that. This reviewer's focus on this character's color and the socio-economic status of the protagonist misses the point of this relationship completely and to focus on race does this book that is not at all about race such a disservice.
But most disturbing is that this review and others like it could potentially discourage other writers who may not be of color from including characters of color in their work. And it could potentially discourage editors from acquiring books that feature people of color, especially when the author is not of the race in question. A review like the one I railed against in the letter I drafted may have come from a very good place in wanting to ensure black characters are not relegated to subservient roles, but because the reviewer was (in my opinion) more concerned about making that point than actually considering the truth of the character work on the page, it's a review that may actually do more harm than good and that saddens me, because, to me, it means we're still not having honest conversations about race in children's literature, but just making empty points. And this is not to say that I discourage reviews that critique how diverse characters and experiences are incorporated into children's narratives. In fact, I welcome it and any nuanced discussion that follows because of it. I just want the reviewers to play fair and consider every element on the page, and definitely consider whether the review is ultimately responsible or reckless.
In the end, I didn't send this letter. Sour grapes and all, but I did recommit myself as an editor, a reader and a black woman working in an industry where, again, those who look like me are few and far between to encourage and support all my writers in incorporating characters of color in their work when it's organic and to especially encourage my writers who are not of color to continue to include a diverse cast of characters in their narratives and/or write outside their experience (responsibly) if they so wish. And hope the next reviewer gives them a fairer shake. 
LOVE THIS! I've dealt with similar situations in that people have taken issue with the fact that my book has a brown boy front and center on the cover, but there's 'no textual follow up'. Which is true - there are brown characters in my book just because -it's a book about reincarnation, not a book about race or identity. Writers are often afraid to write people of color, gay characters or disabilities if they're not part of that demographic because they know that aspect of the book will be picked apart, whether deserved or not. In order for diverse characters to become the norm, writers need to feel comfortable and supported taking that chance.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully submit, Stacey, that you did well not sending your letter because it does sound like sour grapes and all. Your letter doesn't allow the reviewer her/his right for freedom of expression and the right to be wrong. As an editor you read the book a few (or many) times, while the reviewer in all likelihood read it only once (and maybe not all the pages) and wrote a review based on her/his first impression. As an editor you analyzed this one book and the characters carefully, while a reviewr read a few books and write a review based on first impression and the thoughts that come first to her/his mind without a deep and careful analysis. And readers are biased in the sense that they find the characters in the book who most resemble to them and who have similar views, and care mostly about these characters. That's why you, probably (because I never met you), care mostly about the black character in the book that you edited. This lead us to the question: Should white writers only write white characters? supposedly because you should "write what you know". Or even a stronger question: Should white writers only write about positive black characters? supposedly because only black (African American) writers are allowed to write about negative black characters without being accused with discrimination. Both white and black authors have no exprience living as an American black slave woman 200 years ago. The one who will do a better research will write a more authentic book about her. But most editors are likely to accept the book written by the black author, just because the author and the slave share the same skin color, which supposedly make the black author more qualified to write about the black slave woman. Hence, this bias exist not only among some reviewers but also among some editors. It's easy to expand this discussion for many pages, but I stop because it's only a comment. Best wishes in your commitment to diversity as an editor.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! My writing friends and I have had similar conversations about our character choices. I agree with CJ above, in that it can be scary to write people who are of a different race because you never want to be accused of stereotypng or somehow disrespecting anyone. What I finally decided is rather than avoid doing so because it's scary, I will do what I do with all other aspects of my writing and write from my own personal experience and knowledge and then fill in the gaps with conversations or research and hope that my intention will be seen: that I tried to tell a story peopled with real PEOPLE, not types.
ReplyDeleteYes... you can only do what you can do.
ReplyDeleteI've been criticized because my latest book didn't have "overt" African American characters - that they were just ...there, being an African American family, and that was hardly mentioned, except in the descriptions, and overtly in one place almost at the end of the novel. I thought that was unfair, too, but you can only do what you've done - recommit yourself to writing a diverse field of characters, and acknowledge that identity is different for everyone. That's the best thing you CAN do, I think.
The criticism that you got, Tanita, was unfair. Ideally, diversity is about diverse charaters that are an integral part of the soryline, not just because they are diverse. If the African American family in your latest novel is adding something to the storyline because they are an American family, that's enough. There's no need to to stop the storyline and add pages with many references for them being African American, if they are in your novel mainly as as an American family who happened to be an African American family. As an author you might also want to expand your horizion. Being an African American author doesn't imply that all your novels should be about African American characters. Living now in Scotland, you should be allowed (if you feel like it) to write a Scottish novel drawing on your experinec living there.
DeleteLooking at your website, you did well so far. I like the synposis of MARE'S WAR and ALA CARTE. Both have nice book cover showing African Americans on the cover, which is still rare in YA fiction. The cover of ALA CARTE in partiular is visually beautiful. Best wishes with all your novels.
The reason why I am disappointed when the story doesn’t match up to the cover is because there are so few MG/YA books that have protagonists who are American children of non-European ancestry and even fewer books that have un-doctored covers. Yes, it is a step forward to have all shades of characters ‘just because’ but we also need textual follow-up just because of this lack.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, we can only separate race and identity from the stories we write when we have equality in terms of the ethnicities of main characters in the stories that are published and equality in terms of the ethnicities of authors who are published. (We really need a discussion as to why so few authors of color are published in the MG/YA world).
My concern is not so much that authors will be discouraged from writing about characters outside of their cultures but that the authors who include characters from other ethnicities will not be prepared to fight for this equality.
Menaha's last sentence is outstanding.
DeleteIt is rare to see a white author fighting for that equality. Most of what I've seen is white authors expressing concern about what they can or cannot write about.
As for 'getting it right' (with 'it' being content/characters who are not mainstream), authors must read the work of people who are insiders to the culture the author is trying to portray. If you want to 'get it right' about Ojibwe people, you ought to read Louise Erdrich's books (both her works for children and adults). You can't rely on archives and materials written by outsiders. They've got biases that generally don't stand out, especially if you've got the same biases as the author of the archival material.
Authors can also turn to the critical scholarship on literature in the group-specific journals. For criticism of American Indians in literature, check out SAIL (Studies in American Indian Literatures). Scholars (Native and not) who publish there critique Native and non-Native writers, too. Articles in SAIL are primarily about literature for adults, but in your quest to 'get it right' about American Indians, you have to immerse yourself in the scholarship and writing by American Indians. My suggestion applies, whether the author is Native or not.
Stacey – I do so believe that we should not allow accusations such as ‘sour grapes’ stop us from stating what we think to be right and true.
ReplyDeleteA thoughtful and honest post that resonated. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteTyou for posting your thoughtful comments. these are useful and articulate points to digest.
ReplyDelete