tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post3973016199510098655..comments2012-04-13T14:07:18.585-04:00Comments on One Northern Voice: How to portray racism in middle grade novelsAmy Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14186095547685620716noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post-29572381341621132212010-10-22T09:15:09.940-04:002010-10-22T09:15:09.940-04:00As a follow-up to the post:
Jennifer Laughran - Li...As a follow-up to the post:<br />Jennifer Laughran - Literary Agent for Andrea Brown Agency - who handles children's books, offers an open thread each month for writers to ask whatever questions they'd like. <br /><br />Isn't that awesome? <br /><br />October's thread is here: http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2010/10/open-thread-october.html<br /><br /><br />So I posed the question to her on her thread. This is her response:<br /><br />I think that you have to be truthful to the story you are telling. It is more insulting, both to your audience AND to the history you are trying to tell, if you aren't honest about how people were treated back then.<br /><br />That said, you are telling ONE CHARACTER'S story, so you have to be truthful to that. If something is meant to be shocking, one great alarming example of it will make the point better than a bunch of tiny examples. If something is NOT meant to be shocking, like, this is just how the world is, then your character will not even think twice about it.<br /><br />You should probably read other books set in the era (particularly with racial themes) to see how it was handled there.Amy Tripphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14186095547685620716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post-30723609406431594582010-10-21T12:19:17.998-04:002010-10-21T12:19:17.998-04:00bk7,
Yes, the racism (though in a different form) ...bk7,<br />Yes, the racism (though in a different form) will carry over into the fantasy part of the novel.<br /><br />LOL - Love the story about your sister. Isn't it amazing how we can see/hear something over and over again and then one day it 'clicks.'<br /><br />My intent is to weave the life of the MC - both in Boston and later in the fantasy world - in such a way that the racism is shown as a part of daily life - it's not right, but it's a fact in his world. I won't be so much highlighting it as adding it to the story to help set the time, place, and atmosphere.<br /><br />Yep, my plan is to just write the darn thing and then worry about editing it all later.<br /><br />Thanks!!<br />AmyAmy Tripphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14186095547685620716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post-21239281919040604352010-10-21T11:37:12.681-04:002010-10-21T11:37:12.681-04:00I haven't read "Huckleberry Finn" in...I haven't read "Huckleberry Finn" in a long while, but I think that might be a great contemporary resource on racism, see how he handled it. Also, I think JK Rowling did a commendable job of doing exactly what you are attempting: exploring racism, genocide, slavery, and class discrimination within the context of a 'children's' story. <br />I think the trick is to focus on showing how people are living and reacting to each other. Referring to this block of black housing versus the nicer Irish housing, the resentment that foments, etc. would add texture and detail to the story as it advances it. An air of matter-of-factness would also drop the reader right into the feel of the times. <br />I also hate political correctness. Extensively labeling people (often incorrectly) is more divisive than simply accepting who we are and embracing it. It also didn't exist back then. People called a spade a spade, so to speak. Maybe you don't want to use the harshest of racial slurs, but they are all nasty, really. It's hard to choose the least of all evils, but to leave them out completely would be dishonest. Even 'mick' is a way of throwing the Irish all together. Have you researched slurs in use at that time?<br />I have a funny story about that word. My sister worked at a huge insurance company once, and was looking at the employee roster. "Wow, we sure do have a lot of 'Mcs' working here," she commented. Then the light bulb went off and she gasped and laughed. "OH! 'Micks'! I get it!" <br />In any case, I think you should use the appropriate words if the need arises, and edit them later if need be. Otherwise, I'd focus on describing the state of racism and how it affects day-to-day living, which would be more powerful than slurs anyway. <br /><br />Will there be racism in the fantasy part as well? Something to mirror in both worlds? When I read Harry Potter, I loved how Harry was stuck between two worlds, each side hating him for who he was for completely opposite reasons.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post-86039015994018713412010-10-21T10:50:28.692-04:002010-10-21T10:50:28.692-04:00Happy Duff :)
Thanks so much for your input. I lov...Happy Duff :)<br />Thanks so much for your input. I love your point on 'politically correct' never solving anything.<br /><br />I am going to write this one from the gut and hope I can do it justice.<br /><br />I, for one, don't think we need to protect children from every bit of ugliness in the world, but I also don't want to bash them over the head with it. So, I think this might be quite an interesting tightrope to walk.<br /><br />Here's to November!! (how are you coming with your nano plan??)<br />AmyAmy Tripphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14186095547685620716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767312611486674937.post-57303327274262194782010-10-21T10:17:26.165-04:002010-10-21T10:17:26.165-04:00You have a strong story idea here. Stay with it a...You have a strong story idea here. Stay with it and follow your "gut." The history of this country and racism is pretty ugly, yet the facts are the facts. Perhaps the ugliness of racism will be a valuable lesson to your young readers by reading about it in a story context. As I see it, a big problem in our country today is that being "politically correct" has just become a euphemism for cowardice. Fear of "offending" has become an excuse for not standing up for what is right and just. How do we overcome our weaknesses if we're afraid to even acknowledge them as they are in all their ugliness. To my knowledge, none of the problems I'm aware of have been solved by being "politically correct" but by people who have had the courage to face the ugliness, call it what it is, and then do something to change it for the better. I think you have a great story idea and I wish you the best in crafting of it.Parry Peachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16664473137272413037noreply@blogger.com