Colorful People in YA Lit

Thanks to a tip via the YALSA listserv and a quiet weekend, I visited the POC (People of Color) Carnival of YA Lit and followed the links there. (I'm sure how I feel about the label "People of Color," but that's for another day.)

Get yourself to the carnival, friends -- it's your gateway to thought-provoking posts about Jacob Black, the Quileute character in Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels, "beauty" thanks to Disney princesses, and how race can disappear when a story travels from book to screen.

Asian Pacific American Literature Awards

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) announced the winners of the 2007 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, one of the few ethnic book awards that aren't based on the race of the author but on the content in the book. The prizes promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The Fire Escape is pleased to present the winners for illustration in children's literature and young adult literature along with the committees' annotations.

Illustration in Children Literature Winner

Crowe, Ellie. Surfer of the Century. Illustrated by Richard Waldrep. New York: Lee and Low, 2007. This book tells the story of "the Father of Modern Surfing," Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, from his childhood on Waikiki Beach, to his participation in five Olympics, through his lifelong promotion and development of surfing, and to his becoming the official State of Hawai'i Ambassador of Aloha. Each page of text describing his life has an opposite full-page painting-style illustration that shows the progression of his successes in spite of discrimination and his achievements through his creed of Aloha. The final two pages in the book are a timeline of Duke Kahanamoku's life and legacy and a world map showing the major cities of his lifetime accomplishments. The author includes a bibliography of her sources on the back of the title page.

Illustration in Children Literature Honorable Mention

Barasch, Lynne. Hiromi's Hands. New York: Lee and Low, 2007. This first-person narrative tells the story of Hiromi's breaking away from the Japanese tradition in the male dominated sushi culinary and becoming an itamae san, professional sushi chef. The author vividly depicts two generations, beginning with her father's long and grueling training as an apprentice before emerging as a successful sushi chef in a Tokyo restaurant. Hiromi is very enthusiastic in learning about fish as she goes to the fish market with her father in New York. At thirteen, she wants to know how to make sushi. Her father, a man receptive to American ideas, says, "And this is America. Girls can do things here that they cannot do in Japan." So begins the sushi career for Hiromi. The story spans two cultures, Japanese and American. The quiet style of narration complemented by the soft ink and watercolor drawings of two fish markets in Tokyo and Manhattan, the New York subway, and an array of sushi convey authenticity.

Young Adult Literature Winner

Easton, Kelly. Hiroshima Dreams. New York: Dutton, 2007. Hiroshima Dreams portrays the family dynamics of three generations living under one roof: a grandmother adjusting to life in America, a mother who has let go of her roots, and two sisters, one quiet and shy, the other defiant. The struggles and joys of growing up in an interracial family and coping with loss are important issues in the book. The focus of the story is the relationship between the grandmother, Obaachan, and granddaughter, Lin. Both are resistant to change-Lin to her grandmother's presence at home and her grandmother with her longing for Japan-but they soon find themselves inseparable and share the gift of seeing the future. Obaachan's guidance allows Lin to apply Japanese beliefs and meditation to help her overcome her fears. Through touches of mysticism, careful observation, and reflection, Lin learns to accept and understand the changes and consequences of one's actions. The wisdom of Obaachan is explained with meaningful, descriptive examples that create a sense of calmness and security for Lin.

Young Adult Literature Honorable Mention

Sheth, Kashmira. Keeping Corner. New York: Hyperion, 2007. Keeping Corner provides an enriching and eye-opening view of the cultural and social dynamics within a family and community in India during the early 20th century. As a daughter in a high-ranking Brahman family, Leela is overindulged and carefree of worries. Married at the age of nine, Leela, now twelve, prepares for her move to her husband's home. Her world is turned upside down when her husband dies, and instead of donning a silk wedding sari, she is given a chidri, a coarse widow's sari. She is confined to her house for a year, thus "keeping corner." Tradition holds her to having a shaved head, no hope of remarrying, and being viewed and shunned as a burden. Leela's growth and her frustrations of being a child-widow is portrayed in a heartfelt and realistic way. She is able to overcome her confinement by continuing her studies, reading, and journaling. The social reform ideologies of Gandhi and Narmad take hold in her heart, and with the help and permission of her family, she is determined to become a voice in society. The imagery and sensory perceptions are told so vividly that it creates in the reader a sense of familiarity and longing to be a part of that time period. Sheth's usage of Indian words flows well, and she provides good, short explanations and a glossary. This is definitely a fascinating read.

Why Are Children's Books Still So White?

When the Cooperative Children's Book Center released this year's Choices, I was curious to see if their data about diversity in children's literature revealed any changes in two years. In 2005, as we noted on the Fire Escape, the Center received 2800 books and discovered the following statistics:

By African or African/American authors 75
About Africans or African/Americans 149

By American Indian authors 4
About American Indians 34

By Latin American authors 50
About Latin Americans 76

By Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific authors 60
About Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific Americans 64

In 2007, the Center found the following results among the 3000 or so titles they received:

By African or African/American authors 77
About Africans or African/Americans 150

By American Indian authors 6
About American Indians 44

By Latin American authors 42
About Latin Americans 59

By Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific authors 56
About Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific Americans 68

In short, not much has changed. We note again that American Indian stories continue to be written mostly by outsiders. Last year, about 12% of Americans were African American, but only 5% of all children's literature featured African American characters. Once again the low numbers and even a decline in Latino books is striking, given that this demographic is the fastest growing and second largest segment of the population in the U.S.A. -- stories featuring Latino characters and themes make up about 2% of all children's books, while the population is more than 15% Latino.

In a recent Entertainment Weekly special report, Why Is Television So White?,  Jennifer Armstrong and Margeaux Watson noted a significant "paling" factor in the fall 2008 television lineup:

According to an Entertainment Weekly study of scripted-programming casts for the upcoming fall 2008 season, each of the five major broadcast networks is whiter than the Caucasian percentage (66.2 percent) of the United States population, as per the 2007 census estimate. And all of the networks are representing considerably lower than the Latino population percentage of 15.2 percent.

But television is doing something about it. Every major network has a high-level veep whose job description is lobbying fellow executives and producers to keep minorities in the game. And they seem to get that the next generation wants and expects to see us mix things up:

...Color-blind casting is something teen-focused networks seem to have down pat: Nary a show has passed through ABC Family or The N without an interracial coupling or a naturally integrated cast ... Those networks' execs say it's a simple matter of economics, that their Gen-Y viewers accept — nay, expect and demand — such a reflection of their multi-cultural lives. ''They're completely color-blind,'' ABC Family president Paul Lee says of younger viewers. ''We've done a lot of things wrong as a nation, but we've clearly done something right here. They embrace other cultures.''

So why aren't we facing up to that reality in the children's book world? Given the CCBC's statistics, it would seem that contemporary children's literature is even less reflective of America's changing demographics than the small screen. Let's face facts: our industry is behind the times when it comes to race and ethnicity, making us seem even more anachronistic than ever in the eyes of the young people we serve.

Ten Questions To Ask About A Story: #1

I'm presenting "BOOKS BETWEEN CULTURES" to the Waltham librarians today, and as I looked over my notes, I thought my Fire Escape visitors might appreciate knowing the ten questions I encourage readers or filmgoers to ask when they're consuming a story. (I'll post one at a time randomly through the summer, so check for the label/tag "Ten Critical Questions.")

With my strange between-cultures lenses in place, here's a question that pops into my head while I'm reading a story or watching a flick:

Question One: Are the multicultural characters in the story one-dimensional (ie., only allowed to be noble, good, wise, etc.)?

Britain's Age Banding Brawl

Over 80 authors, editors, illustrators, booksellers, and librarians are protesting the decision to stamp book covers with a sign stating that the contents are for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+ or 13+/teen.  Listen to their excellent reasoning:

Each child is unique, and so is each book. Accurate judgments about age suitability are impossible, and approximate ones are worse than useless.

Children easily feel stigmatized, and many will put aside books they might love because of the fear of being called babyish. Other children will feel dismayed that books of their ‘correct’ age-group are too challenging, and will be put off reading even more firmly than before.

Age-banding seeks to help adults choose books for children, and we're all in favour of that; but it does so by giving them the wrong information. It’s also likely to encourage over-prescriptive or anxious adults to limit a child's reading in ways that are unnecessary and even damaging.

Everything about a book is already rich with clues about the sort of reader it hopes to find – jacket design, typography, cover copy, prose style, illustrations. These are genuine connections with potential readers, because they appeal to individual preference. An age-guidance figure is a false one, because it implies that all children of that age are the same.

Children are now taught to look closely at book covers for all the information they convey. The hope that they will not notice the age-guidance figure, or think it unimportant, is unfounded.

Writers take great care not to limit their readership unnecessarily. To tell a story as well and inclusively as possible, and then find someone at the door turning readers away, is contrary to everything we value about books, and reading, and literature itself.

Reminds you of the nuances between our cultures when it comes to principles like the public good, individual liberties, and authority. I can't imagine the possibility of such a top-down decision being made by our publishers here, can you? At least, I hope not. You may declare your own dissension here -- it doesn't seem like UK citizenship is necessary.

Jama's Recipes From Authors and Illustrators

Author Jama Rattigan (DUMPLING SOUP) is presenting a wonderful series on her blog (which is appropriately titled Alphabet Soup), featuring recipes from children's book authors and illustrators. Check out this enlightening interview with Fusion Stories author Grace Lin (YEAR OF THE RAT), who shares her recipe for gingerbread cupcakes with candied ginger icing. YUM!

May is Latino Books Month!

Tipped off by Little Willow, I'm now aware that May is not only about Fusion Stories and Asian Pacific Heritage Month, it's also Latino Books Month. Here's the announcement along with an interesting list of books pulled together by the Association of American Publishers Publishing Latino Voices for America (PLVA) Task Force:

Throughout the month of May, booksellers, librarians, and others in the book industry are encouraged to promote reading among Latinos in their communities, and to raise awareness of the rich variety of books authored by Latinos that are available, in both English and Spanish. For a copy of the summer recommended reading list for 2008 in celebration of Latino Books Month, click here. LBM List - May 08

The Mystery of the Children's Choice Awards

I was glad to see that When The Shadbush Blooms, the only "multicultural" book on IRA-CBC's list of nominees for the Children's Choice Awards, was lauded by Debbie Reese and Oyate.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised by the list -- the books were donated by publishers and chosen in six cities of the country not particularly renowned for a diverse demographic: Chico, California, Middletown, Delaware, Crete, Illinois, Starkville, Mississippi, Bellevue, Nebraska, and Omaha, Nebraska (here's a .pdf describing the process.) Of course, I've only been to Chico, which does have a fair share of immigrants, so maybe the other cities are home to all sorts of kids.

Unfortunately, on the official Children's Book Choices site, there's no explanation of selection criteria to be found -- or maybe I'm missing it. The nominees are great, I'm sure, but this award reminds me that for kids and adults to venture outside the story comfort zone, we often need a nudge from a trusted source.

Enid Blyton, Disney, and Kahani Magazine

Scholastic editor Sandhya Nankani is guest-blogging at the always stimulating Sepia Mutiny site this month, and tells us about Disney's plans to diversify and update Enid Blyton's beloved Famous Five characters.

Among other innovations, the Mouse Factory is inventing a hip anglo-Indian character named Jyoti who is the daughter of the original hero of the books. Mutineers' comments reveal the impact that Brit Kid Lit, and especially Ms. Blyton (who wrote 800 books in 40 years!), had on South Asia and mixed feelings about this new venture.

Sandhya ends her post with a quote about Kahani magazine, a children’s literary magazine illuminating the richness and diversity that South Asian cultures bring to North America:

I feel so lucky that we have publications like the South Asian children’s literary magazine Kahani which ... just won the highly respected 2008 Parents’ Choice Award for magazines for the second year in a row. That’s a huge deal. This is a prestigious award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation which has been reviewing mainstream children’s media since 1978.

Full disclosure: I'm on the editorial advisory board of Kahani, have been an ardent fan since the magazine launched, and believe that libraries everywhere should order a subscription immediately.

Paula Yoo on Writing Asian

A former writer for People magazine and the television series West Wing, Paula Yoo had never created an Asian character before penning her debut YA novel Good Enough (Harper Teen).

Here she is guest-blogging at YAYAYAs, explaining how the genre helped her to find her voice. She's the next-gen Asian American writer -- one who can succeed in creating stories within mainstream pop culture and yet also express the view from the margins, moving back and forth so fast the borders blur for all of us.

This Is Not Your Auntie's Novel

According to this fascinating article about new Indian writers, the English language book market in the motherland seems to be blossoming nicely. These next-gen storytellers are challenging old models of the "Indian" novel, renouncing both the ample girth of the spine and the heavy emotional tone. Nilanjana Roy, a lit critic based in Delhi, rejoices over these new voices:

"I'm delighted to see that today's authors, at long last, are writing out of a sense of freedom, that they’re doing exactly as they please. They can live in India and write about Bulgaria. They can write about their own world, and which Bob Dylan and jazz are just as prominent as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Bollywood songs. All these things form a part of our lives, so why should we allow ourselves to be forced into a corset by telling only certain stories? India has more than one story."

2007's Top Five Children's Books Between Cultures

In 2007, five great stories featuring displaced protagonists captured attention in the children's book world (as measured by the Fire Escape's buzz radar).

A National Book Award nominee revealed the strange, lonely place a child inhabits after she leaves the land of her birth. M. Sindy Felin’s Touching Snow tells of Karina, a seventh-grader who moves from Haiti to a suburb in New York with her mother, sisters, and abusive stepfather.

Shaun Tan's wordless graphic novel, The Arrival, an achetypical immigrant's story, poignantly and masterfully depicted a young father escaping an unnamed war-torn country in search of a better life for his family in a new world.

A funny, fast read by a member of the Class of 2k7, Rose Kent, featured a likeable male protagonist. Kimchi & Calamari is the story of fourteen-year-old Korean adoptee Joseph Calderaro who sets out on a search for his birth family while enjoying close ties with his Italian-American parents and sisters.


Home of the Brave (my favorite readaloud of 2007) by Katherine Applegate is a lyrical novel told in the voice of brave, honest Kek, a refugee from a country in Africa starting a new life without his mother, father, and brother in wintry Minnesota.



And last but not least, Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah traveled from Australia to the US and made a big splash.  Amal, a 16-year-old Australian-born Muslim Palestinian, struggles with the hyphenated life as she decides to wear hijab at her prep school.



NOTE: Kids living on reservations cross cultural boundaries also, albeit in a different way, so I have to add that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was perhaps the most touted novel of the year. Alexie introduced us to unforgettable Junior, a Spokane Indian who transfers from the reservation school to a white high school.

Who Shall Draw Our Children?

After our past chats about authenticity and the right to tell a story, I thought my Fire Escape visitors would enjoy this synopsis by Fran Manushkin of last month's PEN young adult and children's book committee meeting, and she kindly gave me permission to excerpt it for you:

At our October meeting, we had a lively exchange about writing books about groups or cultures that are not our own:

Bob Lipsyte spoke about his groundbreaking novel, THE CONTENDER. Ellen Levine talked about her picture book, I HATE ENGLISH, which deals with a Chinese child. Helen Benedict spoke about her novel, THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE, about a biracial teenager; and Catherine Stine mentioned her novel, REFUGEE, about an Afghan boy seeking asylum from war. Each of these writers described the extensive research they did as well as the depth of their commitment to doing justice to the themes and characters they depicted.

We also talked about the complex issue of who should illustrate picture books about minority groups: Ezra Jack Keats's groundbreaking picture book, THE SNOWY DAY, appeared before African-American artists were given extensive opportunities; and today many editors prefer that books about African-Americans be illustrated by African-American artists. Cheryl Hudson, who is both a writer and the publisher of Just Us Books, gave a quick overview of changes in the field since THE SNOWY DAY. We also looked at picture books written and illustrated by people across cultural boundaries, including, THE FUNNY LITTLE WOMAN by Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent, and THE THREE SAMURAI CATS by Eric A. Kimmell, illustrated by Mordecai Gerstein.

My view is that storytellers should not be limited by race or culture, neither our own nor our characters, but does the same hold true for illustrators? I believe so, and was thrilled with artist Jamie Hogan's illustrations for my own Rickshaw Girl, despite my initial suggestion of several South Asian artists' names to Charlesbridge (which they requested, considered, and decided against after realizing Jamie's art worked so well). Why, then, does my gut feel slightly more reluctant about this wide-open "yes" to illustrators crossing borders than the one I resoundingly shout when it comes to writers attempting the same?

What I Meant

Marie Lamba's What I Meant, yet another novel in my pile labeled "must read in December after my revision" got a nice review in School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up—Sangeet, 15, is the daughter of an Indian father and American mother ... teens will enjoy the interesting cast of characters and the book will have broad appeal, leaving readers wanting more.—Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library

Touching Snow: I Want To Know More

National Book Award nominee M. Sindy Felin’s Touching Snow is the story of a seventh-grader from Haiti who moves to a New York suburb. "The author writes with insight about the realities of immigrant life," an SLJ reviewer wrote. I googled first-novelist Felin and couldn't find much except for this lovely photo on the Simon and Schuster site. I want to read it soon, but as I'm under deadline right now, can someone tell me more?

Saying Smackdown: Rhys Versus Rochman

Check out this great interview via Literary Safari with Katherine Applegate of Animorph fame, who released her debut literary novel this month, Home of the Brave (the Fire Escape's glowing review coming soon). My tiny quibble was the attribution of one of my favorite quotes to Jean Rhys, a Caribbean novelist who wrote in the middle of the twentieth century:

“Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but most importantly, it finds homes for us everywhere.”

I've used that phrase liberally and always given Hazel Rochman the credit based on her classic essay, "Against Borders," published in the March 1995 edition of the Horn Book.

If you google the combo of Rhys and the quote, you come up with this. But when you google Rochman and the same saying, you get this. Help me, research types who despise google and wikipedia searches: who said it?

Heat and ICED: Illegal Immigration

Trying to get kids to think through the debate around illegal immigration? To spark the discussion, why not read aloud or listen to Mike Lupica's novel, Heat (Philomel, 2006)? The story features a pair of baseball-loving brothers from Cuba and allows you to live the stress and fear they endure in New York after their father dies.

Then, in November, check out ICED, a free online game created by Breakthrough. The game was based on ideas pitched by about 100 students in NYC schools and uses some of their voice talents. Andres Amerikaner (interesting name) of the Miami Herald reports:

The game lets one player roam a virtual metropolis modeled after New York City. If you make good choices -- for example, not jumping the subway turnstiles or stealing from convenience stores -- you'll earn points that will keep you on the streets.

Players can also boost their points by walking into a language center, by recycling or by correctly answering questions along the way. The more points earned, the fewer immigration officers chasing you down.

Eventually -- it's virtually inevitable -- you'll be arrested and taken to a second level, the detention facility.

Here, players must avoid getting into fights, starting hunger strikes or signing a voluntary deportation letter. At the end, players will face a judge who will determine their fate.

The not-yet-released game is already controversial, as some complain that it portrays the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers as the bad guys. Check out this interview on FOX with Breakthrough's director, Mallika Dutt:



More resources to teach/think about immigration (links via SCORE):

• American Immigration Past and Present: A Simulation Activity
• Immigration Attitudes in American History: They Are Not like Us!!
• Huddled Masses Still Yearning to Breathe Free
• Over the Borderline? Examining and Discussing Different Perspectives on Immigration Legislation
• U.S. Immigration Policy: What Should We Do?

Writing Race: Yellow, Brown, Black, and White

Brace yourselves for yet another superhero movie featuring brown bad guys. Speaking of which, a visitor recently wrote to ask about the YouTube video I submitted for the presidential debates:

I'm wondering why you use "brown" to describe your sons. Color words (red, yellow, black) have been rejected and are being discarded. I'm wondering if it is a term you've chosen or is it acceptable to the Indian American community? I understand that "brown" may encompass several ethnic groups. Because color words have become unacceptable and for the sake of parallelism, perhaps another way of conveying their ethnicity and the dangers of being judged on outward appearances could be used.

Judging by the way they put the word "brown" in quotes, US News and World Report and Newsweek also seemed startled by my choice of words. Here's part of the answer I gave:

Brown does seem to be acceptable to my generation of Indians and younger ... I wonder if color words are being discarded by well-meaning whites, but championed by the next gen who are grappling with race in a way we never did — see yellowworld, ultra brown, and black planet as examples.

But does that mean brown, yellow, and black people can use color words but white people can't? How should authors of any race describe the skin color of our characters? Shaken and Stirred and TadMack raised the issue during the summer, with Tadmack asserting convincingly that "it doesn't make sense to avoid race ... we can't pretend that since it's not directly affecting us that we've somehow transcended it, to arrive on a rarefied, colorless plain."

In the effort to be inclusive, though, authors can fall into a Rowling-esque race-writing trap (elaborately detailing the range of white people's facial hues and expressions-- pink, blushing, pale, etc.,-- while describing her black characters solely as ... black.) But can we blame J.K. Rowling, or is the English language itself over-stocked with the vocabulary, similes, metaphors, and imagery needed to describe white people?

A communal discomfort over race, the desire of well-meaning people to "move beyond it," an in-your-face response by younger people, and the limits of a language with a history of describing European people -- there's only one way for a storyteller to diffuse the tension, in my opinion, and that's through the power of humor. Any other ideas?

You Bet I'm Indian

"Mee-ta-lee. Now that's a pretty name. Are you Indian?"

I tried to hide my surprise over her ethnic savvy. We were checking into an RV park in a one-gas-station town, and the only other brown face I'd spotted for miles around was Michael Vick's on the flickering screen behind the desk.

I couldn't stop myself: "How did you know?"

"We got a reservation fifty miles down the road, sweetie."

No, I didn't shame her. I didn't even gently correct. After all, a Wampanoag man had once asked me the same question in my home state of Massachusetts. Truth be told, I was grateful yet again that my appearance allows me to be perceived differently than white folk visiting brown-skinned nations.

When you drive across the United States, you're almost certain to pass through at least one of our country's 300 or so reservations (not all of the more than 550 recognized tribes have a reservation, and some have more than one.) We stayed with friends in Apsaalooke (Crow) nation, near the site of the Battle of the Greasy Grass (aka the Battle of the Little Big Horn). I'd read about the suffering endured by this country's original inhabitants and their descendants, and been educated about dangerous stereotypes. Nonetheless, my heart wasn't prepared for the vibrancy of the cultures, the everyday use of Indian languages, and the strong sense of pride and community. Why did I only know bad news?

Thanks to sites like Oyate, blogs like Debbie Reese's, and YA novels like Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (which earned starred reviews in PW and Horn Book, among others, and has moved to the top of my nightstand stack), I'm hoping for a more accurate picture of reservation life to replace my mistaken perceptions. PW's review of Alexie's book includes this intriguing quote:

Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity.

Separating to preserve instead of reclaiming to find? Now there's a different between-cultures experience; tell me more, please.

Kent Brown on Authenticity

La Bloga interviews publisher Kent Brown (Boyds Mill Press, Highlights for Children) about multicultural literature.