Reading across the racial divide

[chicki]

Excellent article!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-..._b_659561.html

Chicki Brown
Amazon Central Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003U6RT96

[Worldwalker]

I suppose it's important if you, like the author, prefer to read "troubled family in a troubled culture" stories. I prefer to read science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and the occasional bit of miscellaneous violence. I'm not reading to have my consciousness raised; I'm reading to have fun. Whether the characters in the story have the same skin color I do, or speak the same language I do, or even breathe the same atmospheric gas mix as I do, doesn't matter. If it's a fun story to read, I don't care what either the author or the characters look like. Likewise, if the story sucks, it sucks just as hard no matter if the protagonist is my spitting image or something with tentacles and eyestalks.

The implication that books by black authors are mostly in the "troubled family in a troubled culture" genre, or that such books are primarily by black authors, is also disturbing. I have to wonder: is the ghetto being railed against is one of race or one of genre?

[bjones6416]

The blog post by Tayari Jones that was linked to in the article is pretty interesting. Her point, as I understand it, is not that white readers aren't willing to READ books by black authors; it's that in many areas those books just aren't as available on the shelves. Interesting viewpoint, and I believe it. I live just south of Atlanta and my library is a treasure chest of authors and genres. We have a very diverse population here, though. I'll bet that in areas not quite so diverse as mine the bookstores and libraries, maybe driven by limited budgets, don't tend to carry stock that doesn't appear to be representative of the target group. Outdated notion, but I expect it happens. On the other hand, a lot of people have turned to the internet for their book-buying needs, electronic or otherwise, and those sources SHOULD be pretty free of any slant one way or the other.

I was here during the Atlanta child murders and it was a scary and heartrending time. I'm not sure I want to read Leaving Atlanta but if I choose not to it will be because lately I read to escape sad things, not to revisit them. Yep, that's me, I only want to read things with puppies and ice cream and happy endings. :-)

[speakingtohe]

Well I sort of agree with both. I read for enjoyment but am strangely fascinated by books about different cultures. (ie Colin Cotteril, Liz Williams etc.) although I think both authors are Euro/American.
I am Canadian and while I do not pretend we are the melting pot our government would like us to believe our libraries do not seem to be excluding cultures. Occasionally their is a huge influx of Canadian born authors or a massive amount of books written in Manderin or Cantonese, but I think this is a result of some government grant.
Generally they seem to buy books that are popular on a North American predominantly English language scale, even to some extent in Quebec
Helen

[Penforhire]

The blog post linked (Tayari Jones) is interesting but unless the author puts a photo of themselves on the jacket I tend to not know the race of whoever I'm reading. So the whole "white writers writing about black people get more traction" is lost on me. But then again, I'm not involved in any literature promotion so I don't see the inequities there.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

The blog post linked (Tayari Jones) is interesting but unless the author puts a photo of themselves on the jacket I tend to not know the race of whoever I'm reading. So the whole "white writers writing about black people get more traction" is lost on me. But then again, I'm not involved in any literature promotion so I don't see the inequities there.

Good point. For instance, I didn't have a clue (or for that matter, even wonder) about the author of "The Help" until I read this article. Sometimes it's just about the book, you know?