tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post4539438364518020348..comments2024-02-20T09:35:56.187-05:00Comments on Awkwordly Emma: We Need Diverse BooksEmmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17561861156323120664noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-74794557441413861442015-04-11T00:01:50.288-04:002015-04-11T00:01:50.288-04:00We really do need diverse characters! My mom is al...We really do need diverse characters! My mom is always like when are you going to read a book with an asian or african american girl as the protagonist. She also says where's black Katniss or a deaf main character. Alex Dudleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11776859424778720459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-16699915277336413302015-03-24T10:58:23.006-04:002015-03-24T10:58:23.006-04:00I'll have to come back and listen to your spee...I'll have to come back and listen to your speech later when I can turn on the audio, but I think this is a good discussion to be having. I think it's great that the campaign is encouraging the writing and trying of more reading options; but I have mixed feelings about the implications of some of what the campaign says and does.<br /><br />I won't give you the whole rundown (because no one has time for that ;) ), but one point that's really been sticking in my mind is the focus on "POC" as a diverse qualifier. I'm afraid it invites a fixation on race and/or skin color (which veers into murky territory for me of defining and/or separating/categorizing people according to their skin color), and it doesn't necessarily equate with a "diverse" experience per other determining factors (e.g., socio-economic status, culture, religion, politics, geographic location, etc.) I'm not saying having characters with light or dark skin is a bad thing, but the practice of defining a story as "worth" promoting or not according to the color of a character's skin, potentially with no other contributors, worries me. The resulting implications and the accompanying devaluing is, I think, counter to the campaign's stated goals.Kelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00938626223222252300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-17318846609264317192015-03-21T23:50:37.482-04:002015-03-21T23:50:37.482-04:00Thank you, Summer! Thank you, Summer! Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561861156323120664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-59195114263942495232015-03-21T22:54:55.386-04:002015-03-21T22:54:55.386-04:00Not only do I LOVE your post and list, but YAY for...Not only do I LOVE your post and list, but YAY for your speech! Your speech is great and you did so well. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00343758249538361290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-47005582454439154812015-03-18T09:13:22.825-04:002015-03-18T09:13:22.825-04:00Great speech! "Literature is a place to find ...Great speech! "Literature is a place to find someone like us and learn about someone different." SO TRUE. And the industry does have a long way to go. But I love the list you have here! <br /><br />I admit, one of the things I was most interested in when I set out to write a book was having a diverse cast of characters. It's what drew me to research piracy--ships were marvelously diverse, you had captains of all genders and types. I love historical fiction too--the best part about history (to me) is that when you really dive into it, you get beyond the White/Eurocentric focus and realize that diverse people were living and working and having adventures all through time. We just have to dig a little more to find their stories because they've been ignored or hidden for so long by the mainstream.<br /><br />Anyway, again, great speech :) heidi heilighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03703305013326947099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-55763031713479827492015-03-18T09:04:56.281-04:002015-03-18T09:04:56.281-04:00This is a very good list! I would also like to inc...This is a very good list! I would also like to include the upcoming 'None of the Above' I.W. Gregorio, a story about a intersex girl who discovers the truth about herself when she is 18. It's my current read. I hope that a lot of teens get their hands on it. I think it would educate the next generation about a very special group of people. Maybe also teach them a bit about making more conscious decisions about how they treat others.Jenna D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03957685936200304811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746441555766369349.post-87098262898036189332015-03-18T08:18:27.683-04:002015-03-18T08:18:27.683-04:00I love this post. I fully agree with you here. One...I love this post. I fully agree with you here. One of the things that made me really love the Lunar Chronicles was in fact the diversity of the characters. Another book that I love and which has diverse characters is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Soudhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072610823260769918noreply@blogger.com