Diverse Book Detective: In Search of Authenticity
Diversity is as hot a topic in the world of children’s literature, as it is in the bigger world today. While controversial, I want to let my readers know my stance on this subject because I often recommend diverse, multicultural books. Multicultural and diverse books are a positive and engaging way to introduce children to new cultures and people outside of their personal community.
Evaluating a book which has diverse characters and content is very challenging on many levels. Books can be stereotypical, inaccurate and demeaning in nature unfortunately. However, this is not always recognized by readers or book reviewers, especially if they have no knowledge of the culture or diverse characters in the book. I had a rude awakening to this fact when I began to include Native American children’s literature in my inventory. (I am not a Native American myself.)
As a school librarian, one of my go-to authors for Native Americans was Paul Goble. His books were highly praised by many book reviewers and his books were written well enough for me to put them in my school library. However, in my consulting practice, which includes many hours reading children’s blogs I came across the blog: “American Indians in Children’s Literature” hosted by Debbie Reese.
- Ms. Reese is an American Indian who reviews and blogs about American Indian children’s and young adult books.
- On her website she has archived all of her book reviews, both positive and negative.
So I immediately looked through her book reviews expecting to find that indeed Paul Goble’s books were as wonderful as I thought. To my dismay, quite the opposite was true. Ms.Reese found that his books do not represent that culture. Important lesson learned – I no longer sell his books. And, whenever I encounter a title about Native Americans I clear it through Ms. Reese first.
Ideally, all publishers would have diverse staff members who would seek out diverse literature and review the manuscripts for accuracy before they are published. However, according to a survey done by publisher Lee & Low, there is not a lot of diversity in the staff of publishing houses.
- Read more about this issue: When Whiteness Dominates Reviews.
The situation is not much better in the world of children’s literature reviewers. Consequently, not enough diverse children’s books, particularly authentic ones, make it into bookstores and libraries. I am glad to report that there now several initiatives in the children’s and adult lit worlds to correct this.
- Two examples that I have come across and joined are Mirrors Window Doors and Our Voices.
I read many reviews and try to heed the ones that address the accuracy of content or portrayal of the diverse characters. Also, knowing the author’s background is helpful. If they are writing about the culture they grew up in, that is a plus in my opinion. If they are writing about a culture different than their own, I try to find out what resources they used. With all of my due diligence, I still make mistakes (as I mentioned above). So if your background gives you the unique experience to determine the authenticity of a diverse book, I would welcome your input. Write me.
I will continue to post about diversity in the months to come. Stay tuned by reading this blog.
Click here to read the review of Children Around the World, a recommended book that is multicultural.