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'Open the doors and let these books in' - what would a truly diverse reading list look like?

amp.theguardian.com

'Open the doors and let these books in' - what would a truly diverse reading list look like?

Following student calls for university English literature syllabuses to be ‘decolonised’, Hanif Kureishi, Arundhati Roy, Kamila Shamsie and other authors reflect on the debate and choose essential books by black and minority ethnic writers

“At this difficult time in the west, when racism is increasing and people are retreating into nationalism, populism and even white supremacy, if literature is to have any point for young people, it must be to examine and dismantle the structures that maintain white power. The literary is also the political. If we open the “canon”, we also open our minds.”

fiction books culture english and creative writing education

Dec 04, 2017
'Buried history': unearthing the influence of Native Americans on rock'n'roll

theguardian.com

'Buried history': unearthing the influence of Native Americans on rock'n'roll

Stevie Salas’ research has led to the documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, which traces the impact of Native people on America’s rich musical history

“Over the course of [Stevie Salas’s] research, the sideman for stars such as Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger found a wealth of overlooked information about the deep impact Native people have had on a variety of American musical genres. His research, and that of others, has found its way into a revelatory new documentary titled Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World.”

pop and rock native americans rockabilly music culture

Aug 10, 2017
The Importance of Being Ordinary

newrepublic.com

The Importance of Being Ordinary

Gwendolyn Brooks’s life and work asserted the humanity of black people in America.

“When her editor Elizabeth Lawrence asked the young poet what inspired her to write, Brooks said ‘to prove to others (by implication, not by shouting) and to such among themselves who have yet to discover it, that they are merely human beings, not exotics.’ ‘They’ referred to black people in America, a population who in 1950 found themselves in the middle of the Jim Crow era and on the cusp of the Civil Rights era.”

culture

Aug 08, 2017
Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens | Bitch Media

bitchmedia.org

Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens | Bitch Media

What happens when two great black women fiction writers get together to talk about race in young adult literature? That's exactly what happens in the conversation below, where Zetta Elliott [1] (below left), a black feminist writer of poetry, plays, essays, novels, and stories for children, ...

books culture ya ya literature race the hunger games weneeddiversebooks we need diverse books sci-fi

Sep 20, 2015
Alex Gino: 'I knew I was different as a kid'

theguardian.com

Alex Gino: 'I knew I was different as a kid'

Alex Gino, the genderqueer author whose new middle grade book George features a trans protagonist, spoke to teen site member John Hansen about writing a trans character for children, working with David Levithan, and recommends their favourite children’s and YA books with LGBTQ+ themes

Fantastic interview with We Need Diverse Books team member Alex Gino!!

children and teenagers teen books books culture transgender alex gino george we need diverse books

Sep 09, 2015
Where are all the disabled characters in children's books?

theguardian.com

Where are all the disabled characters in children's books?

Last October, Megan Quibell TheBookAddictedGirl wrote about how she has never read a book with a physically disabled character as a lead – and nearly felt obliged to go to YALC as Professor Xavier from X Men. And that sucks, doesn’t it?

“We need characters in books who are in wheelchairs or who use a cane or are missing a limb or have some kind of condition or something. But I don’t want “problem” books. I don’t want it to be all about how hard it is being in a wheelchair. I want something normal. For me, of course, normal tends to include dragons and witches – but you see my point…“

children and teenagers culture books disability comic-con 2014

May 12, 2015
Cerrie Burnell: every child deserves to have their life represented in books

theguardian.com

Cerrie Burnell: every child deserves to have their life represented in books

CBeebies presenter and author Cerrie Burnell failed in her search for disabled characters in books to identify with when she was growing up – and that’s why her own children’s books embrace diversity in all its glory

“When I write it is truly for everyone. I’m writing for the child at bedtime who will dream of the adventure all night long. I’m writing for the patient parent who has made time to read with their child after a long day. I’m writing for the grandmother, tired of children, who suddenly finds that a great book can enchant her once again. I’m writing in the hope that everyone’s heart can be touched by the extraordinary wonder of books.“

children and teenagers books culture cerrie burnell cbeebies

May 11, 2015

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