Books Between Cultures

This session by Mitali Perkins, was not one that I attended personally but here are notes from Mary Olive Thompson of the Kansas City Public Library.

Many teens have to navigate two cultural worlds, the mainstream and the world at home. As librarians, we need to evaluate our collection to determine if the stories empower or alienate the teens we serve.

Six Stereotypes of Non-whites:

1. Nobel Savage (seen as wiser than others or a magical prophet)
2. Exotic Stranger (more desirable or sexualize)
3. Token Side Kick (never a hero)
4. Accent Alien (heroes of “other cultures” that sound like Americans heroes but don’t have accent)
5. Underclassman (uneducated, poor, downtrodden)
6. The “Not it” (rejected, unattractive, counter to the exotic stranger)

Five Challenging Questions when Evaluating Books for Young Adults

1. Are non-white character’s one-dimensional? Teens need to see themselves in all kinds of stories, not just stories about race
   
2. Are characters exoticized in anyway?Is it needed for the story? Keep an eye out for generic vs. detailed cultural info Detailed, specific culture is better
3. Who are the people in the story with the power to change things? Are they mainstream white people?
4. Does the storyteller use accent as a short cut for characterization?
   
5. How is beauty described? How is race described? Why is race described? Food metaphors are lazy Question the illustration and cover art- who’s on the cover? Why?

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