Michael wrote: "Haha Misty I think they would most likely refer to you as WASP or the other term I can't think off the top of my head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ang..."

Yeah, I know I have racist members of the fam, but either they keep their mouths shut until they blow, or they keep their mouths shut around me because they know what they'll have to listen to if they don't. And the WASP thing, that one confused the hell out of me, too, for the longest time. I had to google it awhile back. For the most part it fits (I am rather pasty, despite NA blood), but the P definitely does not fit. So I'm not a complete stereotype. Score one for me.

Misty plus for the longest time I think the Japanese were either referred to as the "japs" or "nips" dependent on your locale.

Haha Misty I think they would most likely refer to you as WASP or the other term I can't think off the top of my head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo...

Eeeh overall the classification thing of people is a joke.

Everyone is an American and culturally based on culture and norms. I'm sure I'm nothing at all like my grandparents. I'll admit I had a super racist grandma growing up who thought my mom should be her maid and what not. But thats a story for another day.

HAPA? I am so ignorant of most racial epithets. I remember the first time I hear someone say JAP on tv (meaning Jewish American Princess, aka spoiled), and I thought they meant Japanese, and I was so confused, as the girl was clearly not Japanese. :)

Fyi, I'm from a very multicultural background. I was born and raised in San Francisco. But I'm of Scotish, German, Hong Kong, Southern China heritage. My son is Korean tossed into the above. So we are really mutts in the grand scheme of culture. Then again if you are from an urban area you may have heard the word HAPA tossed around? Usually its for people of mixed cultures that involve Asian or Pacific Islands mixs.

Hmm life does give you perspective, especially growing up you usually have to fall into a certain category, they don't have a box on forms for "all of the above" when you pick race.

Hmmm off hand when I was in college a long long time ago. I really liked books that brought you into someones culture. Usually they have to have a decent plot, some type of experience learned that I have no chance of ever experiencing in my own life. I really liked this book when I read it at school. Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers A Novel Hmm this was actually really interesting too but a little difficult to read. I think it's the Asian version of the Invisible Man, not the scifi book. No-No Boy

Misty wrote: "Meghan wrote: "I just want to comment on the whole "multi-cultural" word issue (question? comment?). I would think multi-cultural would imply different cultures, regardless of the color of the skin..."

I agree, Meghan and Misty.

Meghan wrote: "I just want to comment on the whole "multi-cultural" word issue (question? comment?). I would think multi-cultural would imply different cultures, regardless of the color of the skin. Thus, being American I would classify books from England, Australia, Germany, even Canada as "multi-cultural". "

That's how I approach it.

I would also like to add the Dragonwings Golden Mountain Chronicles 1903 series by Laurence Yep. Dragonwings itself won a Newbery Honor, ALA Notable, and International Reading Association Children's Book award.

The series deals with one family (and several generations) over the decades (1849-1995), starting in China and their subsequent move to the United States. It brings to light some of the realities, struggles, and issues facing all Chinese Americans (and Asian Americans in general)--not just the prejudices but the conflicts of being American and still wanting to retain the essence of what makes them "Chinese". How do you preserve your heritage, while successfully adapting to a totally different culture?

**I am also glad to read the good reviews of Kira-Kira, which I just recently purchased. And I can't recomend the Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry series enough. I read that in 6th grade and it's stuck with me all these years. I just recently purchased them for myself and to my delight, they are still as wonderful now as they were 20+ years ago.

I just want to comment on the whole "multi-cultural" word issue (question? comment?). I would think multi-cultural would imply different cultures, regardless of the color of the skin. Thus, being American, I would classify books from England, Australia, Germany, even Canada as "multi-cultural".

Then there is multi-racial (or maybe multi-ethnic). This is implies different people of other races. I'm Korean by birth, Asian in general, and American by nationality. Multi-racial would indicate to me books about non-caucasians. So it could be set in the US, but a story about an African American, Latino, or Asian American would, to me, be considered multi-racial.

Depending on how you use either word, I don't necessarily infer that it's stereotyping. An African American growing up in the US is going to have a different experience than a Latino versus an Asian American (to that of a caucasian). Similarily, a caucasian American in China would have a different experience than I do, even though we're both Americans.

Thanks Mona!

Hello all. I'm new to the discussion (and to the group, in fact - the discussion intrigued me so much, I had to join!) and I thought I'd pass along two potentially helpful resources.

First, there is a Livejournal community that encourages individuals to read books by authors of color. The community was created as a response to the conventional challenge to read 50 books in a year, revising that goal to be to read 50 books by authors of color in a year. Now, I know that not all authors of color write "multicultural" books/"urban fiction" and by the same token, that many books that may be classified as "multicultural" or "urban fiction" were not written by people of color. Additionally, though authors of color do sometimes write about such issues as poverty, racism, multiculturalism, etc., they also write about other issues, invoking genres other than straight-up fiction. However, many of the reviews or short summaries posted by readers in the community would be relevant to this discussion. It's important to note that not all books discussed are YA (since this is a YA-focused group), but a great deal of them are. Here's the link: Writers of Color 50 Book Challenge.

Second, if you look to the right side of the community page, you'll see some links to recommendations. If you want one easy source to remember, look at the community's bookmarks on Del.icio.us (the community recommendations and the booklists posted in the community are all included as bookmarks, so the Del.icio.us page is a one-step hit on everything available). The bookmarks are here. Try expanding the list of "all tags" to pinpoint topics or author backgrounds of particular interest to you.

Neither of these sources is complete, of course, but this is a growing project and I figured some of you might be interested in these resources.

I have other thoughts but they are not forming cohesively in my brain right now (it's much too early in the morning for me!). I hope to keep up with this discussion thread, however, and so you may see me back here again. :)

Heather wrote: "I hadn't thought of it that way Lydia. What were some books you ended up encouraging them to read as a result?"

Heather, my daughters have read a real wide variety of books and, from my personal parenting perspective, nothing was off limits. At one point we used the ALA list of books recommended for college-bound students.

But remember, my daughters were raised in Alaska, so we had lots of time to read! LOL!

Misty, Myers tends to write in the language of the streets and is rather graphic in his descriptions. I just don't like it and do not feel it is helpful. He's writing for a specific audience and it's not me and it's not my kids. My reaction is rather emotional, rather from a critical perspective.

Lauren wrote: "Misty I agree with that sentiment. It becomes a problem when it builds walls and hinders our ability to relate to "other" in a positive and honest way."

I agree, but unfortunately, I think that's human nature, too. You can't label something as "other" without setting it apart from yourself, and once you do that, it is generally all downhill from there.

Lydia wrote: "I must admit to you all, however, I despise Walter Dean Myers' work. And I really dislike the books for adults by black authors that seem to be extremely formulaic."

I haven't read any Myers, but people normally speak so highly of him. And I think anything formulaic is baaaaaad.

Hey Eugene, for me, it was the black kids who beat my butt for seven years! And I'm still not over it! (Yes, I'm working on a YA that centers around that -- could only start it after years of therapy, of course! Tee,hee)

As a librarian I took a rather interesting course on multicultural literature -- the term was used broadly. I find I am really fascinated by Australian, Canadian, African, Indian, and Asian authors - both in YA and adult lit. I don't think there is anything necessarily wrong with defining multicultural as those which are outside of your own -- however, subjective that may be. The goal is to simply entertain another range of books.

I must admit to you all, however, I despise Walter Dean Myers' work. And I really dislike the books for adults by black authors that seem to be extremely formulaic. My sister has been reading for quite awhile and I found that after a year, nothing felt new and exciting. I'm afraid that is the way I see what you might call Urban Fiction.

Misty I agree with that sentiment. It becomes a problem when it builds walls and hinders our ability to relate to "other" in a positive and honest way.

Lydia, I like the way of putting that. Or my world is made up of people of many varied times, places, cultures and the joy it is to see the history that has shaped an individual.

There is much richness to be enjoyed if we look for it.

Loving some of these books I have picked up on the recommends of this thread.

I think it's just human nature to "other" things. We have to categorize and label. It's what we do.

I hadn't thought of it that way Lydia. What were some books you ended up encouraging them to read as a result?

Heather,

Well, there is another way to think of it -- my world is made up of black people; the rest are "unblack" or "other".

Something I had to consider as I raised my interracial children and thought about what they would be reading.

Lauren wrote: "A line in (I think) It's the Little Things says (paraphrasing): Black people are always aware of race, White people have to make a point to think about it.

the more people making a point to think about it and actively do something about it...that's progress. "

That's an excellent quote.. reminds me of Peggy McIntosh's essay "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack". Here's a link: http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcint...

This is a really interesting thread and I'm looking forward to checking out some of these books. Thanks to all who recommended them!

Alexis, my to-read list is soon going to hate you.

I love this topic and the recommendations sounds great! This is actually something that's being talked a lot about on some of the blogs I read. Check out Taste Life Twice and Reading in Color. Also, if you're interested and not familiar with it I suggest checking out Justine Larbalestier's Blog and reading about the cover controversy over her new book Liar.

And my suggestions for some books with POC protags or POC authors:
Asian-American Protags in YA fiction Book List
Anything by Justine Larbalestier (try her Magic or Madness trilogy)
Returning My Sister's Face by Eugie Foster - Not YA, but I'd still recommend it. Beautiful short stories that retell and draw inspiration from Japanese myth and legends.

There are probably a lot more in my book list but as I don't sort my books by culture and book covers are not a lot of help I'd have to take a lot more time to sort them out.

the best thing you can do to be a good representative of any group you represent (whether intentionally or not) is simply to be the best person you can be and let that speak firstly for yourself, and secondly, for whatever larger whole you may represent.

thinking critically is never rambling. that's called intelligence and awareness!

I don't know when I started becoming interested in "multiculteral" literature but I started making an effort to seek it out when I saw the prevalence of "white" literature that I was feeding myself.

Because of where I live, I look more for African-American and S. American authors to get a glimpse into a world unlike my own but reflective of the demographic of the area. I also love books that take place in Asia because of friends I have from Philipines and China.

I do think when we travel, whether we want to or not, we are reflective of our whole country and I would like to show something different than the Hollywood portrayal. I think of an article I read in a travel magazine? about young back-packers putting Canadian flags on their bags because they didn't want to be seen as an American-perhaps if they'd gone as Americans they would have openned some minds to alternative thought.

This is rambling, sorry. My other thought was that as we become more aware of this lack, we are able to inform the habits of those people that we have some influence over and, while it takes time,these changes may start being visable. A line in (I think) It's the Little Things says (paraphrasing): Black people are always aware of race, White people have to make a point to think about it.

the more people making a point to think about it and actively do something about it...that's progress.

any time! ;)

*beams*

Thank you Eugene! :)

Heather!

and that's the tragedy of it! you have nothing to be ashamed of! there's so much that you (as an individual, and as a country) can share with the world! unfortunately, there are those among you who are mostly interested in taking, and not very concerned about sharing. so hold your head up high and start dispelling those perceptions with your goodness!

on my first trip to Jamaica, i met a guy on the beach. we sat around, we talked for awhile, i played my guitar, he played my guitar, and then at one point he said to me: "You know, i don't like white people. but i like you."

hearts are won and minds are changed one at a time by one at a time.

Eugene wrote: "Lauren wrote:

"Any thoughts about the response or the general perceptions of Americans? "

you would have to ask those responsible for the portrayal of your people and your culture to the rest of..."

Totally! The times I have traveled outside the US I have experienced not wanting to be recognized as an American because there's an established view of what that means and what type of person that must make me. But I try not to shy from it, because I realize how important it is to dispel those myths.

Honestly Lauren, I didn't start actively seeking out books "multicultural" books until I decided to become a teacher. Since the district I plan on teaching in is very diverse, I realized that I need to make sure my classroom library reflects all of my students, not just the ones who look like me. And that's when I found out how much I had been missing.

This blog is focused on works by authors of color with a focus on African American authors, if anyone is interested (and I'm guessing many of you are). They did an excellent job covering the debacle over the new cover of Justine Larbalestier's book Liar and have author interviews fairly frequently.
http://thebrownbookshelf.com/

Lauren wrote:

"Any thoughts about the response or the general perceptions of Americans? "

you would have to ask those responsible for the portrayal of your people and your culture to the rest of the world, which would be, the people from your country who go out into the world and with their behaviour, or portrayal of your behaviour on behalf of all of you, provide the rest of the world with the images that create these perceptions.

of course, an entire population of people shouldn't be categorized uniformly. but in the absence of any contrary evidence, the world can only go by what it most often sees.

i guess the most overriding characteristic of your culture that constant exporting of your culture to the world has evidenced is your culture's exclusivity, as opposed to an inclusivity that explores other cultures and exposes your people to them with the intention of learning other ways and understanding and bringing you closer to, instead of separating you further and further from, the rest of the world.

glibly but accurately speaking, if more of your people were to start going out into the world and searching for and learning from the good and the beauty that is out there in the myriad of cultures of the human community, instead of going out into the world and telling everybody how they should be and what they should do, you might do a lot to dispel the perceptions that concern you.

(and i use the general, not the personal "you")

Unfortunately true... just look at the various "100 best books" lists that are circulating... lots and lots of Anglo-American, some south African, very little Australian and certainly nothing much else.

I get the all the time. I took an African American lit class, and every time I would tell someone something about it, I would get a weird look or someone would say 'Why are you taking that?'
I saw something recently about the world literary community's perception of the American literary scene. Apparently, we are not accepting of world lit, we ignore it and never nominate it for things, and we act like it doesn't exist or is lesser than mainstream white American lit. I can't remember where I saw this, but it was a reputable source (like BBC or PBS or something), not someone being bitter on a blog.
And as much as I hate to admit it, it may not be far from the mark.

Has anyone had an experience like this (I was intrigued...)

I love reading books that are outside of my experience and understanding, whether they are in a different country, an American's experience in another country, immigrants new experiences when coming to America or other American experiences. One of the ladies I work with was looking for a book and I asked what she liked (she is Puerto Rican with much of her family still living in Puerto Rico). I mentioned a couple books with Puerto Rican protagonists and she wanted to borrow one. When I brought it in she said, "Why would you pick up a book like this?"

That response seems quite indicative of why "multicultural" is the catch all non-white category for books. It seems that as an American I am expected to live only in my little world with no interest in the lives of others.

Any thoughts about the response or the general perceptions of Americans?

By me it would, because anything that is new to me and outside my "realm" is for me. Actually, I have to classifications that are grouped together: international/multicultural. This way I cover everything that is outside my realm, including who wrote it/where/about whom, etc...

Misty wrote: "Anything non "mainstream" could be considered multicultural."

That's kind of why I dislike the term "multicultural." It feels like a PC/code word for people of color, like they're automatically a distinct culture for having a different skin color than white people. And really, how many "multicultural" books actually have more than one culture represented in them? Would a book set in Germany and Sweden (definitely two different cultures) be shelved as multicultural? Thoughts?

I think in the broad sense it could be. Anything non "mainstream" could be considered multicultural. I don't know that it would be in the general definition of it, though.

Anyone else?

I want to ask -- would you consider gay fiction/non-fiction as being multicultural?

some of us ol' geezers have a funny sense of humor. but it's because we get it!

I had a teacher in college that would sing that to me every time he saw me in the hall. It was...interesting. People would look at us, like why is he serenading her?

Play Misty for Me! (sorry, couldn't resist that one!)
sounds like you had the right kind of experience and came to all the right conclusions. good for you! pass it on!

I agree. I think it's critical to be exposed to a lot of viewpoints as a kid, and literature -- good literature that doesn't pander to stereotypes and isn't just a hack job -- can do a great job of it in a fairly unobtrusive way. I really feel that most violence and anger and shame in this world stem from ignorance and uncomfortability with the unfamiliar.

my personal experience as an "ethnic" in North American culture has not been a pleasant one, since i experienced abuse at school (ok, i got beat up all the time because my first language wasn't english and i spoke with a thick accent until 5th grade and by that time, had had my arm broken, my leg broken and sported a black eye for a month in fourth grade).
that experience carried on into my adult life, where because of the fact that i associate with blacks, browns, yellows and reds, i get abused by "whites."
so anyway, i'm all for exploring the multicultural aspect of our social experience here, especially in teen and YA lit. maybe if more books were written from a multicultural perspective for young people, this kind of experience would eventually become the exception instead of, sadly, the rule.
so, talking the talk, i also walked the walk. my first book, a YA, that just came out, includes stories written from a variety of ethnic (and gender and sexual) perspectives, and deals directly with the horses---t of abusive prejudice.

I love this thread so hard. I am so excited to start working on that list you compiled, Alexis, thank you. One book I read recently that had an African American young woman as the main character was Stormwitch by Susan Vaught. It's historical fiction, but also a little bit SF.

As for "multicultural fiction" as a classification, I mostly vote "ick." Lumping together books featuring African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American literature together seems a little heavy handed. It treats books featuring white characters as "normal" or culture-less. And all too often, really good books by African American or Hispanic authors get pulled from Multicultural Fic sections and put in general fiction because white audiences might be interested in it. However, lists like this that connect readers with books that reflect their experiences are fantastic.

Oh, another great multicultural book I have to recommend because it's so girly and angsty and romantic is Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier! It's about this girl who is Indian as in from India, who has a crush on this boy who is dating her best friend, an American girl who is blonde. Anyways drama ensues, but the writing is pretty solid and it's a real page-turner!

I have Walter Dean Myers on my TBR!
In answer to your question about whether or not YA glamourizes certain seedy things like drugs, I don't think it does. I think for a lot of inner-city kids, it's something they deal with on a daily basis, as well as kids in the suburbs. I hate to say this, but drugs are all around, who hasn't tried weed in high school or college? (that's rhetorical, I know a few people who haven't but am trying to make a small point) I also feel like when I graduated high school pretty much everyone except me had had sex. It's what teenagers do, like it or not.

I think maybe certain multi-cultral YA books bring up these issues, because they are issues kids can relate to. Personally, I would much rather read a book with characters I can relate to, personality-wise, or with the issues they go through (i.e. whether to have sex or not). I think it's the same with a reluctant reader, they would probably enjoy a book which has a character they can relate to.

Great topic Alexis!

I really liked Kira-Kira when I read it. I don't remember a lot of details, because it was 2 years ago, I think, but I do remember loving their father, and really feeling for the family, for several reasons...
I agree that it was written very well.

I just finished Kira-Kira as part of the challenge. It's about Japanese-American sisters growing up in Georgia in the 1950s and the older one gets cancer. I think it dealt well with the fact that they were "different" while still being a book mostly about being teenage sisters. I'd recommend it.

Alexis wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Touching on the urban fiction, my issue with many of those is the glamorizing of drugs, sex a..."

Do the YA novels glamorize those things, though? I think the content will have the..."

Thanks, Alexis, for recommending my books! I will say that I wrote my YA series in part because I agree that there aren’t enough multicultural novels out there—and there were even less that represented the way I was raised. My father grew up in Puerto Rico, my mother is Polish, and I was raised in the Philly suburbs. It definitely wasn’t “urban.”

So I wanted to feature a character who is raised in a well-off family and isn’t particularly connected to either of her parents cultures. She doesn’t speak Spanish, she doesn’t look like a stereotypical Latina, and thinks and acts like any average teenage girl. But by the end she starts to develop a better understanding of her Latina roots and a better appreciation for where her family came from. All the while she’s dealing with boys, selfish friends, an immature brother, and all the other things a teenage girl faces. I hope you’ll check it out.

And if you’re looking for more multicultural YA reads, Mitali Perkins (one of the Reader Girlz Divas, http://www.readergirlz.com/) has a great blog on the subject with lots of recommendations, http://www.mitaliblog.com/.

Thanks again for recommending my books! I hope you enjoy them!

-Diana RW

Yay! I'm glad you all find it helpful. I found some of these at my library, so I think I might spend some of this summer reading books about Hispanic characters to compare them. There's one that I think I might be able to relate my own experiences to, judging from what I've read about the author on her website.