Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 11
November 5, 2015
The Danger of a Single Story, Once Again
Flashback to me as young parent: I'm taking our two brown boys to the library on a weekly outing that never fails to delight. They tug me into the children's section, drop my hands, and race off to wander freely through aisles of beautiful picture books. (I browse, too, but keep an eye on them and the public bathrooms. I've heard my mother's stern warnings about her grandchildren's safety even though I roll my eyes when she issues them.)
Tim picks his usual fairy tales and adventures. Jim finds the scary stories and funny books. I look for good historical fiction to add to the pile. I also am on a constant hunt for brown faces in all kinds of stories. Ezra Jack Keats (A SNOWY DAY) comes home with us, along with Vera Williams (MORE, MORE, MORE SAID THE BABY). Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations of brown princesses and Chinese princes catch my eye.
There weren't any picture books I could find back then about the Indian-American experience and/or our colonial heritage, but today, I could have added CHACHAJI'S CUP by Uma Krishnaswami, for example, and GRANDFATHER GANDHI by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus to our pile.
But what if the ONE BOOK I could find featuring an Indian child was a sweetly-told tale about food? In one panel, a sari-clad mother and her brown child are standing around a table of feasting Brits, serving them during the Raj period. The Indian mother and daughter are smiling and looked safe, but later they subversively and courageously claim part of the meal while hiding in a closet.
Our boys were four; they colored self-portraits at school with dark brown crayon. They knew they were Indian. Their grandmother wore a sari. They knew who they resembled physically and ethnically on big and small screens, as well as on the pages of books. If the story I described in the preceding paragraph had been the ONLY BOOK—the single story—reflecting their emerging ethnic identity, I might have hesitated to take it home. How could I use this ONE BOOK to explain to the boys why Indians had been forced to serve the British for so many years? How would I underline the suffering of colonial oppression that our ancestors had endured? What would that ONE illustration convey to them about power, culture, race, and privilege?
But what if I'd also had access to both of the picture books I listed earlier, and more? What if there were multiple stories around which we could gather as a family that represented the uniqueness (windows) and normalcy (mirrors) of Indian people, both past and present? Then my decision about that ONE BOOK would have changed. I would have loved to take it home, because we had a wide collection of stories and images in which to place it. I could have said, "Remember in CHACHAJI'S CUP when we read about how Britain ruled India? This story takes place in that time. This is before GRANDFATHER GANDHI led the Indian people to freedom."
Given the current discussion about the representation of slavery in picture books, I'm posting my favorite TED talk by Chimamanda Adichie below. My hope is that even during this racially-charged season of history as a nation, we remember not to outsource the entirety of the black experience to a single story. Let's take stock of the emerging and existing collection of stories we offer children around the storytelling fire. Are we creating, publishing, sharing, compiling, buying, featuring, and promoting MANY stories all year around about black lives, past and present, offering a plethora of windows and mirrors?
And then, writers and illustrators, get to work! Let's hone our craft, pursue excellence, and tell a whole bunch of thoughtful stories in creative freedom. We're going to make even more mistakes than we already do if our books are forced to bear the burden of serving as that ONE STORY. If you relied on me and my books alone to represent the South Asian experience, I'd crumble under the pressure. I've made too many mistakes already. On the other hand, I welcome critique from other eyes and ears, and I hope you will also. I am grateful for perspectives that have been traditionally silenced, like the one belonging to my friend Debbie Reese , who consistently and passionately champions Native children. She sent me to read this report, for example, where I found young voices like this one:
Editors, publishers, booksellers, prize committees, and reviewers, I appreciate that you are producing and celebrating MANY STORIES about MANY CHILDREN! Keep it up! MORE, MORE, MORE, say the babies!
Teachers, parents, librarians, booksellers, as you display, handsell, promote, and read MANY STORIES aloud, maybe we won't need this heated and difficult discussion about ONE BOOK. Although to tell you the truth, I'm delighted that we're talking about it so widely. Because back when our boys were four and I was leading them through a library, it felt like I was one of the few keeping an eye out for brown and black faces in books. Now I have you guys, thanks be to God.
Tim picks his usual fairy tales and adventures. Jim finds the scary stories and funny books. I look for good historical fiction to add to the pile. I also am on a constant hunt for brown faces in all kinds of stories. Ezra Jack Keats (A SNOWY DAY) comes home with us, along with Vera Williams (MORE, MORE, MORE SAID THE BABY). Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations of brown princesses and Chinese princes catch my eye.
There weren't any picture books I could find back then about the Indian-American experience and/or our colonial heritage, but today, I could have added CHACHAJI'S CUP by Uma Krishnaswami, for example, and GRANDFATHER GANDHI by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus to our pile.But what if the ONE BOOK I could find featuring an Indian child was a sweetly-told tale about food? In one panel, a sari-clad mother and her brown child are standing around a table of feasting Brits, serving them during the Raj period. The Indian mother and daughter are smiling and looked safe, but later they subversively and courageously claim part of the meal while hiding in a closet.
Our boys were four; they colored self-portraits at school with dark brown crayon. They knew they were Indian. Their grandmother wore a sari. They knew who they resembled physically and ethnically on big and small screens, as well as on the pages of books. If the story I described in the preceding paragraph had been the ONLY BOOK—the single story—reflecting their emerging ethnic identity, I might have hesitated to take it home. How could I use this ONE BOOK to explain to the boys why Indians had been forced to serve the British for so many years? How would I underline the suffering of colonial oppression that our ancestors had endured? What would that ONE illustration convey to them about power, culture, race, and privilege?
But what if I'd also had access to both of the picture books I listed earlier, and more? What if there were multiple stories around which we could gather as a family that represented the uniqueness (windows) and normalcy (mirrors) of Indian people, both past and present? Then my decision about that ONE BOOK would have changed. I would have loved to take it home, because we had a wide collection of stories and images in which to place it. I could have said, "Remember in CHACHAJI'S CUP when we read about how Britain ruled India? This story takes place in that time. This is before GRANDFATHER GANDHI led the Indian people to freedom."Given the current discussion about the representation of slavery in picture books, I'm posting my favorite TED talk by Chimamanda Adichie below. My hope is that even during this racially-charged season of history as a nation, we remember not to outsource the entirety of the black experience to a single story. Let's take stock of the emerging and existing collection of stories we offer children around the storytelling fire. Are we creating, publishing, sharing, compiling, buying, featuring, and promoting MANY stories all year around about black lives, past and present, offering a plethora of windows and mirrors?
And then, writers and illustrators, get to work! Let's hone our craft, pursue excellence, and tell a whole bunch of thoughtful stories in creative freedom. We're going to make even more mistakes than we already do if our books are forced to bear the burden of serving as that ONE STORY. If you relied on me and my books alone to represent the South Asian experience, I'd crumble under the pressure. I've made too many mistakes already. On the other hand, I welcome critique from other eyes and ears, and I hope you will also. I am grateful for perspectives that have been traditionally silenced, like the one belonging to my friend Debbie Reese , who consistently and passionately champions Native children. She sent me to read this report, for example, where I found young voices like this one:
“At school there is not much covered on Native Americans. Our teachers only talk about Natives sometimes, usually in November around Thanksgiving. That’s not really the right time because Native people are here all the time. They teach us about friendly pilgrims and Indians—that white people and Indians have been friends all along, but we know another story. … I would like our teachers to change the way they teach so Indians are not just about [the] past, but in the present, and we learn more than one story.” — Kiki Shawnee, Student Oklahoma City Listening SessionI'm glad Debbie and Edi Campbell and others keep asking the questions. They call us to be thoughtful, tread carefully, and unpack the intersections of our own privilege—as we must, given our collective and individual inescapable histories. It's no use whining, "I wanted to include a fill-in-the-blank character but I was scared of what 'they' might say, so I didn't." That's the laziness of privilege. What we need to ask as a non-fill-in-the-blank writer is: "I want to create a fill-in-the-blank character because it's needed in my story, so how I can listen, learn, hold babies, and do as much good, important work as possible before writing a fill-in-the-blank character who has fill-in-the-blank power and privilege compared to me?" And then we might still make mistakes that make us and others cringe. Welcome to the powerful vocation of storytelling for children. Good thing we're not in this alone, writing a single story, right?
Editors, publishers, booksellers, prize committees, and reviewers, I appreciate that you are producing and celebrating MANY STORIES about MANY CHILDREN! Keep it up! MORE, MORE, MORE, say the babies!
Teachers, parents, librarians, booksellers, as you display, handsell, promote, and read MANY STORIES aloud, maybe we won't need this heated and difficult discussion about ONE BOOK. Although to tell you the truth, I'm delighted that we're talking about it so widely. Because back when our boys were four and I was leading them through a library, it felt like I was one of the few keeping an eye out for brown and black faces in books. Now I have you guys, thanks be to God.
November 4, 2015
All My World's a Stage: RICKSHAW GIRL Pedals to the Theater
Last night I had a magical experience. I was invited to attend a workshopping of RICKSHAW GIRL, the stage version, by the
Bay Area Children's Theater
(BACT). Playwright
Aditi Kapil
was in town from Minnesota to work with director
Vidhu Singh
, and our evening started with dinner at Toast in Oakland.
From L to R: Me, Vidhu Singh, Water Bottle, BACT's Ben Hanna, and Aditi KapilAfter dinner, we headed to BACT headquarters in Montclair, Oakland, and the talented team of actors, director, producer, and playwright began to work through the script. When you create a story in your head and people it with characters who exist only in your imagination, it is otherworldly to see them come to life. As I listened in wonder, I found myself moved by the plight of a young Bangladeshi girl who wants so desperately to help her family. I had written the darn thing, but last night Naima's story was presented to me in a fresh and sweet form. It was the same; it was completely different. It was magic.
Aditi's amazing script adds song, dance, staging, character depth, pacing, and emotional resonance to the story.
The actors who play the main characters, Naima and Saleem, are as adorable in real life as they are in this picture.
"What is scansion?" wondered the theatrical neophyte. In silence, of course.
Here's the first read-through of the rickshaw crash scene.
The RICKSHAW GIRL team: actors, director, author, and playwright.
Order your tickets now!
From L to R: Me, Vidhu Singh, Water Bottle, BACT's Ben Hanna, and Aditi KapilAfter dinner, we headed to BACT headquarters in Montclair, Oakland, and the talented team of actors, director, producer, and playwright began to work through the script. When you create a story in your head and people it with characters who exist only in your imagination, it is otherworldly to see them come to life. As I listened in wonder, I found myself moved by the plight of a young Bangladeshi girl who wants so desperately to help her family. I had written the darn thing, but last night Naima's story was presented to me in a fresh and sweet form. It was the same; it was completely different. It was magic.
Aditi's amazing script adds song, dance, staging, character depth, pacing, and emotional resonance to the story.
The actors who play the main characters, Naima and Saleem, are as adorable in real life as they are in this picture.
"What is scansion?" wondered the theatrical neophyte. In silence, of course.
Here's the first read-through of the rickshaw crash scene.
The RICKSHAW GIRL team: actors, director, author, and playwright.
Order your tickets now!
October 30, 2015
Exciting News About BORDERLINES, My Next YA Novel
From
Publishers Weekly Nov. 2, 2015 issue
:
FSG Crosses the ‘Borderline’ With PerkinsAfter winning a multiple-round auction, Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers took world rights, for six figures, to Mitali Perkins’s YA novel Borderlines. The book, which is set for a fall 2017 release, was sold by Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Agency. Perkins has written nine books for children and won multiple literary awards, including the E.B. White Young Adult Honor. Rennert said Borderlines, which links 15 stories about a Bengali family in Queens, features “the literary charm of The House on Mango Street and the bittersweet poignancy of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent.” Perkins was born in Kolkata, India, and the novel, Rennert noted, is “inspired by [the author’s] own experience as the youngest of three sisters who arrived in America with a wave of immigrants in the 1970s.”
FSG Crosses the ‘Borderline’ With PerkinsAfter winning a multiple-round auction, Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers took world rights, for six figures, to Mitali Perkins’s YA novel Borderlines. The book, which is set for a fall 2017 release, was sold by Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Agency. Perkins has written nine books for children and won multiple literary awards, including the E.B. White Young Adult Honor. Rennert said Borderlines, which links 15 stories about a Bengali family in Queens, features “the literary charm of The House on Mango Street and the bittersweet poignancy of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent.” Perkins was born in Kolkata, India, and the novel, Rennert noted, is “inspired by [the author’s] own experience as the youngest of three sisters who arrived in America with a wave of immigrants in the 1970s.”
October 5, 2015
Reviews in India for TIGER BOY
"Tiger Boy is a story of hope; it’s about the splendour of the mangrove forests and islands, the magnificence of the tiger and its vulnerability, and human resilience in the face of adversity." —
National Geographic Traveller India
"Read the book to find out who finds the cub — and how. It will be time well-spent. The language is easy, the tale, gripping. Young (and adult) readers are bound to get caught in the suspense and the action that surrounds the siblings’ quest for the cub. I found myself racing toward the end in one satisfying read. On the surface, the story is simple. But what I liked about the book is the multiplicity and complexity of issues that the author weaves in, effortlessly, in the narrative: climate change, gender discrimination, the press of poverty and how it compels you to work against your conscience. — Indian Express
"It’s only once a while that you get a book that manages to create a lump in your throat and at the same time makes you read as fast as you can because you want to know what happens next. Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins, published by Duckbill Books, is one such book." — Indian Moms Connect
For more on the book, visit www.tigerboy.org .
"Read the book to find out who finds the cub — and how. It will be time well-spent. The language is easy, the tale, gripping. Young (and adult) readers are bound to get caught in the suspense and the action that surrounds the siblings’ quest for the cub. I found myself racing toward the end in one satisfying read. On the surface, the story is simple. But what I liked about the book is the multiplicity and complexity of issues that the author weaves in, effortlessly, in the narrative: climate change, gender discrimination, the press of poverty and how it compels you to work against your conscience. — Indian Express
"It’s only once a while that you get a book that manages to create a lump in your throat and at the same time makes you read as fast as you can because you want to know what happens next. Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins, published by Duckbill Books, is one such book." — Indian Moms Connect
For more on the book, visit www.tigerboy.org .
September 21, 2015
September 17, 2015
September 12, 2015
Hope for Theatrical Adaptations: WAR HORSE
If there's a shortage of clotted cream in the British Isles, feel free to blame my recent visit to London. As usual, I overdosed on Darjeeling and scones laden with liberal servings of my favourite (note the spelling) dairy product.
My husband suggested that we see
WAR HORSE
in the theater, and I reluctantly agreed, curmudgeon that I am when it comes to literary adaptations. Let the record stand: I didn't see the film. The curtain went up, and to my amazement, I was hooked within minutes. Much of my pleasure was derived from the creative puppetry provided by
South Africa's Handspring Productions
. These artists made it easy to suspend disbelief and cheer for the beautiful horses on stage.
I popped into Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford to buy a copy of the book by Michael Morpurgo and read it on the flight home. The novel is delightful, but the stage production takes it to a new level thanks to the added talents of directors, actors, stage designers, and most of all, the puppeteers.
I stand corrected about theatrical adaptations, at least when handled with excellence in craft and story. And I'm more hopeful and excited to see what the creative team at the Bay Area Children's Theater will do with their adaptation of my novel RICKSHAW GIRL , premiering April 16, 2016 on the stage of the Creativity Theater in San Francisco .
We writers like to be in charge of our stories, but magical things can happen when we release the reins and harness the talents of others. Perhaps our stories will be able to gallop into the hearts and minds of a much wider audience. Fodder for thought? (Sorry.)
My husband suggested that we see
WAR HORSE
in the theater, and I reluctantly agreed, curmudgeon that I am when it comes to literary adaptations. Let the record stand: I didn't see the film. The curtain went up, and to my amazement, I was hooked within minutes. Much of my pleasure was derived from the creative puppetry provided by
South Africa's Handspring Productions
. These artists made it easy to suspend disbelief and cheer for the beautiful horses on stage.I popped into Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford to buy a copy of the book by Michael Morpurgo and read it on the flight home. The novel is delightful, but the stage production takes it to a new level thanks to the added talents of directors, actors, stage designers, and most of all, the puppeteers.
I stand corrected about theatrical adaptations, at least when handled with excellence in craft and story. And I'm more hopeful and excited to see what the creative team at the Bay Area Children's Theater will do with their adaptation of my novel RICKSHAW GIRL , premiering April 16, 2016 on the stage of the Creativity Theater in San Francisco .
We writers like to be in charge of our stories, but magical things can happen when we release the reins and harness the talents of others. Perhaps our stories will be able to gallop into the hearts and minds of a much wider audience. Fodder for thought? (Sorry.)
July 29, 2015
Happy International Tiger Day!
I'm delighted that my novel
TIGER BOY
is heading for publication in India, thanks to
Duckbill Press
. In honor of
International Tiger Day
, here's the almost-final cover designed by Tanvi Bhat in the traditional patachitra style of the Bengal region. Isn't it beautiful?
July 15, 2015
TIGER BOY Discussion and Activity Guide
Charlesbridge
provides stellar discussion and activity guides for my books, and
here's the new one
for TIGER BOY to prove my point.
June 24, 2015
My Party Schedule for ALA Convention 2015 in the City by the Bay
The children's and young adult book publishing community is converging in San Francisco for the American Library Association's Annual Convention this weekend. The buzz is palpable; the parties already starting. Here's my schedule:
Wednesday, June 25:
Author Series: A GROWN-UP CONVERSATION ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOKS, at the Battery Club in San Francisco . Here's the description of the event:
I'll be partying with my agent, Laura Rennert, and other writers and agents at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency ALA Get-Together from 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, June 27:
Daniel Handler and Jacqueline Woodson with We Need Diverse Books are hosting a celebration of
Scott Bonner, director of the Ferguson Public Library and winner of the 2015 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity. This event will take place from 6-9 p.m.
Sunday, June 28:
From 9-10, a bunch of YA authors and librarians will be mingling at the YALSA Coffee Klatch . Here's the description:
At noon, I'll join Sage Publications and ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at the 2nd annual Banned Books Readout Booth, where I'm going to read a short passage from THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, and then speak from the heart about why that book matters to me.
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, June 25:
Author Series: A GROWN-UP CONVERSATION ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOKS, at the Battery Club in San Francisco . Here's the description of the event:
You may not know it, but a golden age of literature is now unfolding on our bookcases’ lowest shelves. For too long we have neglected a much loved, widely read, artistically significant literary form: the picture book. Join Mac Barnett, Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen, and Christian Robinson, four young voices in children’s literature, for a discussion about how picture books work, why they matter, and how we can ensure our children get the great art they deserve.Thursday, June 26:
I'll be partying with my agent, Laura Rennert, and other writers and agents at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency ALA Get-Together from 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, June 27:
Daniel Handler and Jacqueline Woodson with We Need Diverse Books are hosting a celebration of
Scott Bonner, director of the Ferguson Public Library and winner of the 2015 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity. This event will take place from 6-9 p.m.
Sunday, June 28:
From 9-10, a bunch of YA authors and librarians will be mingling at the YALSA Coffee Klatch . Here's the description:
Enjoy coffee and meet with YALSA's award winning authors! This informal coffee klatch will give you an opportunity to meet authors who have appeared on one of YALSA’s six annual selected lists or have received one of YALSA's five literary awards. Librarians will sit at a table and every 3 or 4 minutes, a new author will arrive at your table to talk about their upcoming books!From 10:30 - 11:30, I'll be signing copies of TIGER BOY in Charlesbridge booth #3116. Please stop by and say hello.
At noon, I'll join Sage Publications and ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at the 2nd annual Banned Books Readout Booth, where I'm going to read a short passage from THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, and then speak from the heart about why that book matters to me.
Hope to see you there!
