Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 36

Is EMILY OF DEEP VALLEY a Timeless Classic?

Thanks to everybody who participated in our Cuci Mata ("fresh eyes" in Indonesian) read of Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace. I'll let a group of stellar bloggers make their case.



Booking Mama thinks it deserves the label : "Emily of Deep Valley delves into some topics that were pretty much taboo when she wrote this book, namely depression and racism."



She Is Too Fond Of Books agrees : "I found in (EMILY) a soul sister of sorts, with her unconventional methods of finding her place in the world ... Although I'm hoping you'll read all the Betsy-Tacy books, this novel can be read on its own and might make a good introduction if you don't have time to commit to the entire series (make time!)."



Diary of an Eccentric definitely thinks it's a classic: "The more I get to know Lovelace's characters, the more I realize that her books are timeless.  It was easy for me to identify with Emily, from her bouts of depression to feeling out of place as friends grow apart — and of course, most of us remember having crushes on guys who didn't deserve our attention."



A Library is a Hospital for the Mind continues the case: "What surprised me was how applicable this story is to readers today. I had no idea when I picked up Emily of Deep Valley that I would be pondering immigration laws, racial and social discrimination, and the like. Who knew that a book written nearly sixty years ago could address and connect the same concerns Americans have today as they had one hundred years ago."



And what does Charlotte's Library think about the representation of race and culture in the book?

Ethnicity-wise....it was very, very interesting to see Emily and her allies take on the narrow-minded bigots in town who looked on the Syrian immigrants with dislike and distrust. Emily's dream of a tolerant America is a lot less cynical then mine, but that might be my loss...and her final argument for why the Syrians should be embraced, and made welcomed, is one that I could cheer for—Emily wants their differences celebrated, as something that can contribute positively to the whole of American culture. Yay Emily!



There was just one thing that has been vexing me. Early in the book, her aunt's house is described thus: "There was a fern in a brass bowl on the newel post, and an Indian head on the wall. Emily loved these bright modern touches." (page 8 of my edition). I have googled interior design of 1912 to death today, and not found anything that casts light on just what sort of Indian head is meant....and indeed, Lovelace, when she mentions Native Americans, which is seldom and in passing, shows no signs of awareness of the injustices and wrongs perpetrated by Emily's colonizing ancestors...



So that's the one thing I'd change. Otherwise, I think this is pretty much a perfect book!

I love this post from Four Cedar Farms, written before the re-issue, but nonetheless ringing with the argument that yes, this book stands the test of time:

I have ancestors who were known around another river town as "the Syrians." And like the Syrians in Hart Lovelace's book, my family was marginalized, called names by the "better" citizens of their town. Their immigration was not welcomed by those who felt the United States had enough people. They struggled with language and social structures and yet lived full lives in "shabby houses that needed paint." I like to think that someone like Emily might have wandered into my ancestors' neighborhood, into my ancestors' lives, to extend to them some version of Emily's small-town spirit of friendship. And why not? Hart Lovelace's fiction is based on her early life experiences. Her stories are authentic. Her stories are timeless.



It is 2010 and the immigrants living on the fringe of our communities in shabby abodes hail from a different part of the world than Ottoman-controlled Syria. Yet, I'll bet they hear people whisper derogatory names when they pass. I'll bet some people feel they don't belong here; the country is full enough. Still, I'd bet my carriage that despite the majority's indifference to them, they are living out rich traditions and full lives in the shadow of the American dream like my ancestors once did. And I'll bet somewhere in America there's a teenager who, because of the example set by the fictional Emily Webster, is confident enough to step forward make a difference in their lives.

I'll let Book Duck have the last word :  "Emily is a girl with a spine. The most important thing (she) does with her time, though, is reach out to the community of Syrian immigrants just outside Deep Valley. The townspeople and children give the immigrant community a hard time because of their odd manners and broken English. Immigrants still come to America, and people still forget that poor English is not a synonym for 'stupid.' While idealistic, Emily of Deep Valley challenges readers to rethink their gut reactions to people who are different in manner and custom."



As for me? For this, our first Cuci Mata read, I'm going to ask you to read the preface I so gladly wrote for the re-issue. A star debater who uses her elocutionary skills to defend the rights of the powerless? That's a hero who stands the test of time. I hope you're convinced that this book deserves the "classic" label. Go get your copy of Emily and share it with the girls in your lives.



If you're in the Boston area, come join us for afternoon tea this Saturday, November 13, at the Brookline Booksmith , where we'll talk all things Lovelace and I'll try to make a case for Emily as a classic in person.



Note: If I've missed your review, please add it in the comments. The first week of December is dedicated to a Cuci Mata read of L.M. Alcott's Old-Fashioned Girl. Come join us to see if this novel stands the test of time.

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Chatting in 140 with Roger Sutton about A FAMILY OF READERS

I devoured and post-it-ed my copy of A FAMILY OF READERS before today's noon chat with co-author Roger Sutton, editor of The Horn Book. Here are a few highlights of our slightly frenetic talk via Twitter. Please remember and excuse the limitation of 140 characters per tweet. I'm in italics, Roger is not, and I've edited for brevity and flow.



Okay, Roger, first tell us about you. How long have you been Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book?



RS: Almost 15 years.

Why this book now? And why did you choose to target adults who love to read?



RS: Because I don't care about adults who DON'T like to read, frankly ... and you say "now" but Candlewick says it was due a couple of years ago. ;-)

Educators are reaching out to kids who live with adults who DON'T like to read. Suggestions for them?



RS: Get them into the library, which houses plenty of right-thinking grownups.

This guide is a superb endorsement for libraries. Where else can kids--with or without bucks--discover such joy and power?



RS: The library was the center of my child life. Dedham Public Library, Dedham, MA.

I love how A FAMILY OF READERS explores themes of power around children's books.



RS: What do you mean by "power"?

At one point, a contributor says "words deserve respect." You encourage adults to back off and let children and teens read in privacy.



RS: I do think the greatest power we have is to read exactly what we want to ... I guess there *is* a lot of "you're not the boss of me!" in this book.

"You're not the boss of me!" is a resounding cry of childhood, which is why this book is so much on the side of the child.



RS: Once a coworker here told her son, "You're not my boss." And he said, "No, Roger is."

A ringing message about power: a good story is on "the side of the child." A recent example from your nightstand?



RS: I've just discovered Bill Bryson. Loving it.

More than anything, this book empowers Kid/YA readers by illuminating the act of reading for gatekeepers.



RS: Gatekeepers need to know books AND how to get out of the way. The role is to make sure the kids know there is a whole world of and in books, but never force them to read "for their own good."

Ginee Seo and Bruce Brooks talk about a parent's freedom to put "crap in the trash." Isn't that too much adult power?



RS: Every reading experience with young children is a transaction, yes? Parents are readers too. And don't forget child's freedom to hide books from mom or dad.

Were you peeking under the edge of the carpet under my bed when I was reading in Flushing, Queens, Mr. Sutton?



RS: I respect the privacy of bedroom reading!

But if a parent is "trashing crap," then the parent's definition of crap is ruling the reading of the house, right?



RS: Not if the child has the gumption to raid the trash. ;-)

"Given the chance, kids will read the same way adults do: for themselves." Why is reading well essentially for self?



RS: Because that's the one person we can actually control.

You tell parents to leave the reading teen alone, saying fiction is never a "how-to" guide. What effect does it have, then?



RS: More like a "what if?" guide.



You also say, "'YA literature' has never been been synonymous with 'what teenagers read.'" Any other synonym, then?



RS: YA lit is about coming of age, for the most part. Teens like to read about other themes, too.

Enjoyed the essay by Robert Lipsyte on how books helped him widen his definition of masculinity.



RS: Books helped me feel like a "real boy," something I periodically doubted.

You tell Katherine Paterson that her books are more "family fiction" than "children's fiction." Elaborate?



RS: Used to be books were published with the whole family, say 9 years and up, in mind.

Other examples of a "family read" (books for kids and adults to enjoy at the same time?) 



RS: Holes, Year Down Yonder, The Yearling, Cheaper By the Dozen.

It was liberating to read how Coe Booth wanted to grow up to be the black Judy Blume.



RS: I think Coe Booth is one of our new truly great writers.

Naomi Shihab Nye says: "Poetry was not trying to get us to do anything, it was simply inviting us to think, and feel, and see."



RS: Poetry is really radical that way.

Marc Aronson says the graphic-novel memoir as genre holds promise. Do you agree? If so, why?



RS: I love comic books--hope graphic novel respect does not disallow this outlaw literature for children.

Margaret Mahy talks about the "accumulated power of a story" for the reader. What did she mean?



RS: I think she was talking about what a story continues to gain even years after you first read it.

Martha makes the case that the page turn puts the child in power of the pacing of a story ... unlike movies or television.



RS: Yes, you go as fast or as slowly as you please, you skip, you go back, you read twice ... *THAT'S* power. But even TV? Don't be a killjoy.

Okay, I love the movies and television, but with a book a storyteller gives more power to the reader. Pacing, picturing ...



RS: Yes, that's why I don't really enjoy books like Harry Potter that try to color in absolutely everything. Leave room! Like, you, Mitali, did a great job with providing just enough scenery description in Bamboo People. Tell me what I'm looking at but let me imagine it for myself.

Will we lose "the power of a page turn" in a digital age?



RS: I think digital media will give us a new way to turn pages. Jean Gralley wrote brilliantly for us about digital picture books a couple of years ago, and I wrote an editorial this month about digital publishing.

In the book, Jon Scieszka says, "Design sets the tone for everything." How so in a digital age?



RS: Digital books have to look like themselves, making best use of their own medium. I hate the stupid page turn animation in iBooks. "It's an iBook, Jackass!"

You interviewed several Kid/YA book stars. Anything surprise you in one or two of these conversations?



RS: I'm always surprised in author interviews--how different people are when they write. Serious writers can be a scream, quiet writers can be wicked.

I'd love an example of how someone's interview differed from their writing, but feel free to skip.



RS: All I'll say is, Maurice Sendak tells a dirty joke better than anyone I have ever met.

I loved Jon Scieszka's joke about the bell-ringer. Lovely to picture him as a fifth-grader with that choice: an "A" or a laugh.



RS: Always go for the laugh. "A"s are far more fleeting.

Since you started at The Horn Book, what's one positive change you've seen in this industry?



RS: Wider doors are letting in the crap but also all kinds of voices.

Full disclosure: my essay on how a few fictional BFFs gave me courage to achieve womanhood is in A FAMILY OF READERS. I'll close with a Maurice Sendak quote in this brilliant book: "Absorption in creating is the actual reward." A great reminder for writers. Thanks, Roger and Martha, for this timely and inspiring guide.

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Virtual Author Visit: Talking To Students Via Skype

Wondering how a virtual visit works? I traveled via Skype last week to Patton Middle School in PA to answer questions about writing, including this one about outlining novels:





I'm in my Boston study, and the student is in PA. Who could have dreamed of this five years ago?

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You're Invited: A Family of Readers Twitter Q & A

"A godsend for adults who want to instill a passion for reading in the next generation has arisen out of Boston's bookish past." — Boston Globe



"A gem of a guidebook to help parents navigate the world of children's literature ... a wonderfully knowledgeable and highly opinionated guide to books for children ages infant through teen. — Seattle Times



"For grown-ups who want to know more about the books kids read there's a great new resource ... filled with smart and opinionated essays, reviews, and information by smart and opinionated children's book experts on a wide variety of genres, books, and ideas about books." — Huffington Post

About which book are these reviewers raving, you ask? None other than FAMILY OF READERS , edited by Roger Sutton and Martha Pavarrano and published by Candlewick.



To find out more about this collection of Horn Book essays (including one of mine), curated thoughtfully and wisely by Roger and Martha, join us on Twitter Monday, 11/8, from noon-1 EDT. I'll be asking Roger questions, and you should feel free to chime in. Track the chat with hashtag #familyofreaders, and I'll also be posting the highlights on my blog.







Roger Sutton and me, showing off our products.

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Amended Guidelines for a Fresh-Eyed Reading of Kid/YA Classics

We're starting our Cuci Mata ("washing of the eyes" in Indonesian) read of classic children's books this week. Once a month, we'll read a standalone novel written by a beloved author and tap into the power of communal vision. Let's ask ourselves:

When it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, and class, what stands the test of time? 
I had previously thought about also asking, "What might the author (if alive) wish to change for today's young readers?" However, I don't want this exercise to become a scathing critique of dead authors, so I've decided that we can learn plenty by keeping our focus on the positive. Let's look for the universal, timeless aspects of a novel that qualify it as a classic. I could do this alone, I suppose, but there's so much more to see when we share a story together. So won't you join me?



If you've read or are reading EMILY OF DEEP VALLEY by Maud Hart Lovelace, tweet your answers to the question above using hashtag #kidclassic or blog a review and leave the link at my blog. I'll compile all tweets and review excerpts in a final post.



(Full disclosure: I wrote the foreword to the re-issue of this novel from HarperPerennial as a labor of love.)



Next up:



December 1-7 An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott



January 3-7 The Well-Wishers by Edward Eager

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

Guidelines for a Fresh-Eyed Reading of Kid/YA Classics

We're starting our Cuci Mata ("washing of the eyes" in Indonesian) read of a classic children's books this week. Once a month, we'll read a standalone novel written by a beloved author and tap into the power of communal vision. Let's ask ourselves:

When it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, and class, what stands the test of time?
What might the author wish to change for today's young readers? 
I could do this alone, I suppose, but there's so much more to see when we share a story together. So won't you join me?



If you read or re-read EMILY OF DEEP VALLEY by Maud Hart Lovelace  from November 1-5, tweet your thoughts about race, class, culture, and gender with hashtag #kidclassic or blog a review and leave the link below. I'll compile all tweets and review excerpts in a final post.



(Full disclosure: I wrote the foreword to the re-issue of this novel from HarperPerennial as a labor of love, but don't let that stop you from seeing it with fresh eyes and speaking to us about what you see.)



Next up:



December 1-7 An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott



January 3-7 The Well-Wishers by Edward Eager

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An Angry Letter From "Burma"

I got a two-page letter in the mail recently, enclosed in a large manila envelope. Here's an excerpt:

Dear Mitali Perkins,



Through reading your novel Bamboo People, we have discovered that you included false accusations and stories of our government. These include purporting that children are "kidnapped," tortured or otherwise harmed by our government. After careful research, we find that these rumors are not true, not right, and a deliberate attack to our government. Your book has been placed under a censored list, and the current copy is banned as of 6/9/10.



As a result of you having tried to attack our government and deliberately cause harm and chaos to our people, the Foreign Affairs office of the government has revised your privileges in this country. Your current visa may be revoked, since if you do come to Burma, it will be for the purpose of distributing your book and tantalizing our people with false ideas. Be warned that the Government of Burma may pursue legal and disciplinary action against you if you try to distribute this book. All laws and policies are strictly enforced, so it is recommended that you immediately stop the publication of this book, destroy it, and not attempt to attack our government again.

Your writing, however, shows some promise, so we suggest you try to continue and focus on other topics that would benefit the Burmese people, such as creative writing of our long and traditional culture.



Thank you,



Akyab Orwell

I'll confess that my heart skipped a beat. Thankfully, as I pulled out the rest of the papers in the envelope, I discovered that this was the work of a brilliant 8th grader in Ms. Suzanne Steckert's class at Mt. Pleasant Middle School . Whew. That kid has a bright future in propaganda or fiction. Maybe both. Best wishes, Mr. "Orwell."

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Poetry Friday: In Which I Ask Poet Mary Oliver My Pressing Question

"How can a poet serve the poor and powerless?" I asked.



"Man does not live by bread alone," answered Mary Oliver , one of my favorite living poets. She hesitated, then: "These days, different voices are speaking of their own cultures in poetry, and comfort is given by listening to them."



Lest you think we were having coffee somewhere on the Cape, just the two of us, let me set the scene: a packed chapel on the Wellesley campus, stuffed with Oliver fans (who tend to be mainly white, silver-haired, upper-middle-class women).



After reading a few of her poems, Ms. Oliver was taking a few questions written on cards by members of the audience. Mine was one, and I'm grateful it was presented because it's one of my struggles as a writer—the time taken in solitude, crafting words and stories, is time that could be given in service to the poor or spent fighting for justice.



Any answers or thoughts from my fire escape visitors? As you mull over the question, here are some other quotes from Mary Oliver, scribbled in my journal at the event:

Flipping through a stack of books to find a poem: "I should have one of those iPads—I've seen them."



On disciplined appointments of writing: "If you're having a romance with someone and don't show up ..."



Q. What is your place in the world? "A beast given the gift of imagination."



Q. What do you do when you cannot write? "Walk."



Q. What's your favorite word? "Adjectives are worth nickels. Verbs are worth fifty cents."



Telling a story about Flaubert and work, who skipped a weekend of play with his friends to write: "'Was it worth it?' his friends asked upon returning. 'Oh, yes,' answered Flaubert. 'On Saturday I took out a semi-colon. And on Sunday, I put it back.'"

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JIMI: SOUNDS LIKE A RAINBOW | A Visit From Gary Golio

With sounds and colors that explode off the page, JIMI: SOUNDS LIKE A RAINBOW (written by Gary Golio and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe), is a glorious tribute to Seattle's multicultural creativity and the genius of Jimi Hendrix.



Kids and parents alike will be inspired by Hendrix's passion for music and art, and his single-minded vision to express that passion through the voice of an electric guitar. Golio's words sing and Steptoe's illustrations dance, making the reader want to put on some Hendrix (right now!) and whirl around the room.



Today, as part of his blog tour, I've invited Gary to share his thoughts about how race and racism affected Hendrix's music and music.



Jimi Hendrix: The Rainbow Vision



"An appreciation of pluralism nourishes attributes urgently needed in people today: psychological security, capacity for understanding, and appreciation of difference." (Elaine Pinderhughes, Understanding Race, Ethnicity, and Power)



In many ways, Jimi Hendrix' life was spent seeking and promoting wholeness or healing, and much of his creative work can be looked at through that lens. Multicolored in his racial heritage (a mix of African, European, and Cherokee ancestry), he grew up in Seattle at a time—the 1950s—when it was proudly called the Rainbow City. Jimi went to school with Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Filippinos), Hispanics (South Americans, Mexicans), African-Americans, whites, and American Indians—people of all colors, who co-existed in relative harmony. Jimi even lived for a time at Seattle's Yesler Terrace, one of the first integrated public housing projects in the U.S.



While he could listen to black radio stations (with music by black musicians) beginning only in 1958, Jimi had seen Elvis—the great White Wonder who fearlessly did his take on what was still considered Race music (gospel, jazz, blues)—in September of 1957, when he was 14, at a Seattle stadium. Before that, from the time he was very young, Jimi heard a wide variety of genres played (on record) and sung by his father right at home. As a teenager, he listened to Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra alongside Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, B.B. King, and Chuck Berry. He had a place in his heart and mind for rock 'n' roll, the blues, jazz, pop, and gospel, and would later add Indian ragas, Flamenco guitar, Bach, and Handel to that heady mix. He even speculated about what "the blues scene" would be like on other planets, thoughts that arose from his love of science fiction and musings on extra-terrestrial life and intelligence.



In 1966—a year before he was "discovered"—Jimi walked through Harlem carrying his Dylan albums and singing Bob's praises, much to the bewilderment of the black community. When he arrived in London in September of that year, he dazzled young white English musicians in love with the blues (Cream, the Rolling Stones, the Who) not just with his virtuosic and authentic playing, but by being the first black musician (and man) most of these aficionados had ever met. In doing so, Jimi acted as much as an unofficial race diplomat as an ambassador of black music. When he formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience that same fall, he became the black leader of a band including two white musicians—something clearly ahead of its time.



All that said, Jimi experienced racism throughout his life. He heard the unsavory epithets as a child, and as an adult was first referred to by European critics as "the Black Elvis" and "the Wild Man of Borneo"—terms which, while strangely praiseworthy in their intent, were clearly hurtful in their reference to Jimi's "otherness" as a talented and feted noble savage. Still, he filled his songs early on with hopeful themes of Jungian wholeness—waterfall sanctuaries of creativity (May This Be Love), joyful interstellar exploration (Third Stone From The Sun), spiritual unity and togetherness (Are You Experienced?, One Rainy Wish)—while openly sharing with us his fears of psychic fragmentation (I Don't Live Today, Love or Confusion, Castles Made of Sand).



A very human being, Jimi Hendrix allowed painful as well as positive childhood experiences (poverty, multicultural inclusion, racism, exposure to the arts) to shape his optimistic, almost visionary approach to racial pluralism. He welcomed diversity in people and culture as much as in music, and believed that the art he offered—what he referred to as "electric church"—reflected a belief in tolerance strengthened by his friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. Surprising as it may seem, for those willing to open their ears and hearts, Jimi Hendrix may yet prove to be a powerful and positive role model for 21st-century children.



If you can just get your mind together Then come on across to me We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise From the bottom of the sea

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? 

Thanks, Gary, for visiting us on the Fire Escape. May this beautiful book (which has already been starred by Kirkus and School Library Journal) inspire the next generation of diverse musicians, writers, and artists! Here's the schedule for the rest of Gary's blog tour:



Day 1 - Monday 10/18, Picture Book of the Day 



Day 2 - Tuesday 10/19, Mitali's Fire Escape (here!)



Day 3 - Wednesday 10/20, The Brown Bookshelf



Day 4 - Thursday 10/21, Original Content



Day 5 - Friday 10/22, Tales from the Rushmore Kid



Day 6 - Monday 10/25, The Fourth Musketeer



Day 7 -Tuesday 10/26, Great Kid Books



An interview with Gary and Javaka will air on NPR's Weekend Edition in the coming weeks. Gary was also interviewed on WBZ, Boston's #1 station and is Author of the Month on Embracing the Child.

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From Coast to Coast, I'm Talking Books

Last week I visited the Pleasanton Library Bookleggers in California (an amazing program where trained volunteers present books in the schools), co-presented to educators with author Jennifer Holm at The Reading Bug Bookstore in San Carlos, California, and addressed the topic of social justice in fiction to an engaged audience as part of a Boston Book Festival Panel. Here are some photos for your enjoyment:



The Pleasanton Bookleggers. Find Mitali?


Twitter buddy Debbie Duncan, author and KQED reporter, and Jenni Holm (BABYMOUSE) at the Reading Bug Bookstore in San Carlos, California--a gorgeous place dedicated to Kid/YA books.




At the BBF Authors Dinner, hosted by the London Times Literary Supplement and the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston.




It's a blustery day, but the Boston Book Festival begins!


Visited the Massachusetts Center for the Book booth, where my Secret Keeper joined other books on a poster.


Boston Book Festival Executive Director Emily D'Amour Pardo introduces our panel on Social Justice in Fiction for Young Readers, held at the glorious Church of the Covenant in Boston.


The crowd begins to gather behind fellow panelist Richard Michelson, our Panel organizer, Cambridge school librarian Karen Kosko, and friend and fellow writer John L. Bell.


Richard presented the story behind Busing Brewster, his picture book set in 1970s Boston. Seated to his right is Katie Smith Milway, author of The Good Garden and the moderator of our panel.


Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about The Red Umbrella, her beautiful debut novel about Cuba's Operation Pedro Pan. Listening between us is Lionel Vital, who is featured in the picture book Selavi by Youme Landowne.


My turn!


Lovely swag in our author gift bag from the Festival.

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