Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News - Posts Tagged "gender-equality"

Many books are educational in different ways, and in my opinion, teaching children about diversity is an important aspect of this.
With societal discrimination still rife - Racism, Sexism and Gender Inequalities, Class Conflict, Ageism, Lookism and so on, the value of a book that educates children about differences and diversity is clear.
What a good book does for children is expand their world, giving them "experiences" of different kinds of people. This raises awareness, and helps them see the value in celebrating differences.
My book, Snugs the Snow Bear, Book One of my "Snugs Series," applauds a male hero who is caring, kind and sensitive, at the same time as being courageous. It celebrates a young girl Carla, who may be shy, and less outgoing than her brother, but is highly intelligent. Mrs Merryweather, the grandmother in the story, drives a car, and is lively! My book challenges gender stereotypes and ageism.
These are just a few examples from my first book in "The Snugs Series," which has a culture and travel theme, so that the experience of reading the book is akin to going on a fantastic adventure! Travel is indeed a great educator, even when it is of the virtual kind.

It is well-known that the name of the author of “Harry Potter” books - J. K. Rowling - is such because Rowling wanted her name to appeal to boys who would read her books. Her publisher decided that to appeal to a young male audience, (as well as females,) who might be put off by the notion of a woman writing “their” books, it was better to use the initial “J” and add the “K,” perhaps for extra authority - Rowling did not have a middle name.

Any author of Young Adult Books has to make their own choices with regard to their pen name, if any.

But I have chosen to stick with “Suzy Davies” for my new release on Smashwords, “The Cave,” because if I am the only woman to write about the Thai Cave, (among a proliferation of male authors,) so be it.

My version of the Thai Cave story has all the so-called “masculine” elements of an action adventure story interwoven with a thread of mysticism and the supernatural.

In “The Cave” I bring bonds of family love, which the boys themselves acknowledge helped them through their challenges, to the foreground.

My book balances fact and fiction, thought and feeling, mind and body, the private sphere and public sphere, and questions gender stereotypes.

I have Hans Christian Andersen to thank for giving me the idea that mermaids helped the Navy Seals in their Heroic mission. The film, “Bend it Like Beckham” inspired me to create industrious Jintara, the heroine seamstress/artist in the story, who plays football as well as any boy hero. And little Lec, Jintara’s brother, and the hero of the tale, is strong and sensitive.

The Thai Cave could easily be reduced to a cliche - an epic tale of The Heroic - without acknowledging the women heroines whose power to love and to nurture brought those Wild Boars home.

Suzy Davies, Author, “The Cave” Copyright 2018, All Rights Reserved.