Connecting Readers and Writers discussion
Does the race of the hero in a book matter to you?
date
newest »
newest »
I don't think the race matters as much as how the writer handles it. Are they jamming race into the picture to preach at us? Are they bad writers? Are they being patronizing because they are so enlightened? Or is it simply a choice for variety or maybe because it has something to do with the story?I don't think race would limit sales. I sure hope not. One of the protagonist in my novel is black because race is important to the plot.
I agree with Luke, if the writer doesn't try to preach or just use the race of a character to mock another, then I don't have a problem. The character could be black, white, or green as long as the book is written well, the characters are interesting I don't care about race of the characters.
I just read the sample of your zombie book. I didn't realize you had a Scotsman in your book. No one likes the Scottish!Joking, but I really liked the sample and am going to purchase your books.
Luke wrote: "I just read the sample of your zombie book. I didn't realize you had a Scotsman in your book. No one likes the Scottish!Joking, but I really liked the sample and am going to purchase your books."
Funny! And, supportive! Nice.
The only thing that matters is a story well-told. I can even embrace a green character as the hero; after all, Spock was green :-) I'm working on a series where the heros are extraterrestrial, rather than the typical Humans Rule the Universe scenario. Heros should not be limited to a specific race, gender, religion, or even planet.
It matters to me, in the sense that I wish there was more variety in books and I'm often attracted to books that don't have barbie/ken as their main characters, be that a different race, body type, sexuality etc. However, as mentioned above, I want their inclusion to be natural, not a big deal or a platform to preach from. On the other end of the spectrum, depending on the book's plot, genre, etc there will be times that a book's intended audience isn't me, as indicated by the themes it addresses, and such. There's nothing wrong with that, every group of people should be able to find writing that is relevant and familiar to them.
In these cases, when I can't relate to the issues on the page, then yes, I'll admit I'll avoid purchasing a book. (Unless I'm making a concerted effort to become more familiar with those same themes, but that's not usually the purpose of my for-fun-reading.) But that isn't the race of a characters pushing me away, just the fact that some of the racially relevant issues they face or the setting of the book, etc doesn't appeal to me.
It doesn't matter to me. However if race is one of the main focuses of a story, some readers will avoid it. That is not to say racial issues should be avoided in order to not limit sales, it is but a sad reflection on reality. Wish it wasn't so.
It doesn't matter to me either. I'm working on my second book and the main character is mixed race. In my first book I have a key character who is Asian. This is because I like my characters to be representative of real life so it doesn't seem right to me to have all the characters white - it's not the world I experience.
I never thought about it, so I guess it doesn't matter to me! I just love a good story and believable, strong characters.
Its not really 'race' or any of a dozen other possible traits--its all about whether the audience can relate to your characters. Whether they can 'see themselves in the shoes' of your creation. A favorite book of mine is Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'. Ostensibly, I have little in common with the lead character--a tribal African living under British colonialism. Yet, 'Okwonko' created massive empathy in me. There's all sorts of patently 'alien' characters in literature who I have cleaved to in the past.
On the other hand, if you were to hand me a book where the lead character is a gangsta-thug-rapper, (either white or black) it wouldn't work at all. I can't relate to such a person. Its a cultural thing.
To echo what everyone else has said, I'm looking for interesting characters and a compelling plot. Race is a non-issue.
Yeah, I don't think it matters from a reader's point of view. As an author I'm very wary of writing different races from myself if the story is set in the present or past. I feel more comfortable doing it set in the future.
In the story I'm currently writing, one of the main characters is mixed and most of the other characters are white. But some characters are mentioned as being dark skinned, giving no clue to their origins. And most characters are also not human.Honestly, I never think about it when I read or write. Race is never an issue in my favorite books and it's not anything I bring up with my own characters.
I think objectively that it can detract if it is emphasized. People want to be able to read themselves into your novel and for some it's harder if the character is not their color or gender and if anyone tells you differently they're lying.http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_new...
The problem in the above was her skin was mentioned once, her ethnicity not emphasized so everyone could imagine her how they wanted. The movie brought it out and made it obvious in every scene she was in meaning it was harder for those who imagined her white to fill in the blanks as they had in the book.
Personally, I like seeing a range of colors, especially green (thanks for that Sharon). However, it is harder I believe to connect to people who feel they can't incorporate the world around them into what they're reading and overemphasizing a race they have limited exposure to can detract for some.
Long I know, but I wanted to be thorough.
George L. Cook wrote: "Does the race of the hero in a book matter to you? Recently a friend and I were talking and he wondered allowed if the fact that our books feature black protagonist might be limiting our sales. I..."
I feel sorry for humanity if it does. I personally do not care what race characters are in the books I read, as long as I can connect with them. I also ask that they not be too stereotypical (unless it is important to be so for some purpose that better be evident).
For example, I love the Alex Cross series and the main character is a black man. I am also very much into the Anita Blake series (by Laurell K Hamilton) in which the title character is of mixed white/Mexican race and female. They are both very well developed characters that just happen to be whatever race they are.
No, it doesn't matter to me, as long as the character is interesting.
Recently a friend and I were talking and he wondered allowed if the fact that our books feature black protagonist might be limiting our sales. I don't believe so but I was wondering what others think.
Read more here: http://www.thedeadwarseries.com/2014/...