Sherman Alexie: Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood
“When some cultural critics fret about the “ever-more-appalling” YA books, they aren’t trying to protect African-American teens forced to walk through metal detectors on their way into school. Or Mexican-American teens enduring the culturally schizophrenic life of being American citizens and the children of illegal immigrants. Or Native American teens growing up on Third World reservations. Or poor white kids trying to survive the meth-hazed trailer parks. They aren’t trying to protect the poor from poverty. Or victims from rapists. No, they are simply trying to protect their privileged notions of what literature is and should be.”—
Sherman Alexie, here (h/t to nothingplaces, who reblogged a different quote from this same piece)
This is legit.
(via sheenalouise)
From The Angry Black Tumblr | Comment below or Reblog @ Tumblr
I’ve added Alexie’s book (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian) to my reading list.
I grew up trans and queer in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when there was precious little YA lit at all, and virtually none that acknowledged the pain that so many young adults experience from oppression by adults, whether at the personal or institutional level.
I’m totally surprised that the Wall Street Journal published his article, given that the WSJ’s readership are for the most part the people “are simply trying to protect their privileged notions of what literature is and should be.”