the war rages on…

0 Comments

1. 

   Amy Bowllan

   31 Aug 2009 Reply

   Zetta,
   these stories are each so unique, but yet so the same. It's amazing how we all hurt the same way, when we feel that we are not good enough. And, what bugs ME is that some how, sharing these accounts gets misinterpreted as "complaining." I say keep complaining until things change.

   As always, thanks for your guidance on this very important issue.

2. 

   elliottzetta

   31 Aug 2009 Reply

   It amazes me, too, Amy, how often people will say--"That happened so long ago--move on!" But trauma isn't something we possess and can simply hold onto or let go; IT possesses US, and can only be exorcised through rituals like sharing. One article I teach calls for "integrative shaming," where you publicly name the person who's at fault, but you don't expel them from the community. Some anti-drunk driving campaigns use this, posting photos of DUI offenders on local billboards. We can't always do that with racism, but we still need some kind of "truth and reconciliation." People think if you talk about race, you must be "obsessed," but it's about the process of healing and denial doesn't help anyone--least of all those who caused the pain in the first place...

3. 

   rhapsodyinbooks

   31 Aug 2009 Reply

   I think his comment "Maybe a biracial kid like me can read one of my books and feel like an insider" is so important. The memoirs I've read by biracial offspring are so poignant - feeling like a "traitor" to both groups, and/or belonging nowhere. One of the best mid-elementary fiction books I read dealing with that problem was "The Prince of Fenway Park" by Julianna Baggott. I thought it was really great.

4. 

   elliottzetta

   31 Aug 2009 Reply

   Hey, Rhapsody. That title has come up a few times--I better check it out. I'll be honest--I often avoid stories about mixed-race people b/c I get tired of the experience being reduced to the tragic, the suffering, the belonging nowhere. That's a part of MANY people's experiences (whether they're mixed-race or not), and I don't feel it adequately or completely defines the realities of many mixed-race people. I'd like to see more stories that celebrate hybridity--not only with race--so that kids can see how belonging to two worlds (or more) is actually an advantage, and can be empowering instead of (only being) alienating. Then again, I have to remember that how I felt as a mixed-race girl at age 14 is VERY different than how I feel today...

5. 

   rhapsodyinbooks

   2 Sep 2009 Reply

   Zetta,
   I think you will be pleasantly surprised with The Prince of Fenway Park. He starts out thinking his mixed status is the cause of all of his misery, but is sort of stunned to find out that: everything isn't about him! (to paraphrase what my father used to say to me about me!) :--) Not only that, he then gains confidence and empowerment from being who he is.

   By the way, I loved it, and thought my husband would too for many reasons. I tried to get him to read it, but he gave me this look of horror that could be translated as: A YA BOOK? You've got to be kidding!

   ...which is really a shame. It's a whole different subject, how they have a bad (or "non-sophisticated") rep!