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Reflection 5 - Looking Back to Look Forward

The biggest fact that stood out to me about all of the readings and interviews we’ve explored over the past few weeks is that there are so many stories and perspectives and readers that we’re unfamiliar with, and that we might not have even been given the opportunity to explore them as either youth, learning to read and discover as we grow up, and as adults, reading what is currently trending by American publishers, curated by them with an ‘American’ mindset at the forefront. It made me reanalyze the books I read growing up and see the lack of diversity in what was available to me, as well as the lack of books and stories from other countries, not just ethnicities. Access to global literature is limited not just by Western publishers and what is projected to ‘sell well’, but also by the cultural norms and governments of other countries, what they allow their writers to publish and what freedoms said authors might have or lack when it comes to themes, stories, and ideas they want to write and publish for others to read. Moving forward, I’d like to look into the award-winning books from other countries, not just to see what to read, but to see what is trending and topical, and gain insight into what cultural trends might be occurring during the time of the awards or publication.

The biggest thing that stood out to me about Becky Muralles’s interview (2024) was how class and finances impact the ability for someone to have access to books, even more so for youth readers. Books are expensive and oftentimes inaccessible for those not living in the major cities in Guatemala, so anyone from a more rural location would struggle to have access to books. And she illustrates that even ordering books online is a financial obstacle: Amazon’s books are often more expensive and don’t even ship to Guatemala, making it difficult to get them. One must be able to afford to live in the major areas where bookstores are located, and then also afford to buy books in their spare time. The ability to get cheap, accessible books makes it difficult to encourage consistent readership.

As I shape my 25-book mini-collection, I want to incorporate books that not just from as many locations as possible, but spotlight and showcase their home countries authentically, while also choosing titles that could be pitched to Western publishers as sellable/having an audience. It’s a balance, and I think I’ll find myself adding and removing titles in order to strike that balance while being intentional.

References: Muralles, B. (2024, July 5). Interviews with youth literature specialists: Becky Muralles and Leah Phillips [Video recording]. Canvas.

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Reflection 4 - Reading Youth Literature Across Asia

Ginny Xu’s interview (2023) on what topics are published or banned stood out to me, but wasn’t wholly surprising when I thought about the overall topic of censorship in China and information controlled by the government. I appreciated Ginny’s frankness, and it was insightful to hear her experiences talking with non-Chinese literary agents or publishing representatives saying that a book’s sales are doing well and asking if there was a possibility in it being a part of Chinese publishing, only for her to say that that wouldn’t be possible because the book ‘mentioned sex, LGBTQ, and suicide’ (Xu, 2023) and that even vampires were mentioned, all topics that were (and still are) banned in China. I thought it was especially interesting that even the academic title Radical Children’s Literature, a title that children wouldn’t read or be able to easily obtain in the first place, has a chapter that covers sex in children’s literature that is completely deleted, unable to be read by anyone regardless of age or intent. The government’s involvement in censoring is so all-encompassing and so pronounced that most examples of banning and censorship in the US seem light in comparison. 

One of the themes that stands out to me from the interviews and readings is the impacts and intentional shaping of childrens’ literature and collections for the youth readers by governments and political powers, as opposed to the publishers, readers, and authors shaping the literatures but producing the materials. In the interviews with Ginny, Tharini, and Xu, governmental policies and intentional cultural curation (Western literature unless it’s globally popular, no mention of certain themes and ways of life, less supernatural topics) are at the center of their youth collections, thus tightly curating what youths can read and purposely attempting to shape the kind of adults these governments want to see. It’s one thing to introduce new books with new themes to youth readers when their parents might not agree, but it’s another challenge to do the same when the government stands in the way, in addition to cultural norms and/or their parents. 

I think the main thought I have after these readings and interviews is: how do we as Westerns, who have the luxury to read and buy and pursue books from all walks of life, themes, and topics, talk about and showcase books by authors from non-Western countries, about non-Western countries? Are we aware of the colonial history European countries and the US have, and how these lingering thoughts about ‘others’ are showcased in books, especially when characters are tokenized, never the main characters, and used in order to platform White or ‘American’ narratives? And how do we critically have these conversations with sensitivity and consideration from those from vastly different cultural backgrounds, who want to see themselves represented in large literary markets like Europe and the US, but are only represented as limited stereotypes and footnotes?

References:

Xu, G. (2023, June 6). Interview by Leah Phillips [Zoom Recording]. International Youth Literature – Ginny. SJSU Canvas.

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Reflection 3 - Borders, Diaspora, and Global Youth Literatures

International literature becomes more and more malleable and in flux the more globalization increases, and with the United States as a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, global histories and experiences from all over the world, it’s hard to know if a book is set in the US or outside, unless explicitly stated. Oftentimes, readers will go on deep-dives to investigate characters, locations (or locations the fantasy world takes inspiration from), and the contributors’ backgrounds to find out who they are and how they wrote what they wrote. As social media and internet reach advances, defining ‘international’ gets more and more blurred. And in response, readers look into the background of the book and author in order to know how they represent the stance of their work, and in global events.

The Irish literature readings were especially interesting to me, especially the focus on how Irish authors and stories are seen by the larger British and American sections. With words being changed to fit the more ‘known’ language of English, Irish language in literature was being erased in exchange for globalization. And while this can be identified more easily in adult books, children are less likely to understand that as they read translated Irish literature, there is a portion of cultural erasure when words are changed, or “Americanized”. Sometimes this happens at the editorial stage, or the translation stage, but according to Celia Keenan in the case of Eoin Colfer, “almost all culturally specific references” (Kennon, 2020) are sacrificed in exchange for globalized success - in this case, happening at the author’s stage, the author culturally editing as he includes said culture in their work. 

I also thought it was interesting that the Children’s Books Ireland award, “accepts nominations for authors who are Irish citizens as well as those resident in Ireland but who are neither Irish by birth and/or who are not published in Ireland” (Kennon, 2020). This kind of openness in the nomination pool allows materials that are published in Ireland or abroad, contributors currently living in Ireland or once lived there or born there, contributors from somewhere else in the world who’ve moved to Ireland, Irish diaspora authors. This was fascinating to see, because having the nomination pool so open allows for any children’s book contributor to be considered as long as they have a tie to Ireland either by their lived experiences or family history/heritage. It considers Ireland’s history as a country colonized and impacted by British rule and allows the nominations to be less rigid as a result to allow any work impacted by Ireland to have a spotlight and chance at the awards.

Translations aren’t just a phrase not having an equivalent meaning in another language, or capturing the words and nuance of a specific scene, but can go all the way to the author’s internal editing as they write, or editors changing words in a manuscript. When the story is written and translated in these ways, then the question becomes if the story’s message and voice are intact, and can they be conveyed clearly and effectively to the reader, especially youth, who need validation and understanding in the media they choose to consume?

References Kennon, P. (2020). Writing childhood: Young adult and children’s literature. Irish Literature in Translation: 1980-2020, 96-110. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108564373.007

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Reflection #2: Diverse Voices and Representation

#OwnVoices is all about platforming literature, and ultimately voices, that are written by authors that those bodies of works represent. With literature that has both a diverse cast and an author, or authorship, that is also diverse, this can increase representation for the marginalized group that is being represented. Children and teens who want to see themselves represented in the art and media they consume can both see themselves in the stories (as the characters), as well as the authors who write and contribute to them (as goals and inspirations to work towards in the future). Minority authors are often more aware of the stereotypes their group gets written as, and are thus more likely to understand the gravity of writing certain characters as villains, or can write them with multidimensionally and understandable layers and traumes, backgrounds that readers can understand and empathize with, despite initially being introduced as the ‘bad guy’ or ‘villain’. Diverse readers, especially BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ backgrounds can see themselves as heroes and adventurers in these stories, or understand and feel for villains (especially if they’ve gone through similar experiences as the villian), allowing them to imagine themselves in futures that empower and embolden them, and galvanize them to work towards those futures (Tolver, 2019). Ultimately these groups want to feel seen, especially by an industry that has more white authors, editors, and industry professionals than non-white. 

Librarians can champion books that have diverse main characters and are written by diverse authors, as well as stay informed about books that are coming out and titles they can recommend to patrons asking for recommendations. In a similar vein, when I was a bookseller I often was asked for recommendations in my usual sections (sci-fi, fantasy, YA, manga, and comics) and even without making it the ‘point’ of the conversation, I always pulled titles that were by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or both authors. Educators can do the same: using their voices and social positions to spotlight and champion titles and authors that fall under #OurVoices literature, as well as impart to those they’re teaching the importance of writers from all walks of life to have the space to write and create, and readers to find themselves reflected in works that are published and circulating in the world. I feel the most significant lift should be from publishers, as they are the ones who gatekeep the industry and ultimately determine who can publish books and how well they are marketing, circulated, and kept relevant (though this is more and more flux due to social media platforms and advancements). Publishers need to actively seek out diverse authors in order to give their work a platform, and consistently do this throughout the year, instead of specific months or specific days throughout the year.

References: Toliver, S. (2021). On mirrors, windows, and telescopes. Council Chronicle, 31(1), 29-30.

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What is Youth Literature? Who Are Its Readers? - Reflection 1

I’ve always thought of childhood as a time when you’re young that you don’t need to work, that you don’t have responsibilities other than going to school, listening to your parents (or parental figures), and relishing and enjoying the days as much as you can before you have to start working and paying taxes. Being a child is figuring out your likes and dislikes, how you make friends, hobbies and foods and what you want to do but can’t do yet, and what you already do that you want to keep doing or never do again. It’s about exploration and identity and feeling like the world really is your oyster and wants to grow up but also not wanting to grow up at all. What I thought childhood was supposed to be was something I saw often on TV while growing up, kids that got to do whatever they wanted with their free time and learn and grow without anyone holding them back. My own childhood felt very different from what media and books often illustrated as ‘childhood’. I grew up very fast, had many responsibilities that I noticed most other kids didn’t seem to have, and often found myself having to turn down events, trips, or opportunities because of lack of family finances or support. Strangely, my childhood made me really prepared for adulthood.

I read a lot growing up, mainly YA (and now as an adult I realize, youth literature), but a fair amount of adult titles too, mainly because I read so much and my books weren’t supervised, only my movies and TV. And the more I read the fantasy and science fiction titles that I gravitated to, I found that there weren’t any books with characters like me in them, much less as main characters. Some of my favorite books had some diversity, but often no more than one or two characters, and never anyone with even half of my heritages. It was disappointing, and I often found myself reading books, understanding the character lineup, and shrugging to myself before focusing on the story and plot instead. Now, when I see all the diverse books coming out, especially for kids, it makes me wish I had them growing up, that I had books that were diverse and proud to be it, that are excited to be diverse and showcase it, or that have a whole cast of characters that are BIPOC. However, even though books feel more diverse now than they ever did to me in the past, it’s not enough. There are still ethnicities, cultures, and orientations that aren’t represented in literature for countless reasons, and there are probably still kids out there reading books and not seeing their experiences and themselves reflected in literature. And I think that connects beings and books together. 

Children want to learn and want community, and they rely on each other and other people to learn the world around them. And when they can’t, they rely on books to show them the world that might not be easily accessible to them, like fantastical worlds or stories in other countries. So when children don’t see themselves in the books they have access to, they could begin to feel that the world doesn’t have a place for them.