So apparently this is the season to slam the Newbery committee. I hate articles like this one. I’m not sure what they are saying. Do they think the ALA is purposely discriminating against characters of color? Do they want affirmative action?

It’s not clear to me what would make them happy. They say they want children’s literature to reflect society so we should award the medal to books with minority characters and characters from single-parent homes.

But is that what children’s books should do? Reflect society?

My favorite characters of all are orphans. Do they reflect my life? Not at all. I’m from two-parent home. When I was young I read more books with boy characters than girl characters. The characters didn’t look like me or think like me. I still liked them. Readers don’t have to read about people who look and sound like they do. They want to read about people from far away places. How many kids can relate to boarding school? How many kids can relate to growing up with a hateful aunt and uncle and being tormented by a big, fat cousin? How many kids can relate to riding a broomstick? Why do they love Harry Potter? Because they can relate to his emotions and to his search for power and identity.

Kid’s are born sinners and don’t need to be taught, but prejudice is one thing we do teach them, I think. Kids are pretty color blind. Why worry about what color the characters in the books are? Why make it an issue? Why not just give kids good books to read and shut up about skin color. They won’t probably care what color skin the character has if adults would quit making an issue of it.

And what happens when other groups start complaining about under-representation? We could pressure the awards committee to reflect society with characters of color but then what if they also have to take into consideration religion, economic concerns, sexual preference, and chess club memberships? What a nightmare.

Over the next ten years they’d have to award medals to one book with Hispanic characters, one with black, one with Asian, and seven with Anglo. The Hispanic character could be Catholic, the black guy could be Protestant, the Asian could be Confucianist, and seven white characters would have to be Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, Muslim, Wicca, and two more protestants. But which one of those will be the gay guy? Let’s make the New Ager gay and the Wiccan a pedophile (we don’t want to leave anyone out!).

OK, OK I’m done.

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