Sometimes I simply have to ask, ‘What is that all about?’
I’m sure that many of you have read many blogs and articles about getting,
Non-black folks to read books by black folks,
It seems to be there is no ‘relatibility’,
Which puzzles the heck out of me…
Because people are people, aren’t they,
A couple months ago, I was sitting in the airport with quite a layover,
And was reading, ‘Twilight by Stephanie Meyer’…the mega-selling book about vampires,
I hadn’t intended to read it, but my daughter in law had read it and sang it’s praises,
So I purchased it and was reading it,
I found it entertaining, and it got me through a long wait,
So I was glad it had been suggested,
A woman asked me about it,
I told her it was good, I noted she was reading, ‘The Reader’,
We discussed it a bit, and then I began to wonder,
Would she have asked about my book if the book had been by say,
‘Eric Jerome Dickey’…why that occurred to me I can’t say,
But I do know that not once in my rather extensive travel and reading life,
Had a non-black person asked me about a book I was reading if the book was obviously by black folks, ie, black person on the cover,
That was a revelation,
And I then started to wonder about what needed to be relatable,
I mean come on, a gazillion people read about vampires and wizards,
And surely most people have more in common with other folks, regardless of the hue of their skin, than with vampires and wizards, don’t they?
Hmmm…
What is that all about?
Sometimes I wonder is it that people think they already know all there is to know about black folks…
Or do they think black books have nothing to offer beyond the drama and hood life,
And where would they come up with that notion, if they had never read the book?
I always remember the first time one of my co-workers read one of my books,
And they said, it was the first time they had thought of me as black…I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I asked for an explanation,
They told me that they just thought of me as being another person,
Okay, then why can’t they think of a book by a black author as just another book?
LOVE PEACE BLESSINGS!
angelia
WWW.ANGELIAVMENCHAN.COM
3 comments:
'then why can’t they think of a book by a black author as just another book?'
HELLO...PREACH SIS...I'm right there with you...I don't know why should book reading be different than anything else...white folks never seem to embrace or want to step into our world for any reason...but everyday...if we leave our house...we have to step into theres.
As the majority I don't think they ever think about living in two worlds...because they don't and they don't understand why others don't either...hmmm maybe if my skin was white I would see it the same way...but seeing as it isn't...I think it's quite narrow-minded on their part because they miss out on so much about us by not trying to understand us better...oh well...off my soap box...lol.
Great post!
A few years ago, I recommended on of LA Banks Vanpire Huntress books to a White co-worker that loved to read Vampire stories. She hated it... she said that she did notlike reading books that had sequels and the characters were unbelieveable... I wondered for a long time after that "was it really the book or the author"? I never got an answer from her but everyone loves those books (including me)
While riding the subway I always look at what people and readind and wonder whether they are reading it based on author,subject or whatever... Hmmmm
Great post Angelia :-)
Yas,
I tell you it is truly a conundrum,
'Cilla,
it is one of those things that make a sister go hmmm...
smooches!
angelia
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