海角大神

Four weeks ago, UK children鈥檚 laureate Malorie Blackman faced 鈥渉atred, threats, and vitriol鈥� when a news site misquoted her as saying children鈥檚 books 鈥�have too many white faces.鈥�

Blackman said she was advocating for more diversity in children鈥檚 books and never uttered that phrase. later corrected the quote and changed the headline.

But now another author has come forward with his own call for diversity in children鈥檚 books, and this time he鈥檚 deliberately used the phrase 鈥� 鈥渢oo many white faces鈥� 鈥� that landed Blackman at the center of a firestorm.

鈥淸W]hy are so many 鈥� characters white, straight, able-bodied and middle-class?鈥� award-winning British young adult author James Dawson said, speaking聽on Wednesday聽to the children鈥檚 books industry in the UK. 鈥淢alorie did not say there are too many white faces in children鈥檚 books, but I will. There, I just did. Put that on Sky News.鈥�

UK children鈥檚 laureate Blackman caused an uproar in the UK when she called for more diversity in children鈥檚 books and Sky News misquoted her as saying 鈥渢here are too many white faces鈥� in kids鈥� books today.聽

Blackman received an outpouring of racist comments and abuse, prompting her to leave Twitter and her 14,000 followers for a short while.

But she helped start a debate about diversity in children鈥檚 books, one that鈥檚 been going strong in the US, and now the UK. That debate helped spawn a new hashtag, #WeNeedDiverseBooksUK, echoing a wider social media campaign launched in the US, #WeNeedDiverseBooks.

(The US hashtag was started after Book Expo America Bookcon announced its panel lineup and critics cried foul that all 30 authors on it were white, as we reported in an earlier post, 鈥�Lack of diversity in book world continues to stir debate.鈥�)

Thanks to Blackman and her misquote, other authors, like Dawson, have chimed in on the debate.

The bestselling novelist spoke with the UK鈥檚 , saying he was inspired to make the speech and come out publicly supporting Blackman after the outpouring of controversy following Blackman鈥檚 interview with Sky News.聽

鈥淚 was livid,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was very clear that we 鈥� authors, agents, publishers, librarians and booksellers 鈥� have work to do. Not only do all young readers deserve to see themselves in stories but we also have to remind small-minded people that this planet we share is a diverse one.鈥澛�

In his speech, he asked publishers to work toward greater diversity in the books they publish as well as in their stable of authors and staff.

鈥淚n an ideal world, every title released would reflect a diverse world,鈥� Dawson said. 鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 mean there should be a gay character in every book, but if every character in a title is white, straight, able-bodied, and wealthy, that book is not reflecting the real world. Is this insidiously suggesting an 鈥榠deal'?"

Dawson explained his perception of diversity, explaining it鈥檚 not just about race. He said diversity comprises gender, ethnicity, income, culture, faith, sexuality, and disability.聽

He also speculated as to why children鈥檚 books are not as diverse as they could be.聽

鈥淚 wonder if, as authors, we subconsciously leave diversity 鈥榯o someone else鈥� 鈥� particularly writers from those backgrounds,鈥� he said.

He noted that he decided to make a last minute change in his forthcoming novel, 鈥淎ll of the Above,鈥� making his main character, Toria, half-Indian.

The other problem, he said, is marketing, and a quest for sales.

鈥淢arketing is key here, clearly, but what it boils down to is fear that a book won鈥檛 reach its biggest possible audience and lose money. To me this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we think books about minorities don鈥檛 sell, we don鈥檛 put them in bookshops where they 鈥� big surprise 鈥� can鈥檛 possibly sell.鈥澛�

The former teacher said change will come only when folks at all levels 鈥� from publishers and writers to booksellers and librarians 鈥� take responsibility.

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.