Or the main character is gay and the book is about coming out and the consequences, usually negative, of that action. You know what an issue book is: It’s one where, for example, the main character is Black and the book centers on slavery or racism or police brutality. I talk about the surreal experience of having both of my books- Everything Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star- adapted into major motion pictures.īut the the last two slides are my favorite: issue books vs. As part of my visit, I generally give a presentation, which usually includes a slideshow depicting my journey to becoming writer, details on my writing process, and some advice for overcoming writer’s block. But as much as I loved those titles, they always left me with nagging questions: Where were the girls who looked like me? Didn’t Black girls ever fall in love?Īs a writer for young people (my next book Instructions for Dancingis out June 1), I happily get to go on a lot of school visits.
I had so many favorites: When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Before Sunrise, Say Anything, Moonstruck, Notting Hill, not to mention an unreasonable number of Harlequin romance books. When I was growing up, I loved romantic comedies and romance novels. I want stories that are not only about pain. Or rather, I want more stories about Black people. I want different stories about Black people. I promise you, I promise you, I already know. To illuminate history, perhaps? To persuade, maybe? Still though, I don’t need to be persuaded that slavery and racism are evil. The more charitable part of me hopes that maybe there’s something else these movies are trying to do. How many stories that center Black pain can America make and consume?
Sometimes I think movies like these are a salve on the open wound that is racism in America. I empathized with slaves and their struggle, and therefore I cannot be racist.
I imagine an internal dialogue that goes something like: I watched that movie and witnessed the brutality and cruelty perpetrated against Black people. And what do these stories hope to achieve?Ī not-so-charitable part of me thinks movies like this exist to make people feel good about themselves. The question I keep coming back to is: How many stories that center Black pain can America make and consume? There are so many of them. Because I no longer want to watch fictionalized accounts of Black people being abused and killed. I mean the specific me-Nicola Yoon, Black woman, mother, wife, author, publisher. When I say it’s not for me, I don’t mean the me that is a generalized notion of a Black person living in America. But I’m never going to see it because I don’t think that story is for me. It’s won many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and near universal praise, so perhaps it’s more than fine. HFS clients enjoy state-of-the-art warehousing, real-time access to critical business data, accounts receivable management and collection, and unparalleled customer service.I’ve never seen 12 Years a Slave, and I’m never going to. HFS provides print and digital distribution for a distinguished list of university presses and nonprofit institutions. MUSE delivers outstanding results to the scholarly community by maximizing revenues for publishers, providing value to libraries, and enabling access for scholars worldwide. Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content, providing access to journal and book content from nearly 300 publishers. With warehouses on three continents, worldwide sales representation, and a robust digital publishing program, the Books Division connects Hopkins authors to scholars, experts, and educational and research institutions around the world. With critically acclaimed titles in history, science, higher education, consumer health, humanities, classics, and public health, the Books Division publishes 150 new books each year and maintains a backlist in excess of 3,000 titles.
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