Of late I had the honor of joining Daniel José Older and Sabaa Tahir in answering questions on Diversity in YA Fantasy from Maggie Reagan from Booklist. My thoughts included:
I’ve had students ask me, “How do I write this without freaking out the white folks?” And yet authors hold back at the peril of young readers. Those who share our perspectives go invalidated, and those who don’t are never exposed and enlightened.
I also noticed a Freudian slip in my comments, and I’m inclined to leave it be. I refer to some allied librarians, insistent on telling (rather than sharing) stories of Native people as two-dimensional, (regretfully) defeated characters uniformly suffering from alcoholism on reservations. But telling is what I really did mean. There aren’t Native children’s-YA writers crafting fiction along those lines, but they’ve taken hold among common misconceptions.
Yet I’m told, time and again, that this stereotype is the single story that resonates. It’s come to stand alongside the “romantic, New-Age-y” stereotype and “historical savage” stereotype. Together and separately, these persistent tropes negate respect, nuance, complexity, humanity, and back to the focus of article, the potential for Native-inclusive children’s-YA fantasy done right.
It’s disheartening to refute, coming from allies. So, if you count yourself among them, please know that you are appreciated. But also be careful of assumptions, however benevolently intended.