Why The Pretty White Girl YA Book Cover Trend Needs To End
By Guest Contributor Ellen Oh, cross-posted from Hello Ello
Graphic courtesy jillianaudrey.blogspot.com. For illustration purposes only.
Recently, there have been more Asians on TV than usual. This makes me happy because it is such a rare event. Spotting an Asian on TV always feels like trying to find Waldo. And when I do spot an Asian on TV or in the movies, I jump up and down and get overly excited, like I’ve spotted some rare species or mythical creature, like a unicorn or Big Foot.
So you can imagine my exuberance over watching the Knicks and Jeremy Lin. What’s not been so cool has been the media response to him. Lots of people have lots of opinions on him and race plays a huge factor in it all. Why? Because, like Asians on television shows and movies, Asian pro athletes are few and far between. Jeremy Lin’s performance is irrevocably linked to his race. He is considered an Asian “anomaly.” Let’s focus on that word “anomaly.” Meaning, “to deviate from the expected”–an irregularity. It is in this way that the media lifts up one man and backhands an entire race.
Asians have long been the silent minority in this country. It’s gotten so bad that when someone makes a racist remark toward Asians, they just shrug it off and make it seem like you’re the one making a big deal about nothing. Or they think it’s funny. Like a couple of white guys who think they are being clever by opening up a restaurant called “Roundeye Noodle shop” in Philadelphia. And then they are surprised when people get offended? The roots of that racist remark stem from Asians being called slanty-eyed chinks. If anyone thinks “Roundeye” is not racist, you should come explain that to my youngest daughter who had the singular pleasure of being told by two boys in her class that her “small Chinese eyes” were ugly compared to her friend’s “blue round-eyes.” She was in kindergarten and only 5 years old. She cried for days. Words can scar you for life.
Later on, after I got involved and all the participants were made to apologize, a mother of one of the boys contacted me and told me that her son had acted the way he did because they had moved to the area from a small town in the midwest and they had never seen an “oriental” person before. I decided not to go into why I object to the word “oriental” and instead focused on what she was saying to me, this excuse she was feeding me. She was trying to laugh it off instead of taking it seriously.
To be honest, it really bothered me … but it also gave me food for thought. It brings me back to my original point. We are still the silent, unseen minority. And sometimes we have to fight that overwhelming feeling of not belonging. Of feeling unwanted in a country we love and are proud citizens of. I know as a child, books were always my refuge from that horrid sense of being different and hated. But when I look at publishing today, I wonder if my kids will feel the same way.
As a YA author, I’ve found the lack of diversity in publishing profoundly sad. I’ve been particularly disturbed by what I find in the YA sections. Bookshelves filled with cover after cover of pretty white girls. (See Goodreads Best YA Book Covers List)
The difference between the Middle Grade section and the YA section couldn’t be more divergent. Picture books and middle grade books don’t have the uniformity that YA does. They are bright and bold and diverse.
I love this cover so very much. And it’s a great book. But it feels like only in the Middle Grade section would you find a gem like this. It makes me wish my children would stay in the middle grade section for as long as possible. Because it is safe and welcoming for them.
Page 1 of 2 | Next page