By Deputy Editor Thea Lim
A writer friend of mine working on a novel about his Indian experience has lamented to me about a particular response he keeps getting to his work in progress. His non-Asian peers tell him that he can’t write his particular story, because it’s already been told by say, Rohinton Mistry, [...]

By Special Correspondent Thea Lim
Note: Much of this post is based on generalisations drawn from my own narrow experience. Any corrections to my observations are very welcome.
After three years of toiling in sphere of feminism, anti-racism, non-profits, community-based organisations, queer politics and environmentalism (…), last January I decided to go back to school to do [...]

by Guest Contributor Neesha Meminger, originally published at Justine Larbalestier
This essay was originally meant to be a short comment in response to Justine’s post on why her protags aren’t white. In one of the comments, someone brought up the old argument: if white people can only write white characters, then should people of color only [...]

by Latoya Peterson

Anna, over at Jezebel, sent a fascinating article about a library’s decision to pull the Tintin books out of regular circulation:
[I]f you go to the Brooklyn Public Library seeking a copy of “Tintin au Congo,” Hergé’s second book in a series, prepare to make an appointment and wait days to see the book.
“It’s [...]

By Guest Contributor Aliya; an earlier version of this post can be found at Sanctuary
(*I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum*)
When I started reading The Time Traveler’s Wife, I was already aware that in the movie version of the book, Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were cast to play Henry DeTamble and [...]

by Latoya Peterson/A Racialicious Roundtable

One of the examples Yoshino uses while discussing racial covering is another memoir.
Racial covering occurs when non-whites “act white” by modulating their behaviors. A useful example of racial covering can be seen in Eric Liu’s memoir The Accidental Asian. Liu follows the statement “Here are some of the ways you could [...]

by Latoya Peterson
I’m starting to love air travel. It is really the only time where I actually have to disengage from the internet, which becomes time to read actual books.
On this trip, I packed Kenji Yoshino’s Covering, a book I had been intending to read for quite some time. In Yoshino’s gut-wrenching [...]

By Guest Contributor Justine Larbalestier, originally published at justinelarbalestier.com

I’ve been asked a few times why none of my protags are white given that I am white. (So far that question has only come from white people.) I thought I’d answer the question at length so next time I get that particular email I can [...]

by Latoya Peterson

From the New York Times obituary:

E. Lynn Harris, whose novels about successful and glamorous black men with sexual identity conflicts (and the women and men who love them) made him one of the nation’s most popular writers, died in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 54 and lived in Atlanta. [...]
Mr. Harris clearly [...]

by Latoya Peterson
The best article I have read to date on street lit was published last month in Elle Magazine.
Author Bliss Broyard – who explored her family’s complicated racial past in her book One Drop – presents the story of Miasha, a force in her own right and the subject of envy by other street [...]

by Guest Contributor Neesha Meminger
There’s been a great firestorm of controversy over Justine Larbalestier’s cover for her recently released novel, Liar. Ms. Larbalestier is the Australian-born author of How to Ditch Your Fairy and other fantasy/sci-fi titles. She has a wide fan base. She is married to Scott Westerfeld, best-selling author of the Uglies [...]

By Guest Contributor Justine Larbalestier, originally published at justinelarbalestier.com
In the last few weeks as people have started reading the US ARC of Liar they have also started asking why there is such a mismatch between how Micah describes herself and the cover image. Micah is black with nappy hair which she wears natural and short. [...]

by Latoya Peterson

To understand civil rights, you must understand how it feels…to be trapped in someone else’s stereotype.” – Deval Patrick
During the year of 2008, people loved to talk about change, normally as a positive outcome righting a wrong or correcting a historical slight.
However, change never comes easily. Friction always occurs between the [...]

By Guest Contributor Angry Asian Man, originally published at Angry Asian Man
If you’re like me, growing up as a student, you heard a lot about civil rights history, but not much about the role of Asian Americans in those struggles. But wait! There’s a new book for you. Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak [...]

by Guest Contributor Alicia, originally published at Muslimah Media Watch
It had to happen sooner or later. With Barbie and now Hannah Montana merchandise dominating the tween to early teenage market in Malaysia, products for young Muslim women in hijab are starting to appear, particularly on the bookshelves. And they look very pink.
The increasing pinkness of [...]