Diversity 101: Asians as the Model Minority

Contributed to CBC Diversity by Janet Wong When we look at the spectrum of racial stereotypes, Asians seem to have it good: We’re supposedly smart, hard-working, and obedient. We never complain. Families stick together. We don’t rock the boat (especially the fresher off the boat that we are). What’s the Problem? As far as stereotypes...

Diversity 101: Gay in YA

Contributed to CBC Diversity by Adam Silvera When writing diverse books, we’re writing about choices—and the things we can’t choose. Harry Potter could have chosen not to go to Hogwarts, but spending the rest of his youth with the incorrigible Dursleys would’ve sucked for all involved—Harry, the Dursleys, and the readers who became readers because...

Diversity 101: The Multiracial Experience

Contributed to CBC Diversity by Monica Brown In the 2013 Census, nine million people selected more than one race. In states like California, where I grew up, as well as Texas, and New York, half a million or more people, in each of these states, marked multiple-races. Yet when I became a mother of two...

Diversity 101: Religion in YA

Contributed to CBC Diversity by Aaron Hartzler Every six months or so, I see an essay devoted to the absence of religion and characters of faith in young adult literature. Google “religion in YA” and you’ll see plenty of posts which rightly address the fact that only a small percentage of the books marketed to...

CBC Diversity at ALA Midwinter 2014!

Will you be at ALA Midwinter this year? CBC Diversity will! After our very interesting introductory panel at last year’s ALA Midwinter, we’re so very excited about our upcoming panel focusing on our successful Diversity 101 series and highlighting ALSC’s Día initiative. If you’ll be at ALA Midwinter this year, please consider attending our event...

Diversity 101: Inserting Spanish language into the English text to create an atmosphere

Contributed to CBC Diversity by Alma Flor Ada My Personal Connection A few years ago I was asked to contribute a story to an anthology. The story, which contained some words in Spanish, had been edited and proofread. And then, the editor told me, very enthusiastically, that her son, who was taking Spanish in High...

Diversity 101: The Disabled Saint

A Caricature, Not a Compliment Contributed to CBC Diversity by Kayla Whaley It’s difficult to find any representations of disabled characters in any form of media. In GLAAD’s annual look at minority representation on scripted network shows, there were only eight characters with disabilities in the 2013-2014 season. That means of all the characters on...

Diversity 101: Blurring the Lines Between Familiar and Foreign

Part II—A Focus on Dialogue Contributed to CBC Diversity by Uma Krishnaswami My Personal Connection The books you read as a child are as real as the places you live in or the people around you. They whisper to you of the possibilities the world can offer, like mental pathways into your own as-yet-unlived future....

Diversity 101: Blurring the Lines Between Familiar and Foreign

Part I—A Focus on Narrative Contributed to CBC Diversity by Uma Krishnaswami My Personal Connection Back in the last century, when I dreamed of writing for young readers, the conventional wisdom about weaving foreign languages into fiction written in English went like this: Don’t. The stories I longed to write spanned continents. My characters often...

Diversity 101: Who’s That Fat Kid?

Fat Politics and Children’s Literature Contributed to CBC Diversity by Rebecca Rabinowitz My Personal Connection I’m a fat person living in a virulently fatphobic culture. We’re soaking in it. The ubiquitous fear and hate of fatness is both glaring and invisible. It’s job discrimination; it’s insults from strangers on the street; it’s doctors who refuse...