In class on Friday, we discussed "To the Pale Poets" by Ray Durem. During our discussion, we came to a conclusion that there is a certain privilege involved in being able to choose what you write about. White (or "pale") poets can choose to talk about social issues if they want, but they are also content to write about the intricacies of the natural world. Black poets, on the other hand, have a certain obligation to write about social issues. Durem points out that, while pale poets see leaves on a tree, he sees a hanging body, pointing out the stark difference between the realities of a white and black (or "pale" and "vivid") poet.
This idea stuck with me as I finished The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This is a novel about an African-American girl who's grown up in a poor black neighborhood but attends a suburban prep high school. The novel grapples with countless relevant social issues, including poverty and police brutality. Because this book has some pretty dark content, I was surprised to find out it was marketed as a young adult novel. I'm used to young adult novels being lighter and more superficial, dealing with teenage romance or school bullies. I began to question my taste in books, wondering if I should be reading more "nuanced" literature geared towards adults. Was I too old to for a novel like The Hate U Give?
The answer is obviously no, but I didn't figure out why until after Friday's discussion. Angie Thomas is an African-American author who grew up in Jackson, MS. Many of her own childhood experiences are reflected in the main character of her novel. While I suppose this is true for other young adult novels I've read, I realized the authors of the books I was used to were overwhelmingly white. Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, J.K. Rowling, Louis Sachar, Ellen Raskin, Jerry Spinelli, John Green, all of these young adult authors whose books I devoured growing up, all white, none of whom had a story like Angie Thomas.
The fact that I questioned whether The Hate U Give should be a young adult novel or not illustrates my lack of exposure to young adult novels written by black authors. Like Durem points out, the white authors I grew up reading had a choice to write about social issues or not, and most of them didn't. These books are sheltered, cozy, "lavender", in a way The Hate U Give can't be because of the author's identity. Thomas writes with a raw, unapologetic truth that seems dark to me because I've only read the lighter stuff. She's seen leaves as hanging bodies since she was young, so why should her novel be categorized as adult literature? I've taken young adult to mean "easier to read" when it is really defined as "novel with a young narrator." The fact that I've conflated the two reveals my naiveté when it comes to young adult content. I'm accustomed to "pale" young adult literature, when clearly there is so much more beyond that.
Unsurprisingly, The Hate U Give has become immensely popular. It won the Goodreads Choice Award, the Audie Award for Young Adult, and the Audie Award for Female Narrator, while receiving raving reviews. I'm sure Durem could've predicted the success of Thomas' novel. After all, he knows that stories from pale authors pale in comparison to authors with vivid realities to share.
Finally, I have to include a formal recommendation in this blog post, so: read The Hate U Give! You are not too old for it, in fact, I don't think anyone is!
Aren't they making a movie on "The Hate U Give"? I feel like our class should go see it! Also, I like how you talk about how most of the white authors you've read from usually didn't write about social issues, before this class I never really would have noticed it. Good blog post and I hope you enjoyed your book(s)!
ReplyDeleteI've read The Hate U Give as well, and I think this is a really interesting and important connection that you made. You point out that YA novels are often perceived as "simpler", which assumes that adolescent readers can't really comprehend complex literature or heavier topics. Which I think you also point out, extremely well too, is kind of absurd because it discludes the experience of marginalized groups, including black Americans, undocumented immigrants, native Americans, and so many others. And I think it's really important that all young adult readers can be exposed to a diverse set of voices, especially in our formative years. Thanks for the awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting point about how dark a novel can be for young adults across different groups of people. While I can understand why you immediately drew the connection to African American writers because that is largely what the poem is about, however I think it extends to pretty much all minorities (even across other countries) that need to educate people of all ages about how different their experiences are than the groups that are in power.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool post! I like how you show (a bit like Ray Durem) how our perceptions of what the images or stories that literature create is warped by a "paleness" that stems from the norm in literature being a so called "focus on the art"-an unwillingness to engage reality in the interest of exploring the flexibility of words-totally ignoring and devaluing the art of those who seek to express their own reality through literature.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post and how reflective it was. I will admit I felt some kind of way when I began reading your post, but by the end I completely understood and agreed with you :) When I read The Hate U Give, I felt like it was more real, for me anyway, than the "typical" young adult novels you talk about. When I read, most times I feel like I'm in a dream and I wish my life was like that, but I could relate to The Hate U Give and it didn't seem dream-like, which is why I loved it so much. You did a really good job of relating the poem to young adult novels! Great post :)
ReplyDeleteNow I really want to read The Hate U Give! I was always a bit wary of "Young Adult" Literature, because as you said, it seemed quite superficial and not really pertaining to the real world. I never realized that this stark contrast could come from the differing backgrounds of the narrator, but think that you make a very important point. The white authors, not just poets, have the luxury of writing about something fairy-tale like to take us away from our problems. Whereas, African American Authors are almost expected to talk about political issues or some kind of social problem they have identified. I really enjoyed reading your post!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, and awesome book! I've never thought about the books I read as a kid like that. I think that when writing, everyone writes from their own experience, and white authors may not have an experience that moves them to write about social issues, while black authors would just by nature of oppression and discrimination in America.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that that was the actual definition of a Young Adult novel. But even if it wasn't, I would still think it would be extremely important for that book to be marketed towards young adults. By only having, like you said, very white authors write these light and superficial books for young people, it's sort of perpetuating ignorance to the "real" issues in our society, which is a huge problem you'd think we'd have solved by now.
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