My daughter read this book for school in 7th grade, but I'm not too keen on it. It's about a very diverse neighborhood coming together in the making of a community garden. Overall, the intent and the message of the book are positive. What troubles me is the delivery. Some might call this book "racist"; at the very least, the writing incorporates various levels of "racial insensitivity", or a lack of "racial awareness".
Listed below (at the end of this review) are race-related excerpts from the book that I believe are worth discussing, or at least clarifying. Each chapter is narrated in the first person by a different character, and most references are in the narrator's thoughts. No offense is intended in any of these references, but there's a lot to unpack just in reading the words in print. My concern is that the text itself does not provide enough context, and without sufficient analysis, young readers might come away from this book with misunderstandings about race-related concepts. Some of my examples might be nit-picky, but I think when a book is expressly written to showcase diversity, when it specifically shines a spotlight on race, it should go out of its way to get it right.
Having only 69 pages, the book is more of a novella. I was disappointed when I realized that each character gets only one chapter, so we don't see the individual stories developed. The garden itself is like the main character, and it's the growth of the garden that is told through the eyes of different people.
Aside from my concerns about race, the book includes references to a number of other topics that might be worth discussing with young readers as well. For example, death (some of the characters have family members who have died), marijuana, guns in schools, an armed robbery that results in physical abuse and PTSD, and a pregnant teenager who wishes to miscarry.
Anyway, here are the race-related references that caught my attention:
Rumania is an alternate spelling of Romania.
According to Wikipedia: "In English, the name of the country was formerly spelt Rumania or Roumania. Romania became the predominant spelling around 1975."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania
As an elderly person, Ana (the narrator of this chapter) would be accustomed to using the spelling she grew up with.
According to Merriam-Webster online, the term "Negro" is "dated, now sometimes offensive".
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Negro
Ana is still the narrator, and again, as an elderly person, she might be accustomed to using the terms she grew up with. In her old age, she might not understand that "Negro" is no longer an acceptable term to use to refer to African-Americans. She probably does not mean to refer to African-Americans in a belittling way, but if she said it out loud, an African-American might be offended.
These days, "African-American" and "black" are appropriate words to use. Some African-American / black people may have a preference for which term they prefer.
Sources:
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/say-african-american-or-black-first-acknowledge-persistence-structural-racism
https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/04/an-african-american-or-a-black-160773
Wendell (the narrator of this chapter) is referring to Kim, who is Vietnamese. He probably does not know Kim's ethnicity, so he guesses Chinese. He probably does not mean any harm, but if he said this out loud, Kim might be offended. Vietnamese language and culture is different from Chinese language and culture. Interchanging the two perpetuates the stereotype that all Asian cultures are the same, and not worth distinguishing one from the other. Instead, if you don't know a person's exact Asian country of origin, "Asian" is the appropriate word to use.
Gonzalo (the narrator of this chapter) is referring to his great-uncle. Since Gonzalo is from Guatemala, he is probably not using "Indian" to refer to the Asian subcontinent of India. Instead, he means someone whose ancestry is native to a particular place. There is much debate about how we should refer to these peoples: Indians? American Indians? Native Americans? Indigenous? Members of these groups typically have their own preferences regarding what to call themselves. Since Gonzalo is talking about his own family, he is using the word he is most comfortable with.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_name_controversy
Sam (the narrator of this chapter) studies words as a hobby, so his use of "coolie" seems particularly unexpected.
According to Merriam-Webster online, the term "coolie" is "usually offensive".
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coolie
Sam is probably using the word "coolie" to mean "unskilled laborer". However, in America, the word has derogatory connotations stemming from the xenophobic treatment of Chinese immigrants during the mid-to-late 1800s. It's probably best not to use this word casually, except in historical context, especially when speaking about a group that includes Asians.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolie
See the Politico source above related to "Negro". Using "black" as a noun is a subject of debate. The same could probably be said for using "white" as a noun. Saying "black people" and "white people" would be less controversial.
Though other narrators are also immigrants, this is the only chapter written in poor English. It feels like the literary equivalent of the on-screen Asian character having an accent. This kind of representation perpetuates the "other-ing" of Asians in America.
This is an example of explicit racism. Young readers should understand this type of behavior is not acceptable. Some may need an explanation of "Massa".
Not race-related, but the implication that people who receive welfare checks are lazy is troubling. This type of classism might also be worth discussing with young readers.
According to Merriam-Webster online, the term "Oriental" is "dated, now usually offensive".
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oriental
As with the use of "Negro", Florence (the narrator of this chapter) is an elderly person who might be accustomed to using the terms she grew up with. She probably does not mean to refer to Asians in a belittling way, but if she said it out loud, an Asian person might be offended.
These are excellent comments and intentional on Fleischman's part (at least I assumed they were). He shows that people make assumptions, stereotype, and blame others when they don't act together as a community. A really solid teacher will use them as teaching points because students need to know the deliberate choices that an author makes.
ReplyDeleteyou are right kids need to be informed about books like theese that have racially insensitive
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Paul Fleischman's book is racially insensitive. There are multiple stereotypes on the poc characters, but not the white people. The girl trying to plant her beans was watched by two white people from the window because they thought she was doing something suspicious. The Asian woman owned a laundromat and got robbed. The Hispanic boy's guardians were farmers. The Mexican girl's friends thought she came to America illegally. This just seems a little bit insensitive to me.
ReplyDeletethis book is quite racially insensitive and if you don't know that it is you might come out wit h the wrong idea.
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