So in truth, there are books that have minority people as the main characters (just not as many). The next question is, why aren't this books as popular as Twilight or Blue Bloods or The Truth About Forever? What is it about these books (the ones I just listed) that grab more attention then others such as Small Steps or others?
Please write your thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
maybe, i think, because there are more white authors, [[just a guess, dont ask for statistics or anything]] and naturally i spose their going to write about someone they can relate to, OR!!! omg i just thought of this, but it mite interfere with the plot if the character was black or asian because they have different customs and well truth be told theyre treated differently and they act differently...
ReplyDeleteWell, that is the problem, isn't it. It's the same as boys vs girls - girls will go see a movie about boys, but - will boys see a movie about girls? Black people will read books about white people but - will white people read about black people. The problem actually, I think, is that the people who are a. publishing and b. promoting all books are afraid that if they don't appeal to as many people as possible, they won't make as much $$$$. So - if a book is great, but may not interest the majority, it won't get the financial backing that something that will appeal to everyone, black and white, will have all the support it needs.
ReplyDeleteThe other issue here is - if I, as a white person, were to write about a relationship between black people, would it be acceptable? Or just weird and sad? Is this something that I can only affect with my purchasing decisions, not my artistic ones?
ReplyDeleteMy comment on that is Jennifer, is to go out there and find what you are writing about, and write it. That way not only will there be more books, but if their is opposition, then this issue will be brought out around idk the nation or something-not just this blog. Which is what I'm hoping.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the race has a lot to do with the popularity of the book. I think that it does do something but I think that if the book was exacly the same as it is but with a black person or a hispanic person that it would sell exacly the same. But most of the time people of different races don't live the same way as every other race becasue of things like racism and their backgrounds and culturs. So if someone were to write Twilight with a black person then they might have to add some things to make it true. I'm not saying that black people or other races are completly different from white people or that white people don't experiance racism too but that on happy teen loves stories I dont think that the races makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteNow here is a question Stephanie, I appreciate you thoughts, thank you very much, but why do you think that people who write books such as Twilight don't write as a black or Latino person-but instead chose white? Maybe if it was the same story it wouldn't matter, but why do people (not all) choose white people instead of another race? I know personally that I feel discouraged when all of my favorite books main characters are white. And if people who write books such as Twilight did change the book to fit a Latino person, would truly as many people read it? I guess we can't say for sure. But notice that more white girls read Twilight then black girls (i dont know the statistics), so would less white girls read the book if changed? Or would more people of another race? And would those numbers be as high? Please tell me what you think.
ReplyDeleteMe personally, I think that it is also more than race that's causing books to be more popular than others. I don't disagree that race isn't a factor, but I just think that it is more than just that. One factor that can cause a book to be more popular than others is the plot. Many popular books are only popular because people like the plot. I think that books with minority people as the main characters are not unpopular, because many of those types of books have won awards, whereas the Twilight series and others have not won any, but they are still read by thousands of people. So I don't think that it is necessarily about the popularity of the book so much as it is about the quality and message that the book gives. But I do agree that more people need to read the books that have won those awards, and those that have minority people as the main characters.
ReplyDeleteThe books that I have read about people other than "white" are mostly about that culture and I have a hard time relating to it, therefore I can not easily read it.
ReplyDeletei agree that its an issue but i also agree with EValdora, a lot of the time that books that are about minorities are about the culture, or focuse on rasicm and racial difrences, and honestly that's depresing in a romance, if im reading a book like that i want it to be happy go lucky with a happy ending and not a tone of issues, fluff i guess, but race is none of that, and its issues aren't ether. so idk, its sad and its hard, but im more likely to read the happy go lucky romance or fantasy novel then the depressing book that talks about race or even mentions it.
ReplyDelete