Sportive Thoughts

No, I don't mean the Richard Wright classic. Catalyst has a new cover story: A Disconnect in Reading. The problem?

If young African-American males don’t see themselves in books, they aren’t inclined to become readers, and if publishers perceive that black boys don’t read, they won’t approve books that might interest them.

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Publishers are loathe to talk publicly about whether they ignore black readers. However, last month, one major publisher was widely accused of racial insensitivity. Bloomsbury Children’s Books put a photo of a white girl with long, straight hair on the cover of a teen novel about an African-American girl with short hair.

The book’s author, Justine Larbalestier, says the cover decision was made over her objections. Publishers, she says, have outdated notions of race and think books seen as “black” won’t sell. “The publishing industry still doesn’t seem to get it,” Larbalestier, who is white, wrote on her blog. “…I hope it [the controversy] gets every publishing house thinking about how incredibly important representation is and that they are in a position to break down these assumptions.”

We know, however, that they do maintain a careful approach to specific reader populations. Publishers do not gaurd anything more carefully than readership, and it seems obvious that if an audience is less receptive then it will be less targeted. Thus, there is a likely catch-22 when it comes to Black literacy, given the unfortunate conspiracy of academic achievement gaps, economic restrictions, and the economics of book publishing.

Catalyst does fail to make note of this book's title, which unfortunately lables the young Black protagonist. I haven't read the book so I cannot judge its contents; after all it is Catalyst that is judging the book by the cover.