WHITE GIRL WRITES OUTSIDE HER RACE
When you lie in bed tonight, before you close your eyes, look around at all the things you love: the pictures, the trophies—anything that holds memories and meaning. Then imagine someone waking you in the middle of the night, handing you a bag of clothes and a day’s worth of food, and telling you you’re leaving home. Forever.
You are now in chapter one of my novel, Escaping The Tiger. Read on, and you will find yourself in a world where you’re hungry, dirty, scared, hopeless. Your friends are gone. Your meager living quarters stink. And mosquitoes are eating you alive. Welcome to your Southeast Asian refugee camp.
As writers, we’re often told to write what we know. And if you’ve followed many discussions about writing multicultural literature, you’ve likely come across discussions that question the right of white authors to craft stories about POC (people of color). It’s a complicated topic that hinges on an industry that publishes vastly more Caucasians than any other race. So what business do I have as a white woman, writing about the experiences of people outside my culture?
Because my job is to write about the human experience, no matter if I’m writing high fantasy on a planet with seven moons, or historical fiction set on the opposite side of Earth. Refugee camps are not an experience exclusive to any race, except the human one. And every author brings something different to a story of similar subject matter. Having married a refugee from Southeast Asia, I was in the position to tell a story outside my experience, but not outside my ability to shed light on a seldom-discussed historical period, and highlight the refugee plight in a way that could make readers who’ve never been in one count their lucky stars for clean water, or flushing toilets, or sanitary pads that are more than simply strips of tattered T-shirts.
And our job as humans is to go beyond what’s comfortable and learn about people of different races, cultures, genders, ages, religions so that we can expand our understanding of the human experience and foster Empathy. Acceptance. Compassion. Growth. Even good old-fashioned Entertainment, because what’s wrong with a thrill ride of a romp/adventure/journey that features a person of color who is simply out to kick some butt? Anyone ever heard of Katniss Everdeen with her straight black hair and olive skin? (The Hunger Games, page 8, paragraph 2).
The problem that remains is how we tip the scales in the publishing world so there is not such a disparity of Caucasian writers when compared to every other race, or covers with pretty white girls on them when readers know the main character is anything but. Do we boycott the big, bad publishers?
In my opinion, no. Boycotts hurt authors. What should we do? Simple. Buy the books that get it right.
Make your message loud and clear with the one thing that turns every publisher’s bottom line: the almighty dollar. Publishing is a business of supply and demand, and it’s up to us consumers to generate that demand by supporting publishers that DO print books about people of color, by people of color, and with people of color featured on covers. Buy these books for yourself, as gifts, as donations. Or if your budget doesn’t allow, check them out from your library.
You, the consumer, have the power to effect change. Speak up, or forever hold your boycott.
Laura Manivong, author
Laura Manivong is an Emmy-winning TV producer who never knew she wanted to write books until she met her husband and learned of his background, but the clues were there all along. Her mother and grandfather were writers. Her college professor told her to keep writing, which made her wonder, write what? And her study at Missouri State University, after some detours, led her to a job as a television writer. But after marrying Troy, it began to click. After eight years, two kids, and countless drafts, Escaping The Tiger was done, its pages based on Troy’s experiences as a Lao refugee hoping for a new home.
Laura and Troy live in Kansas City, where she was born and raised, and where he started life over at 19. They share their house with their two lovely, loud children, their louder dog, and ever-shifting piles of clutter. Escaping The Tiger is her first novel.
You can learn more about Laura and her books at LauraManivong.com