i was recently interviewed for an article in the atlantic called "the ongoing problem of race in y.a." written by jen doll.
here's an excerpt:
There's also the rather unfair expectation put upon writers of books featuring non-white characters that they still have to make a statement, or that they're speaking for all people of that race. "It does get frustrating when your book comes out and other people think you’re making a statement about all black people," says Booth. "There are so few books featuring black characters, with the one or five that come out, there's so much pressure to represent all of this particular race." That's not a problem white writers have. People in the industry "need to open up the thinking about what a book by a person of color is supposed to do," she adds. "It’s not an education; why do books by authors of color have to have that much more responsibility? It’s just supposed to be a book. As writers start realizing that, and publishers and teachers and librarians start embracing that, more books will become available.
you can read the whole article here.
i'm really glad this kind of dialogue is taking place. open and honest discussions of race within the book world is important, even if it's not easy. let's hope there will be a lot more talk like this!