Writer's Block: Reconsidering Children's Books

[babydee1]

[Error: unknown template qotd]I never read "The Giving Tree".  I did, however, used to Enjoy Enid Blyton's books as a child, and when I got pregnant one of the first things I did was go looking for her books.  I bought a few of the Noddy ones, but on re-reading them was horrified to see how she racially profiled the golliwogs as violent criminals.  She had them moving around in gangs, constantly referred to their 'dark, dark faces,' and in one chapter actually had a bunch of them ambush and attack Noddy in the woods.  As a black woman who'd just been told she was expecting a son (and was chock full of hormones), I was disturbed to think that children are being fed this information and are growing up with the mindset that they are likely to be attacked by anyone with dark skin.

Needless to say, I returned the books, and have been extremely selective in choosing reading materials for my boys.  But it's still something that gets me thinking now and again.

Comments

[margroks.livejournal.com]

I have always enjoyed the varied books of Robert Heinlien but some of his books have a definite racist and sexist bent. THe latter ones, even thought they are written well are somewhat disturbing since a few involve incest which does squick me.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

Eek! Were those children's books??!

[margroks.livejournal.com]

SOme of the earliest were written for boy's magazines in the forties, I believe so the sexism was defintely there as was the occaisional bit of racism in a few. Now those with incest were later, some in the years right before he died and having to do mainly with the Lazarus Long family, a strain of humans which interbred to maintain their extremely long lived bloodlines intact. So, no, those were not children's books. It's odd, too, because some of his books were also so very anti-racism and sexism. Perhaps he skewed the early works to his audience then expanded later on and went the other way. It's an odd mix, that one.

[babydee1.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Sounds like they'd be an interesting read, though. I might just look them up.