Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Politicizing the Reading Experience

GOAL: Select stories written by the group of people that the book is about. The phrase Own Voices has been used most recently to indicate that a member of a group is writing from their first-person experience. The author and/or illustrator may be drawing from their experience as a member of a particular racial or ethnic identity, such as Black or tribally enrolled in the Cherokee Nation, or as a member of an affinity group, such as queer or transgender. While it isn’t always obvious when reading an author’s biography if they are writing an Own Voices story, it’s a good idea to seek out these options when race or culture are a critical element of a book. 

Reach for: We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade, a picture book inspired by indigenous-led efforts of environmental activism that was written by a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians and illustrated by a member of the Raven moiety and Kiks.áti Clan. Also consider When Aiden Became a Brother, a picture book celebrating a child’s coming out and his family’s subsequent support, by Kyle Lukoff, a transgender author, and Kaylani Juanita, a femme queer illustrator.

- An excerpt from the national Parent Teacher Association guidelines on the Family Reading Experience.

[Execupundit note: A lot of great literature would not meet their standards.]

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