From: park/dobbin <bdobbin>
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 08:20:37 -0400

The contributions from other list members have helped me think further about race in these books and my position is 'developing.' I have finally realized what *really* bothers me about the lack of race consciousness and it is directly related to setting. LaVaughn lives in an urban housing project. And those living in the projects in this country have an acute consciousness of race *whether black OR white.* I confess that I know only four cities well, but is there a U.S. city in which one could live in such a neighborhood and afford the luxury of never contemplating one's race? Very doubtful. So while I still feel that lack of race consciousness is generally indicative of a white (or majority) character, in this case the lack means that her portrayal as an urban teenager for me feels incomplete.

Maia and other posters have mentioned the "Rorschach" nature of the books, the way they function as sort of an exercise or test for our assumptions. This was very helpful to me because it made me realize that while reading, I had been drawn out of the story by this very aspect. It almost felt as if the avoidance of the race issue was a constant challenge throughout the books--"what race do *you* think she is?" and this was a distraction to my immersion in the story.

But my admiration for these books has only grown with the help of this discussion. What remarkable things they accomplish within the mind of the reader!

~~~ Linda Sue Park http://www.lindasuepark.com
~~~
Received on Fri 13 Jul 2001 07:20:37 AM CDT