From: Anne.Schwartz at Simonandschuster.com <Anne.Schwartz>
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 15:36:31 -0400

It's been interesting for me to read everyone's response on the race issue. Of course it's true that when we read, we visualize a character, and compare/contrast ourselves to her. Younger readers--who so often are looking for others like themselves in the books they read--particularly try to visualize their heroines, I think. For this reason, I feel that most, if not all, younger readers would at least try to attach some race to LaVaughn--and I also feel we CCBCers would do the same. Do you agree? And if so, what race did you "see" when you read Wolff's marvelous books?

Anne Schwartz Atheneum

 Message----From: Jodie Wright [mailto:jodiemwright at yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2001 1:36 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: [CCBC-Net] Make Lemonade


I feel very strongly that in these books race doesn't matter, but that it is the experiences and relationships of the characters that give readers the opportunity to idnetify with the characters of the book. It seems as if authors who are able to leave the characteristics of the characters open also leave room a more open audience that can draw in more readers.

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Received on Tue 10 Jul 2001 02:36:31 PM CDT