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From: Norma Jean <nsawicki>
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 08:40:44 -0500
Monica's observations that faith and religion drive many other beliefs is wonderfully astute but in today's climate, except for works of nonfiction, I think it would be difficult to find an audience for works of YA fiction whose underpinnings do not conform to traditional views. A theme that would undoubtedly be of interest to teenagers, and is important, but, depending on the novel, could create a ruckus in many communities, a risk librarians and teachers may not want to take. Without being "political," religion and patriotism are now frequently used in political debates, and/or accusations. I did a Goggle search about the two novels Ginny Kruse praised and have not been published here and learned A Little Piece of Ground caused havoc when published in the UK. Macmillan, its UK publisher, received so much hate mail on its web site the system was on overload and closed down; hate mail was directed at the author...and much was written about it in the press. A novel about a Palestinian kid was viewed by many as being pro-Palestine even though it was not the author's intent.
As a young editor in the late sixties, I published a novel for teenagers by a black writer in which the underlying theme was the prejudice that existed between light and dark skinned blacks. The president of the firm did not support its publication; I insisted, saying it was good and deserved to be published which was not his point. He finally consented and said he was going to "teach (me) something about timing." And he did. A review in the New York Times praised the writer's skill but essentially said the theme was not something black kids needed to read right now (then). The author, being as naive as his editor, was devastated. The novel was autobiographical and to his way of thinking, the review suggested his childhood was not worth reading about. For the most part, the book was ignored by the press.
So...yes, faith and religion drive many of our beliefs but in the marketplace, timing can be problematic no matter the integrity of the work which is less true in adult trade publishing. Norma Jean
Received on Fri 24 Jun 2005 08:40:44 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 08:40:44 -0500
Monica's observations that faith and religion drive many other beliefs is wonderfully astute but in today's climate, except for works of nonfiction, I think it would be difficult to find an audience for works of YA fiction whose underpinnings do not conform to traditional views. A theme that would undoubtedly be of interest to teenagers, and is important, but, depending on the novel, could create a ruckus in many communities, a risk librarians and teachers may not want to take. Without being "political," religion and patriotism are now frequently used in political debates, and/or accusations. I did a Goggle search about the two novels Ginny Kruse praised and have not been published here and learned A Little Piece of Ground caused havoc when published in the UK. Macmillan, its UK publisher, received so much hate mail on its web site the system was on overload and closed down; hate mail was directed at the author...and much was written about it in the press. A novel about a Palestinian kid was viewed by many as being pro-Palestine even though it was not the author's intent.
As a young editor in the late sixties, I published a novel for teenagers by a black writer in which the underlying theme was the prejudice that existed between light and dark skinned blacks. The president of the firm did not support its publication; I insisted, saying it was good and deserved to be published which was not his point. He finally consented and said he was going to "teach (me) something about timing." And he did. A review in the New York Times praised the writer's skill but essentially said the theme was not something black kids needed to read right now (then). The author, being as naive as his editor, was devastated. The novel was autobiographical and to his way of thinking, the review suggested his childhood was not worth reading about. For the most part, the book was ignored by the press.
So...yes, faith and religion drive many of our beliefs but in the marketplace, timing can be problematic no matter the integrity of the work which is less true in adult trade publishing. Norma Jean
Received on Fri 24 Jun 2005 08:40:44 AM CDT
