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[CCBC-Net] Dramarama
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From: Elliott BatTzedek <ebattzedek>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 15:10:46 -0400
That Dramarama, and The Bermudez Triangle, are light (not necessarily fluff) is for me part of their appeal. Yes, kids will learn more about being gay or lesbian or trans (that is, about being human) from the more serious books -- but the existance of light books with gay main characters is its own kind of break through. Like the old joke about how we'll know women are equal when completely unqualified women can get paid too much for something they really don't know how to do -- there is a real social change obvious in having the option of fun and silly brain candy with "sexual minority" characters. Maybe, right now, some happy young lesbians are sitting on a beach reading the water-proof cover edition of Bermudez, completely comfortable in their sexuality and just wanting a romance story where all the characters aren't straight. There was no such option when I was a young lesbian. Ok, there were actually very few options at all, and my high school library didn't have the few things out there.
That said, I do agree that Dramarama didn't deal well with the racial issue. Perhaps that's another great topic one month -- not just books about racial or ethnic minority characters, but books where characters have to deal with race and racial difference in friendships and other intimate relationships. Only a few come to mind, and most of them left me wanting.
Elliott batTzedek Collections Developer Children's Literacy Initiative
-----Original Message-----
From: Nel [mailto:nelcward at charter.net]
Sent: Thu 5/29/2008 7:40 PM
To: Nancy Silverrod; Elliott BatTzedek; ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Cc:
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Dramarama
I agree with Nancy's view of DRAMARAMA. As I look at books that I consider
"better written," it seems that they do show the pain of being GLBT, the
same as books about heterosexual characters show their pain. When "The
Problem" (or at least some pain) no longer exists, the plot,
characterization, etc. seems to descend into superficial writing--fluff that
may be fun but adds nothing to growth. Young people probably need to read
this fluff, but they will gain a greater experience by reading something
like Peters' GRL2GRL. (Maybe the question is whether we give them just
candy or a bit of meat once in a while.)
Nel Ward
Newport, Oregon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nancy Silverrod" <nsilverrod at sfpl.org>
To: "Elliott BatTzedek" <ebattzedek at cliontheweb.org>;
<ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:06 PM
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Dramarama
>I didn't really care for Dramarama. I felt that Sadye and Demi were both
> rather shallow, and that Demi was stereotypical in many ways. Although I
> know plenty of people like him, I wanted to see Lockhart go beyond the
> stereotype as she has done with characters in her other novels. I also
> felt disappointed that the race issue wasn't explored further since it
> was such a big factor in the breakdown of Demi and Sadye's friendship.
>
> Nancy Silverrod, Librarian
> San Francisco Public Library
> 100 Larkin St.
> San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
> 415-557-4417
> nsilverrod at sfpl.org
>
> Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another
> mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)
>
> A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese
> Proverb
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.3/1472 - Release Date: 5/29/2008
> 7:27 AM
>
>
Received on Fri 30 May 2008 02:10:46 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 15:10:46 -0400
That Dramarama, and The Bermudez Triangle, are light (not necessarily fluff) is for me part of their appeal. Yes, kids will learn more about being gay or lesbian or trans (that is, about being human) from the more serious books -- but the existance of light books with gay main characters is its own kind of break through. Like the old joke about how we'll know women are equal when completely unqualified women can get paid too much for something they really don't know how to do -- there is a real social change obvious in having the option of fun and silly brain candy with "sexual minority" characters. Maybe, right now, some happy young lesbians are sitting on a beach reading the water-proof cover edition of Bermudez, completely comfortable in their sexuality and just wanting a romance story where all the characters aren't straight. There was no such option when I was a young lesbian. Ok, there were actually very few options at all, and my high school library didn't have the few things out there.
That said, I do agree that Dramarama didn't deal well with the racial issue. Perhaps that's another great topic one month -- not just books about racial or ethnic minority characters, but books where characters have to deal with race and racial difference in friendships and other intimate relationships. Only a few come to mind, and most of them left me wanting.
Elliott batTzedek Collections Developer Children's Literacy Initiative
-----Original Message-----
From: Nel [mailto:nelcward at charter.net]
Sent: Thu 5/29/2008 7:40 PM
To: Nancy Silverrod; Elliott BatTzedek; ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Cc:
Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Dramarama
I agree with Nancy's view of DRAMARAMA. As I look at books that I consider
"better written," it seems that they do show the pain of being GLBT, the
same as books about heterosexual characters show their pain. When "The
Problem" (or at least some pain) no longer exists, the plot,
characterization, etc. seems to descend into superficial writing--fluff that
may be fun but adds nothing to growth. Young people probably need to read
this fluff, but they will gain a greater experience by reading something
like Peters' GRL2GRL. (Maybe the question is whether we give them just
candy or a bit of meat once in a while.)
Nel Ward
Newport, Oregon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nancy Silverrod" <nsilverrod at sfpl.org>
To: "Elliott BatTzedek" <ebattzedek at cliontheweb.org>;
<ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:06 PM
Subject: [CCBC-Net] Dramarama
>I didn't really care for Dramarama. I felt that Sadye and Demi were both
> rather shallow, and that Demi was stereotypical in many ways. Although I
> know plenty of people like him, I wanted to see Lockhart go beyond the
> stereotype as she has done with characters in her other novels. I also
> felt disappointed that the race issue wasn't explored further since it
> was such a big factor in the breakdown of Demi and Sadye's friendship.
>
> Nancy Silverrod, Librarian
> San Francisco Public Library
> 100 Larkin St.
> San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
> 415-557-4417
> nsilverrod at sfpl.org
>
> Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another
> mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)
>
> A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese
> Proverb
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.3/1472 - Release Date: 5/29/2008
> 7:27 AM
>
>
Received on Fri 30 May 2008 02:10:46 PM CDT
