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[CCBC-Net] TRUE DIARY - Alexie
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From: Miguel Lopez <dr.mglopez>
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:07:14 -0700
Hi Folks,I am with Kathleen on my CRITICAL reading of Alexie's book. Let me add two comments. First, a non-critical reading could certainly lead one to
"categorize" Absolute True Diary as homophobic. That is, there are very clear uses of the terms "faggot" and other references that in most contexts could easily been seen as homophobic. But, if one were to read the book this way, then the reader would also have to describe Absolute True Diary as anti-Native American, or as stereotyping of Native Americans as "drunks" (as a number of my students have), among other stereotypes that could be applied to Native Americans.
No, the power of Alexie's writing, in Absolute True Diary and his other work, is the SOPHISTICATION of his ability to speak to truths (that teens use the word "faggot" and "that's so gay" or the pain of alcoholism), as Debbie notes, the book is "right on," and then Alexie's ability to speak to the hope that is beyond these realities as he critiques them (as Kathleen has pointed out). So much of the reading of the "realistic portrayals of the lives of Native people" in this book is SO dependent upon the reading of the portrayals in CONTEXT: In the context of the entire book and the context of the passages that precede and follow many of the portrayals (about Natives and about being gay). See also Jacqueline Woodson's From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun for a similar use of the word "faggot" and how she wonderfully discriminates for the reader the differences between the multiple uses of the term and the consciousness raising about the use of the term within the story as the character develops over time.
Lastly, as Debbie notes, we should "celebrate" Native writers who not only wonderfully write "realistic portrayals of the lives of Native people" but who also tackle other social issues. On this account, I want to add the context of the AUTHOR. Last year we had Sherman Alexie at on campus, at CSU Monterey Bay. I had a chance to speak with him about Absolute True Diaryand issues of sexuality (masturbating) and homosexuality among other themes.
I came away from the time with him, as well as my reading of his own comments about his work, with a deep appreciation for the challenge he gives himself to write truthfully and honestly about "difficult" issues. So, I see this as part of the context of how I should read Absolute True Diary and thus the particularities of his references to any and all portrayals of homosexual issues.
Paz, Miguel
On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 10:52 AM, Kathleen T. Horning < horning at education.wisc.edu> wrote:
> Debbie, in my opinion, it's the opposite of homophobic. Alexie confronts
> homophobia naturally and directly in several passages, most notably the
> one about his grandmother, that begins: "Do you want to know the very
> best thing about my grandmother? She was tolerant." He then goes on to
> talk about how gays were accepted by Indians in the old days, and that
> his grandmother had no time for gay-bashing or homophobia.
>
> There's also a passage where Junior and Rowdy call each other faggots,
> as many teen boys do quite freely. But he tempters it with this: ?Now
> that might just sound like a series of homophobic insults, but I think
> it was also a little bit friendly, and it was the first time that Rowdy
> and I had talked since I left the rez. I was a happy faggot!? I would
> argue that any teenage boy who is comfortable enough to call himself a
> faggot in this joyful sort of way is not homophobic. It also strikes me
> as very funny and I admire Alexie's honesty and integrity in this regard.
>
> I can't speak for all gay people, but the other gay and lesbian readers
> I've discussed the book with have also felt very positive about those
> passages, as well as about the book in general.
>
> I think "Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is a great book,
> and I was pleased to see it get further accolades this year from the
> Odyssey Committee for the audiobook version.
>
> KT
>
>
> Kathleen T. Horning
> Director
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> 4290 Helen C. White Hall
> 600 N. Park St
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> Phone: 608-263-3721
> FAX: 608-262-4933
>
> horning at education.wisc.edu
> http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
> Debbie Reese wrote:
> > I've been thinking hard about ABSOLUTELY TRUE
> > DIARY of late, prompted by a colleague who finds
> > it homophobic. I asked another colleague about it
> > and we've started studying passages in the book.
> > This is hard for me, because I want to celebrate
> > books by Native authors that are realistic
> > portrayals of the lives of Native people. I find
> > a lot of what Alexie shares in DIARY to be right
> > on. That's its value, for me, but I'm thinking
> > about the homophobia in the book and the work it does.
> >
> > I've been away from ccbc-net for some time, so if
> > you already discussed this, I apologize for raising it now.
> >
> > Debbie
> > (reading ccbc-net in digest)
> >
> >
> >
> > Visit my Internet resource:
> > American Indians in Children's Literature
> > http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.net
> >
> > Debbie A. Reese (Namb? O'-ween-ge')
> > Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
> > University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
> > Native American House, Room 2005
> > 1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
> > Urbana, Illinois 61801
> >
> > Email: debreese at illinois.edu
> > TEL 217-265-9885
> > FAX 217-265-9880
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CCBC-Net mailing list
> > CCBC-Net at lists.education.wisc.edu
> > Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> > http://lists.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at lists.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://lists.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:07:14 -0700
Hi Folks,I am with Kathleen on my CRITICAL reading of Alexie's book. Let me add two comments. First, a non-critical reading could certainly lead one to
"categorize" Absolute True Diary as homophobic. That is, there are very clear uses of the terms "faggot" and other references that in most contexts could easily been seen as homophobic. But, if one were to read the book this way, then the reader would also have to describe Absolute True Diary as anti-Native American, or as stereotyping of Native Americans as "drunks" (as a number of my students have), among other stereotypes that could be applied to Native Americans.
No, the power of Alexie's writing, in Absolute True Diary and his other work, is the SOPHISTICATION of his ability to speak to truths (that teens use the word "faggot" and "that's so gay" or the pain of alcoholism), as Debbie notes, the book is "right on," and then Alexie's ability to speak to the hope that is beyond these realities as he critiques them (as Kathleen has pointed out). So much of the reading of the "realistic portrayals of the lives of Native people" in this book is SO dependent upon the reading of the portrayals in CONTEXT: In the context of the entire book and the context of the passages that precede and follow many of the portrayals (about Natives and about being gay). See also Jacqueline Woodson's From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun for a similar use of the word "faggot" and how she wonderfully discriminates for the reader the differences between the multiple uses of the term and the consciousness raising about the use of the term within the story as the character develops over time.
Lastly, as Debbie notes, we should "celebrate" Native writers who not only wonderfully write "realistic portrayals of the lives of Native people" but who also tackle other social issues. On this account, I want to add the context of the AUTHOR. Last year we had Sherman Alexie at on campus, at CSU Monterey Bay. I had a chance to speak with him about Absolute True Diaryand issues of sexuality (masturbating) and homosexuality among other themes.
I came away from the time with him, as well as my reading of his own comments about his work, with a deep appreciation for the challenge he gives himself to write truthfully and honestly about "difficult" issues. So, I see this as part of the context of how I should read Absolute True Diary and thus the particularities of his references to any and all portrayals of homosexual issues.
Paz, Miguel
On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 10:52 AM, Kathleen T. Horning < horning at education.wisc.edu> wrote:
> Debbie, in my opinion, it's the opposite of homophobic. Alexie confronts
> homophobia naturally and directly in several passages, most notably the
> one about his grandmother, that begins: "Do you want to know the very
> best thing about my grandmother? She was tolerant." He then goes on to
> talk about how gays were accepted by Indians in the old days, and that
> his grandmother had no time for gay-bashing or homophobia.
>
> There's also a passage where Junior and Rowdy call each other faggots,
> as many teen boys do quite freely. But he tempters it with this: ?Now
> that might just sound like a series of homophobic insults, but I think
> it was also a little bit friendly, and it was the first time that Rowdy
> and I had talked since I left the rez. I was a happy faggot!? I would
> argue that any teenage boy who is comfortable enough to call himself a
> faggot in this joyful sort of way is not homophobic. It also strikes me
> as very funny and I admire Alexie's honesty and integrity in this regard.
>
> I can't speak for all gay people, but the other gay and lesbian readers
> I've discussed the book with have also felt very positive about those
> passages, as well as about the book in general.
>
> I think "Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is a great book,
> and I was pleased to see it get further accolades this year from the
> Odyssey Committee for the audiobook version.
>
> KT
>
>
> Kathleen T. Horning
> Director
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> 4290 Helen C. White Hall
> 600 N. Park St
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> Phone: 608-263-3721
> FAX: 608-262-4933
>
> horning at education.wisc.edu
> http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
> Debbie Reese wrote:
> > I've been thinking hard about ABSOLUTELY TRUE
> > DIARY of late, prompted by a colleague who finds
> > it homophobic. I asked another colleague about it
> > and we've started studying passages in the book.
> > This is hard for me, because I want to celebrate
> > books by Native authors that are realistic
> > portrayals of the lives of Native people. I find
> > a lot of what Alexie shares in DIARY to be right
> > on. That's its value, for me, but I'm thinking
> > about the homophobia in the book and the work it does.
> >
> > I've been away from ccbc-net for some time, so if
> > you already discussed this, I apologize for raising it now.
> >
> > Debbie
> > (reading ccbc-net in digest)
> >
> >
> >
> > Visit my Internet resource:
> > American Indians in Children's Literature
> > http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.net
> >
> > Debbie A. Reese (Namb? O'-ween-ge')
> > Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
> > University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
> > Native American House, Room 2005
> > 1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
> > Urbana, Illinois 61801
> >
> > Email: debreese at illinois.edu
> > TEL 217-265-9885
> > FAX 217-265-9880
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CCBC-Net mailing list
> > CCBC-Net at lists.education.wisc.edu
> > Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> > http://lists.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at lists.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://lists.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
-- The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them. -Thomas MertonReceived on Mon 13 Apr 2009 03:07:14 PM CDT
