CCBC-Net Archives
Muslim and Muslim cultures in books
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Cathy Camper <cathyc_at_multcolib.org>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:52:49 -0700
I agree with what Uma just posted, it's both the skill of the writer and their familiarity with the culture they write about (both personal and researched) that spells their success or failure. Also - sometimes - it can be the context the book falls into. For example, I remember reading Eve Bunting's One Green Apple and being annoyed that the girl's cultural background was non-existent - which probably, for the publisher made the book more 'universal' and thus saleable, but which at that time, with such a dearth of kids books about Arab/Muslim culture, read as one more way we became invisible.
It's also difficult to write about the Middle East without understanding how colonialism dictated the very term, the creation of the countries now considered the Middle East and the cult of Orientalism.
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:52:49 -0700
I agree with what Uma just posted, it's both the skill of the writer and their familiarity with the culture they write about (both personal and researched) that spells their success or failure. Also - sometimes - it can be the context the book falls into. For example, I remember reading Eve Bunting's One Green Apple and being annoyed that the girl's cultural background was non-existent - which probably, for the publisher made the book more 'universal' and thus saleable, but which at that time, with such a dearth of kids books about Arab/Muslim culture, read as one more way we became invisible.
It's also difficult to write about the Middle East without understanding how colonialism dictated the very term, the creation of the countries now considered the Middle East and the cult of Orientalism.
-- *Cathy Camper* School Corps Librarian Multnomah County Library Phone:503.988.6012 Fax: 503.988.5441 *cathyc_at_multcolib.org* <cathyc_at_multcolib.org> *www.multcolib.org <http://www.multcolib.org/>* *Follow us on Facebook and Twitter facebook.com/multcolib <http://facebook.com/multcolib>twitter.com/multcolib <http://twitter.com/multcolib>* ==== CCBC-Net Use ==== You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: ccbc-archive_at_post.education.wisc.edu. To post to the list, send message to... ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To receive messages in digest format, send a blank message to... digest-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To unsubscribe, send a blank message to... leave-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu ==== CCBC-Net Archives ==== The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members. The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion topics (including month/year) is available at... http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/archives.asp To access the archives, go to... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net ...and enter the following when prompted... username: ccbc-net password: Look4PostsReceived on Tue 12 Aug 2014 11:53:11 AM CDT
