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Obviously if I’m writing a quick review of a “White” book then Black people do read White books. An interesting thing does exist in literature, however. Typically, a White author is only approached by Blacks while they are in college. Introduction to Lit courses are filled with the rich literary history of White authors that Black students have to read to pass the course, and this is the way these books are approached. Novels, short stories, poetry by authors that don’t look like Blacks are basically placeholders in the pursuit of attaining a passing grade. The appreciation of literature for the Black person is somewhat skewed and lacks a foundation in understanding the function and scope of writing. Consider that Phyllis Wheatley was the first Black woman to publish and then realize that not until the 1900s was Black literature given any respected status in academic and literary circles and there lies the problem. When a group of people have only been writing and reading as a culture for around 100 years, literature for that group is in its infancy. Now I am only looking at Black America. With that said, do Black people read White literature voluntarily and does it matter?
I finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson today. As I finished the book, I realized that of the number of books I’ve read from last year to this year, I hadn’t really picked up a book by an African American writer. Initially I felt bad about this, but after thinking how much I enjoyed the change of pace from what I have read, I now think that it doesn’t make me any less Black to have only read White authors this year. Now I teach, so I have read Black authors for class and I make sure that my courses show the diverse nature of literature in the Black cannon. I also make sure that I establish for students that Black writers are relevant and should be read, but when I begin to explain how good Black writers can be, I always run into the problem of contemporary Black fiction. The books I have read over this year, oddly enough, almost all were series. The Complete Rick Riordan “Olympian” Series, The first Dexter, Varsity Green, Jimmy Choo, Swoosh, The Red Pyramid, another Rick Riordan book, The Deathly Hallows-again, and now The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo are all written by White authors. I’ve read a book and a half each month, but nothing written by Blacks. Hold on, I did begin the book on Fathers by the brothers/doctors who wrote the Pact, but I did not finish. I also have read a number of children’s authors to my daughter, but I am not counting those.
I finished Larsson’s first book in the trilogy and realized that the reason I have gravitated towards non-Black authors is that I have been too lazy to seek out work beyond the Black table in Borders or Barnes and Nobles. In advertising the goal is to get your image in front of as many eyes as possible, as often as possible. I encounter non-White authors in almost every aspect of entertainment. Books are turned into film and media reviews the books at a higher rate, therefore when I think about books, I think about what I have seen.
Now in complete honesty, I see Black books. I get the Mosaicbooks e-mail blast, and I am a member of multiple Facebook groups that discuss Black books, but I ignore those. I’m being honest and this may sound bad, but I almost hate seeing an ad for a Black book. I think I am jaded and spoiled in a sense. When I think of Black literature I begin with the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and then I move towards Jean Toomer’s Cane. In my mind I want to access Black lit that is challenging. In my contemporaries I don’t see variety, but I don’t look hard enough. I love Tanarive Due, but I’ve had problems jumping into Colson Whitehead. I have read Dawn Turner Trice, but reading Edward Jones has been like kicking me in the nuts. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. I will go back and read the Parables by Octavia Butler, but I haven’t read an Eric Jerome Dickey book since the 90s. While I have written relationship styled books, I have always thought that my books have something different in them in regard to my contemporaries.
What I am attempting to do here? I guess I’m coming to a realization that this Black man reads more White authors than Black authors, so indirectly I am contributing to the problem of publishing in the Black community. Black authors are considered Black and have to write for Blacks. This limits the reach of Black writers and contributes to the multitude of self published Black authors. This is not a problem and the ease in which books can be printed now has opened a new world of publishing. At the same time though it has also opened the door to mediocre fiction from all cultures, but with Black writers this is a difficult situation.
Stieg Larsson’s novel is one of the best crime dramas I’ve read. The detail in the writing utilizes an extensive analysis of business and the subject matter is given a concrete base that allows non Swedish, non business, non-espionage trained readers to move into the narrative easily and with very little effort. In short Stieg Larsson’s writing accomplished what Dan Brown attempts in The DaVinci Code with clarity and credibility, without the cliffhanger element. The characterization of the primary subjects Lisbeth Salander and Mykael Blomkvist, has depth and complexities that by the end of the novel makes the reader want to gain a greater understanding of the shadows in the characters’ past. Dragon is a business expose, and murder mystery combined with elements of Nazi history and family legacy. It is a study in class economics and at its core a commentary on an economic environment that exists in all countries that depend on the Stock market to stimulate the economy. By the end of this novel the reader feels that all family legacies have within the branches darkness, evil.
Can Black authors create such text in contemporary fiction? It helps that Stieg Larsson, who died shortly after completing the series, is writing characters that he knows. He was a journalist and his primary characters and story deal with journalistic endeavors. I think too often that Black writers write outside of their scope, which isn’t bad if the work is researched extensively. I would have to think that we are writing these books, unfortunately many readers are like me, we are not willing to look past the Black authors section that is promoted to find new and interesting narratives. Are Blacks limited to only reading Black writers? Of course not, but as far as questions go it is a pretty interesting question.
Are there any books out there written by Black authors similar to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo?
