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While there has been a notable increase in multicultural publishing over the past several years, this study indicates that the increase has not extended into genre fiction for middle-grade readers. The study entailed a content analysis of book reviews of fiction for the middle grades published between 1992 and 2001. A total of 4,255 reviews of genr...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... on their prevailing popularity with young adult readers, we chose the following genres: historical fiction, fan- tasy, science fiction, mystery, horror, western, romance, and sports. The major defining characteristics of these genres are summarized in Table 2. ...
Context 2
... unit of analysis was an individual book review. Using School Library Jour- nal (SLJ ) and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), we counted the number of book reviews published during the 10-year period immedi- ately preceding the study (1992 and 2001) that: (a) featured a person of color as the main protagonist or major secondary character, (b) represented one of the genres described in Table 2, and (c) indicated readers in fifth through eighth grades as the intended audience. Only reviews of English-language novels were counted. ...
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Citations
... It is possible that elements of traditional curricula in the US contribute to these disparities. Standard English used in US classrooms varies from dialects used in many African-American/Black communities (Washington, 2019), and classroom texts often feature characters or themes/ folklore that might be more familiar to White students (Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, & Gilmore-Clough, 2003;Hulan, 2010). Together, the lack of representation and disconnect between curricula and students' everyday experiences might contribute to sub-optimal learning opportunities for African-American/Black students (Lee, 1992). ...
The majority of middle school students in the US are unable to read proficiently. This study aimed to evaluate whether a scientifically-based blended learning program could promote reading ability among a diverse sample of struggling middle school readers. Using a cluster randomized controlled trial, we tested the effectiveness of one such program on a sample of 155 struggling readers enrolled in supplemental literacy classes in two middle schools. Students in classes that used the target program scored significantly higher at posttest on a standardized literacy assessment than students in control classes. Effects were comparable for both White and African-American/Black students. Students with greater aptitude for decoding/word-level skills (operationalized by starting the program in higher “Word Study” levels and completing more levels in fewer weeks) earned higher posttest scores. Together, these findings provide strong evidence in favor of the effectiveness of this instructional approach, particularly for certain learner profiles.
... While author Walter Mosley argued that genre fiction, particularly science fiction, could 'tear down the walls and windows, the article and laws by changing the logic, empowering the disenfranchised or simply by asking, What if?' (Mosely 1998). However, Smith (2000) highlighted the paucity of African American characters in fantasy novels, for children and young adults, while Agosto et al. (2003) explored the absence of minority characters in young adult genre fiction. They found that approximately 16% of the 4255 reviews they analysed reviewed books featuring COC: 6% in fantasy; 28% historical fiction; and 5% sci-fi. ...
The Anglo-American publishing industries have contracted in the last few decades and are now dominated by a small number of large, global media conglomerates, which subscribe to neoliberal economic models. There are, therefore, fewer gatekeepers to an industry that currently focuses on best-sellers: this means that non-mainstream/non-commercial, and/or experimental, topics, what Bourdieu called the field of restrictive production, can be overlooked and their authors often have to find alternative routes for their writing (Bourdieu 1993). The issue of commerce versus culture is one that is weaved through the history of cultural production, what Hall refers to as ‘the dialectic of cultural struggle’ (Hall in: Storey (ed) Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader, University of Georgia Press, Athens, 1998, p. 447). Hesmondhalgh and Saha (Popular Communication 11:179–195, 2013) argue that the relationship between culture and commerce is especially ‘complex and contradictory’ for producers of colour (p. 185). For example, in recent years, the media, the creative industry, and policy makers have shown an increased interest in the inequality, and the lack of ‘diversity’, in cultural production, recognising that the cultural industries are dominated by professionals from white, middle-class backgrounds. ‘Diversity’ [or lack thereof] has become a buzzword in the Anglo-American book publishing industries. It is used to describe an industry that is dominated by white, middle-class, able-bodied, cisgendered heteronormativity (in its workforce, authors, and characters). In the British book publishing industry, it is often used to describe books written by, or featuring, people of colour, and/or publishing professionals of colour. Various campaigns and initiatives to promote ‘diverse’ writing and industry professionals have followed. In this chapter, Ramdarshan Bold details the ‘diversity’ status quo in the British publishing industry. As publishers become increasingly focused on profit, they are likely to cater to existing and dominant market demands. Man-Booker winning author Marlon James has publicly spoken out about this issue, arguing that publishers aim to produce fiction that caters to the mass market and thus ‘panders to that archetype of the white woman’ (Cain 2015). Consequently, the work of authors of colour might be manipulated with the reader, or imagined audience, in mind.
... While author Walter Mosley argued that genre fiction, particularly science fiction, could 'tear down the walls and windows, the article and laws by changing the logic, empowering the disenfranchised or simply by asking, What if?' (Mosely 1998). However, Smith (2000) highlighted the paucity of African American characters in fantasy novels, for children and young adults, while Agosto et al. (2003) explored the absence of minority characters in young adult genre fiction. They found that approximately 16% of the 4255 reviews they analysed reviewed books featuring COC: 6% in fantasy; 28% historical fiction; and 5% sci-fi. ...
Anglo-American book publishing reflects the structural inequalities and uneven distribution of power within society: this social—‘racial’ and ethnic—stratification can impact various groups of people. The absence of diverse characters in children’s and young adult literature can influence how readers form their identity, and/or shape their perceptions of others, in relation to the world around them. Ramdarshan Bold explores how the lack of representative characters and authors of colour in children’s and YA books impacts the reader and author identities. Drawing upon original data, from interviews with a sample of British YA authors of colour, Ramdarshan Bold will explore how YA authors of colour are creating counter-narratives that challenge dominant perspectives and stereotypes. There is currently a lack of books that reflect the changing nature of Britain and challenge the notion of a fixed/singular British identity. Through interviews, this programme will investigate the childhood/adolescent reading practices of UKYA authors with a particular focus on the lack of diverse books, and whether this influenced their own writing and authorial identity. UKYA authors of colour challenge the perception of what it means to be British, and what British literature is. Canonical authors (commonly white/middle class/male) monopolise the definition of Britishness in the literature. Groskop described this type of Britishness as a ‘conservative cultural phenomena, which painfully reinforce outdated national stereotypes’. Many UKYA authors of colour are constructing their own notions of Britishness, to counter the unconscious manifestation of racism inherent in traditional constructions and to broaden the understanding of what it is to be British in the twenty-first century.
... While author Walter Mosley argued that genre fiction, particularly science fiction, could 'tear down the walls and windows, the article and laws by changing the logic, empowering the disenfranchised or simply by asking, What if?' (Mosely 1998). However, Smith (2000) highlighted the paucity of African American characters in fantasy novels, for children and young adults, while Agosto et al. (2003) explored the absence of minority characters in young adult genre fiction. They found that approximately 16% of the 4255 reviews they analysed reviewed books featuring COC: 6% in fantasy; 28% historical fiction; and 5% sci-fi. ...
YA is a nebulous term, and scholars are still in the process of defining what it is and who it is for. Campbell (Campbell’s Scoop: Reflections on Young Adult Literature, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, 2010) writes, ‘the central theme of most YA fiction is becoming an adult, finding the answer to the internal and external question, “Who am I and what am I going to do about it?”’ (p. 70). Trites (Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, 2000) argues that the experience of navigating institutional power hierarchies—whether that is in families, schools, the government, religion, identity politics, etc.—is at the heart of YA. Trites draws upon different concepts of power, conceptualising them within adolescent literature Foucault (The Archaeology of Knowledge and the Discourseon Language. Pantheon, New York, 1972). This Foucauldian negotiation with institutional hierarchies is also one that YA authors of colour often undergo in the publishing industry. Issues of ‘race’ and racism intrude on the writing and publishing experiences of YA authors colour; even writing, against the grain, can be an act of resistance for them. As Bourdieu (The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature, Polity Press, Oxford, 1993) argues, ‘on the one side are the dominant figures, who want continuity, identity, reproduction; on the other, the newcomers, who seek discontinuity, rupture, differences, revolution’ (p. 106). Ramdarshan Bold brings together discussions about young adult literature from a variety of different disciplines—literary studies, education and pedagogy, publishing and book studies, library and information science, sociology, etc.—to create a comprehensive and compelling picture of how the field of literature has developed over the decades, and how it related to publishing, reading, and writing practices. Ramdarshan Bold explores contemporary trends in YA, detailing how inclusive (or diverse) literature aimed at young people developed and expanded in the UK.
... While author Walter Mosley argued that genre fiction, particularly science fiction, could 'tear down the walls and windows, the article and laws by changing the logic, empowering the disenfranchised or simply by asking, What if?' (Mosely 1998). However, Smith (2000) highlighted the paucity of African American characters in fantasy novels, for children and young adults, while Agosto et al. (2003) explored the absence of minority characters in young adult genre fiction. They found that approximately 16% of the 4255 reviews they analysed reviewed books featuring COC: 6% in fantasy; 28% historical fiction; and 5% sci-fi. ...
The conclusion will bring together the key themes and ideas of the book, assessing the barriers and enablers for British YA authors of colour entering and progressing in the publishing industry and evaluating what this trend means for publishing, the cultural industries, and authorship more broadly. Authorship is a profession that is characterised by the polarity in authors’ earnings: very few authors earn a substantial amount, while the majority live below poverty level. This does not deter many aspiring authors from writing, or seeking publishing deals, because writing can be a way for authors to articulate their vision of the world (as Baldwin expresses in the above quote). Although the authors, interviewed for this book, had faced barriers in their publishing careers, many continued to write for the same reason that Baldwin did: to, in their small way, change the world. In publishing, it is a world that is in dire need of change. This book paints, alongside the complementary database analysis, a bleak picture of ethnic diversity in YA publishing in the UK during 2006–2016.
... While author Walter Mosley argued that genre fiction, particularly science fiction, could 'tear down the walls and windows, the article and laws by changing the logic, empowering the disenfranchised or simply by asking, What if?' (Mosely 1998). However, Smith (2000) highlighted the paucity of African American characters in fantasy novels, for children and young adults, while Agosto et al. (2003) explored the absence of minority characters in young adult genre fiction. They found that approximately 16% of the 4255 reviews they analysed reviewed books featuring COC: 6% in fantasy; 28% historical fiction; and 5% sci-fi. ...
This book examines ‘diversity’, or the lack thereof, in young adult fiction (YA) publishing. It focuses on cultural hegemony in the United Kingdom and explores how literary culture aimed at young adults reproduces and perpetuates ‘racial’ and ethnic cultural hierarchies. Diversity is described by the We Need Diverse Books project as ‘all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities’. This study focuses on people of colour. While previous studies have looked at the representation of ethnic minorities in books for children and young adults, this book examines the experiences of ‘own voice’ cultural producers that create a counter-narrative. Specifically, this book will investigate the output and experiences of British young adult fiction authors of colour (BAME authors) published in the UK during the period 2006-2016, drawing upon semi-structured interviews with a sample of authors.
... Such research goes beyond looking at how these novels may affect reading habits or reading ability to look at issues of inclusion and representation of various social groups. This body of research has examined aspects such as the portrayals of racial and ethnic representation (Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, & Gilmore-Clough, 2003;Hood, 2009;Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007;Lafferty, 2014;Williams & Deyoe, 2014), gender (Bean & Harper, 2007;DeBlase, 2003;Diekman & Murnen, 2004;Fubinstein-Avila, 2007;Peterson & Lach, 1990;Woloshyn, Taber, & Lane, 2013), sexuality (Wickens, 2011;Williams & Deyoe, 2014), and identity (Bean & Moni, 2003). These are all issues of pertinence to the mathematics education community because they attend to the representation and experiences of marginalized groups in society and also attend to issues of identity, an area of growing importance within mathematics education (Darragh, 2016;Gutiérrez, 2013). ...
Images of mathematics and mathematicians are often negative and stereotyped. These portrayals may work to construct our impressions of mathematics and influence students' identity with and future participation in the subject This study examined young adult fiction as a context in which school mathematics is portrayed and constructed I used positioning theory and the notion of story lines to analyze a sample of 59 books. Portrayals of school mathematics within this sample involved multiple story lines, including school mathematics as being obligatory but not useful and mathematics classes as tense, terrible, difficult, and different but perhaps as places in which to find love. Portrayals of mathematics teachers were extremely stereotyped, and some girls were just as likely as boys to be positioned as able mathematics learners. © 2018 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. All rights reserved.
... Another focus in multicultural literacy has been genre fiction, one of the most popular types of full-length books among teenagers. In their examination of fiction reviews in School Library Journal and Voice of Youth Advocates, Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, and Gilmore-Clough (2003) found that nearly all genres (e.g., science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance) depicted mostly White characters with peoples of color represented most often in historical fiction. They identified the lack of reviews as a weakness in providing librarians with tools for recommending books for all students (Agosto et al., 2003). ...
... In their examination of fiction reviews in School Library Journal and Voice of Youth Advocates, Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, and Gilmore-Clough (2003) found that nearly all genres (e.g., science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance) depicted mostly White characters with peoples of color represented most often in historical fiction. They identified the lack of reviews as a weakness in providing librarians with tools for recommending books for all students (Agosto et al., 2003). Together these studies reflect an interest in making school libraries responsive to the needs of all students. ...
... For example, the setting of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels could be classified as fantasy world, United Kingdom, or multiple locations, while Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy could arguably be categorized under United States or fantasy world. In these cases, Mackey et al.'s (2012) coding scheme and Agosto et al.'s (2003) defining characteristics for genre served as a guide. Fantasy world settings included classic fantasy worlds (the Eragon series of Christopher Paolini), outer space (Ender's Game), and alternate realities (Scott Westerfeld's Uglies). ...
While many educators state beliefs about the importance of selecting fiction that will engage a diverse student population, use of multicultural titles in secondary classrooms has lagged, in part due to increasing focus on the Common Core State Standards in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine if high school students in a Southern California district were using school libraries to access multicultural literature characterized by racial diversity. Four years of circulation data from the district's five comprehensive high schools were examined. Analysis revealed that the titles with the highest circulation were overwhelmingly written by White authors and about White protagonists. Suggested are ways that educators can use resources within school libraries to promote more racially diverse multicultural literature, even as classroom titles remain static. Included are recommendations for how teachers and teacher-librarians can encourage students to select from a wider range of texts, as well as guidance on conducting a circulation analysis.
... Concerns about lack of racial and ethnic minority representation in youth literature are also evident in library science and education literature. In a study of middle-school genre fiction, Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, and Gilmore-Clough (2003) found that about 16% of books published between 1992 and 2001 included at least one minority character in a significant role. Hughes-Hassell and Cox (2010) found that children's board books rarely include minorities, but when they do, frequently present them in inauthentic contexts. ...
Do school, public, and academic library collections in the United States provide the children, young adults, and future teachers they serve with books that reflect diverse families and life experiences? Using checklists and OCLC holdings, the authors assessed the extent to which libraries collect youth literature that includes characters from racial and ethnic minorities, characters with disabilities, and characters who identify as LGBTQ. They also assigned public libraries to Conspectus levels and compared youth-diversity holdings by collection expenditures. They found that more than one-third of public libraries spending over $100,000 annually on materials did not achieve the minimal level for representations of diversity in their youth collections, indicating a need for local assessments and additional efforts to provide diverse youth collections.
... Such research goes beyond looking at how these novels may affect reading habits or reading ability to look at issues of inclusion and representation of various social groups. This body of research has examined aspects such as the portrayals of racial and ethnic representation (Agosto, Hughes-Hassell, & Gilmore-Clough, 2003;Hood, 2009;Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007;Lafferty, 2014;Williams & Deyoe, 2014), gender (Bean & Harper, 2007;DeBlase, 2003;Diekman & Murnen, 2004;Fubinstein-Avila, 2007;Peterson & Lach, 1990;Woloshyn, Taber, & Lane, 2013), sexuality (Wickens, 2011;Williams & Deyoe, 2014), and identity (Bean & Moni, 2003). These are all issues of pertinence to the mathematics education community because they attend to the representation and experiences of marginalized groups in society and also attend to issues of identity, an area of growing importance within mathematics education (Darragh, 2016;Gutiérrez, 2013). ...
Drawing on in-depth interviews with the third year students at a New Zealand university, we explore the ways in which students speak about studying mathematics, their relationship with the subject and how this has developed over time. These interviews were conducted as part of a project looking at undergraduate mathematics from the perspective of lecturers, students, and interactions in lectures, and funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative in New Zealand. We use the work of Gee [Identity as an analytic lens for research in education, Rev. Res. Educ. 25 (2000), pp. 99–125] to tease out some discourses of mathematics that frame students’ participation in the subject, and show that notions of ‘natural ability’, and of being passionate about the study of mathematics for its own sake, dominate the narratives of mathematics students. In developing this position, we turn to psycho-social theorists such as Hollway and Jefferson [Doing Qualitative Research Differently: Free Association, Narrative and the Interview Method, Sage, London, 1997] so as to question the ‘face-value’ meanings of these narratives and to argue that students’ choices have less to do with rational decision making than with constructing identities that protect vulnerable aspects of themselves. Finally, we develop the metaphor of a ‘maths club’, which we feel captures something of the culture of mathematics and students’ orientations towards the subject. This metaphor also allows us to raise questions about widening participation in mathematics.
