Then vs Now: Reflecting on the Books I Read as a Teen

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If you know me then you've probably heard me talk about this before but it never hurts to give people a reminder. Books for Black teens existed prior to 2015! And they were written by Black authors too! 

I understand some authors and readers may feel like these books never existed because they never encountered Black stories during their teen years but that doesn't mean we should pretend that's the truth. As a lifelong reader I can say at it's core that The Hate U Give was not the first book of it's kind. It was the first one white publishers decided to give a proper marketing budget to and pay the author their worth. However stories for Black teens have always existed. It's important to acknowledge the Black authors that paved the way so that the Angie Thomases, Nic Stones, Nicola Yoons, etc could be published. The authors who were writing when the bookstores didn't want to put their books on the regular shelves or didn't stock their books at all. The authors who pushed for publishers to create a space for Black teens. The writers I discovered through my local library as a teen and preteen when I was looking for books about people who look like me. Sharon Flake, Felicia Pride, Earl Sewell, Celeste O. Norfleet, L Divine, Debbie Rigaud, Tia Williams. I could go on for awhile listing names. 

Sometimes I think about the books I read as a teen before YA as the category we know it as existed. Back when I used to take trips to the library a couple of times I month and rake through the shelves.  From 2007 to 2014 Harlequin had an imprint called Kimani Tru that released books for Black teens and that imprint was pivotal in keeping me a reader. Kensington Teen/Dafina also was a source for teen readers to find stories that depict them. Most of those books are now out of print though some can be found available as ebooks still. These were stories about Black teens living life whether that life included navigating a tough neighborhood or living a life more fabulous than many of us can imagine. The goal of these stories were to give Black readers the same thing white readers had which is seeing themselves in all facets of life on page. Most were set in Black neighborhoods with Black schools and had references to Black music and movies. One thing I did wish for were more awkward girls who loved to read who were navigating their Blackness in a non Black environment.

 

I've also noticed that many of the books being heavily promoted by publishers that I often see praised in the book community while they do have more Black girls navigating their Blackness they are also full of teachable moments for white people. They're things Black teens fully understand because they live through it every day but still the text feels the need to give explanations. I like when a book can talk about slavery, racism, gentrification, etc without filtering it as easy to understand for white people. So I'm seeing more visibility for Black books with teens leads now but many of the contemporary stories I'm seeing lack a lot of the community aspect. Where are the aunties, uncles, cousins? Where are the people from the neighborhood who are like family?

And where are the Black friends and love interests? There will be nothing in the text indicating that they're from an area where there's a lack of Black people. And as someone who grew up going to predominant white schools I didn't always have a steady set of Black friends but one thing we Black kids did in high school and college was band together. At a minimum we all need to have someone we can talk to who looks like us who experiences what we go through. So it's always odd to me when I pick up a young adult book the lead doesn't even have one close Black friend or even Black classmate they can talk to. Or if they're in an interracial relationship and everyone is just easily accepting of it on both Black and white sides. 

There's a way to show Black people moving through these white spaces while still interacting with their own people as well. It's a little ironic I'm seeing more respectability politics in Black books that are supposed to be for teens now then when I was a teen. Where we needed more balance it seems instead the scales tipped towards the opposite end. 

There are a lot of great stories being published right now. Stories like I've never seen before. Stories that show Black teens are not a monolith. There wasn't all this Black fantasy for children and teens when I was growing up. Publishers didn't acknowledge that Black children can be literal magic. There have been books that made cry and books that made me think about examine how I think about certain topics.

But I've noticed there are certain types of Black books being pushed by publishing right now by the big 4 and books over others. Why are these important books for young Black men written by women and about Black boys being shot by the police? Why is it when the teen live in the inner city and speak aave that the story always features them fighting to survive? That's some people's reality but it's not all inner city kids reality and it's important to show characters beyond the common stereotypes. Teens from the inner city who speak aave who aren't into starting a revolution and social justice might actually have to go back and look towards books from the early 2000s to find representation. Where are the stories about prom, preparing for college, attending summer camp? It really shouldn't be this or that. Every book does not to be heavy. Every book does not have to feature a teen who is "not like other Black teens". There's room on the market to represent all types of teens. 

I like to read the marketing plans and the key selling points for advanced reader copies I request and ask myself, "Who is this book for?" Is this book for white people to feel comfortable reading a diverse book? Is the author writing the story they wished they had as a teen? Will this story actually appeal to modern teens? Is this book aimed more at the 18+ crowd vs the 12+ crowd?  What type of teen would I recommend it to? Does it read similarly to any other popular books? Does this story in any way center white people?

While important to continue to push for more representation it's important to also acknowledge the ones who came before and laid down the foundation. And there's always something you can learn from those before you. And if you can add some melanin to your shelves from before 2015. Even if it's just your digital shelves.