Tired of the Trauma Books

Welcome Back Booklovers! This is a topic I wrote about on here 2 Black History Months ago when I was reflecting on how my own reading tastes had expanded and changed. In that post I spoke about books that made me change my mind after I spent so long avoiding books with any hints of even mentioning slavery. So I will link that previous post here.

I shouldn't say I'm tired of the trauma books because I still read many books that people might label Black trauma because the characters are going through horrible traumatic situations. And some of them are my favorite books. What I'm really tired of is reading books about Black characters where the plot and characters are heavily dependent on trauma whether that be racial, sexual or both. I am a Black person living in the US, but I don't encounter racism every single day. Mostly because I'm fortunate to work and live in a place where non white people are a majority. In my day job I communicate with many white people on a day to day basis but it's a lot different when you're a faceless person relaying information.

If you stick solely to the traditionally published books that get attention you'd all Black people live their lives just waiting to be subjected to racial injustice. That to be Black is to carry the weight of ancestral trauma from childhood. That's a heavy message to put on Black people in general but especially children. There's more to being Black than experiencing racism from white people. But I've read books where it felt like the author was using whiteness as a measurement for Black identity. And then you have people using the phrase important books only on those types of books. As if books can only be important if they show Black people suffering. 

I'm a fantasy reader. Many authors draw inspiration for the world around them. So it's not uncommon to pick up a fantasy with a world that is as misogynist and racist as our own. But when I read those I ask myself do I care about the character outside of what they're going through? Do they have a personality? Do they have goals, hopes, dreams? Were there moments of levity throughout?

Every moment in a fantasy is not going to be a joyous occasion. I still believe that people give a free pass to violence in fantasy especially if it's in a world that doesn't resemble ours because it's easier to detach emotions. What makes senseless killing by the government different in an epic fantasy vs a contemporary one? 

But I'd also love some authors to remember that small moments of joy can be spread out throughout the story. Write that book where your character is experiencing racism in their world but also throw in a scene or two where they can pull back from the conflict and relax for a moment.

Grief is familiar and it can be easy way for readers to empathize with the main character. But then I'll pick up multiple books where the main character is exploring grief in a row and it gets exhausting. 

I really can't tell you what a Black Joy book is. Every time someone asks me for a Black joy recommendation I have to think long and hard. What does trauma mean to them? Real life is not defined by trauma vs joy but by the mix of those moments. Some of my favorite reads have had something bloom out of a terrible situation. I think what some people really mean is "What's a book that doesn't hyper focus on the hardest aspects of Black life?"