On Thursday (April 23, 2015), Vince Shilling, writing at Indian Country Today, broke a news story that was quickly picked up by social media sites (like Gawker) and then news media, too (like CNN, and in the UK, the Guardian).
Shilling's story is about Native actors walking off the set of Adam Sandler's new movie, The Ridiculous Six, because of the ways the script denigrates Native women and mocks Native culture via the names created for Native characters and in the dialogue: Never Wears Bra (in an earlier version of the script, her name was Sits on Face), Strawberry Tits, Stiff In Pants.
People are outraged. I am, too.
Though not as crude as the ones in the script, I've seen that same sort of thing in children's books. Here's some examples:
In Russell Hoban's Soonchild, a couple is expecting their first child. The man's name is "Sixteen Face John" because he has sixteen different faces, all with their own names. They are described in the first chapter. His first face is his (p. 3):
Hi face, the one he said hello with. Face Two was What? Face Three was Really? Face Four was Well, Well. Face Five was Go On! Face Six was You Don't Mean It. Face Seven was You Mean it? Face Eight was That'll Be The Day. Face Nine was What Day Will That Be? Face Ten was It Can't Be That Bad. Face Eleven was Can It Be That Bad? Face Twelve was I Don't Believe It. Face Thirteen was I Believe It. Face Fourteen was This Is Serious. Face Fifteen was What I'm Seeing Is What It Is. Face Sixteen was What It's Seeing Is What I Am.
He's a shaman from a long line of shamans (p. 6):
His mother was Stay With It and his father was Go Anywhere. His mother's mother was Never Give Up and her father was Try Anything. His father's mother was Do It Now and his father's father was Whatever Works. His mother's grandmother was Where Is It? and his father's grandmother was Don't Miss Anything. His mother's grandfather was Everything Matters and his father's grandfather was Go All The Way.
And... his wife's name is No Problem. Her mother's name is Take It Easy. Her friend is Way To Go.
Soonchild was published in 2012 by Candlewick Press.
In
Me Oh Maya, Jon Scieszka makes fun of Mayan names. His much-loved Time Warp Trio travels to the midst of a Mayan ball court where an "evil high priest" named Kakapupahed stands over them. They try not to laugh aloud at his name, which they hear as Cacapoopoohead.
Me Oh Maya was published in 2003 by Viking.
None of this is new to children's literature. Some of you may recall titles from your childhood like
Indian Two Feet and
Little Indian and
Little Runner of the Longhouse. I find these attempts to come up with Native names troubling and problematic in so many ways. Equally troubling are the ways they are described. Hoban's book, for example, got starred reviews from
Publisher's Weekly who noted his use of "slapstick" in tackling "the big questions" about life.
Booklist, meanwhile, called it profound and offhandedly glib.
Sandler has, thus far, issued no response to Native people regarding his script and reaction to it. The film Sandler is making is slated to air on Netflix. A spokesperson for Netflix
did reply (as reported by
Vulture) by saying:
"The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it is ridiculous. It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of — but in on — the joke."
In other words, they're telling the world that Native people are in on the joke. Rather than listen to Native voices, they defend what they're doing.
Sandler's satire is not "ridiculous" at all!
It is derogatory and offensive.
I contend that children's books are part of the problem. Things given to young people matter. Giving them books that poke fun of Native names pave the way for the creation and defense of what we see in Sandler's movie.
I'll be back with an update if Sandler or Netflix issue any statements, but carry this with you as you select--or weed--books in your library: Names matter. Nobody's names ought to be fodder for satire or humor, whether it is by Adam Sandler or Jon Sciezka.
So last week I shared a bit about my experience at ALA. Here is the rest of the dirt. This time no pictures of me (possibly), just fawning over famous-er and hugely (brilliantly) talented people (and therefore this post will get lots of hits).
Seriously.
It was like Wonderland (or WondLa- land, but I didn't get to see Tony DiTerlizzi). A famous face at every turn. Fun to say hi, to have a chance conversation, to meet a hero and be inspired. Here are some inspiring moments and inspiring people ...
The charming, enchanting and legendary Ashley Bryan, signing his book 'Word's to My Life's Song'.
If you haven't read it yet, GO get it.
And then I got to sign my book for Ashley when he dropped by Charlesbridge Booth! A-MAZ-ING.
A hug from Mr. Bryan can keep you warm and inspired a long time, let me tell you.
Here is the wonderful David Small. I love David's work .. his loose and yet controlled line work is so awesome. He's signing 'One Cool Friend' by Toni Buzzeo of MAINE. So I had to get a copy ....
LUUURRRRVVV this drawing he did!!!
4 Comments on
What happened at ALA Anaheim 2012 - Part deux, last added: 7/10/2012
Two books and a game to turn your child into a storyteller -- maybe even get him to write down a story.
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: A Progressive Story Game Played by 20 Celebrated Authors and Illustrators,
Candlewick, $17.99. Get ready to laugh yourself silly, and not just at this story but at all the famous writers who've wriggled in their seats and had a good-natured chuckle while writing it. In this waggish collaboration by 20 top talents in children's books, author Jon Scieszka sets up a wild scenario for a story, then asks fellow authors and illustrators to run with it. With each chapter, a new author-illustrator team picks up the story from where another team left it. As the teams wrangle with themes that are almost too silly to put together, they seem to be trying to get in a doozy of a cliff-hanger before their chapter ends. It's as if one team is teasing the next, "
Now what are you going to do?" Scieszka begins the story with a ticking time bomb (literally), a cliff-hanger that calls for a quick response, not only from the story's heroes but the authors who have to write the heroes out of immediate danger. Here's where the book starts: Two twins have just run away from the circus after receiving a mysterious birthday card from their parents, whom they thought were dead. In the letter, the parents urge twins Nancy and Joe, both 11, to run out into the world and look for clues that will lead them to parts of a top-secret robot, known as "The Exquisite Corpse." But as they get started, the twins find themselves on a train set to explode if it crosses a bridge just up ahead. Thanks to Katherine Patterson they do escape alive, only to learn in Kate DiCamillo's chapter that a clown from their circus set them up and he's juggling another bomb. By the time Susan Cooper takes over the story, the twins are being chased by a dancing pig. Could the circus they've run away from be trying to hunt them down? Originally published on the READ.gov LIbrary of Congress website, this hilarious experiment might just inspire your kids to start a progressive story of their own.
Tales from the Haunted House (Storyworld, Create a Story Kit), by John & Caitlin Matthews,
Templar Books, $9.99, 2011. With Halloween creeping closer, here's a terrific way to tap into your children's imagination: a kit for making up ghoulish stories.
Tale from the Haunted House is the fifth entry in a clever game series that gets kids to tell stories without any pressure to do so. Inside each kit is a deck of 28 cards, each with a mood-setting scene on one side and questions about possible plots on
.jpeg?picon=3103)
By: Jenny Miller,
on 9/5/2011
Blog:
Where The Best Books Are!
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Thriller,
Guys Read,
Patrick Carman,
Gary Paulsen,
Jon Sciezka,
2011,
Back to School books,
Flat Broke,
3:15 Season One,
online interactive books,
books for reluctant boy readers,
Add a tag
This list is dedicated to all those boys who aren't sure they like to read -- but chances are just haven't found the right book.
Thriller (Volume 2 of Guys Read), edited by Jon Sciezka, with illustrations by Brett Helquist,
Walden Pond Press, $16.99, ages 8-12, 288 pages. Here's a book for any boy who likes to imagine himself tempting danger or getting out of a bind, but doesn't necessarily want to do any such thing. The latest in Sciezka's brilliant effort to tailor books to reluctant boy readers,
Thriller contains 10 bite-size stories (the longest is 42 pages) about gripping situations that readers don't find themselves in every day (but kind of wish they did -- kind of. ) And what's incredible is that every one is written by a leading children's authors of thrillers -- names you can almost recognize by the last name alone, such as Haddix, Horowitz and Patterson. The stories are about as different from each other as you can imagine in one book, but each one grips onto you and a few even toss you around. There's the one about a boy who gets thrown over the edge of a twelve-story building, another about a boy trying to rescue his dad from animal smugglers ("pet mafia") while being chased by a komodo dragon, and one about a dead boy who's haunting a house, but isn't half as scary as the thugs upstairs. Readers will wander in and out of lives that are fictional, but at times feel real, like the 14-year-old Somalian boy who gets thrown into a life of piracy after foreigners poison his family's fishing waters. If your boys like this, don't miss the first in the Guys Read series
Funny Business, short stories by humorous children's authors. For more great boy titles, check out Sciezka's Guys Read website
here.
3:15 Season One: Things That Go Bump In the Night, by Patrick Carman,
Scholastic, $12.99, ages 9-12, 176 pages. It may be a little early for terrifying tales -- Halloween is still almost two months away -- but this interactive book is worth getting right now. Why? Because it's about as boy friendly as a book can get. For one, It's a horror thriller, and for two, it encourages readers to get on the computer between chapters. The book is built around an exciting online concept that's based on the time 3:15. That time is significant by itself, but also for other reasons, according to the book's fictional narrator Paul Chandler. First, 3:15 a.m. is when things might go b
One of the joys I had in publishing Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria was in selecting the illustrator for the book. I went through dozens and dozens of artist portfolios and sent off about a dozen emails to see who might be 1) available 2) affordable and 3) appropriate for my book. Given it was my first children's picture book, I was looking for someone who had experience illustrating
You write as fun as you draw. Judy Wirzberger
Thanks Judy! Praise indeed.
Love, love, love this post. The next best thing to going to an event like this is pictures from someone who was tickled to be there. Thanks for putting faces to some of the names I've heard of for so long.
And yes, to have a character come to life and walk around a show is an admirable goal. Make it happen.
Wendy
Thanks thanks thanks! It's great when you can share ... hope you get to go too!