I don't want to start an argument, but I have an honest question. Why do you feel like there needs to be an even mix of female protagonists on a reading list? Each author writes about the type of character they want - I know if I was writing and envisioned a male character for the lead I wouldn't change it to a female to be PC.
I know there are issues with how females are portrayed in some books.
Shark Girl
My kid is kind of a reluctant reader, so I enlisted the school librarian's help in picking out a book for her to read. I have to admit, I was skeptical of the list of recommended reading she emailed me - very few female protagonists, some novels that looked like real bubblegum, others that seemed awfully grim. But the kid picked Shark Girl out of the list and I picked it up for her. The cover makes it look like your typical teen novel - bikini clad blonde girl at the beach - but the summary said it was about an amputee.
So yeah, I was skeptical. And I read it after she was done, to make sure she didn't bullshit her way though the essay and to see what I thought of the book. And then I wrote a nice email to the librarian to thank her for recommending such a wonderful book.
Filled with dark humor and grit, Shark Girl manages to tell the story of a teenage amputee with a refreshing lack of melodrama and whining. All of the characters are three dimensional and real, portrayed with occasionally brutal but tender honesty. The book is a collection of poems, newspaper clippings, phone conversations, so there's almost nothing in the way of exposition - just the raw events and emotions and relationships with no veneer or distance.
I'll link to the kid's review when she finishes it, I just wanted to throw this out there.
Vulash
16 years ago
Verileah
16 years ago
Oh, Vulash, I only felt there should be more female protagonists on a reading list that was made specifically for my daughter, taking her interests/needs into account. The librarian knows my daughter at least a little bit based on books she's picked out before - she knows that she's a girly girl and just has no interest in reading books that are more typically read by boys. She is more interested in comedy of manners type books - stories of social conflict and personal drama. This is a lot of the reason I have trouble recommending books to her - she doesn't like to read things with violence and monsters and stuff. Zero interest in Harry Potter, for example.
Anyway, I feel like I already admitted that I was being unfair to the librarian - I'll go further though and say that I acknowledge that a book doesn't have to have a female protagonist in order for my kid to be interested in it - it just has to be a different book than I typically read. All that said, out of all the books on the list, she -did- pick the one with the female lead character, so I don't feel I was completely off base in thinking my kid would prefer to read something about a girl.
Anyway, I feel like I already admitted that I was being unfair to the librarian - I'll go further though and say that I acknowledge that a book doesn't have to have a female protagonist in order for my kid to be interested in it - it just has to be a different book than I typically read. All that said, out of all the books on the list, she -did- pick the one with the female lead character, so I don't feel I was completely off base in thinking my kid would prefer to read something about a girl.
Vulash
16 years ago
I completely read it wrong then - I know you've talked about issues with female characters before (which I'd love to discuss more because as a guy I never paid attention to the issue, but looking back I think I can see it) so I guess I thought the issue was more generalized - I apologize in that case. At any rate I would like to discuss that part more, but maybe not hijack this thread doing it.
In the mean time I'll try to think back over some of the books as I read as a kid :D
In the mean time I'll try to think back over some of the books as I read as a kid :D
Verileah
16 years ago
No worries, questions are fine :).
Now I'm kind of thinking about what you said about gender flopping, though, and how you wouldn't do it just to be PC. I think that's totally fair. However, there are other reasons to gender flip, and they mostly come back around to the $$. Publishers absolutely will tell authors to gender flop characters based on what's hot right now and what they feel will make them the most money. If that happens to coincide with what is considered PC, that's fine, but they are in the business of selling books. Makes you wonder which of your Toms were once Tomasina, your Harrys, Harriette, your Dicks...well. The point is, if a publisher tells an author that they really need x character to be a six foot tall asian female instead of a short black male in order to market the book, some writers will go along with that.
I will say that Shark Girl has a fantastic lead female character and I think it would have been a real loss if she had been gender swapped. If you're interested in discussing stuff more I'll start a new thread - this is something I've had on the brain for a few weeks now (more than usual, I should say). But first I have to get some more work done on my exchange piece and then watch Legend of the Seeker :X. A show which, incidentally, has an interesting mix of terrible and wonderful female characters and some seriously strange ideas about gender and power.
Now I'm kind of thinking about what you said about gender flopping, though, and how you wouldn't do it just to be PC. I think that's totally fair. However, there are other reasons to gender flip, and they mostly come back around to the $$. Publishers absolutely will tell authors to gender flop characters based on what's hot right now and what they feel will make them the most money. If that happens to coincide with what is considered PC, that's fine, but they are in the business of selling books. Makes you wonder which of your Toms were once Tomasina, your Harrys, Harriette, your Dicks...well. The point is, if a publisher tells an author that they really need x character to be a six foot tall asian female instead of a short black male in order to market the book, some writers will go along with that.
I will say that Shark Girl has a fantastic lead female character and I think it would have been a real loss if she had been gender swapped. If you're interested in discussing stuff more I'll start a new thread - this is something I've had on the brain for a few weeks now (more than usual, I should say). But first I have to get some more work done on my exchange piece and then watch Legend of the Seeker :X. A show which, incidentally, has an interesting mix of terrible and wonderful female characters and some seriously strange ideas about gender and power.
Vulash
16 years ago
I've read some of the books, haven't watched the show - maybe I'll check that out if I can find it online. Sure I wouldn't mind a good discussion on it - may have to actually think back through books I've read ;)
Boxcar children - loved that as a kid
Boxcar children - loved that as a kid