Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Hi fellow book lovers- I would like to know if the US encourage segregation in their libraries as the UK does? I went to an author workshop (by Naa Shalman) this weekend and she subtly pointed out how black writers are not promoted here in the UK, I looked round the library and the 'Black Interest Section' was hidden in a small corner of the library. Is this right and what can we do to celebrate our authors here in the UK? Advice and suggestions welcomed.New Dawn

I'm just wondering...Is the black interest section the ONLY place for Black books or a group of books cobbled from the rest that the librarians feel would be of interest to Black people? In Wash. D.C.'s main library there is an Af-Am interest section which is populated by titles that the library has more than one copy of. The others remain in their respective Dewey decimal system categories...If only one copy its not in the special Af-am section.

I don't know about libraries, but at my local book store, there was a section of Af-Am books. Many classics and contemporary books. I rather enjoyed that section, since I knew I could go right there and browse for the classic books I was looking for. I don't think I would have found some of the books I have found, were it not for that area.

That said - do you think that this equates to "segregation" in a racist type of way? What about Romance that gets separated out? Would valid Af-Am literature be so dis-serviced by having it's own section?

So really, is it black authors that are separated out, or those books that are thought to be in some way part of the subset of fiction considered Af-Am literature?

By the way, the Af-Am section at my book store was directly after the classic literature section.

Just thinking out loud here...

Hi William, no the section in this library is full of black books of all genres. If the name of the author fits into that ethnic group its there, if the cover is suggestive of 'black' race its there.
My worry is this isn't only segregation but how do we encourage readers to enjoy the work of authors across all continents?

Hi Renee, It is good to have your input and thank you for taking time to write, your thoughts are very welcome:)
I have always had the impression that the library's catalogue of genres serves it purpose, horror, romance, science fiction etc. It dose not matter whether the author is black, blue or green. If a reader fancies a chick flick they can browse between Dorothy Koomson, Samantha Cook and Elizabeth Scott open to choice and exposed to other authors they may have never heard off. A lot of readers are loyal to particular authors (myself included) but with positive exposure I have discovered fabulous authors such as Chimamanda Adichie, Naa Shalman and Elizabeth Noble, open to choice in the right way is all I am saying.
BTW I didn't see a section for Spanish interest.

I don't know about the US, but here in Canada there is no segregation of books by black writers in the bookstores or libraries(only on Black History Month). Though having a "Black Authors" section would make identifying their books easier, it would also mean that they would have to create a section for other non-white authors. People might then head straight for a specific section and not explore other authors of different races. To post awareness of their work, it is my belief that black authors should publish some sort of magazine or website dedicated to their work.

As it should be Ashika, I think that is the traditional value of libraries and bookstores :)Free of political correctness.

I would like to know if the US encourage segregation in their libraries as the UK does?

Hello Andrea. There's no evidence of 'segregation' in my local library in Essex. Books are classified according to content - fiction/non-fiction, adult/children's, literature/biography etc. I'd have to search for non-white authors by name, so Naipaul is in the Literary Fiction section, Mosley is in the Crime Section, Dumas is in Classics, Malorie Blackman in Children's Lit. There are a few shelves for books in languages other than English e.g. Punjabi/French, but there's no other means of distinguishing ethnicity of the author.

Have you surveyed libraries across the UK, and found that this 'segregation' is the norm?

Hi all, I am sort of ambivalent about the African-American section I find at libraries and booksellers alike. On one hand I take issue with this matter myself for several reasons. One big issue I have with this type of segregation is that the "black section" is often riddled with erotica or soft core porn books whereas the "mainstream" section is organized in genre categories. The other issue is how do librarians and booksellers alike decide what qualifies as "African-American" literature? Black authors? "Black Subject Matter?" Use of dialect? The practice is obviously biased. On the other hand I do find it helpful. I know when I go to a certain bookseller that I have a better chance of finding a title in that section as opposed to elsewhere in the store. However, I don't find locating a book in the store difficult. If you can read then finding the title you're in search of should be fairly simply with the labeling that most stores use.

At my library the books are seperated in categories: non-fiction, fiction, young adult, magazines/newspapers, etc. During Black History Month, there was a display of only Black authors, but once March hit, they went back to their respective shelves. There are labels on some of the books in the fiction section that identify them more, like Christian Fiction, Science Fiction, African-American Fiction, but all of them are in the fiction section.

I can't say I've noticed any blatant segregation in the public libraries I've visited here in the US, and I've been to libraries in several states. Most libraries in the US use the Dewey Decimal System and so all topics are shelved by that system. If you want Black history, you have to go to the general history section in order to find it. In some ways I wish the books were more singled out, if only to make them easier to find.

I believe that most libraries only make a distinction for the purposes of Af-amer history but not other genres written by Af-amer authors. so nothing need be said unless there are some exceptions out there remaining in the past.

But as for the bookstores; I must say that things are still a bit suspect. Brittahneeduh's comment testified to the content of the Af-amer section in most bookstores. I live in the Philadelphia area and here that tends to be the case save in smaller, private owned stores.

Closer analysis reveals that it is the mindset of the head manager that determines the floor set-up of a given store. so--what can you do except complain to the one with the power to change the thing, right?

that's what I do, anyway. and sometimes i'm heeded and sometimes not. America still rocks for giving us the chance to debate such things.