phlough

Excellent point. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky was a beautiful book. Still sitting on the shelf at the store because no one coming in is interested in that story line. Sad, but true.

We are not talking about magazines and advertisements. We are discussing the languishing black fiction. It sells when the story being told is GOOD! It sells when Americans (black or otherwise) find it entertaining to read. Our Black Urban Literature is quite jolting and it is in danger, just as much as classic historical literature. I KNOW it is a business and I know that selling literature has a thin profit margin. What I also know is that a basic appreciation for reading and literature has to be sustained for books to be valuable. There are parts of the black experience in literature that do not pertain to different races and classes of people. My children enjoy reading, but do not want to read about a young man, young woman in the ghetto. It doesn't pertain to them, and the story to them is a series of depressing events. Sex sells and those books will too, but I would like to think our literature is far beyond drugs, hip - hop, and sex. If our literature is to express the black experience, then our experience has to be more than slavery, church, and hip hop. Yes. I rent documentaries. I read what I want to read. I also advise others to read because of what I discover in the story. Not the simple plot. Take for instance "I am Not Sidney Poitier" by Everette; was not overwhelmed by the book, but loved parts of it. When I sold that book, I told my customers nothing of the plot, but much of the nuances: Ted Turner's funny voice, the association to each movie, the arrogance of the author to place himself in the book like M. Knight Shyamalan. This is what we need to express to the next reader to regain the appreciation for a great story. It goes far beyond the ability to read and the necessity of being a fundamental skill.

I have several young adults coming to the store requesting the Urban Lit and / or the erotica fiction. NONE of them have ever requested the likes of McFadden or J. California Cooper or Ellison or Yerby. Isn't because these authors are not talented or relevant, but because the drama. The baby-mama drama, but not stories of espionage or secret spies; the under cover / down low preacher, but not the story by an expatriate of Judas and Jesus having similarities. The covers are enticing and the drama is exhilarating. These books are a rush similar to reality television! What we have to pay attention to isn't simply the context, but our behavior toward reading. Some customers will be introduced to a book and immediately say, "I will wait until the movie arrives." Really?!?! You would rather forgo a damn good story to wait for production? Patterson (although not black fiction) writes his chapters like 20 second scenes from a television show. People prays him for that style, but his characters show no growth and are very predictable - yet he is a great writer. It's fiction for goodness sake. . . . Again, look at our reading behavior. In an age of INSTANT plots, summaries, and marginalized character growth, maybe our literature is languishing because we are wanting our story lines solved NOW. If Tyler Perry stories were in print would they fly off of the shelf? In comparison, would Spike Lee's stories do the same or better? Are we tired of reading the black experience? OR are we not expanding the black experience in our literature to go beyond what is being currently printed (sex, booties, hood, threesomes, drama, down low)? I do agree with Angela when she stated that we must DEMAND better in our literature. But when we discuss what we read, bring the writer's talents to light. Bring out what captivated the reader so quickly or what it was lacking. DISCUSS the book, not just the context of the drama. Oh yeah . . . Cynique, excellent post regarding the distinction in fiction types. Thank you.