Whitey Ford
02-07-2020, 03:41 PM
'Fake diversity': Barnes & Noble cancels race-swapped classic covers
Writers say the move, meant to celebrate Black History Month, does not help improve representation
https://i.imgur.com/ccEEeW1.jpg
Barnes & Noble, America’s largest bookseller, has withdrawn a new series of “diverse” classic book covers following a backlash from writers who say it does nothing to address the publishing industry’s underlying diversity problems.
The new “Diverse Editions” series was announced on Tuesday to honor Black History Month and due to hit shelves on Wednesday. The project saw 12 classic young adult novels receive new covers, the protagonists now “culturally diverse”. Frankenstein’s monster has brown skin, not green, while a kissing Romeo and Juliet have darker skin tones and kinky hair textures. “For the first time ever, all parents will be able to pick up a book and see themselves in a story,” the company explains on the back cover of the books.
But prominent authors were quick to lambast the company, saying that simply changing the skin color of characters from Romeo and Juliet or Frankenstein is a superficial fix, and that the publishing industry should do more to promote writers of color.
https://archive.is/mt9fV#selection-1835.0-1843.250
Writers say the move, meant to celebrate Black History Month, does not help improve representation
https://i.imgur.com/ccEEeW1.jpg
Barnes & Noble, America’s largest bookseller, has withdrawn a new series of “diverse” classic book covers following a backlash from writers who say it does nothing to address the publishing industry’s underlying diversity problems.
The new “Diverse Editions” series was announced on Tuesday to honor Black History Month and due to hit shelves on Wednesday. The project saw 12 classic young adult novels receive new covers, the protagonists now “culturally diverse”. Frankenstein’s monster has brown skin, not green, while a kissing Romeo and Juliet have darker skin tones and kinky hair textures. “For the first time ever, all parents will be able to pick up a book and see themselves in a story,” the company explains on the back cover of the books.
But prominent authors were quick to lambast the company, saying that simply changing the skin color of characters from Romeo and Juliet or Frankenstein is a superficial fix, and that the publishing industry should do more to promote writers of color.
https://archive.is/mt9fV#selection-1835.0-1843.250