Do White Folks Read Black?
April 13, 2009 by Sanaa Msemaji
Filed under Reflections
Today, I was riding the #4 Train uptown when I noticed a White Woman reading a thick book with a chess piece on the cover, I suddenly became curious, is she reading what I think she’s reading? I found myself craning my neck, in a very casual manner, I might add, so as to not seem like a nut but the curiosity was killing me and I had to get a look at this title!
I thought back on the book fondly, that was a good read. I looked at the woman, blonde & blue, and I began to wonder, as I do about so many things, do White people read Black authors? Because, I don’t “see” it very often, if at all, in public (I can’t actually think of an instance). But I see Black people reading White all the time, on trains, bus stops, doctors offices, cofee shops, etc…I myself, was on the train reading, Naked by David Sedaris (which is laugh-out-loud hilarious, by the way). But outside of President Barack Obama’s books, I don’t recall ever seeing White people publicly reading Black, fiction in particular. Everybody has to read certain works for school, (Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Richard Wright etc) so I’m talking for pleasure, and I’m talking fiction. And before you work yourself up in a dander, this is really a lighthearted question, better yet, do your own social experiment: start taking a look at what peole are reading on the trains, buses, etc and you’ll see what I’m talking about, it’s a valid question. I’m NOT saying, White peoples’ brains are small or that they are racist, I’m simply saying what I haven’t seen and am wondering why. This woman today has peaked my interest because she is White and I believe she is reading Stephen L. Carter’s, The Emperor Of Ocean Park, a good fictional story by a Black author.
I found myself wondering all kinds of things, what turned her on to Stephen L. Carter? Has she read his other books? Does she read other Black authors? But mostly, I’m thinking, good for her! It is a good book, and ultimately, it shouldn’t really matter if an author is Black or White or Whatever.
A person who is into Anne Rice would totally be crazy over Tananarive Due, if you’re a fan of Alice Sebold’s, The Lovely Bones then pretty much anything by Edwidge Danticat should quench your literary palette. If you’re a sci-fi head, I don’t even know how you could be making it without reading ALL of Octavia E. Butler’s work, the woman has won EVERY sci-fi award that exist, many of them multiple times, I mean, she won the million dollar genius award for her first novel, for Gods sake! (and it was good too, I read it it straight through from 10pm to 7am the next morning, could NOT put it down!) And of course, you are a total intellectual poser, if you haven’t read , at least one book by the great Zora Neale Hurston, period.
I look at the blonde & blue lady, feeling oddly hopeful (cus’ the whole thing is ridiculous, let’s face it). I’m wondering if I should strike up a conversation, you know, ask what she thinks so far etc when alas, she raises her book and I see that she is in fact, reading Stephanie Meyer’s, Breaking Dawn, a book from the Twilight series. Boo.
But now, I’m really curious, do White folks read Black? (I mean for pleasure not school) I’m sure folks do but how come I never see it publicly? Are you closet readers? What’s going on there? If you do read Black, what are you reading?
[Photo Credit: DeeperSea's Photostream]
Yes.
i still love ya
anyway,music is a different thing since black music for the last twenty years or so has pretty much been mainstream and crossed over to own the pop charts and the North American masses. So it’s very common to hear black music at damn near every party across the landscape. The minstrelsy metamorphorses common in some of my brethren when a “thug,ghetto” type song comes on is very questionable. But why is it looked down upon even to the point of the phrase “NO HOMO” being uttered when a black or Latino kid talks without slang or confesses their love for academic things that are still seen as “White,” even in the hustlin’-go gettin-make that money hip hop culture of now and even in spite of our current U.S President?
I don’t know of white folks in the closet liking black books,maybe the “hood lit,” or black porn or something. It’s not the 50s and 60s anymore when reading black books were considered contra band in some places.
Far as ethnicity being authentic: you go ahead and call a dark skinned Latino or even an African immigrant black? Watch what they say.
Frankly, even I would read “hood lit” on the down low if I were to read it…LOL. and I’m definitely not going to argue music with you, you being a a hip-hop dj and all…
And not sure what the heck you’re talking about with the the “NO HOMO” and “minstrelsy metamorphorses” stuff…but hey
I’m not really saying, white people are closet readers of black authorship, I’m just wondering, again because it’s not publicly evident, if there is a literary cross over (much like hip-hop, that cross over is very self evident) and if there is, why we don’t see it and if not, why?
Not sure what point you are making with the ethnicity/authenticity statement. Are you agreeing or disagreeing with yourself (earlier, I said, I like the statement)
Hey CS, Thanks for your comment.
For one, I would have to agree with you about the (sadly) dying art of reading and that people read what their interest are, like I said, people who are into sci-fi would totally be into Octavia Butler –but the only people I see reading Octavia in public are black, thus my QUESTION.
And two, I would have to argue that I am NOT “acting like whites would never read books by black authors”…I am ASKING THE QUESTION because I realize I don’t see it in PUBLIC and am just curious as to why…and again, I’m not talking about what was assigned to read for school, I’m talking about pleasure reading, fiction in particular, also stated in the article.
As a black woman, if I saw thugged out black teenagers (or any teenagers for that matter) on the subway reading Proust or Tolstoy, I would be like, really? wow, good for you! And, I have seen black kids rockin’ out to slayer just like I’ve seen white kids rockin’ out to Snoop Dogg — that’s not the point OR my question.
My question is about what I HAVEN’T SEEN…it’s not about individuals or monoliths, any of all that, I didn’t suggest that everybody read the same damn book, I simply asked: if you read black, if so, what, and most importantly why do you think I don’t see it more often publicly like I do other races?
That’s all, it’s not that serious.
PS. I really like your statement “ethnicity is what’s authentic.”…definitely worthy of further discussion over wine & food.
Hey Harry, thanks for your comment.
First, this article isn’t meant to offend, it really is just simple curiosity. I see black people reading white authors all the time and don’t see white people reading blacks authors and am wondering why. It’s part of the learning process, you wonder about something, you ask about it, you learn about it…To say that it’s “shockingly unenlightened” because I ask a question about something I haven’t seen and am curious about is absurd & base.
Second, to say that my article is based on “outdated, discredited racial assumptions” is way out of left field. The article is based on what I personally have noticed riding up & down subways and sitting in coffee shops and there is no assumption, that’s why I am ASKING the question.
Thirdly, I am pretty sure, I know white people when I see them –and you are right, the woman on the train could have been from Africa(though, I would guess, she was more of Irish descent)…but she was still white, which I don’t think is a problem.
Lastly, I have to say, your response appears to be more peppered with your own “issues” around race than mine and I guess the real question is: why at the simple mention of race, do YOU get all beside yourself?
I wonder when people will “get it” that race does exist and THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. TRUE DIVERSITY doesn’t mean you don’t see it or that it doesn’t exist, it means that you do AND you acknowledge, respect, and love regardless of…and I’d say, if you’re smart, you recognize the blessing in having such an abundant array of races, cultures, people etc.
Thanks, Harry for the open dialog.
I would have to say that people who even read books anymore(my god what’s that) usually only read what their interests are,what the NYT book review tells them to or something assigned. That said,there’s been plenty of black writers’ books that have been assigned in high schools and colleges with much white folk and some have even followed up on that authors or other black authors books if they’re interested for their own pleasure. For the writer to act like whites would never read books by black authors shows naivete or perhaps they hail from a very culturally segregated area of the U.S where parameters are cut and dry.You don’t think that Oprah turned white girls out to Toni and Maya? People are individuals and not a monolith and imagine as a white guy if I saw some thugged out looking black teenagers on the subway reading Proust or Tolstoy or were blasting Slayer in their IPOD and I blogged on some OMG I can’t believe black people can like non black things,I would catch much hell. I have many “black books” in my collection that I’m sure would blow this blogger’s mind and I have definitely caught the sista eyebrow and snickers spotted reading Octavia or John Henrik Clarke books on NYC area rails. Race is a cultural construct,ethnicity is what’s authentic and people will have different individual interests in what they like.
The premise of “The Grumbler’s” article is shockingly unenlightened and based on outdated, discredited racial assumptions. I wonder when people will finally “get it” that in truth race does not exist, it is a cultural construct. This writer falsely assumed that the woman on the subway fit into a convenient category called “White” simply because of her appearance only. Hair, pigmentation, and eye color do not a human being make–she could have been from anywhere, including Africa. Do Colombian people read books by Chinese authors? Do people from Wisconsin read books by authors from New Mexico? Do Senegalese read books by Argentinian authors? The point is what, exactly?