Amistad, the HarperCollins imprint specializing in African-American literature, recently launched a blog, and one of their first entries tackles the long-running debate over ‘black authors’ sections in bookstores. As in, to quote the pseudonymous editor writing the blog, “Will only black people buy my book if I’m shelved in the African-American interest section?”
“I think it would be wrong to put Toni Morrison‘s books (or Walter Mosley‘s or Edward Jones‘s) in an African-American section,” says one commenter, with the immediate caveat that “I do think it’s reasonable to have a section for books on African-American history or books that focus on African-American identity, the same way there are sections for books that focus specifically on Russian history or gender studies or economics.” (Which raises an interesting question: If a literary-themed African-American section exists in a given store, at what point on the aesthetic calculus would an “African-American novelist” be able to vault out of it, or a “gay novelist” to move off that shelf?) “The very idea of seeing Morrison’s Beloved next to My Cousin’s Baby Mama Drama in Church wit’ Da Booty on Top by Tukewl Mochaboy makes me cringe,” adds Diane Williams of Black Author Showcase; on the other hand, “I’ve also overheard customers in large bookstores ask ‘Where are the Black books?'”
The blog is running a poll on the subject; so far, “shelve literary titles in general interest section” is just barely ahead of “institute ‘post-racial’ bookstores [and] eliminate all African-American interest sections.” In addition to making your feelings known there, perhaps you’d like to tell us what you think about this issue?
(And, no, you don’t need to point out that My Cousin’s Baby Mama Drama… isn’t in the Amazon catalog. We can spot hyperbole all on our own, thanks.)