So, Bookselling
this Week, a newsletter for the American Booksellers Association
includes a letter from author Jacqueline
Davies regarding the inclusion of Tikki Tikki
Tembo as a nominee for their "Picture Book Hall of
Fame" and also linked to a
post of my own from 2012.
While no one asked me to share my concerns with the members
of the ABA, I wish they had. If they had, I would have said this:
Dear ABA Booksellers,
Hello! There’s a good chance you are sick of the topic that
I am about to broach, that you are rolling your eyeballs and you are secretly
thinking, “Who cares?” And in many ways, I don’t blame you.
But the truth is, I care. I care a lot.*
Because, I know you have heard from friends, colleagues and
other authors and have gotten all the links.
I know they have all given you calm, rational reasons in an unbiased manner.
But I thought it might be good to hear from me, an Asian-American who truly
cares about this from the core of her identity.
I was thrilled when I learned that my book When the Sea Turned to Silver was
nominated this year for an E.B. White Read-Aloud award. However, when I saw
that Tikki Tikki Tembo was a nominee for the Hall of Fame, I was
dismayed for all the
reasons you probably already know: the book is not an authentic
folktale as it claims and, by using an untrue tradition and made-up/incorrect
words, it creates false Chinese culture.**
Am I being too sensitive? Possibly. The refrain I hear often
is, “My friend is Chinese, and she loved the book! It’s not offensive!”
We all know that what one person finds heartbreaking, another can find
hilarious. I would never expect anyone's reading experience to mirror my
own.
So, I do not believe the book should banned. I do not
believe people should stop selling it. But, I also do not believe the book
should be celebrated. By voting Tikki Tikki Tembo into the Hall of
Fame, it sends a message that this book is one to revere and emulate.
We are all in this business because we love books. At every
conference I go to, someone somewhere will say, “These books save lives!”
However, if we allow ourselves the satisfaction that the books we share can
help, we must also realize that books can also harm. And the harm that a
book like this can create is not only individual. It’s not just the Asian girl
cringing because all her classmates are chanting fake Chinese at her or the boy
with the last name of Chang teased for being “nothing.” No, the bigger harm in
celebrating a book such as this is that it reinforces the idea that another
person’s culture, my culture, is valued so little that we don’t even need
to bother to get it right.
And that is why I care. I hope you do, too.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Best,
Grace Lin
*For those of you interested, I invite you to watch my TEDx
talk:
**Those of you who know my books might say, “Hey, Grace Lin,
aren’t you being a bit of hypocrite? Aren’t your books a mishmash of Chinese
folktales, as well?” While there is some validity to that, I
would say that it is because of the books I do that I have such
an emotional reaction to Tikki Tikki Tembo's flaws. My books are Asian-inspired
fantasies. I’ve heavily researched them so that, to my knowledge, they are all
based in Chinese folklore. And with them, I try to create something new--like
growing from a seed. I try to grow the myths to fit with our culture--to create
something I see as Asian-American.
Tikki Tikki Tembo, to me, does the opposite. It took a
non-Chinese story and pretended that it was old and authentic, added bogus
traditions and words; and, in doing so, misrepresents Chinese culture.
To me, there is difference.