Ebony and Ivory

Ebony and Ivory

by Diane Chamberlain

Your Opinion, Please!

Most often, I hear from readers who simply want me to know that they love my books. Occasionally I get complaints about a cuss word used by a character, or a reader points out a typo that escaped not only me, but my editor and copy editor as well. But in the twenty some years that I've been published, this is a first. A woman--Caucasian--wrote to ask me why I identify certain characters by ethnicity.

I have to admit, her question took me by surprise. Why wouldn't I, I thought? This reader found the allusion to ethnicity offensive, with no bearing on the story. I explained that I want my readers to see my characters the way I do. She pointed out that if I identify one character by ethnicity, I should identify all my characters by ethnicity. This might be a valid point if it wasn't obvious that my central characters are generally Caucasian from the images on my covers.

I explained my reasoning and went on my merry way...until my next book--the recently released The Midwife's Confession--came out. The woman wrote to me again, this time with page numbers on which I identified characters as African American or black. The midwife's neighbors, for example, or a male nurse in a children's hospital.

Thinking my reader was a little bit off the wall, I mentioned her concern to my sister who surprised me by agreeing with her. I have to admit, I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the whole conundrum, so I'd love your opinions.

As I've thought about the reason why I might mention the ethnicity of a character, I realize how attached I am to doing so and here are my reasons:

• As I mentioned above, I want my readers to see the characters the way I do.
• At times, the racial divide has been absolutely critical to the story: the post World War II interracial romance in The Shadow Wife, for example, or the racially motivated murder arrest in The Bay at Midnight.
• I just plain like ethnic diversity in my stories, the same way I like it in my world. It makes those stories richer to me, and I like seeing how my admittedly Caucasian characters interact with people unlike themselves.   

My reader proposed describing these characters by physical features instead of by ethnicity and that could be a valid suggestion. I have to admit that in the writing of this post, I'm starting to sway a bit in her direction. Perhaps labeling a character as belonging to a certain ethnic group is a lazy way of describing him or her? I'd love to hear your opinions.  What do you think?

Comments

[Josh]

I don't have an issue with it, but it's not my ox being gored.

I do think that ethnicity, however we want to define it, could have something to do with a character and its motivation, aside from being a central point in the story, as with the one (ones?) you pointed out. And describing someone doesn't do the same thing, unless your description is functionally equivalent describing ethnicity, and then, what does it solve?

[Holly garemore]

"male nurse" is such an outdated term. Do you also refer to "female doctors"? My husband has been a nurse for 25 years, and when my dad would call him a male nurse, I'd answer that "no, he's an ER nurse and also takes care of females"

[Joshilyn Jackson]

OH THAT MAKES ME SO TIRED. The idea that we are supposed to not SEE color or ethnicity makes me INSANE. OF COURSE WE SEE IT, LORD. My bones and coloring---I look SO Irish any other Irish person can spot me from SPACE!
The idea that SAYING someone is black or Hispanic or white is PEJORATIVE instead of a descriptive is INHERENTLY so racist it makes me FOAM!

It shows a HUGE discomfort with race ---- she needs to dig the beam out of her own eyes and stop pecking your motes.

I heard Tom Franklin talking about ethnicity in his BRILLIANT book CROOKED LETTER CROOKED LETTER told from the POV of two men, one black, one white. He was very nervous about trying to write a black male perspective -- wanted to be respectful--- got a lot of help, etc.

(I am currently writing a half Jewish half southern Baptist narrator and I am cooking lamb dinners and going to synagogs and interviewing reformed Jews because I want to GET IT RIGHT and be respectful---you HAVE to when stepping outside your traditions and culture, or you an ass. The end.)

One thing Frankling does that's neat and SMART and very truthful is, the white guy never clocks a white person's race, because his default is white because he is white. But he will say if a person is a different race. In the same way, the black guy never describes someone as black--black is his default. But he will say, "A white woman in a ratty dress..."

I think is pretty normal and truthful---and NEITHER character is a racist. We recognize people by how they are LIKE us and how they differ. I am a woman, that is a man. I am an adult, that is a child. I am Irish American, that woman is Mexican American. It is not PEJORATIVE to see and acknowledge difference. It is, in fact, glorious, and what makes the human race interesting.

I think we need to accept and be interested in our ethnic differences, not shy away from admitting they are there. And I think that fact that our DEFAULT setting is our own race, our own gender, our own age, our own nationailty -- I would never say "I met an American at a bar... My DEFAULT is American. I woudl just say "I met a GUY at a bar." But I would say, "I met this French guy at a bar, and now I know 18 REALLY filthy French words!"

YOU HIT MY BUTTON! HHAHAHAHHAHA

I shall dismount from my soapbox!

[Joshilyn Jackson]

I left a word out. I meant I am cooking SEDER lamb dinners (SO I can describe the meal, tastes, associated ristuals)...

BUT as is it sounds like I think Baptists don't eat lamb. HEE!

[Margaret Maron]

Amusingly, this has come up in my books. In the first few books, I would ID characters as black, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, etc. and never got any comments. But then I started throwing in the occasional "white" doctor or "white lawyer," "white teenager" and "white" ADA and wow! "Why do you have to say white teenager when you later mention her blue eyes and bond hair?" "What does being white have to do with being a doctor?" Answer: I just don't want my readers to assume that "White" is always the default race if I don't specifically say. It came as a shock to some of my readers 3 or 4 books into the series to discover that a continuing character was black.

[Sheila Connolly]

As you rightly point out, at certain times and in certain places, defining ethnicity is important to our understanding of a character and his or her relationships with other people.

I created a character who is the American-born child of Jamaican migrant workers. She's also young and female, and she's trying to work with a crew of older men. Her ethnic identity is completely appropriate to the time and place (contemporary New England), and provides an element of conflict to her sub-story.

But inserting a cookie-cutter character who happens to be Filipino or Greek just for the sake of diversity is artificial and obvious.

[Karen in Ohio]

The times, they are a-changin'. As Margaret pointed out, this used to be no big deal. To white people. Most of the writers were white, and most of the readers were, as well, and yes, that was the "default" mode. We "just assumed", didn't we? It's a different world today, though, and I think this has happened, although gradually, over the last 30 years.

My husband is currently working on a series of educational video clips on science topics that will be shown in schools to grades K-2. He's done 50 of these already in the last 15 years, but this batch will have more children in them: riding bikes, drinking water, jumping, running through a sprinkler, etc. Usual kid things. He sent the first sample to the streaming company for review and the biggest change they wanted? More racial diversity in the kids. It's the first time in his long--40 year--career that any of his projects have come with that sort of directive. Which makes perfect sense, given that in the US today Caucasian is no longer the "default" mode when it comes to race. In California, for instance, white people only comprise less than a third of the population. Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, black, and mixed--like the exotically gened Tiger Woods, for instance--comprise the rest. It would be plumb silly to make the assumption that all characters share the same gene pool and therefore race nowadays.

All that said, I think a physical description is usually sufficient. Some authors are a bit ham-handed at this, but it's possible to get it right without being either rude or disrespectful.

What an interesting discussion, Diane. Thank you for bringing this up!

[Sandi]

I'm with Joshilyn on this one. Years ago, at the height of the political correctness craze, my employer sent everyone to a sensitivity seminar. We were instructed to NEVER identify a person by their difference, be it race, disability, or other. I questioned the instructor. "You mean if I am trying to explain that the person they're looking for is the only black woman in the room, I have to say 'the woman in the blue dress standing next to the shrimp platter'?!!" Yes, I was told. WHY?!!

Being respectful of another person means respecting their race, or their disability, or their pink hair. Acknowledging without judgment is the key. If we try to ignore the difference it becomes easy to ignore the value, the validity of that difference. Pretty soon we're not just ignoring the difference, we're ignoring the people who are different from us.

Back to your question - should you identify a person by their ethnicity in your books. If it has a direct bearing on the story, absolutely. Whether you do it via a direct statement or through a physical description is up to you. Next question - should you include descriptions of characters of different ethnicities when it has no bearing on the story? Personally, that's a big yes for me, too. It isn't forcing diversity, it's acknowledging diversity. I have a friend who is half Filipino. Just last week we were talking about how growing up hearing her mother speak means that sometimes my friend slips an L in where an R should be. Her ethnicity has no bearing on our friendship, but it is part of who she is. What's wrong with that? And why can't your characters have friends of different ethnicities without it being a plot point?

[Karen in Ohio]

I love the last point you made, Sandi. In particular since most of us do have friends with multiple ethnicities.

My oldest daughter went to all-white schools, with maybe a rare one or two other races in her classes, just as I grew up. My younger two daughters (14 and 17 years younger than their older half-sister) each had friends of varied backgrounds, especially my youngest. In middle school she was invited to a quinceanera, and an Arengatrem, which is a recital for a very complicated East Indian dance done by young girls. In honor of her friend's mastery of this dance, Holly and two other friends wore traditional Indian garb her friend brought back from a visit to her parents' family home in that country. She also went to another friend's bat mitzvah, which no one else in our family had ever attended.

My point here is how things have changed over the course of our family history. My younger kids grew up learning in school about racial diversity and how to live in that kind of world. The rest of us had to muddle through that minefield on our own.

[Lynne]

Ok, I have to admit that I totally don't get this issue....if she doesn't like this, why does she read your books??? I am always amazed at people who are so insistent on making others do what they would do. The whole political correctness taken to the nth degree so that everyone has their own version of it. Too crazy. Life is too short. Write how you need/want to write. I have no problem with how a character is described, as long as it helps me visualize them. And I admit that at times I am frustrated as a reader when there aren't enough descriptive clues to help me get that visualization that I need as I read.
So keep on doing what your doing and let the whiners go elsewhere!

[Maryann Mercer]

Amen to Lynne! I would only find it frustrating if an author felt the need to keep referring to a character using their ethnicity. Always referring to Jane Doe as "that Black (or Asian or British)" person isn't necessary once you've established their race or culture. Sometimes characters names are the only clue needed--Hector Hernandez for example...Hispanic...Bridget O'Dell...Irish. Or maybe that's just me. I created a character with the name Marcus Andrews once...I thought he was Caucasian. My daughter thought he was African-American..it was the Marcus that did it. So, I did a description. But...sometimes the character's ethnicity is an important part of the story. As Lynne said, "write how you want/need to get the story told. I have more problems with wooden plots or wordy prose than I do with character description.

[Debby]

Feel free to call me what I am... Mexican American mix. LOL!!

Seriously, I am proud of what my grandmother (now 105 years old) and her parents survived (Pancho Villa) to come legally to the US. So when somebody would automatically assume that I was italian or greek? Sheeeesh.

I can understand if it is for no reason, just shoving in an ethnic character for color, but when it is pertinant then do it. If the reader has issues with it, then maybe they have deeper issues? Besides, there are more important things to worry about...are you presenting facts accurately and appropriately?

Ultimately, my biggest issues are more along the line of keeping the storyline interesting and moving, getting the book edited properly (a few hickups are okay), and not getting hooked on one phrase and using it a milion times in one book (I love my roget's thesaurus).

[Diane Chamberlain]

Holly, just a note: I didn't describe the nurse as a 'male nurse' in the story. :)

Joshilyn, I think you hit the nail on the head with your 'default' argument. Makes perfect sense to me.

Sandi, I like your point about 'acknowledging diversity'. In my work in progress, though, I thhink I'm going to play with descriptors more than labels, though, just to see how it feels and reads.

Lynne, she reads my books because she loves them (her words, not mine). And she is, in my opinion, being waaay picky. But because the issue has meaning for her, she's caused me to think about it...and address it here. i appreciate the 'diversity' in our opinions!

[Nancy Pickard]

Diane, I like your attitude very much--about deciding to play with descriptors more than labels, just to see how it feels and reads. What the heck? Can't hurt, as long as it does give readers a clear picture, and it could make any of us a stronger writer.

Some time back I became suddenly aware of how as a white writer I was always describing black characters as black, and for some reason it struck me wrong, so I experimented with it, too--calling white characters white, for instance. It felt awkward and a few readers asked about it--not because it offended them, just because they had never seen a white writer do that before and they wondered why I did it. I never made up my mind about the whole thing, so I find this discussion really interesting. Sometimes in "real" life I experiment with trying to describe somebody without using the obvious descriptors and IT'S HARD to do!!

I do think Joss has a good point with the default thing. I also think it never hurts to take a look at where we have our default buttons set and then see if we want to keep them that way or reset them. Joss *has* looked at this and made a good decision for her books; I looked at the same one and never came to a firm decision, alas. I'll be curious to see how this works out for you.

Good for you for giving this some thought, no matter how you end up using or not using it. Personally,I think how we describe our characters is important in a societal way, because we have a subtle influence whether we want it or not, and so it's a ripe field for self-examination. Or navel-gazing as some might describe it :)

[Laura (in PA)]

I have no problem with a character being described by their ethnicity, as long as, as has already been said, they are not referred to that way throughout. Plus, obviously, it shouldn't be stereotypical. But I like to know who the characters are, and what they're about. I'm a light-skinned Caucasian female who grew up in a large Irish/Catholic family and went to Catholic school most of my life. That description explains a lot about me - general looks, family life, religion, probable mores, possible lack of experience with diversity or other cultures - It tells my story without a 10-page description of my background. Sure, there are assumptions made, just like there would be with any ethnic or cultural description. It's a way of describing who a character is, so you can possibly spend time on how they differ from what would be expected, rather than how they fit the perception.

That can be done through description too, which works ok if it's not over the top. I've seen "her skin was the color of cafe au lait, and her curly black hair was pulled back from her face", or something like that, and you can at least get the point that she's not Swedish. Whether you say, "Bridget O'Donnell volunteered her seven older brothers to help with the set-up after Mass", or "Bridget O'Donnell was Irish/Catholic", you're giving pretty much the same information.

So whether it be labels or descriptors, you're giving (presumably pertinent) information on the characters. What's the difference? And what's the problem?

[Cathy]

I see nothing wrong with identifying the race or ethnicity of characters, if only because, on average, if none is given, readers tend to default to Caucasian/White/WASP. Books aren't film. The only way people are going to know is if you say.

Which is not to say that there aren't other things that can be done, such as mentioning that a character went to an historically black college or university such as Spellman, or grew up or lives in a neighborhood associated with a particular ethnic group, or giving the character a name that makes it likely the character is not caucasian.

I don't really have a dog in the fight. And it's fair to say I don't really look for that sort of thing when I'm reading

[Katherine]

Good Grief! I agree with Lynne and Margaret. YOU are the author!

[Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran]

Years ago, I served as an audio describer - we described plays for the blind. We'd sit in the booth and the patrons would have a headset, and we'd describe the set, the action....and the actors. We had some serious training in being an audio describer. You have to describe what you SEE, not what you interpret. For instance, you could say that someone was smiling, not that someone was happy.

You learned pretty quickly that saying someone was African-American was useless as a descriptor. However, saying that someone was "tall and slender, with curly dark brown hair, brown eyes, and brown skin" gives the patron an idea of what the actor actually looked like.

I'm with Laura, in that whether it be labels or descriptors, you're giving information about the character. I would say that people that take issue with this are a bit touchy on the subject.

[Storyteller Mary]

Elizabeth Ellis taught me the perfect phrase for those with complaints about things you do not intend to change, "I'm sorry you were upset by . . . ." She would also sit with the offended people and help them map out which tellers would not offend them, so they could have a good time and not be upset.

You all have said it so well, descriptions are not put-downs. We used to laugh at ourselves trying to identify someone without addressing obvious physical characteristics, making a simple task complex and confusing. Storyteller Jackie Torrence was asked if she preferred black, African-American or what . . . and replied, "I don't care what you call me as long as you don't call me late for dinner."
I love the increased diversity in all areas of the arts. My friends quit secure jobs in order to publish books in which black children could see faces like theirs. Their own sons were teen-agers at the time, and willingly gave up some luxuries to allow this good work -- and the books are VERY GOOD! One of my more difficult students warmed considerable when I brought in some, including _Flossie and the Fox_. She held it to her and said, "My favorite!!" We never outgrow our favorites.
Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3372

[Josh]

Very funny, Maryann, about your character's name. I have a friend of Polish descent whose first name is "Leon," and in 1982, an older black clerk at the registrar's office at his northern California state college told him that she had never met a white person named "Leon." He had to prove it with his driver's license. He has almost always gone by his middle name in his day-to-day life, but we still chuckle about the story.

[Harley]

This is a great topic, Diane -- I struggle with it as an author and as a reader. When I come across a book that tries to describe a character using words other than "black" or "African American" the writing can draw attention to itself in a way that pulls me right out of the story--"with skin the color of coffee with cream" or whatever. Trying really hard to be inoffensive is exhausting and often graceless.

On the other hand, I'm white, so as Josh points out, I don't have an axe to grind, and maybe if I were the minority I'd be a lot more sensitive about it and say, "listen, I'll put up with awkward writing in the interest of changing attitudes." God knows, when it comes to issues of gender, nothing drives me crazier than some old white guy holding forth on rape, incest, equal pay for equal work, abortion, discrimination, with an attitude of, "Girls, girls, let's just relax, okay?"

But I really like Joshilyn's "default" setting. If I establish that we're in present day L.A. on page one, that's that. If I establish that I'm writing about a black family or a white family on page one, that's the default. Anyone who's not that, I need to describe. And if my story time-travels to 1889 Vienna, I need to describe that. That makes sense to me.

[gaylin in vancouver]

I have always figured if it is germane to the story, describing an ethnicity makes sense. I recently read a book that had Native American characters in it. The author constantly described everything they wore, every tiny detail. It got to the point where I kept getting knocked out of the story itself by this minute detail. Every other character may have got a passing 'he showed up in jeans & a t-shirt' but the native characters, described down to the soles of the moccasins. It got tedious.

I say go for it if it adds to the story or is needed in the story but edit out when it is not.

[Kerry]

I don't have anything substantive to add to the discussion - I agree that it is interesting because it causes us to think about our "default" settings and the assumptions we make about a character based on the descriptions we read. Mostly I just wanted to say that I never cease to be amazed at the way this community can have serious, informed, and respectful discussions about potentially hot-button topics. Y'all have offered much food for thought!

[marie]

Since writing is a creative and personal thing the author should have the freedom to describe his characters in a manner that moves the story forward.
After it has been published, the reader has the right to make decisions and assumptions.
Art is a flowing, ever changing process and it is their for everyone to view it in their own way.

[lil Gluckstern]

I think this is a great discussion. I've moved around quite a bit, and have lived with all varieties of people. I've been enriched by this-all the people, the foods, the cultures. I like the differences. I like descriptions of "ethnic" folks, but I think you have to write what's comfortable for you.

[Alan P.]

I first thought about this issue when I saw the movie version of "The Pelican Brief". I never pictured the lawyer as a black man, yet Denzel Washington looked perfect in the role. It is likely that unless we are told different, we see our selves as the heroes in books. The pages great advantage over film.

Certainly you should include race in a character's description if it is a part of the story. One thing would be to avoid stereotyping. There is another little twist to add. Most African Americans can tell you a story about the look when they meet someone face to face they have only spoken to on the phone. "You sounded white..." is a common phrase. Most African American professionals can tell you this from experience.

Male Nurses. For the last ten years nursing schools have had male majorities. Over time, male nurses will move from common to normal to the rule. Also, more females than males are in medical school. An entire genre of romance novels are soon to be history. Of course, Margret, the up and coming heart surgeon will be able to have a weekly session with Jacob the nurse with the blue eyes.

[Margaret Maron]

Touché, Alan!

[Diane Chamberlain]

>>Personally,I think how we describe our characters is important in a societal way, because we have a subtle influence whether we want it or not<<

Right on, Nancy. (write on?)

[Diane Chamberlain]

Mary Beth, that's fascinating! What an intriguing career that could be for a character. . . Hmm...

Harley, you're right about being pulled out of the story when the author tries to hard to avoid 'labels'. I just read a book (written by a Caucasian guy) in which a character was African American and I was a third of the way through the story before I realized it. I had to page back to see the clues I'd missed. Why couldn't he just have told me that??

[Nancy Martin]

I've been writing mysteries for ten years now, and I used to identify characters by their race. But since I was writing from a very, very white perspective, it finally felt kinda immature and.....well, racist to me. (My children are adamant that it is.) Should a person's color be the first thing we notice? My children would vehemently say no. And I realized I didn't like being immediately taken for a middle-aged white lady and all the baggage that comes with it. So I indicate ethnicity (not just race, but country of family origin and whatnot) in other ways besides skin color, and I leave it up to the reader to decide what's what. When I get together with readers and listen to them talk to each other, I'm always surprised by the nuances some readers "get" and others are blind to. I think it's a good thing to be color blind, gay blind, age blind, etc.

[Elaine Viets]

A copy-editor changed my characters to African-American in one book. I had to explain that could offend people in Florida. Many dark-skinned people are Caribbean-American. The islanders often don't get along with one another, so I have to be careful to describe them as Jamaican-American or Haitian or Cuban. And yes, those people are as different as southerners, New Englanders and Midwesterners.
Race is still a touchy subject in the US, but if we ignore it in our books, it's even worse.
You won't please everyone, Diane. You must write the world as you see it.

[Laraine]

Diane, I've been tackled on this same topic, with sometimes angry, mean-spirited attitudes from those who are urging me to 'not be racist.'
The thing for me is, it took me a while, coming from a caucasion/native american family in the south, to realize that I need not always mention someone's ethnic origins, and that I sometimes used racial descriptors as shorthand to indicate socio-economic factors--if I said that someone was , my usual friends/family heard implied things that I otherwise would have had to get off my lazy a** to describe, IF those things mattered to the conversation. But, since most of my conversations these days are with people beyond the circle of old friends and family, and with increasingly ethnicly-hip younger people, I've been trying to be aware of what I say and why.

One thing that I have finally, slowly, learned, is to describe WHY I mention someone's ethnicity--if there's no reason to mention it, and it plays no role in what I'm saying, then I simply omit any ethnic description.

[Laraine]

Mr. Typepad edited me! I used brackets around a description of ethnic origin, and he just left it out altogether.

Ah, well.

One thing I've been vividly aware of lately is how ethnic descriptions mirror my feelings and sense of safety, which is difficult transmit accurately in writing. For years, 'Russian' meant to me a culture that was mysterious and fascinating, full of art and literature that I admired. Then, 'Russian' meant downright admirable, when I had the opportunity to study with a a great Russian poet. 'Russian' was neutral or appreciative as I would describe that I have students who are 'Swiss, Israeli, Russian, Chinese, (etc., etc., etc.)', and admire their diligence and determination.
Lately, though, as my little burgh has been (seemingly) suddenly 'taken over' by a big and ongoing wave of recent Russian transplants, with lots of housing, businesses, etc. now being run preferentially by these new neighbors in favor of their own friends, family, etc., I've been horrified to find that my resentment over a perceived lack of FAIRNESS has been translating to making 'Russian' a pejorative term. Sigh. I still love my Russian teacher, friends and students . . . it is weird when the occasional whine slips out.

[Reine]

When writing fiction, the problem with identifying someone’s culture is that the character often becomes caricaturish. Placed against a backdrop of assumed whiteness the characters’ differentness invites stereotypic involvement and resolution.

Most often, people who complain about the naming of their own ethnicity or culture (the term I prefer because it includes the excluded - all those who are set aside as different - into groups) are, in North America at least, caucasian or the people who are being typecast.

The special challenge for fiction writers involves the fact that not having one’s identity recogized or acknowledged as part of a group is also problematic. At the same time there exists a certain resentment for outsiders writing about life as part of an intimate group. While some authors do a good job of it, the “other,” those being written about by the outsider, are often wary, at the very least, of being defined by virtue of being written about.

A person’s identity is not obvious from their appearance. Because my skin color is white, I look caucasian. I am, however, multiracial and have complex cultural relationships within and outside of my family. My father had an Irish catholic identity. My mother identified as Québec métis or perhaps more First Nations/French. She had a Polish mother, but outside of eating certain holiday foods as kilbasa-wrapped ham, she was not raised in the Polish culture of Salem, Massachusetts. I learned recently that might have been because my grandmother was actually Russian from Russian-occupied Poland, something my mother, and I am sure my grandmother, never knew. Although they were unaware of it (and would have been horrified), both my parents’ genealogical backgrounds included a significant amount of WASP heritage.

My mother and some of her family wanted to name me Marie-Reine, an old family name from Québec. The indigenous part of my family wanted Rain but thought Reine would work, pronounced the English way. My father wanted to name me Maureen, and my mother went with Maureen at the very last moment, because it sounded like Marie-Reine. So, depending on how I know you, or who you are, I am Maureen, Marie-Reine, Rain, or Reine or Reine-Marie (my preference, just because I like the way it sounds).

I recall the day we discovered the African part of my father’s family heritage. You would think it could only have been obvious, but it was not, is not. We were sitting in the back yard of my parents’ Altadena, California home talking about family history while my grandmother, my father’s mother from Boston, was visiting. The conversation went like this:

My grandmother said, “We’re Black.”

My father said, “You mean Black Irish, Mother.”

“No, I mean we are Black.”

“Give me another beer, Maureen, will ya.”

My grandmother doesn’t give up, “’If I meant Black Irish I would have said Black Irish. I said, ‘Black.’”

My grandmother was a fully capable and rational human being. My father was not. The topic never came up with them again.

I was the student minister at an old and distinguished African American church in Boston. While I have a métis identity, I look White. The church had me interface with the Native American/First Nations community in Boston to help promote community awareness and communication between the two groups, who actually have many historic connections.

The people who question my identity are caucasian. They are often taken aback by my cultural affiliations and my take on life issues. Offensive comments to me have included many, but outstanding in my memory is, “I don’t see what your problem is – you look white!”

So, how to give recognition and enrich your writing with inclusivity while not giving voice to who you are? I don’t know. I think it’s a good thing to do, and I hope you continue with it, Louise. I think you are wonderful for bringing this forward today, and I very much enjoy your books.

[Jennifer Woodward]

I read the readers questions to you regarding your characters ethnicity and why you pointed it out on a review of "Midwife's Confession" and I saw this question prior to reading the novel so I was curious how it was posed in the text of the novel. I should also mention that I read "Midwife's Confession" on a 13 hour car ride with my husband. When I came to the point where the neighbor who came to the door that night was African American, I saw nothing whatsoever unusual in the way you wrote it. Since my husband was confined in the car with me and as I would give him updates on the novel, I asked him this very question. His response was "it would depend upon how it was worded and in what context."

I think some people run for fear at the word "discrimination." The word itself is not evil. To discriminate merely means to make a distinction. I would surely think that everyone would be able to discriminate me, and older, gray haired white woman, from any other elderly person of any other color. It's right out there in-your-face obvious. We are a candyjar world of colorful people. EMBRACE IT! Embrace the differences. Nothing wrong with it at all.

That was my long winded answer to, it didn't bother me a bit. In fact, I enjoyed "seeing" the characters as you envisioned them to be as well as reading about real people, neighbors, co-workers in our lives.

[Reine]

Apology to Louise and
Diane: - I meant Diane - not "Louise."

[Diane Chamberlain]

Marie-Reine, I loved reading about your colorful background! And have always loved your name.

Jennifer, I agree with your husband about wording and context. Thanks for sharing.

[Storyteller Mary]

P.C. to the max: One of my Shakespeare students referred to Othello as an African-American. I tried to be very gentle when I corrected her . . .

[Reine]

Did I leave out my stepmother - my ethnic Chinese stepmother from the Philippines? I don’t think of her often, but when I do it’s always unpleasant. I was still alternately struggling with and enjoying my grandmother’s Black family history revelation when my stepmother inspected the nape of my neck, found the few tight curls I posses and plucked them out with tweezers saying with each quick pull, “Like a Black. Like a Black.” I haven’t talked to her since.

[Reine]

Thank you, Diane.

[Jenni Wiltz]

Hi Diane,

I like your idea about playing with descriptions. I think trying that as a writing exercise could make all of us better writers. How would you describe a Mexican man without using his name or his ethnicity? An Asian woman? It forces a writer to see the character in more than a superficial light. I'm thinking lots of good writing practice will come out of this...even if, in the end, you do use naming conventions or go back to stating ethnicity for the sake of simplicity.

[Lotus Blossom]

Race and ethnicity, it sometimes is a touchy issue for me. Usually it registers with me, but sometimes it does not. For example, I tend to notice that the tv shows I watch in the U.S. are usually all white, but I watch the shows I like anyway because I can identify with the characters in some way even though I am from a different ethnic group. People are people.

I am Asian American but I have a very French sounding name. One of the top most annoying questions/comments I get about my name is "Is that your REAL name?" The most “memorable” situation was when I answered “Yes, this is my real name.” The white woman who asked me this question said, quote: “No it’s not. What is your REAL name? Your Oriental name?” Fortunately I am too well brought up react what I wanted to do – smack her across the face, and/or karate kick her (another Oriental stereotype). Incidentally I prefer the term Asian over Oriental, because Oriental always reminds me of things, something exotic and fantasy. My ethnicity and race does play some importance in who I am, but they are not the only identifying characteristics.

[Diane Chamberlain]

LOL, Mary!

LB, thanks for adding your unique perspective.

[Sheree Gillcrist]

I have always considered writing to be a creative form of painting pictures with words and in so much, if the novels you write are the portraits of all that you see and more importantly all that inspires you, then why shouldn't they be an accurate representation of the reality that life presents you?

[Angela]

This is an interesting issue to me, since I am one of those readers who has found herself only learning the ethnicity of a character 3 books into a series because nothing was said to describe the character before then. I am not a writer, so am not sure how eloquently this could be done, but it would be great if the author could subtly describe the traits of all the characters, such as, "Eileen had always been embarrassed by the freckles that covered her alabaster skin," or, "Judith was an elegant, tall woman with flawless, cafe au lait skin." Also, I think it is helpful to know the character's background, such as if he or she is of Italian, Caribbean, Irish, etc. descent. I agree with other commenters that a character's ethnicity is often central to his or her personality, motivations, perceptions, etc.

[Angela]

Oh, and as a fiction reader, you want to fall into the lives of the characters, be surrounded by them, relate to them, and disappear into the setting of the book. How can you do that without knowing the backgrounds (and ethnicities) of the characters?

[Barbara O'Neal]

Late as ever to the discussion, but this is fascinating. I have such a jumble of ethnicities in my life that I have thought about this a lot, and have played around with it in my characters. In How to Bake a Perfect Life, Katie is mixed race because her father is black, because I have mixed race kids and I thought that would be fun, but I could pretty much tell you readers probably didn't catch that. Which means the cinematic element of the work is lost a little bit. That might not matter to some, but I tend toward visuals, and so it seemed like a cheat by the end.

Love the device in Crooked Letter, which I have sitting on my desk. That seems real.

[Renee Elliott]

When I was in second grade, I read a biography about Martha Washington. Her playmate was described as a "colored girl". I was intrigued. I imagined her as blue or purple, and wondered why she was so different. That is the only detail I remember about the book!

I think there are ways to describe people's ethnicity in a more roundabout fashion, but sometimes brevity is best. Doesn't a description of a character usually depend on how much you choose to develop them?

[Diane Chamberlain]

barbara, I definitely caught it ( your character's ethnic mix) and loved that addition to the story.

[Kim]

I had to laugh when I saw that Margaret had posted a comment because when I first read the Deborah Knott books, I wondered if Deborah and her family were meant to be African-American. And then I thought, "what does it matter?" I love the books and the characters and that wouldn't change no matter what ethnicity they were meant to be.

I think I have to agree with Joshilyn, in that we notice that which is different from us and would remark on it accordingly. And I don't think that habit is inherently racist, just human nature.

What an interesting discussion!

[CilleyGirl]

I've thought about this topic for several years and my conclusion is that we both describe the features that are different from ourselves as well as seek to distinguish one person from many, starting with the general and working to the specific. It seems a little bigoted to describe someone as being asian, but imagine if you are standing in the middle of Tokyo at the time. If the person you are describing is not asian, that is their chief distinguishing feature from those around them. If that person is asian, then your descriptors change -- hair shorter than mine, taller than me, etc. I think some of it is leftover from the primitive when you had to instantly distinguish friend from foe. Friends probably looked a lot like you, foes did not.