Do African-American Readers Prefer Urban Lit?

In a discussion that I contributed to near the end of December on readers.ning.com, a gentleman made a comment that disturbed me to no end. He said, "Urban [lit] novels have replaced all types of reading. They have become the alternative to any higher-level reading selections in the African-American community." Is he saying that "Stories From The Hood" have become "THE ALTERNATIVE" to any other works of literature?!? I couldn't disagree with him more.

He added, "New age forms of writing have caused us to forget the traditional art forms and artists, such as Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez or Langston Hughes." Now, he's got a point. I don't know many people who are checking for Paul Lawrence Dunbar these days, but as far as Giovanni, Sanchez and Hughes are concerned, they still rank fairly high on my reading list.

What is most unsettling is that he is not alone in his thinking. I have come across several other readers/writers who feel the same way that he does. And, let me not forget to mention that sells for Urban Lit are off the chain, which explains why it seems to be dominating the market. I started wondering, are folks really not interested in literary fiction anymore?

It wasn't until I read a blog post on MySpace by Tananarive Due, author of Blood Colony and more recently, In the Night of The Heat, written with Steven Barnes and Blair Underwood, that I realized there are others who share my point of view, which is that within the last few years there has been an influx of books that lack originality and creativity, many of which are published under the guise of Urban Literature. In Due's posting, she shared part of a discussion that she had with James Fugate, co-owner of Eso Won Books in L.A. He told her that business is slow and Black books in general are not doing well.

"There are a lot of factors, perhaps: A bad economy. Internet book sales. Competition with chains. Fewer book tours to draw in the crowds," Due wrote. "But Fugate also says that he believes that in recent years, more of the books are lacking in originality and story. He wonders if some Black readers may feel squeezed out by shifts in the marketplace."

The shifts in the marketplace that Fugate is speaking of has to do with the overwhelming amount of Urban Lit being published, promoted, and passed off as definitive works that speak to the African-American experience. It's the literary equivalent to BET. Yep ... scary, I know.

Well the good news is a dialogue is in effect between supporters of Urban Lit and others voicing their disdain for it. Actually, the latter is speaking loudly and they're calling for an end to it all. In fact, there is a heated discussion going on right now at www.theurbanbooksource.com. It was prompted by an article entitled, Urban Lit is Dead! by Joey Pickney. Check it out!

**Congratulations to Tananarive Due on receiving two NAACP Image Award nominations for In the Night of The Heat. The NAACP Image Awards will be broadcast on Feb. 12th on Fox at 8 p.m. To cast a vote, click on NAACP to join.

Commentary on "Annie John" a Novel by Jamaica Kincaid

What makes a young girl who loves, adores and idolizes her mother the first ten years of her life, despise her the next?

This question came to mind while reading Jamaica Kincaid's, "Annie John," a novel about a young girl coming of age in the West Indies. Interestingly enough the antagonist's life bares an uncanny resemblance to that of the author's who like Annie John grew up in St. John, Antiqua. In her works, Kincaid explores with raw honesty the complicated nature of the relationship between mother and daughter.

Annie John is an only child who during her early years enjoyed the full loving attention of her mother, also named Annie, who never missed an opportunity to shower her with endless affection. She completely worshiped her the way most little girls do their mothers. Then one day, Annie arrived home early from school only to witness her parents making love. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but felt a bit put off. "I was sure I could never let those hands touch me again; I was sure I could never let her kiss me again. All that was finished," she thought. This may of been the first significant sign of betrayal that she felt by her mother.

It wasn't until upon hearing that she was "too old" for her favorite past time of spending the whole day going through her trunk, which her mother kept safe the memories of Annie John's special moments, that the young girl experienced deep feelings of hurt.

Annie John was twelve when her mother, informed her that she was becoming a young lady, and would now have to participate in activities appropriate for her age. From then on, it was war. The mere thought of things changing simply because she was growing older disappointed Annie John. She viewed her mother's new point of view as rejection and turned to mischievous ways as vengeance.

I suppose she felt much like I did when my mother told me that I was too old to play with dolls. I was eleven or twelve, and requested a doll on my Christmas list. My mother wasted no time in informing me that toys were no longer an option, and that I would only be receiving clothes ... "CLOTHES?!?" I remember thinking, "Is that it?" I struggled with a sense of "twoness." On the one hand I hated the thought of having to take on a new role as a "young lady," because it required me to give up so many of the things that I loved to do as a little girl. On the other hand, I longed to be an adult so that I could do things on my on terms and not be told what to do or how to act all of the time.

Annie John's childhood bond with her mother turned into a love-hate relationship that changed them forever. It's a great story. Every woman, especially if you're a mother should read it.


Works by Jamaica Kincaid:
* "Girl," poem (June 26, 1978, appeared in The New Yorker then again in 1984 in At the Bottom of the River)
* At the Bottom of the River (1984)
* Annie John (1985)
* A Small Place (1988)
* Annie, Gwen, Lilly, Pam, and Tulip (1989)
* Lucy (1990)
* Biography of a Dress (1990)
* "On Seeing England for the First Time," essay (1991, appeared in Harper's Magazine)
* The Autobiography of My Mother (1995)
* My Brother (1997)
* My Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants they Love (editor; 1998)
* My Garden (1999)
* Talk Stories (2001)
* My Garden (2001)
* Mr. Potter (2002)
* Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas (2005)
* Figures in the Distance
* Life and Debt Film (2001)