[Michlib-l] Wilder

[Journey Robinson]

 Thank you, Anne, for speaking up about this topic.

For those interested in this type of historical fiction, the more recent
"Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park seemed to be a good alternative to
Wilder's books to me (I very much enjoyed it!). However, I admittedly know
little and defer to those in marginalized communities represented in these
materials--whether accurately or falsely--who certainly know more about the
effect these portrayals have.

Journey Robinson
They/Them <https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why>
Youth Services Librarian
Commerce Township Community Library
Phone:  248-669-8108 Ext. 112



On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 12:58 PM Journey Robinson <
jrobinson at commercelibrary.info> wrote:

> Thank you, Anne, for speaking up about this topic.
>
> For those interested in this type of historical fiction, the more recent
> "Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park seemed to be a good alternative to
> Wilder's books to me (I very much enjoyed it!). However, I admittedly know
> little and defer to those in marginalized communities represented in these
> materials--whether accurately or falsely--who certainly know more about the
> effect these portrayals have.
>
> Journey Robinson
> They/Them <https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why>
> Youth Services Librarian
> Commerce Township Community Library
> Phone:  248-669-8108 Ext. 112
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 10:28 AM Anne Heidemann via Michlib-l <
> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>
>> Boozhoo (hello), Michigan library community,
>>
>>
>>
>> I wanted to share some information about Wilder and her Little House
>> books that not everyone may be thinking about. In my role serving as the
>> Tribal Librarian for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, I have had the
>> opportunity to study and think about this issue in depth and humbly share
>> this with you.
>>
>>
>>
>> The content of Wilder’s works is actively harmful, not just to Native
>> readers whose ancestors are supposedly portrayed in them, but to everyone
>> who reads them and takes in those damaging depictions. They portray a
>> vision of history as seen from a settler colonialist perspective that did
>> not allow any room for the humanity of people who were not white settlers
>> (in addition to the inaccurate depictions of Indigenous peoples, there is
>> also anti-Black content).
>>
>>
>>
>> Many of us working in libraries may have fond memories of reading or
>> having these books read to us when we were kids, but it is possible to
>> separate those memories from the harmful content that accompanied them – to
>> make a different choice when recommending books to today’s young readers.
>>
>>
>>
>> My suggestion here is that we choose to celebrate writers and books that
>> include everyone’s humanity, and chose not to celebrate those which do not.
>>
>>
>>
>> There is quite a lot of writing out there about the damage that Wilder’s
>> books do.  Please contact me off-list if you’d like me to provide
>> suggestions.
>>
>>
>>
>> Miigwetch,
>>
>> Anne
>>
>>
>>
>> Anne Heidemann, Tribal Librarian (she/her)
>>
>> Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Gindaaso-gamik - Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries
>>
>> aheidemann at sagchip.org - aheidemann at sagchip.edu
>>
>> 989-787-0651 * 989-775-4519 * 989-317-4789
>>
>> ploud.saginaw.net
>>
>> subscribe to our newsletter
>> <http://www1.youseemore.com/saginaw/contentpages.asp?loc=52>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Michlib-l mailing list
>> Michlib-l at mcls.org
>> https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
>>
>

-- 
The information contained in this electronic message is intended only for 
the use of the designated recipient(s). If the reader of this message is 
not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, use, 
dissemination, forwarding or copying of this message is strictly 
prohibited, and we request that you delete the original message and all 
attachments.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail3.mcls.org/pipermail/michlib-l/attachments/20210914/f2a9a584/attachment.html>