Wood, Naomi C. Selected Bibliography and Guide for “I” is not for Indian: The Portrayal of Native Americans in Books for Young People.
http://aila.library.sd.gov/publications/inotindian.htm
The book review I selected centered on the importance of creating a library of books that contain an accurate portrayal of Native Americans. It explains that librarians are often do not know how to tell if a book portrays Indians accurately and they do not know where to find authentic reviews surrounding the topic. The article continues to explain that finding texts that contain an accurate portrayal of Native Americans is necessary because incorrect representations are dehumanizing to the Native American culture. One reason for this widespread problem has been that Indians are rarely mentioned in American history classes across the country. “Add to this lack of education the very pervasive and subtle dehumanizing stereotypes that are ingrained as part of American popular culture, and you've got a lot to overcome before you can identify these things in children's books. It should also be pointed out that these stereotypes and misperceptions are commonly held by all Americans of all races, often, tragically, by Indian children themselves.”
Overall, the article explains why this is such an important problem to overcome and ways to help reduce it. The authors provide a list of books that are not good representations as well as books that are great resources for libraries and classrooms. They also provide a list of what to look for when selecting appropriate texts. As a whole, this article has opened my eyes on why this is such a significant concern and how to prevent it.
No comments:
Post a Comment