No Boys Allowed: School visits as a woman writer

#1

http://shannonhale.tumblr.com/post/1121 ... man-writer

I’ve been doing school visits as part of my tour for PRINCESS ACADEMY: The Forgotten Sisters. All have been terrific—great kids, great librarians. But something happened at one I want to talk about. I’m not going to name the school or location because I don’t think it’s a problem with just one school; it’s just one example of a much wider problem.

This was a small-ish school, and I spoke to the 3-8 grades. It wasn’t until I was partway into my presentation that I realized that the back rows of the older grades were all girls.

Later a teacher told me, “The administration only gave permission to the middle school girls to leave class for your assembly. I have a boy student who is a huge fan of SPIRIT ANIMALS. I got special permission for him to come, but he was too embarrassed.”

"Because the administration had already shown that they believed my presentation would only be for girls?"

"Yes," she said.

I tried not to explode in front of the children.

Let’s be clear: I do not talk about “girl” stuff. I do not talk about body parts. I do not do a “Your Menstrual Cycle and You!” presentation. I talk about books and writing, reading, rejections and moving through them, how to come up with story ideas. But because I’m a woman, because some of my books have pictures of girls on the cover, because some of my books have “princess” in the title, I’m stamped as “for girls only.” However, the male writers who have boys on their covers speak to the entire school.

This has happened a few times before. I don’t believe it’s ever happened in an elementary school—just middle school or high school.

I remember one middle school 2-3 years ago that I was going to visit while on tour. I heard in advance that they planned to pull the girls out of class for my assembly but not the boys. I’d dealt with that in the past and didn’t want to be a part of perpetuating the myth that women only have things of interest to say to girls while men’s voices are universally important. I told the publicist that this was something I wasn’t comfortable with and to please ask them to invite the boys as well as girls. I thought it was taken care of. When I got there, the administration told me with shrugs that they’d heard I didn’t want a segregated audience but that’s just how it was going to be. Should I have refused? Embarrassed the bookstore, let down the girls who had been looking forward to my visit? I did the presentation. But I felt sick to my stomach. Later I asked what other authors had visited. They’d had a male writer. For his assembly, both boys and girls had been invited.

I think most people reading this will agree that leaving the boys behind is wrong. And yet—when giving books to boys, how often do we offer ones that have girls as protagonists? (Princesses even!) And if we do, do we qualify it: “Even though it’s about a girl, I think you’ll like it.” Even though. We’re telling them subtly, if not explicitly, that books about girls aren’t for them. Even if a boy would never, ever like any book about any girl (highly unlikely) if we don’t at least offer some, we’re reinforcing the ideology.

I heard it a hundred times with Hunger Games: “Boys, even though this is about a girl, you’ll like it!” Even though. I never heard a single time, “Girls, even though Harry Potter is about a boy, you’ll like it!”

The belief that boys won’t like books with female protagonists, that they will refuse to read them, the shaming that happens (from peers, parents, teachers, often right in front of me) when they do, the idea that girls should read about and understand boys but that boys don’t have to read about girls, that boys aren’t expected to understand and empathize with the female population of the world….this belief directly leads to rape culture. To a culture that tells boys and men, it doesn’t matter how the girl feels, what she wants. You don’t have to wonder. She is here to please you. She is here to do what you want. No one expects you to have to empathize with girls and women. As far as you need be concerned, they have no interior life.

At this recent school visit, near the end I left time for questions. Not one student had a question. In 12 years and 200-300 presentations, I’ve never had that happen. So I filled in the last 5 minutes reading them the first few chapters of The Princess in Black, showing them slides of the illustrations. BTW I’ve never met a boy who didn’t like this book.

After the presentation, I signed books for the students who had pre-ordered my books (all girls), but one 3rd grade boy hung around.

"Did you want to ask her a question?" a teacher asked.

"Yes," he said nervously, "but not now. I’ll wait till everyone is gone."

Once the other students were gone, three adults still remained. He was still clearly uncomfortable that we weren’t alone but his question was also clearly important to him. So he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Do you have a copy of the black princess book?”

It broke my heart that he felt he had to whisper the question.

He wanted to read the rest of the book so badly and yet was so afraid what others would think of him. If he read a “girl” book. A book about a princess. Even a monster-fighting superhero ninja princess. He wasn’t born ashamed. We made him ashamed. Ashamed to be interested in a book about a girl. About a princess—the most “girlie” of girls.

I wish I’d had a copy of The Princess in Black to give him right then. The bookstore told him they were going to donate a copy to his library. I hope he’s brave enough to check it out. I hope he keeps reading. I hope he changes his own story. I hope all of us can change this story. I’m really rooting for a happy ending.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #2

Sounds like a girl book to me. I don't see why that should restrict attendance, though.

I am nobody · #3

He wanted to read the rest of the book so badly and yet was so afraid what others would think of him. If he read a “girl” book. A book about a princess. Even a monster-fighting superhero ninja princess. He wasn’t born ashamed. We made him ashamed. Ashamed to be interested in a book about a girl. About a princess—the most “girlie” of girls.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #4

^ Yeah, that sparked an interest in me lol.

#5

I might buy this book.

Because I'm a rebel you see.

I don't care if it's for 10 year olds. >:I

YouTube · #6

Every day I become more & more thankful for my anomalous childhood--I was never bothered for reading Judy Blume or Katherine Applegate or Ella Enchanted or Someday Angeline or whatever else in particular*--while simultaneously becoming more & more frustrated that so few other people apparently grew up that way.

*I was bothered for reading in general, not for what I read. And only by peers, never teachers or parents.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #7

^ Well, not everything should be off-limits, IMO. I'd have no son of mine reading MLP or something. Monster killing ninja princess sure.

YouTube · #8

^Blume's most famous book is about a pre-teen girl waiting to get her period. That is, by biological definition, way more girl-oriented than a sarcastic flying pony shooting lasers or whatever the crud they do on that show.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

#9

the wise man bowed his head solemnly and spoke:

there's actually zero difference between boy and girl stuff

because stuff is just stuff

you imbecile. you **** moron

the word of @dril

#10

mighty be the word of @dril

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #11

[QUOTE="CaptHayfever, post: 1520585, member: 25169"]^Blume's most famous book is about a pre-teen girl waiting to get her period. That is, by biological definition, way more girl-oriented than a sarcastic flying pony shooting lasers or whatever the crud they do on that show.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"[/QUOTE]

If we're getting deep, then chromosomes are more girly. By extension, science is girly and scientists are the girliest then, and so all science books are for girls.

I know I just blew some minds, I apologize.

Deepfake · #12

Some of the books I liked most were the Babysitter horror series as a kid. They were all urban legends and stuff, and all had female protagonists who were easy to sympathize with.[DOUBLEPOST=1425105726,1425105633][/DOUBLEPOST][QUOTE="I REALLY HATE POKEMON!, post: 1520598, member: 18119"]If we're getting deep, then chromosomes are more girly. By extension, science is girly and scientists are the girliest then, and so all science books are for girls.

I know I just blew some minds, I apologize.[/QUOTE]
Hahaha +10 cool points to IRHP.

In this whole personal-liberty hating world, it takes some serious goddamn balls for a man to openly like 'for women' stuff and I've gotta respect that.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #13

I think it's quality that matters. Child of Light and Final Fantasy X-2 are as girly as it gets and I love them.

I mean, it really hit me how girly CoL was after I tried explaining why it was great to people.

"Well...you're a cute little fairy princess in a magical kingdom and everyone speaks in poetry, and...and you make lots of friends and...it looks like a kid's story book...well look, it's good."

ZeldaGirl · #14

This is really heartbreaking. My husband's graduate thesis was actually all about how boys are often discouraged from reading because reading in general is perceived by them to be 'girly' or feminine. Obviously not all boys are affected by this, but many are encouraged to have pursuits other than reading for pleasure, or what they read is very specifically typed as 'not feminine'. It's a shame that these boys are being discouraged to interact with any kind of person willing to talk with them about reading and writing.

ScottyMcGee · #15

[QUOTE="ZeldaGirl, post: 1520644, member: 21628"]This is really heartbreaking. My husband's graduate thesis was actually all about how boys are often discouraged from reading because reading in general is perceived by them to be 'girly' or feminine. [/QUOTE]

It's so dumb.

Like good f*cking luck driving and not seeing that "BRIDGE OUT" sign. Actually, I HOPE they can't read the sign and drive off.

Same thing with cooking. My father was one of those asshats who never cooked because "my wife will do it because it's a wife thing." Holy sh*t, do you know you WOULD DIE if you were in the wilderness? If you were stuck in some post-apocalyptic world? It's basic survival skills, people. You don't need to be Mario Vitalli. Just turn on the f*cking stove and heat something up.

Random User · #16

Spaghetti-O's are too girly for me.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #17

^^ Nothing wrong with dividing duties between people. Anyway, I'm sure you're joking, but not wanting to cook and not being able are two different things. Come apocalypse we can all cook, promise.

Random User · #18

Most people don't know how to cook anything that isn't pre-made or canned. If someone asked you how to make bread, I am sure you would know how it was made, but not how to actually do it yourself.

I REALLY HATE POKEMON! · #19

^ There's so many types of food that people just have to know how to make some. If you can't cook an egg or grill a fish you're hopeless.

#20

There are many, many people, who cling so tightly to gender divides (not just agreed-upon household divides) that they cannot cook an egg or grill a fish. They never learnt, because that's "not their job". Just like women who don't know how to change a tyre, because men do the car work. Um, no.