#people of the newbery

[barricadescon]

Barricades 2024 Final Schedule!

The time is near! Barricades 2024 is happening THIS WEEKEND, July 12-14 , all online!

We have the final schedule available on the website at barricadescon.com or right here, on this post! A more detailed schedule including descriptions is available in text under the Keep Reading break!

BarricadesCon 2024 Program

A full programming schedule of all the panels, their content, their presenters, their times, and whether they will be recorded. 

All times are in UTC, and can be converted to your local time zone at this link.

Key to types of Panels:

Convention Administration panels: Panels run by the Con Committee, to open and end the convention.

Guest of Honor: Special panels from our guests of honor. This year, our guests of honor are Jean Baptiste Hugo, a descendant of Victor Hugo who will discuss his project photograph his ancestor’s house; Christina Soontornvat, the author of the award-winning Les Mis retelling “A Wish in the Dark;” and Luciano Muriel, playwright of the 2018 musical play “Grantaire.” 

Fan/Academic Panel Presentations: Panels on history, fandom, or analysis of Les Mis. Scholars will share historical research, fans will share hobby projects, and the audience may get an opportunity to ask questions. 

Social Meetups: Casual unstructured time to meet up over video call and chat!

Social Games: Games and activities.

Friday, June 12th

Discord Server Opens: Friday Morning UTC

Read through the rules, explore the channels, and chat with other congoers.

Welcome Session 

Friday, 17:00-17:30 UTC

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee 

Recorded: No

In this session, Concom 2024 will kick off BarricadesCon 2024 and welcome everyone. Concom will also walk everyone through some basic information and FAQs to help ensure a fun and interesting con for everyone.

The Cats of Les Misérables

Friday, 17:30-18:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Melannen

Recorded: No

A laid-back social panel to meet your fellow attendees, share pictures of your pets (or have them join you in the panel!) and chat about pets and Les Mis fandom generally.

(Guest of Honor) From Paris to Bangkok: a Thai-inspired retelling of Les Misérables

Friday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Christina Soontornvat

Recorded: Yes

Christina Soontornvat’s Newbery Honor-winning children’s novel, A Wish in the Dark, is a Les Misérables adaptation set in a magical Thai-inspired world. Christina will discuss the inspiration for the book, how she decided when to be faithful to the original, and how Hugo’s powerful themes of compassion and forgiveness resonate across age ranges and cultures.

Learn more about Christina’s work at soontornvat.com.

The Yellow Passport: Surveillance and Control in 19th Century France 

Friday, 19:00- 20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: David Montgomery, creator of the Siecle History Podcast

Recorded: Yes

Les Misérables takes place in a France of police spies, intercepted mail, travel restrictions and other elements of a 19th Century police state. What exactly were these ways French governments surveilled and controlled their citizens? How did they work? And how did people get around them? 

Meetup: Fan Creators

Friday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Eli

Recorded: No

Come meet fellow fan creators! Casual unstructured time to chat with other fans. A good place for people who spend a lot of time on Ao3.

Break 

20:00-21:00 UTC

Early Transformative Works: The First Les Miserables Fanart, Fanfics, and AUS

Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Psalm

Recorded: Yes

This presentation will give you an overview of the earliest works inspired by Les Misérables – including illustrations, comics, poems, pamphlets, and novels. Which ones will stand the test of time? And what can these works tell us about the book’s reception and impact? Come learn about the forgotten, but fascinating first transformative works about Les Misérables.

Black and Pink International

Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Darryl Brown Jr. (he/him), Senior Director of Programs and Advocacy, Black and Pink National. Kenna Barnes (she/they), Advocacy Manager, Black and Pink National

Recorded: Yes

This year, Barricades Con is donating all profits to Black and Pink International.

Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. Programming includes wrap-around services for those coming out of the carceral system such as but not limited to workforce development, transitional housing, newsletters to inside members and penpal matching, nationwide Chapters, youth-led research about young people living with HIV, and programming for and by people who do sex work.

Sex work as an issue sits clearly at the intersection of reproductive justice, prison abolition, and trans and queer liberation. Black trans women who engage in sex work face some of the highest rates of policing and surveillance, directly interfering with their ability to access safety and autonomy. We know that when we center the needs of Black trans women, especially those who engage in sex work, we are inherently able to address the needs of other system-impacted people along the way.

The Sex Worker Liberation Project (SWLP) is a collaboration between Black and Pink National and a network of current and former LGBTQIA2S+ people who do sex work across the country. This sex worker led group moves with the intention of building community, providing resources, and cultivating self advocacy tools.The SWLP is on a mission to tackle the urgent and multifaceted issues confronting sex workers, with a specific emphasis on the challenges faced by Black and Brown LGBTQIA2S+ sex workers.

Meetup: Brick Readers 

Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Mellow

Recorded: No

Come meet up and hang out with your fellow Brick readers! Let’s talk about weird nonsense from the book. 

Beat by Beat: a Les Mis 2012 Deconstruction

Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eli

Recorded: Yes

To quote Eli: “As an avid Les Mis fan and also someone with an MFA in screenwriting, I find the script for the Les Mis 2012 movie absolutely fascinating. The choices they made, the added brick scenes, the added song, the pacing, the dialogue, the shots selection—all of it contributes to a very interesting adaptation that our fandom owes a huge debt of gratitude to (whether we like it or not 🥲). I would like to take an audience through the 9 major beats of a screenplay, apply it to Les Mis 2012, and share my thoughts on what the filmmakers did right for this adaptation and what they did wrong. I’ll compare it to the Les Mis musical (the direct source material) as well as the Brick (the secondary source material) for insight on the choices they made!”

History Researcher Meetup

Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: David Montgomery

Recorded: No

A chance for history researchers to meet up and discuss their research!

Atonement: A Theatrical Piece for One Actor, Based on Segments from Hugo’s Les Miserables

Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Alexiel de Ravenswood

Recorded: Yes

This theatrical piece is a dramatic adaptation of scenes from Book 1 of the novel, focusing on the Bishop of Digne. Following the piece, actor Alexiel de Ravenswood will engage in q&a on the creative process and the themes explored.

Saturday, June 13th

Guest of Honor: The Photography of Jean Baptiste Hugo

Saturday, 15:00-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Jean Baptiste  Hugo

Recorded: yes

Jean Baptiste Hugo is the great-great-grandson of Victor Hugo. He has extensively photographed Hugo’s home in exile on Guernsey, which Victor Hugo decorated following his own aesthetic philosophies–in particular, the journey from darkness into light, which we see reflected throughout Hugo’s literary career. M. Hugo will share his photographs and discuss Hauteville House as a physical realization of his ancestor’s ideas.

Reflecting on Directing Les Mis

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Cait

Recorded: yes

In Cait’s words: “I directed an amateur production of Les Mis at the end of last year, and would love to talk about how that went and share snippets from the show and behind the scenes. This will include talking about adapting Les Mis for the space and budget, approaches to certain scenes, dual casting lead roles, and probably raving about my lovely cast.”

The Fallibility of History in Les Misérables 

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Syrup 

Recorded: yes

Throughout Les Misérables, Hugo often reminds readers that what they are reading is derived from some form of documentation or hearsay. While this serves to provide credibility to the tales he is sharing, there are certain moments where Hugo opts out of describing exact details, despite his efforts at a historically-accurate record. In this panel, I will take a look at these instances where Hugo either addresses or obfuscates these events, and how by doing so, he reveals the fallibility of history, and highlights how history documentations are not always as reliable as they seem. Thesis: By crafting Les Misérables as a form of historical documentation, Hugo reveals the fallibility of history, and readers are able to understand how history and history documentation are not always as reliable as they seem.

Break  

Saturday, 17:00-18:00 UTC

What Horizon: Tragedies, Time Loops, and the Hopefulness of Les Amis

Saturday, 18:00-18:30  UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Percy

Recorded: yes

In Percy’s words: “I have directed a staged reading of the play and will have video clips to show! My play is focused on the rebellion and Les Amis; it aims to give the barricades the attention they often lack in adaptation and develop the individual characters of the insurgents. I’m working to make this episode of the Hugo novel and its historical context accessible to audience members who may not be familiar with the source material, while hopefully also bringing something new to the story for longtime fans.

One aspect of the story I’m particularly interested in examining is the persistent sense of hope associated with the barricades, despite the insurgents’ eventual defeat and the previous failure of the July Revolution. Linking the seemingly cyclical process of revolution and restoration, the metatheatrical tradition of tragedies aware of their own repetition in performance before the audience, and the nature of Les Misérables itself as a story that has been told and retold countless times, I hope to show the audience the worth of the insurgents’ struggle and the importance of their continued efforts. Many adaptations construe the rebellion as futile or as solely a tragic story, so I would like my adaptation to counter that idea, as Les Amis grapple with the meaning of their sacrifice and the impacts of their actions.

In a presentation, I would discuss these ideas with reference to Hugo’s original text and the ways in which the rebellion has been changed in adaptation, as well as other works that inspired me (namely Hadestown and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead). I’d discuss the choices I made in my adaptation process and show clips from the staged reading, touching on the different characters and the historical setting as well as the overarching themes with which I engaged.”

Cosette: A Novel, The (Fanmade) Sequel to Les Misérables

Saturday, 18:30-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: IMiserabili

Recorded: yes

This presentation is  a deep-dive into the 1995 fanfiction “Cosette” by Laura Kalpakian. It will include a short background on the author and the publication, a summary of the plot, an analysis of represented historical events in the work, character analyses and comparisons to the source material and other Les Mis adaptations, and memorable quotes. 

Musical Eponine and Grantaire in song and lyric edits: Personal research on their development

Saturday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ruth Kenyon

Recorded: yes

In Ruth’s words: “I’m an older musical Les Misérables fan who has watched the show develop from its beginnings at the Palace Theatre. I have a special interest in how the lyrics and the characters have changed over time. As plenty of people know now, I am also writing a book on the musical using these experiences. I’m working on Eponine’s chapter at the moment, and while I know fans have a lot of love for as she is now, I feel quite upset to see what happened to her as she was developed from the original French version of the musical. She seems to have lost quite a lot of emotional agency along the way. Grantaire has also changed over time; he was cut before the previews and there was a big re-write of his character when the show went to Broadway, but I really like what they have done with his character. I’ll provide examples of all this detail with material from my book and (trying) to sing bits of lyrics to explain what has happened to the characters.”

Barricades as a Tactic: How Do They Work?

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Lem

Recorded: No

This session will explore the tactical and strategic uses of barricades, with an eye towards what to consider when writing both canon-era fanfiction and modern AUs. After all, the strategic goals towards which the barricades were used in canon-era urban warfare were often quite different from the strategic goals of similar-looking tactics in contemporary protest movements. Core components of the session will be a map-based analysis of July 1830, a comparison with June 1832 highlighting strategic goals and considerations canon-era characters would have, and an exploration of various parallels among contemporary protest tactics (which may or may not *look* like barricades).

Meetup: Musical Fans

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Erin

Recorded: No

A casual place to meet up with other fans and discuss the musical!

Break

Saturday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Why is There a Roller Coaster in Les Mis? The Strange History of the Russian Mountains

Saturday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Peyton Parker/Mellow

Recorded: Yes

In Les Miserables there is an actual canon scene where Fantine rides a roller coaster. How did a roller coaster end up in Paris in 1817? And why did this ride, one of the world's first wheeled Roller Coasters, make a cameo in Victor Hugo’s novel?

It’s “Les Mis Meets Defunctland.”

We’re going talk about the earliest origins of the Russian Mountains, the fascinating history behind how they came to France, their many connections to the political turmoil of the time period, what they felt like to ride, why they were shut down, how they fell into obscurity, and why Victor Hugo included them in Les Miserables. It’s time for a roller coaster digression.

Fanfic Round Robin

Saturday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Featheraly

Recorded: No

Participate in a round robin to help write a fic together!

Obscure(-ish) Les Mis Adaptations To Watch

Saturday, 23:00-23:30 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Pureanon

Recorded: Yes

Les Mis has been adapted many times over the years, and this means there’s a lot of adaptations to enjoy. Because of this, a lot of adaptations are underviewed or underappreciated. I’d like to use this panel to discuss some of my favorites/the most unique — 1925, 1948, 1967, and 1995. These are all very different, and aside from all being ones I enjoy, they’re fascinating looks at how different countries and different time periods adapt this story. 

The adaptations I’ve chosen are both some of the best and some of the worst out there, but they’re all unique. 1925 is one of the most faithful adaptations out there, and it uses the medium of silent film to full effect. 1948 has Valean get shot at multiple times in the opening minutes, and the revolutionaries fight with BARRELS in the barricade. 1967 is half one of the best Anglophone Les Mis adaptations ever, and half the drunkest. 1995 is more of an adaptation of how people react to Les Mis as a story than a straightforward adaptation, and it’s one of the most beautiful and unique versions out there. I intend to show a clip from each adaptation, so people can get a little taste of what each adaptation is like.

Recovery: a Fanfic Live Read

Saturday, 22:30-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eli, Barri

Recorded: Yes

A full cast will live read a Les Mis fanfic written specifically for the con.

Compared to Some People Grantaire is Doing Just Fine (No, Really)

Saturday: 22:00-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ellen Fremedon, Pilferingapples

Recorded: Yes

Grantaire and Marius are the two characters on the fringes of the Friends of the ABC, connected to the group by social ties rather than sincere political belief. In this panel, Pilf and Ellen will discuss the two characters as narrative foils, touching along the way on the problem with Great Men, bourgeois inaction, what it means to have the republic as a mother, and dying for love–plus those two pistols in Marius’s pocket.

Preliminary Gaities

23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade

Recorded: No

Preliminary Gayeties is the chapter where Grantaire gets drunk with Joly and Bossuet before the barricades.  It is perfect for a drinking game. 

In keeping with personal tradition, Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade will bring you a second year of our dramatic reading of the “Preliminary Gayeties” chapter of the brick. all while following specified drinking game rules (including classics such as “drink for brick quotes that appear commonly in fanfiction,” “pretentious classical references,” and “drink/eat when characters drink/eat”), and enjoying snacks mentioned in the chapter as they are mentioned. Everyone is invited to participate by reading, eating, and drinking along with this activity!

Sunday, June 14th

Publishing, Podcasting, and Promotion

Saturday, 15:00-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: David Mongomery, Alexiel de Ravenswood, Nemo Martin

Recorded: Yes

Whether it’s fanart, Tiktok videos or deep historical analysis, lots of us have THOUGHTS about Les Mis we’d like to share with the world. This panel discussion features creators sharing their advice on how to share your work with the world in a range of mediums.

Femme/butch: Dynamics of Gender and Attraction in Les Mis

Saturday, 15:00-15:30 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eléna

Recorded: Yes

In Eléna’s words: “This is a presentation about parallels between femme/butch dynamics and les mis! The focus is on Marius, Cosette and Eponine and their individual gender presentation and attraction. There will be a focus on the original text, but I will also talk about headcanons & representation in the fandom space! I’m a femme myself, but I’ll try to incorporate butch and transmasculine viewpoints!”

Lee’s Misérables: Jean Valjean, Confederate Hero

Saturday, 15:30-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Sarah C. Maza

Recorded: Yes

Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (1862) was as big a success in the United States as elsewhere in the world upon publication, hailed throughout the young nation as the commanding masterpiece of modern French literature. Why would a novel that celebrates violent insurrection and radical republican ideals be so warmly received in America? One of the (many) answers to that question is that the novel appeared in the midst of the Civil War, and that it provided engrossing reading to the many soldiers stuck in place for weeks or months in camp, hospitals, and prisons. Most surprising, though, is the evidence of Les Misérables’ appeal to Confederate soldiers (who jokingly called themselves “Lee’s Misérables”), as Hugo was on record as an ardent abolitionist. My paper will illustrate and explain the paradoxical appeal of Hugo’s novel in the South in two contexts: first, I will draw attention to the ways in which Confederate nationalists likened their cause to the European Revolutions of 1848; and second, I will explain the novel’s resonance within what Wolfgang Schievelbusch has called the “culture of defeat,” the emotional resonance, in some historical contexts, of narratives of doomed causes and heroic failure.

Guest of Honor: Luciano Muriel, playwright of “Grantaire”

Sunday, 16:00-17:00 UTC 

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Luciano Muriel

Recorded: Yes

Panel about the details of the creative process behind the show Grantaire, from the discovery of the character during the playwright’s first reading of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables to the opening night of the staging at the Teatro Pradillo of Madrid. Why Grantaire? Why a dramatic monologue? Why include Amaral songs? What did the awards and subventions entail? All the answers to these and many other questions.

Break

Sunday, 17:00-18:00 UTC

1848 in Chile: The Society of Equality and the Siege of La Serena

Sunday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academc Presentation

Presented by: Duncan Riley

Recorded: Yes

While the Revolutions of 1848 are traditionally seen as a European event, they had a powerful influence in Latin America. In Chile in particular, university students who studied in France during the revolutions would lead a movement to oust the conservative dictatorship that had ruled the country since the 1830s. Inspired by the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine and the ideals of utopian socialism, a group of Chilean intellectuals and artisans founded “The Society of Equality,” a cross-class political club dedicated to creating a democratic and participatory republic. Inspired by these ideals, in 1851 the citizens of La Serena, a mining town in northern Chile, declared their independence from the central government. Members of the Society of Equality transformed La Serena into the torchbearer of their vision of a new “democratic republic” that would restore civil liberties and grant greater autonomy to Chile’s provinces and municipalities. In defense of these principles, La Serena endured a months-long siege by government forces. The conflict inscribed itself within broader international dynamics of revolution and empire, as the British Royal Navy Intervened on the side of the government, while French immigrants built barricades to defend La Serena from invasion. Ultimately, then, La Serena and the Chilean Revolution of 1851 provide a fascinating window into the transatlantic exchanges of ideas that drove movements of democratic reform in both Europe and Latin America during the Revolutions of 1848.

The Unknown Light Examined

Sunday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Presentation

Presented by: Madeleine

Recorded: Yes

In the tenth chapter of Les Misérables, Bishop Myriel sets out to perform the last rights of Conventionnel G, a man reviled by all of Digne for having served on the body that voted to execute the king during the French Revolution. The bishop and the dying man debate the nature of equality, divine authority, and resistance to oppression. G’s fierce defense of the French revolution and Myriel’s staunch condemnation of political violence represent diametrically opposed philosophies, but the two men have more in common than first appears. They are both men of faith, in their own way, called to serve by their profound love for humanity. Intensely shaken by this realization, the bishop kneels before the dying sinner and asks his blessing.

What does this role reversal signify? How do Myriel and G’s conceptualizations of God and morality compare, and why does Hugo seek to reconcile them? To answer these questions, this panel investigates the thematic implications of this chapter. We’ll dissect the characters’ debate, discussing the historical and religious context that informs their moral frameworks—and Hugo’s depiction of them. Drawing on analysis by literary scholars, we’ll situate Hugo’s portrayal of the bishop and the conventionnel within this same context, evaluating the extent to which G is based on the Abbé Grégoire. We’ll also examine the impact of this chapter on Bishop Myriel’s characterization and symbolic role in the novel. Lastly, we’ll explore how “The Bishop in the Presence of an Unknown Light" serves as a political and philosophical thesis for Les Misérables.

Revolutionary Rants: “Les Misérables” Onstage from an International Perspective

Sunday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Presentation

Presented by: Tessa, Anne, Kaja, Marie, Apollon

Recorded: Yes

What started out as an open call online to gather fans from around the world to rant about the musical version of Les Mis has turned into a group of musical fans from four countries getting together to discuss our different perspectives of various international productions of the show. Topics include our favorite cast albums, how our favorite character interactions are staged in various productions we follow (including Enjoltaire), our favorite actors from the different productions, and our favorite memorable moments from the show. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the major impact the 2012 movie had on us as well!

Paint & Sip

Sunday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Psalm, Potatosonnet

Recorded: No

A short presentation on the artwork of Victor Hugo, his medium and subject matter, followed by crafting time inspired by Hugo’s work.

Les Mis Letters: Building a Book Club

Sunday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic presentation

Presented by: Mellow, Eccentrichat

Recorded: Yes

There are 365 chapters in Les Miserables. Les Mis Letters is an email subscription that sends you one chapter of Les Mis daily for a year.

Rachel and Mellow have been running the “Dracula-Daily” inspired Les Mis readalong since 2023! Mellow will speak to the behind the scenes process of setting up a Substack and discord server, while other readers will speak to the experience of reading Les Mis for the first time in this format or the small projects they’ve put together while following along.

Les Mis Singalong

Sunday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Megan

Recorded: No

Let’s let loose by belting out our favorite Les Mis songs together! All singing abilities welcome and encouraged, it’s virtual after all 😀 It will be musical-heavy but we’ll be sure to throw in some other fan favorites!

Closing Session 

Sunday, 22:00-22:30 UTC

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee

Recorded: No

Closing remarks by the convention committee, marking the official end of the convention.

Dead Dog

Sunday, 22:30-24:00

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee

Recorded: No

 “Dead Dog” is a fandom slang term for a laidback “afterparty” that happens when a convention has officially ended. 

[literaticat]

Weird question, but surely a book that sells one million copies is a success. Are most books that sell a million copies a recognizable/famous title?

I googled "Books that sold over a million copies in 2023" and got this response - of the top 10 books in the US last year, 8 of them sold over a million copies.

Of those, I've personally only read one (SPARE) -- and there's one I never really heard of - like maybe I heard the name but I can't visualize the cover (ATOMIC HABITS, but it's also not my kind of book, obviously at least a million other people have heard of it!). The other ones are quite familiar to me, and probably to most people who read a lot of books, even if they haven't read these ones!

Of course, that's just books that sell 1M in one year. Obviously any book that does that is a major bestseller and will have appeared on multiple bestseller lists for many months, and been on display all over the place, so yes, most people -- at least most people who pay attention to books at all -- probably would have heard of most of them.

That said, there are no doubt plenty of books you have never heard of that have sold a million copies OVER TIME. Like for example, maybe it's a random MG backlist title that gets assigned in schools all the time and sells 100k a year every year -- which, to be clear, is QUITE successful!!! -- eventually it will sell a million copies -- that's a lot of people who will know about it, but it may not have ever hit a bestseller list and won't necessarily be a household name or anything. If you didn't happen to be a MG student or teacher, or have a kid of that age, it may not have ever crossed your path. There are tons of books like that. (The self-help book you have never seen because you never needed it, but it has been quietly chugging away forever. The PB that got picked up by Dolly's Imagination Library and sold hundreds of thousands of copies without ever making a big splash in stores. The list goes on!)

Also - what people have heard of and not can be quite surprising. For example, the other day I saw a social media thread where people were talking about the book THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. THE GIVER came out in 1994. It won a Newbery Medal. It has, per wikipedia, sold more than 12 million copies. It still sells 50k-100k copies a year in the US - - a new edition that came out in 2014 has sold 2.5 million copies. It's regularly assigned in schools in the US to this day. It had a movie adaptation starring Meryl Streep for goodness sakes! It's a VERY FAMOUS BOOK, absolutely considered a classic. And people in the thread thought they were the only people who had ever read it and were SHOCKED that other people had heard of it. Like... OK!

(ETA: To be clear, I’m not dissing those people — they likely weren’t even alive when the book was at its peak of popularity, maybe they were never assigned it in school, or they are from outside the US, or they were assigned it but thought it was just THEIR school or whatever — just to say, most books, even those which are, to you and me, QUITE famous and even legit classics, aren’t “big” enough to have wide and sustained relevance for the majority of people who aren’t Book Nerds by nature! This anecdote just puts that fact into perspective.)

[darthnaderer]

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Category: Novel in Verse

Summary: Jude and her Mama leave their seaside hometown in Syria, leaving behind Jude's Baba and brother Issa, because of the growing conflict in the area. Mama tells Jude they're going to be visiting Jude's uncle in Cincinnati, OH. However, Jude's mother is pregnant and the unrest in Syria is mounting, so their trip becomes a far longer stay than Jude originally thought. During her time in the United States, Jude meets and befriends many different people including her American cousin Sarah, a first-generation American hijabi girl Layla, a wonderful group of ESL classmates, and a boy she gets her first crush on named Miles. Along with navigating social situations and learning a new language, Jude must decide whether to wear a hijab, whether to try out for a speaking role in the school play, and whether home can exist in many different places for one person.

Justification: Other Words for Home became a Newbery Honor Book in 2020. Warga won this award because her writing wonderfully contributes to American literature for children. It showcases a perspective that has often been overlooked, demonstrating the way refugees, particularly young Muslim refugees, might experience America. It provides insight into a conflict that many students may have heard of in passing on the news but may not know too much about, encourages empathy with the main character and her family and friends, and gives representation to young Muslim women who are deciding whether or not to wear a hijab in America. Like so many other books on my list, this one is a “mirror, window, and sliding door" for students.

Reader's Response: Other Words for Home is a very approachable story. Warga's choice to tell the story in free verse is powerful, as it allows readers to connect with Jude's emotions. Even though I could not relate directly to her experiences, I recognized the feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, love, anticipation, nervousness, frustration, etc. that Jude experiences throughout the novel. Warga writes insightfully--it's clear she spoke to many other Muslim women as well as Syrian refugees to create the character of Jude. It's also clear she's writing about a heavy topic for a younger demographic, however, as much of the violence and Islamophobia is presented in a gentler, more palatable way. Older readers will know what is going on, but younger readers may not grasp the depth of the issues she's addressing. In many parts, it seems as though Warga is holding back to shield an audience of younger readers from some of the darker aspects of these topics. This is not necessarily a bad thing because it does make the book more accessible to younger readers. It was an easy read because of the writing style and the story was fast-paced, making it perfect for reluctant readers. I thoroughly enjoyed Jude's journey and cheered for her during her ups and downs. She is a young girl who dreams of being a movie star, misses her best friend and her father and brother, and is adapting to a new environment. I think many children will be able to relate to her and that her story will pave the way for important discussions.

Warga, J. (2019). Other words for home. Balzer + Bray.

[tybaltsjuliet]

Folktales are usually an inheritance from family or homeland. But what if you are a child enduring a continual, grueling, dangerous journey? No adult can steel such a child against the outcast's fate: the endless slurs and snubs, the threats, the fear. What these determined children do is snatch dark and bright fragments of Halloween fables, TV news, and candy-colored Bible-story leaflets from street-corner preachers, and like birds building a nest from scraps, weave their own myths. The "secret stories" are carefully guarded knowledge, never shared with older siblings or parents for fear of being ridiculed -- or spanked for blasphemy. But their accounts of an exiled God who cannot or will not respond to human pleas as his angels wage war with Hell is, to shelter children, a plausible explanation for having no safe home, and one that engages them in an epic clash.

... Their folklore casts them as comrades-in-arms, regardless of ethnicity (the secret stories are told and cherished by white, black, and Latin children), for the homeless youngsters see themselves as allies of the outgunned yet valiant angels in their battle against shared spiritual adversaries. For them the secret stories do more than explain the mystifying universe of the homeless; they impose meaning upon it.

Virginia Hamilton, winner of a National Book Award and three Newberys (the Pulitzer Prize of children's literature), is the only children's author to win a MacArthur Foundation genius grant. Her best-selling books, The People Could Fly and Herstories, trace African-American folklore through the diaspora of slavery. "Folktales are the only work of beauty a displaced people can keep," she explains. "And their power can transcend class and race lines because they address visceral questions: Why side with good when evil is clearly winning? If I am killed, how can I make my life resonate beyond the grave?"

"Myths Over Miami," Lynda Edwards

[uwmspeccoll]

Wood Engraving Wednesday

ROBERT GIBBINGS

In 1933, Irish wood engraver and fine-press printer Robert Gibbings sold the Golden Cockerel Press, which he had owned and operated since 1924, to Christopher Sandford, Owen Rutter, and Francis J. Newbery. The new owners took the press in a decidedly more commercial direction, more as a publisher than a fine press, with production work overseen by Newbery at the Chiswick Press. Gibbings continued to work at the press for the new owners, although, as Roderick Cave and Sarah Manson write in their A History of the Golden Cockerel Press 1920-1960, he chafed “at having to work to other people’s specifications.” 

One of those specifications was to produce a multitude of wood engravings for the 1933 Limited Editions Club production of Le Morte d’Arthur, designed at the Golden Cockerel Press and printed at the Chiswick Press in an edition of 1500 copies signed by the artist. Shown here are some of the chapter heads engraved by Gibbings, who also produced numerous marginal illustrations and tailpieces. Cave and Manson write:

He was under great pressure to cut all the blocks needed for the Morte d’Arthur, an edition of [Thomas] Malory commissioned by George Macy, being printed by the Cockerel partners . . . for the Limited Editions Club in New York. It was a valuable commission for Cockerel and Gibbings, though designed to be more economical in production than either would have wished. But even in the modest format, the Limited Editions Club edition was a successful exercise in ‘economical’ fine printing.

View more wood engravings by Robert Gibbings.

View more post on works from the Golden Cockerel Press.

View more Limited Editions Club posts.

View more posts with wood engravings!

[obsidian-sphere]

Turns out, all "brain salt" was, was plain old sodium chloride, or that is, just salt.

Seems unlike today where we have far too much sodium in our diet, for a lot of people in the 1800s they had too little.

And too little sodium can cause headaches, fatigue, and so on with all the things they said Brain Salt cures.

[alliluyevas]

there are a lot of people who trash talk the newbery award because it’s “not what kids actually want to read” and particularly because a lot of newbery winners are allegedly dark/depressing which is frankly sooooo embarrassing because like. children’s books CAN be intricate and deep and well-written and compelling and often the newbery award is genuinely a good measure of quality (there are definitely some books that won that are very much a product of their time etc) but there are absolutely books that have very much stood the test of time and there’s a reason why bridge to terabithia is still read and a lot of its contemporary books are not.

[raybeansbooks]

Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Historical Fiction (Listening to Audio Book) Mildred D. Taylor Originally Published 1967 by Scholastic Inc.

Author Mildred D. Taylor released the historical fiction middle grade book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry in 1976 and it continues to enrich young readers to this day. I read it initially when I was in middle school over a decade ago and, like many other books I read growing up, I felt I should revisit it and find appreciation for such a stunning book that I didn’t fully recognize when I was younger. 

This Newbery Medal winning novel takes place in a country adjusting to the new United States after the civil war, racial tensions still high and potent in the south. We focus on the Logan family and follow along specifically with the daughter Cassie as we witness life and happenings surrounding her family and community over a very turbulent year. We see how the school district treats her and other black students with no buses and poor conditions books passed down until they “weren’t good enough” for white children anymore. We watch as Cassie and her siblings deal with troublesome children in the community as well as adults. We see how far a community will go to get “justice” on a black person who has done them wrong. 

In a way, this reminds me a little of Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. As his title suggests, and how I find some connection between the two, is that they highlight the going ons of everyday life for a time, place, and people. That this is just how life is in this moment, even if unfair and unrewarding as a reader or someone looking for a just and satisfactory ending to their story. Sometimes, that isn’t how it is.

As this novel was introduced to me as a reading in middle school, I can find myself keeping it somewhere between YA and JUV categories in a collection. This transitional period can be hard to place for people and reading materials so perhaps I would work a “middle” category into my catalog and collection to mark transitional pieces for young readers. There are some difficult matters and language addressed in it that make me hesitant for a children’s collection even if put in a higher reading level area so maybe a YA or Middle grade space with proper labeling.

For me, someone reading this in the wake of the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, it feels very potent and disturbing that these feelings and actions towards people of color persist to this day; how people are being brought up and raised in a way to perpetuate an unjust hatred. Considering I have seen this on banned books lists, the prejudice doesn’t surprise me but disappoints me; the company it shares in these thoughts is revealing.

Speaking of Banned Books, I could definitely see Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry joining a display of banned materials recorded by the ALA. In a library that I currently work at, a number of the front line books on this display also come with interests in the form of book marks educating readers on why this material has been contested and recognizing the general history of it and its author. I can see Taylor’s novel taking up valuable space with other stunning and notable works in a Banned Books Display. Let’s also not forget when we highlight pride and appreciation of communities, we could also use it as representation for Black History month in February and recommend it as a quick read considering the page count.

I remember having no complaints about this book in Middle school and I definitely don’t now. It is a beautiful book, though sad. I recommend readers take their time with this one considering what happens to the Logan family and their community, especially in the novel’s conclusion. Be well. 

- Ray

11/10/2023

Anonymous. (2020, February 20). Banned & Challenged books. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks

Taylor, M. D. (2004). Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. Puffin

Books.Taylor, M. D. (n.d.). Roll of thunder, hear my cry (Logans, #4). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/310459.Roll_of_Thunder_Hear_My_Cry

[novelmonger]

For the Book Asks:

2. A book that was difficult to get into, but turned out to be good.

5. A book you love that it seems like no one else has read.

9. A book that you found yourself thinking about a long time after you finished it.

21. A book that improved upon reread.

Thank 'ee kindly! ^_^

2. A book that was difficult to get into, but turned out to be good

So I have this rule of thumb when it comes to reading a new book: You have to read at least the first hundred pages, and if you're not hooked by then, you're allowed to give up, but not before. That rule is in place because of Lord of the Rings. It's hard to believe now, since it's been my favorite book for the past two decades or so, but the first time I encountered it, when my dad read it to us, I thought it was rather boring until the first Black Rider showed up. That happened on page 100 in that publication, so I decided I had to give any book at least that much chance to grab me, because otherwise I might pass up on something as amazing as LotR!

5. A book you love that it seems like no one else has read

I never hear anyone talk about The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I loved it practically from the moment I first cracked it open, and found myself identifying very strongly with the eponymous Charlotte Doyle by the end - even though I have no love of ships or sailing. I know somebody must have read it, because it's a Newbery Honor Book, but I can't recall anyone talking about it unless I recommend it to them first. It's about a girl traveling across the ocean from England, where she was in school, to join her family in America. She was supposed to be traveling with a family, but ends up being the only passenger on board. Along the way, she discovers that a mutiny is brewing among the crew, and gets caught up in it herself. The book is exciting, tense, and taught me so much about nautical terms and what life on a ship is like. I'm still bummed the movie adaptation never got made, and now Morgan Freeman is too old to play the role of Zachariah :C

9. A book that you found yourself thinking about a long time after you finished it

I don't think I'll ever forget Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse, which I wrote a paper on for an Asian lit class in college. It's about the effects of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, particularly in the early days immediately afterward. The stark descriptions of the suffering, both acute and long-term, the utter devastation, and the abject poverty of so many of the Japanese people haunt me to this day.

21. A book that improved upon reread

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. My mom read it to me for school back when I was 7 or 8, I think, and I hated it. I liked the beginning, but then her father died and she had to give up her doll and her pretty clothes and her tiger-skin rug, and I decided I hated it. But when I went back to the book as an adult, I realized what a lovely story it actually is! Sara Crewe is such a beautiful and inspiring character, and there's so much hope and joy in the story despite its tragic beginnings.

Book Discussion Ask Game

[barricadescon]

Barricades Con 2024 : Schedule for Friday, July 12

The day is HERE! It's the first day of Barricades 2024! Plan your convention time with this handy schedule! (Note: this post is ONLY the schedule for Friday, July 12! for a complete weekend schedule, see this post , or go to the barricades con website!)

All times are in UTC, and can be converted to your local time zone at this link.

Key to types of Panels:

Convention Administration panels: Panels run by the Con Committee, to open and end the convention.

Guest of Honor: Special panels from our guests of honor. This year, our guests of honor are Jean Baptiste Hugo, a descendant of Victor Hugo who will discuss his project photograph his ancestor’s house; Christina Soontornvat, the author of the award-winning Les Mis retelling “A Wish in the Dark;” and Luciano Muriel, playwright of the 2018 musical play “Grantaire.” 

Fan/Academic Panel Presentations: Panels on history, fandom, or analysis of Les Mis. Scholars will share historical research, fans will share hobby projects, and the audience may get an opportunity to ask questions. 

Social Meetups: Casual unstructured time to meet up over video call and chat!

Social Games: Games and activities.

Friday, June 12th

Discord Server Opens: Friday Morning UTC

Read through the rules, explore the channels, and chat with other congoers.

Welcome Session  Friday, 17:00-17:30 UTC

Session Type: Convention Administration Presented by: Convention Committee  Recorded: No

In this session, Concom 2024 will kick off BarricadesCon 2024 and welcome everyone. Concom will also walk everyone through some basic information and FAQs to help ensure a fun and interesting con for everyone.

The Cats of Les Misérables Friday, 17:30-18:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup Presented by: Melannen Recorded: No

A laid-back social panel to meet your fellow attendees, share pictures of your pets (or have them join you in the panel!) and chat about pets and Les Mis fandom generally.

(Guest of Honor) From Paris to Bangkok: a Thai-inspired retelling of Les Misérables Friday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor Presented by: Christina Soontornvat Recorded: Yes

Christina Soontornvat’s Newbery Honor-winning children’s novel, A Wish in the Dark, is a Les Misérables adaptation set in a magical Thai-inspired world. Christina will discuss the inspiration for the book, how she decided when to be faithful to the original, and how Hugo’s powerful themes of compassion and forgiveness resonate across age ranges and cultures.

Learn more about Christina’s work at soontornvat.com.

The Yellow Passport: Surveillance and Control in 19th Century France  Friday, 19:00- 20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation Presented by: David Montgomery, creator of the Siecle History Podcast Recorded: Yes

Les Misérables takes place in a France of police spies, intercepted mail, travel restrictions and other elements of a 19th Century police state. What exactly were these ways French governments surveilled and controlled their citizens? How did they work? And how did people get around them? 

Meetup: Fan Creators Friday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup Presented by: Eli Recorded: No

Come meet fellow fan creators! Casual unstructured time to chat with other fans. A good place for people who spend a lot of time on Ao3.

Break  20:00-21:00 UTC

Early Transformative Works: The First Les Miserables Fanart, Fanfics, and AUS Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation Presented by: Psalm Recorded: Yes

This presentation will give you an overview of the earliest works inspired by Les Misérables – including illustrations, comics, poems, pamphlets, and novels. Which ones will stand the test of time? And what can these works tell us about the book’s reception and impact? Come learn about the forgotten, but fascinating first transformative works about Les Misérables.

Black and Pink International Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation Presented by: Darryl Brown Jr. (he/him), Senior Director of Programs and Advocacy, Black and Pink National. Kenna Barnes (she/they), Advocacy Manager, Black and Pink National Recorded: Yes

This year, Barricades Con is donating all profits to Black and Pink International.

Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. Programming includes wrap-around services for those coming out of the carceral system such as but not limited to workforce development, transitional housing, newsletters to inside members and penpal matching, nationwide Chapters, youth-led research about young people living with HIV, and programming for and by people who do sex work.

Sex work as an issue sits clearly at the intersection of reproductive justice, prison abolition, and trans and queer liberation. Black trans women who engage in sex work face some of the highest rates of policing and surveillance, directly interfering with their ability to access safety and autonomy. We know that when we center the needs of Black trans women, especially those who engage in sex work, we are inherently able to address the needs of other system-impacted people along the way.

The Sex Worker Liberation Project (SWLP) is a collaboration between Black and Pink National and a network of current and former LGBTQIA2S+ people who do sex work across the country. This sex worker led group moves with the intention of building community, providing resources, and cultivating self advocacy tools.The SWLP is on a mission to tackle the urgent and multifaceted issues confronting sex workers, with a specific emphasis on the challenges faced by Black and Brown LGBTQIA2S+ sex workers.

Meetup: Brick Readers  Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup Presented by: Mellow Recorded: No

Come meet up and hang out with your fellow Brick readers! Let’s talk about weird nonsense from the book. 

Beat by Beat: a Les Mis 2012 Deconstruction Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation Presented by: Eli Recorded: Yes

To quote Eli: “As an avid Les Mis fan and also someone with an MFA in screenwriting, I find the script for the Les Mis 2012 movie absolutely fascinating. The choices they made, the added brick scenes, the added song, the pacing, the dialogue, the shots selection—all of it contributes to a very interesting adaptation that our fandom owes a huge debt of gratitude to (whether we like it or not 🥲). I would like to take an audience through the 9 major beats of a screenplay, apply it to Les Mis 2012, and share my thoughts on what the filmmakers did right for this adaptation and what they did wrong. I’ll compare it to the Les Mis musical (the direct source material) as well as the Brick (the secondary source material) for insight on the choices they made!”

History Researcher Meetup Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup Presented by: David Montgomery Recorded: No A chance for history researchers to meet up and discuss their research!

Atonement: A Theatrical Piece for One Actor, Based on Segments from Hugo’s Les Miserables Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation Presented by: Alexiel de Ravenswood Recorded: Yes

This theatrical piece is a dramatic adaptation of scenes from Book 1 of the novel, focusing on the Bishop of Digne. Following the piece, actor Alexiel de Ravenswood will engage in q&a on the creative process and the themes explored.

[literaticat]

This is maybe a dumb question but is the ALA as an organization only concerned with children’s books? (It seems like the awards are all for kidlit, right?).

I am not a librarian and I haven't got any esoteric knowledge about teh ALA or its history, but I have been to their conference many times (and looked on their website), so I know a little?

The ALA is a professional organization for all (American) libraries/librarians. That means school library, public library, research/academic libraries, etc etc, for all kinds of patrons.

The organization has different divisions for different kinds of libraries. The divisions that primarily concern themselves with children's books are ALSC (Assoc. of Library Services for Children) and YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Assoc.) But there are lots of other divisions for other kinds of libraries!

The ALA Youth Media Awards is the blanket term for the Kids & YA book awards that we all know and love and that people like me are always chit-chatting about on social media. These awards are administered by either ALSC (Caldecott, Newbery and other awards for children's books) or YALSA (Printz, Morris, and other awards for YA books).

The ALA does give out grownup book awards. The Andrew Carnegie Medal is the main one (administered by the Reference and User Services Assoc, if you are interested). It's just not part of the Youth Media Awards, hence, we aren't talking about it when we talk about the YMA. (There are also the Alex awards, administered by YALSA, that is given to grownup books that have strong appeal for YA -- those ones ARE, in fact, part of the Youth Media Awards, but mostly people ignore them. Sorry, winners!)

The reason kid's book people are always talking about the ALA YMA is because they are by FAR the biggest awards for kid's books that exist in this country. The reason you don't hear much about the Andrew Carnegie medal is because there are LOTS of other, much bigger deal, prizes for grownup books. We don't have a Nobel Prize or Pulitzer for kid's books, this is the best we've got!

(I am guessing here, but I would IMAGINE that this very fact is why those awards began in the first place -- because historically, just like today, many grownup book people mostly disdain children's books, think they are easy or dumb or "less than" or whatever -- so those awards likely began to give SOME recognition to an often ignored or maligned segment of the book industry. Whereas grownup books have never been maligned or ignored!)

[qqueenofhades]

Lena Dunham is adapting a story about a 14 year old girl being forced into marriage in 13th century England, an adaptation of Karen Cushman's 1994 Newbery medal winning children's novel Birdy. I am soooo looking forward to you choking on your coffee as you read this. NYT says she's writing with "medieval scholar Helen Castor"

Lena Dunham Channels a Voice of a (Different) Generation https://nyti.ms/3DOETvk

Okay, so, I read Catherine Called Birdy as a kid, and I absolutely LOVED it. There are some anachronistic bits that I realize more as an adult with a history PhD than I did back then, and it generally reflects the stage of medievalist/medieval-history accepted wisdom that was current in the 90s, not all of which is still the case today. So I am of in two minds about this. First of all, I'm not really sure that Dunham's style is going to work here, although she does apparently love the book and has tried for a long time to make this project. However, I.... will give her SOME kudos for this part:

A part of her, she said, might have wanted to dig deeper into the ugliness of medieval society in “Birdy” more than she ultimately did. Instead she was content with her protagonist’s more innocent viewpoint.

Yes, sigh, "ugliness of medieval society" as an unexamined cliche thrown in as a self-evident referent that everyone Just Knows, when will I be free. But I'm VERY glad that she's not trying to make a movie based on a YA book into Grimdark Game of Thrones, and add gratuitous sex, filth, and violence just so we Know It Is Medieval. Also in the book, Catherine (Birdy) never actually marries the horrible older suitor that her father is trying to match her off with. Instead the book ends with her engaged to his much nicer, younger, and better-looking son, an arrangement which she is perfectly happy with, so a) we never actually see her in an unwanted marriage, and b) and much of the book's narrative (and comedy) comes from her various attempts to foil the efforts of her doltish suitors. It isn't trying to necessarily reflect the complicated historical reality of medieval life (though Cushman's descriptions are vivid and she clearly did a lot of research), but pitched more as a fun book for teen girls that introduces them to the Middle Ages and Catherine herself as a lively, relatable protagonist. So if Dunham is in fact focusing on that aspect more than just the Filth And Rape Of It All, that is... good. (Yes, the bar is so low.)

I will, of course, reserve judgment until I hear/see how this material is in fact handled on screen, and whether the film is trying to be so Ironic and Hip that it doesn't succeed in actually conveying anything authentic, or includes the automatic assumption that the medieval era is only valid as a point of (disingenuous) comparison for the modern. Likewise, if people are interested in an actual scholarly take of what Catherine's life would be like (since the book is set in the 1290s), I would recommend Medieval Maidens: Young Women and Gender in England, 1270-1540, by Kim M. Philips. It covers exactly the time period in question, including the fact that young women most commonly married in their late teens and early-to-mid 20s. A betrothal at 14 would not be unheard of, but since a lot of works (including this one) are relying on the stereotype that girls got married at 12 and had endless babies starting at 13, it's useful as (ever) to point out. (The only actual example I can think of this is Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, who was married so young to assert a dynastic claim during the Wars of the Roses; Henry's birth caused lifelong complications and she had no more children. This was criticized even in contemporary records because it was not common or accepted practice, so yes.)

Anyway, in other words: there is some at least-potentially good stuff here, and some "well I'm gonna have to wait and see how that goes" stuff. I will at least give Dunham credit for not trying to make the stereotypical Filth and Rape Middle Ages movie, and if she sticks to the book, that's not supposed to be any part of it. So, yeah.

[something-tofightfor]

Give me a well written story any day. I WANT stories with effort behind them. Stories where the author gives a fuck. It’s easy to turn out pages and pages of drivel. It’s not easy to write a story that is coherent and readable. There are so many times where you can tell an author just wants notes. So many times when the writing is so bad that I can’t even finish a story. I’m willing to put up with some ooc, but making Din super alpha or Joel in an age gap relationship is a no for me.

Thank you for being an amazing author. Thank you for all the love that goes into your writing. The care with which you maintain the integrity of the characters is important. Thank you. Truly. No everyone wants smut, smut, smut.

People look for different things when they read fic, and that's perfectly fine. I get it.

But I agree that someone being completely OOC or just written in a way that is guaranteed to get attention and not be coherent/plausible sticks out and it (for me) is so unappealing that I will just click out of it as fast as possible.

Not all stories need to be the next Pulitzer Prize or John Newbery Medal winner, but I don't think it's too much for readers to ask for quality writing, and if they don't feel like writing is quality ... to quietly move on and find something they enjoy. There's no reason to send rude anons or leave nasty comments (the same goes for comments on artwork!)

The thing that kills me is that there was a fic on here a while back that was pretty popular for Joel, and the author's note said something like "reader is aged up" like it was a warning, and she was meant to be like ... 30.

What does that say for people IN their 30's and 40's - and even 50's in some cases - that are reading or looking to read works and feel included? The same people that are going around spouting the kinds of things that the anon in my inbox said about wanting more age gap/younger reader are actively campaigning for the exclusion of older readers in the stories they read.... when in reality, SO MANY of the authors they love are more than a decade older than they are (and in some cases are close to/more than two decades older!)

Thank you for being so kind and considerate and sending this message over. Thank you for reading my work.

And ... I know you said that you don't want smut, smut, smut ... hopefully you won't mind that the next couple things I'll be posting are a little raunchy.

[olderthannetfic]

"Jorts the Cat is ableist." File this under "yet another annoying thing I learned about against my will."

OK, but how do people avoid learning these things while still being in these spaces? I want to be in the loop but not to the extent of knowing who the Twitter Main Characters are - or, worse, what piping hot tea is brewing in YA bookland when I don't read those books. You'd think that shit is all anyone writes and it changed the world or something when it seems like it would be primarily of interest to youth educators and librarians and whoever awards the Newbery medal.

"Think of the children." That's exactly what I'm trying to never, ever do.

--

Twitter sucks.

[mariacallous]

Children learn from the books they encounter in their homes, schools, and libraries. The lessons they take from these books shape their beliefs and the future selves they will grow into. These lessons come from many dimensions of books; one such dimension which is particularly salient to the reader is who is and is not present in each picture and passage. The presence or absence of different characters teaches children societal norms about who gets to exist in what spaces. This matters for the children themselves—shaping their beliefs about themselves and their place in the world—but may also help shape their views of what spaces others of different identities may inhabit.

The problem is that it is hard to know, systematically, how race and gender are represented in the books we use to teach our children. Parents and teachers cannot possibly read every available book before they choose which books to give or suggest to their children or students, much less librarians, superintendents, or policymakers. These actors face a dauntingly large number of choices and often turn to external sources for help. A common source many look to for such guidance is endorsement of merit by a third party, such as recognition from national awards like the Caldecott and Newbery Medals. Indeed, our analysis of book purchases, library checkouts, and internet searches shows that winning these awards leads to a substantial increase in the number of children who read them. This then raises the questions: What messages about race and gender do these specific books convey, via representation, to the children who read them? And how can we measure similar representation in the other content considered for children’s use?

Using computer vision and natural language processing to measure representation in children’s books

This is where we come in. Our solution, which we describe in a paper forthcoming in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, is to use computers—specifically tools from the computer science subfields of computer vision and natural language processing—to measure representation in children’s books. Our approach develops a series of new tools, and combines them with other existing tools, to measure various features, including race, skin tone, gender, and age, of who is represented in the images and text of curricular materials. These tools are powerful and can measure many possible features of characters. We focus on bringing together tools that can measure the representation of these features of characters in both the text and the images of the books we wish to study.

Our analysis shows that these tools can be rapidly and cost-effectively applied to a wide range of curricular materials. They allow us to quickly and cheaply measure if and how people are represented in a large number of books.

We apply these tools to over 1,000 children’s books which have been recognized by a century of children’s book awards. Our analysis focuses on two main sets of books targeted towards children 14 and under. One set receives recognition for their literary or artistic value. These are books that are recognized by the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott awards. We call this the “Mainstream” collection of books because of their influence. The second set of books are recognized for both their literary or artistic value and for how they highlight experiences of specific identity groups. These include awards such as the Coretta Scott King Award, which highlights books centering experiences of Black individuals, and the Rise Awards which recognize books that center women. We call the books in this group the “Diversity” collection.

Despite significant progress, representations of race and gender in children’s books continue to lag

We first show how race and gender have been taught to children via these books’ images and text, and how this has changed over time. Our findings reveal some enduring patterns and others that indicate change. We find that characters in the Mainstream collection are consistently depicted with lighter skin than those in the Diversity collection. You can see how the two distributions vary in this figure: the Diversity collection, outlined in blue, clearly has a darker average skin tone than the Mainstream (see Figure 1). What’s more, it also has more variance—and thus diversity—of skin tones represented than the Mainstream collection.

Figure 1. Distribution of skin colors by human skin colors in Mainstream and Diversity collections in children’s literature

Note: This figure shows the distribution of skin color tint for faces detected in books from the Mainstream and Diversity collections. The mean for each distribution is denoted with a dashed line.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

In Figure 2, we show that this difference between the two collections holds true even after conditioning on the race of the person being shown.

Figure 2. Distribution of skin colors by human skin colors in Mainstream and Diversity collections in children’s literature by character’s race

Note: This figure shows the distribution of skin color tint by the predicted race of the detected faces in the Mainstream and Diversity collections.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

In other results, we show that children are more likely than adults to be shown with lighter skin, despite there being no definitive biological foundation for this that we are aware of. In other words, lighter-skinned children see themselves represented more often than do darker-skinned children. This result, unlike those previously, holds for both collections. That is, even in books recognized for highlighting the experiences of Black children, darker-skinned children are less likely to see themselves represented.

Moving from skin color to race, we also find that in both collections, Black and Latino people have been underrepresented in these books, relative to their share of the U.S. population, corroborating prior work on the representation of race in smaller subsets of these collections of books. Our analysis of gender shows that, again in both collections, females are also less likely than males to be present in these books, despite equal population shares. Digging deeper, we compare how often females appear in images, as compared to in text. We find that females are consistently more likely to be visualized (seen) in images than mentioned (heard) in the text, which suggests more symbolic inclusion in pictures more than substantive inclusion in the actual story. Figure 3 below plots this result.

Figure 3. Female representation in images and text of children’s books

Note: This figure plots collection-by-decade average percentages of female representation in images (on the y-axis) and female representation in text (on the x-axis). This enables a comparison between the proportion of females represented in the images and the proportion of females represented in the text of the children’s books in our sample.

Source: Author’s calculations. See paper for additional details.

Over time, however, the patterns show signs of change. As time progresses, both collections of books include more characters with darker skin tones. Further, over the period we study, the representation of both race and gender trend closer to equality, though neither ever reach proportional representation, relative to the larger population.

Our paper then analyzes separate data on the checkouts of books in libraries and purchases of books by households to better understand what shapes who consumes different types of children’s books. We find that people tend to buy books that contain characters who share their gender and racial identities. Yet books centering many historically minoritized identities are either more scarce than other books, more expensive, or both. This suggests that greater provision of—and access to—books representing a more diverse range of identities than is currently available would fill a clear and desired need in the market. We also find that the content of books that people in a given area purchase are correlated with the political leanings of a community: in areas where progressive views are more common, people consume books with a more diverse range of identities represented than in areas where conservative views prevail.

Conclusion and implications

This research investigates who is represented; in other work, we also investigate how people are represented in children’s books. In these analyses, we show that the manner in which people are represented to children often reproduces societal norms and disparities. We see, for example, that females are more likely to be described relative to their appearance and roles in the family, while males are more likely to be described relative to their competence and roles in business. A century ago, we see a substantial gap between the sentiment, or overall positive feelings, associated with females and males—with males being shown in substantially more positive terms. Over time, however, this difference narrowed and is no longer detectable in books published today. We find similar disparities in the representation of race. For example, Black people, and Black women in particular, are more likely than white people to be mentioned in passages with more negative sentiment. While this gap, too, has lessened over time, in many contemporary stories we still find more negative sentiment associated with Black individuals than others.

Prior research has shown that the content of books can shape children’s beliefs, performance in school, and ultimately the adults they become. Our analysis shows that the representation of characters in books—and in award-winning, highly visible children’s books in particular—conveys important messages about how society values people by their race and gender. These messages trend towards equality over time, but even in many books published today, they still send the message that white people and males are the most visible and thus the most important members of society. This finding highlights some potential harms to children from recent political conflicts over critical race theory and the efforts to ban certain books that have sprung from these conflicts. It also underscores the important work that librarians, teachers, and parents play in building out school and home libraries with content showing a diversity of representation. These efforts can help ensure we teach children that all people can inhabit the many rich potential futures that await them.

[adarkrainbow]

The Mother Goose Mystery (1)

As a quick previous poll chose the term “Disneyification”, I will start this new series of fairytale posts by talking about Disney. And with Disney, where else to start but… Silly Symphonies! Everybody seems to forget the poor Silly Symphonies, but they came long before the animated movies.

And while there is a lot of fairytale content in those Silly Symphonies, I will start by just using one short as a stepping stone to talk about one specific subject related to fairytales: the Mother Goose topic.

In 1931 was released the short “Mother Goose Melodies”, which is entirely about nursery rhymes being illustrated on screen in the typical Silly Symphony style. However when I looked at the title, “Mother Goose Melodies”, I actually expected it to be… about fairy tales. And that is because I am French – and while for English-speakers Mother Goose is synonymous with nursery rhymes, for French people she is synonymous with fairytales. Let’s explore a bit this mysterious mother.

 In the English-speaking world, Mother Goose is seen as the archetypal figure of a nursery-rhyme teller, and the origin of all nursery rhymes. This is due to the publication of an iconic book called “Mother Goose’s Melody, or Sonnets for the cradle”, which was the first big popular compilation of nursery rhymes, and made “Mother Goose” the iconic figure of “children poetry”.

Ask the Americans, and they will tell you that the original, historical Mother Goose is Bostonian. Their claim is that the fictional figure of Mother Goose was born out of the real-life Miss Goose, wife of the Isaac Goose. Or rather his second wife, who gave him six new children on top of the ten he already had from his first marriage (quite a lot, isn’t it?). After the death of her husband, Miss Goose (now Grandmother Goose) went to live with her eldest daughter, who had married a certain Thomas Fleet, a publisher living on Pudding Lane (the actual Devonshire Street) – and there Grandmother Goose (or “Mother Goose” as she came to be known) sang songs and “ditties”  to her grandchildren all day to entertain them, little bits of poetry and nonsense that were so popular all the children of the area came to listen to her. One day her son-in-law decided to gather all of her “jingles” together and he published them: it was the start of Mother Goose’s nursery rhymes.

This story is not only a legend – it is complete bogus. It was a commercial story invented by Thomas Fleet great-grandson, John Fleet Eliot, around 1860, to solidify his own publishing of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes. It is complete bogus because the Mother Goose nursery rhymes don’t come from the American ground or the American culture and certainly not from Boston. “Mother Goose’s Melodies” was published in London, in 1784 (at least it is the earliest surviving edition we have, even though rumors and claim insist that the first edition of the book was in the 1780-81 by Thomas Carnan, and some push it even further claiming that Carnan just reprinted an earlier compilation composed by John Newbery in the 1760s), and its nursery rhymes are ENGLISH in nature, not American.

Not only was Mother Goose in the title of this book, she was also identified as the author of all those nursery rhymes AND she was the main character of one of them. The nursery rhyme called “Old Mother Goose and the Golden Egg”, which also included her son, Jack (Jack, with an old mother, and a golden egg… Yep calls back for another popular English fairytale). The nursery rhymes of Mother Goose didn’t just stay in the world of children literature however – they also spread to the world of pantomimes in the 19th century, ever since the first nursery rhyme pantomime in 1806 London (and the most famous) – “Harlequin and Mother Goose, or the Golden Egg”. This pantomime, which notably had in its cast one of the most famous 19th century clowns, Joseph Grimaldi, added to the original nursery rhyme material traditional Commedia dell’arte elements (typical of pantomimes) and element taken from one of Aesop’s Fables, “The Goose that laid Golden Eggs”. This specific pantomime actually introduced the idea that Mother Goose was a witch: in it she is seen causing a storm at the beginning of the play, she later summons a ghost in a churchyard, and she flies in the sky… in a gander. Illustrations around the time of the pantomime also liked to depict Mother Goose as an old woman with a prominent chin, wearing a tall pointy hat and flying in the sky on a goose. A second pantomime had its own success in 1902, where Mother Goose was a crossdressing role played by Dan Leno, and in which the character was a poor old lady who was tempted into making a deal with the devil for wealth and luxury.

Now, it should be noted that the English “Mother Goose” was actually fused and conflicted other time with another “nursery rhyme mother”, actually older than Goose: Mother Hubbard. The eponymous character of a famous English nursery rhyme called “Old Mother Hubbard” (first published 1805 but very probably much older than that), she had been popularized earlier by the work of the poet Edmund Spenser who created in 1578-79 a poem called “Mother Hubberd’s Tale”, a text about a sick and bedridden poet that friends and visitors try to entertain with stories, and only Old Mother Hubberd manages to entertain the poet with her own story. As with Spenser’s most famous work, the poem actually has a deeper political meaning, but let’s not get too deep into that.

 The real “popularity” of Mother Goose happened in the US, because when the nursery rhymes crossed the ocean to the United-States, they commonly became known as “Mother Goose songs”. She wasn’t the title of a simple book anymore, but of an entire genre – and so all the nursery rhymes compilations and anthologies of the early 20th century, and all the plays and pantomimes based on nursery rhymes, included her in one way or another. “A dream of Mother Goose”, “A Mother Goose play”, “The Modern Mother Goose”, etc…

 All right, this is all fine for nursery rhymes. But what is it with this fairytale link? Why is Mother Goose associated with both fairytales AND nursery rhymes? And in fact why are nursery rhymes and fairytales still confused today in the American culture despite being originally two different genres?

The answer is that originally Mother Goose was a fairytale archetype, not a nursery rhyme one, and that by the English (and later the Americans) turning her into a nursery rhyme character, a confusion was born. But more about that on the second part of this post.