This is another of the London-based experiences which I found inspiring and which I'd like to share with you. In fact this one has remained very firmly in my memory. As before, I shall give the original version with my present- day comments in italics.
At first nothing happened and I felt rather silly walking slowly along an East London street wearing headphones and a worried expression. Then, suddenly I began to hear it - faint, like a ghost's voice - a man talking about his family; his grandmother, 'born in Victoria's days, only four foot high with hair as black as a raven's wing,' his dad,' a Saxon, strong enough to lift an ox.'
He begins to remember his home room by room. 'This house is in my brain,' he says. Then suddenly I hear him describing its destruction. 'The house shakes, the house shakes,' he repeats like a mantra as the bailiffs rush in and his mother collapses.
I stop and lean on a wall, utterly absorbed. I am following the 3-mile LINKED trail from Hackney Marshes to Redbridge along which 20 concealed transmitters broadcast these memories. They were recorded by the artist Graeme Miller, whose own home was demolished in 1994 when, after vehement protest, passionate controversy and ultimately confrontation between police, bailiffs and residents, 400 homes were destroyed to make way for the M11 link road.
Photo by Debbie Kent
Miller uses an enticing range of sounds. Lists of furniture;'the old brown sofa,' 'the red number six,' 'the curl of the bannister,'. Also repetitive phrases, varied accents, snatches of plangent music and chiming of bells, all of which make for strangely poetic listening. Vivid audio scenes capture the spirit of the vanished community, 'groups of women in front gardens trimming hedges,' the painter who painted curtains on his half-demolished windows adding a picture of his cat Winnie on the window sill. 'I can still feel myself in that place,' says one voice. 'Where are all those people now?' asks another.
Finding the transmissions is a fascinating quest, ideal for a couple of friends or parents with (older) children. And the project can be made to last, just think how useful it could be to future historians...
This was written not long after LINKED was launched in 2003 but over the years its radio soundscape faded as various transmitters spluttered out of action. In the spring of 2020 all the transmitters which could still be found were taken down for repair and LINKED was made temporarily unavailable.
So LINKED, according to Debbie Kent in A Map of Missing Voices, 'has become almost wholly conceptual, existing in the memories of artist and audience.' Graeme Miller is quoted in that piece as saying,'What is left is like some kind of brain tissue that's been eroded by dementia, Just as the M11 erased a community.'
It would be a pity though, if LINKED were to disappear completely. I was happy to learn recently that Graeme Miller is going to stage 'the first annual 48-hour restoration of the entire network,' on 24th and 25th September 2022.
By the time you read this I shall have returned from an exciting trip - to the Arctic.
From time to time I take off my hat as a children's writer and don that of a travel journalist. This was my first big assignment since lockdown and my first trip so far north but the idea of frozen lands has long appealed to me - which is ironic as I complain bitterly abut the cold as soon as we get a frost here in Sussex. Nevertheless I found it all wonderful; Northern Lights, dogsledding, falling into snowdrifts and that Blue Hour just before sunrise and sunset which is so magical in a snowy landscape.
This expedition brought to mind some of my favourite books about ice and snow. Top of my list comes The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean. I read it soon after it came out in 2005 and have never forgotten its impact. It is the story of Symone and her super intelligent Uncle Victor who share a passion for everything to do with the Antarctic. He in fact, is researching an obscure project and has fuelled Sym's obsession by feeding her information and books about polar exploration. Sym, therefore knows an enormous amount on the subject for a fourteen year-old but her enthusiasm alienates her school friends and she is left feeling lonely. To fill the gap she has adopted Titus Oates, who accompanied Scott on his last voyage, as a sort of imaginary friend.
Needless to say Sym is ecstatic when she finds that Uncle Victor has arranged a surprise trip to Antarctica and is taking her with him. The adventure which follows is incredibly exciting with some totally unexpected twists. The writing is superb, the character of Sym unforgettable, as is the ubiquitous presence of Titus and you can almost feel the dread chill as they struggle to make their way across the vast and terrible whiteness.
Another interesting book, this time based on fact, which features Arctic exploration is Race to the FrozenNorth by Catherine Johnson. This tell the story of Matthew Henson who claimed to have been the first person to reach the North Pole when he accompanied Robert Peary on his 1908 expedition. Whether Henson or Peary reached the spot first, whether they were beaten by another explorer, Doctor Cook, or indeed whether the spot really was the North Pole, is still disputed. What is undeniable is that for decades Henson, who had explored the Arctic for 18 years and was an experienced and capable polar navigator, was deleted from history simply because he was a 'person of colour.' Only many decades later was he recognised, honoured and given the medals and acclaim which the white explorers had received long before. Narrated in clear and simple language as if by Henson himself, this book is important in that it reinstates a forgotten hero and draws attention to the injustices her suffered.
Yet another of my favourite ice books is entirely different. Rather than a 260-page thriller or a compact biography it is a big format picture book, The Ice Bear by the inimitable Jackie Morris. I love Jackie's paintings and she does polar bears exquisitely. The text of this story too is beautiful.
This is a shape-change story of a polar bear cub which is stolen by a raven ( she does ravens brilliantly too) but when found by a hunter and taken home the cub turns out to be a baby boy. The hunter and his wife had longed for a child and are overjoyed.
When the boy is seven however, the raven lays a trail of amber which the boy follows and gets lost. He is found by polar bears an taken back to his bear mother. Meanwhile the hunter has found the amber and seen signs that the bears have been scuffling and he vows to kill the bear that has taken his son. When he finds the bears and raises his spear, the raven caws, the boy looks up and puts himself between his human father and his bear mother. Both want to keep him and he is torn between the two but eventually decides to live as a bear in winter and learn bear wisdom and then to live with the humans in the summer and share with them the wisdom of the bears.
These are three books which transport you painlessly to the beautiful lands of ice and snow.
There are a number of issues which I, as a children's writer find difficult to deal with one of which is disability. This is a controversial subject about which people feel passionate, angry even. Most of us children's writers are well meaning and would never want to offend or distress our readers, nor would we want any of them to feel excluded or uncomfortable in the worlds we create.
In order to gain insights into the pitfalls we could encounter when writing about disability and how to avoid them, Jen Campbell has kindly agreed to respond to my questions. Jen is one of the most eloquent, warm and inspiring people you could ever meet. She regularly produces videos in which as well as talking about her passion for books and fairy tales, she speaks openly about her disabilities. She also publishes poetry, short stories and children''s books including those about the bibliophile dragon Franklin and his Flying Bookshop and she has just published The Sister who Ate Her Brothers & Other Gruesome Tales which I hope to review here in the future.
Jen has EEC, a rare condition which manifests itself most visibly in her missing fingers, but also involves hair loss and affects her eyes, jaw, teeth and internal organs. Since the age of 3 months she has undergone dozens of operations.
P.C-P Jen, I want to ask you on behalf of other children's writers, for any advice you can offer on the representation of disabled people in children's books. As a child I imagine you were a keen reader. Are there any books which stick in your mind as having been particularly helpful/unhelpful to you at this stage?
J.C I don't remember ever seeing myself represented in a book as a child; though I do have a very rare condition so that's probably understandable enough! However I have certainly seen elements of my disability used as metaphors in texts - disability is often used as a marker for villainy, or bodily transformation can be used as a punishment. This is a device which goes back to even before Biblical times, is tied up in religious messages, definitely had its heyday in Victorian literature but is still everywhere in modern day literature and cinema.
Growing up I saw this extensively in Disney films and children's books: bad guys with disfigurements in novels, crime books and horror that used the same tropes. But disabled people aren't metaphors; we are people. If disabled characters did crop up in anti-villainous ways in the books I read as a child, it was often presented in a way that should be pitied, or as 'inspirational porn.' I certainly didn't read any well-rounded disabled characters, which was not only a shame but also harmful.
Extensive research has been done into the effects of media on public perception of disability, so the argument is not whether the disfigurement-villainy trope (which is so pervasive) affects the way society in general treats people with disfigurements and disabilities - that's the point that's already been proven several times over by those in the field. The argument is whether the industry is willing to change. I've written about this in several places/Here's my most recent article which delves into the history of James Bond and the wider use of this trope across media as a whole.
P.C-P Since your childhood, as an adult and a writer, have you come across books which you find deal with this topic well/badly?
J.C. I have a video here which recommends excellent books that centre disabled stories
so I've definitely read more positive representation of disability as an adult; though there are still many books by non-disabled authors which do not handle disabled topics well yet are heavily praised outside of disability circles. Firegirl by Tony Abbot would be a case in point. This is a book that's on the school syllabus in Canada and has won many awards, but the story is about a boy who is scared of a new girl in his class called Jessica, who has burns scars. The plot follows this boy as he tries to 'get over' his fear, and eventually holds her hand. This gains him the respect of the 'pretty girl' in class who he has a crush on and this is his reward. The main way he 'gets over' 'his fear is by seeing a photo of her before she was burned which essentially allows him to 'identify with her as a person.' I am using all the air quotes here because of course these sentiments are infuriating. We never hear from Jessica's perspective; her disability is a plot point for the betterment of the main character, and a lot of the text is dedicated to how 'grossed out' the main character is by her appearance.
So many stories about disability claim to be about promoting acceptance but end up massively othering disabled characters, and therefore disabled people in the process. It is hard to write about here because in doing so I'm imagining many people defensively disagreeing, arguing that nondisabled children need to be taught about bodily difference so that they can apply kindness to their everyday life. I don't necessarily disagree with that, but there are ways of going about this, and its a shame that the majority of books about are for non disabled people; disabled children don't need to learn that lesson, but it's some of the only representation we have, and none of these stories are our own. I would argue that Own Voices books that centre on disabled characters, such as Elle McNicol's wonderful Show us Who You Are and incidental representation of disability to reflect the world we live in, are much better ways to go about this than questionable moral tales.
P.C-P So how can we be more inclusive in mainstream children's books? More especially in picture books?
J.C By listening to disabled creatives, uplifting disabled writers and Own Voices Books and by reflecting the world we live in in the stories we write. Disability shouldn't be used as a metaphor.
P.C-P In your Franklin the Dragon's Flying Bookshop books you do include a boy in a wheelchair amongst the background characters depicted. Did you suggest this to your editor?
J.C I did request that one of the characters should be a wheelchair user, yes. I have also written books that centre disabled characters but incidental representation to reflect the world we live in is also very important.
J.C I don't think there's a simple answer to this question because every book and every writer is different. Part of my job now is talking to publishers about how disability and disfigurement is represented in the books they publish. I also provide editorial services for writers; this is primarily for plot, character development and writing style but it can be about discussing these things too. I am not pushing tokenism in books written by non disabled authors; I'm simply asking everyone to think more critically about the worlds they present to children ( and adults!) when it comes to disability.
P.C-P Jen, you are remarkably open about your condition in your videos which I know are a comfort to many viewers. But what about children? Children are notoriously curious and have fewer inhibitions than adults. Did you find children asked you a lot of questions and how did you feel about answering them?
J.C I worked as a children's bookseller for ten years, and so I was constantly asked questions by curious children. I still am asked questions when I go into schools and bookshops to do readings. I understand that, and I obviously want to nurture an understanding of disability. However I make it part of my talk to discuss the implications of asking someone what's 'wrong' with them. Curiosity in children is good, but nurturing an understanding of disability doesn't mean that you need to be privy to someone's medical history. If we had better representation in the media this would be less of an issue .
P.C-P So in the case of a book where the main protagonist is disabled or the disability is central to the book, do you think the 'Own Voice' approach is best?
J.C I absolutely do, yes. There are so many reasons why, and I know this response can spark outrage from some people who are determined to point out that fiction means a made-up world, so anyone should be able to writ e about anything. In a perfect world, I would agree, But the point is that we don't live in one of those, so please be patient and sit with me on this topic. Disabled people are the most under represented group in publishing. It is all about nuance. Disabled writers understand ableism; its not about the medical model of disability, it's about how the world treats us. It's the societal model of disability that needs to be reflected more in books, and that's something disabled writers are brilliant at. That is what brings books on these topics to life in a very specific way. Moreover, I've been working in the publishing industry for fifteen years now and time and time againI have seen publishers choose books by nondisabled writers over Own Voices disabled stories, not because the the story they have chosen is better, but because they identify with a nondisabled approach more, and they feel more comfortable talking with nondisabled authors about disability topics. It's a causal loop: disability makes some non disabled people feel uncomfortable; if they don't have lived experience of it, they have no extensive media to counteract this; they therefore don't want to talk with disabled people about disability, they then support work written by nondisabled people because that is what they are most familiar with. And repeat. I have done some sensitivity reading with nondisabled authors and I think sometimes that's appropriate (as I said every book and author is different) but as a general rule, I would ask publishers to pay more attention to Own Voices work. However, I'm speaking to writers here. It is not the job of nondisabled writers to fix the publishing industry. That's on publishers (though we appreciate your support on this issue.) For nondisabled writers, I would request thoughtful incidental representation of disabled characters in your stories, I would request that disability is not used as a metaphor, or marker for villainy, pity or as 'inspiration.' Write with us in mind (because we are part of this world) but please don't write for us, or over us.
P.C-P Thank you Jen for giving us so much to think about and so many really valuable insights into this tricky issue.
We are currently seeing evidence that many old attitudes are being reviewed. In the wake of Black Lives Matter, statues are being taken down or defaced and even the wording of such traditional songs as Land of Hoper and Glory are being challenged. That we are made aware or past injustices is of course a positive thing but when it comes to books, especially children's books, we have to decide what it anything should be done.
There are a number of options: you could burn the books, something Hitler suggested doing to Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand, the pacifist bull, illustrated by Robert Lawson; you could ban the books as the BBC did with some of Enid Blyton"s books in the past; you could banish the books by removing them form public libraries as happens a great deal in the US, sometimes for hilariously inappropriate reasons, you could excise or altersuch material and republish a bowdlerised version of the book - or of course you could do nothing at all.
Sadly the burning of books is not a thing of the past, Isis and China still go in for it and surprisingly, Harry Potter books have been burned in the US and Poland. Another form if radical censorship is the pulping of a book before publication. This happened to the first edition of Elizabeth Rusch's biography of Mario Molina, the chemist who helped solve the ozone-layer crisis. All copies were destroyed when the illustrator, David Diaz was accused of sexual harassment. It appeared later with illustrations by Teresa Martinez and won a 2020 award for best non-fiction book for young readers .
This brings to mind a controversy nearer home which arose when, in 2004, William Mayne was convicted and imprisoned having been found guilty of paedophilia and the grooming of little girls.
I had enjoyed several of his books with my children and remember feeling so let down on their behalf that I completely lost the taste for reading any more of Mayne's books. On reflection though, should we judge a book by the activities of the writer? Does the fact that some of W.B Yeats's activities bordered on the dotty make him any less great as a poet? And what of Lewis Carroll? Who would want to lose the Alice books?
In fact of course, it is usually the content of the books which is censored rather than the author's proclivities. Amongst the books which have been removed from US libraries are some of the best loved children's classics, including Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon, Jean de Brunhoff's Babar stories and books by Maurice Sendak, Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl.
The themes targeted include racism, homosexuality, lack of good family values, obesity, nudism, blasphemy, classism, colonialism and the promotion of such things as violence, witchcraft, smoking and alcohol. In the case of Where the Wild Things Are, sending Max to bed with no supper was deemed to constitute child abuse.
Sometimes it is the text which offends, sometimes the illustrations. We see for example that Roald Dahl's Oompa-Loompas, originally depicted as black were changed to white in later editions. Covers too have show deceptive images of protagonists as white when the author has described them as black or brown. The excuse for so doing? The Market. Covers showing white characters sell better.
So should we ban, cut, or alter historic texts to bring them in line with today's evolved attitudes? Many and varying opinions have been expressed. My favourite ( fictional) philosopher even goes as far to say that not even a living author has the right to call in a published text. This she claims is like being given a present, only for the donor to want it back.
I don't go that far but I have come to the conclusion that altering an original version is counterproductive. In the case of colonialism for example, changing the colour of a character's skin or removing overtly racist comments won't fundamentally change the basic ideology of the book -although it may make the adults reading it feel more comfortable.
I feel that as soon as the child is old enough, the best strategy is to explain that now we do not hold these views, in fact we find them offensive because they hurt people but that at the time the book was written attitudes were different. I know, I know it will probably mean fielding off dozens of 'whys? and 'hows?' but is possibly worth it.
An example is found in one of my favourite classics The Secret Garden, when sour Mary who has recently arrived from India, stamps her foot when the maid Martha says to her, "I thought you were black too..." To which Mary replies furiously, "You thought I was a native!...You dared! You don't know anything about natives. They are not people they are servants.."
This episode illustrates not only racism but classism too. This is a book in which some people know they 'speak common'. Yet it is true to the culture and time of the period - and devoid of what I call the Downton syndrome in which masters and servants are portrayed as 'pals' in order to make the story chime more easily with modern mores. The Secret Garden from a writing p.o.v also shows us superb bit of characterisation, illustrating how the horrid Mary at the outset matures into a pleasant girl at the end.
Explaining class prejudice in our more egalitarian days is easier than racial prejudice because although class prejudice has not disappeared I suspect it impinges less on children than it did. The handling of race however, still needs a radical rethink. We need many more books which deal with this matter in a clear and faithful ways. The ratio of black and mixed race protagonists in children's books comes nowhere near representing the proportion of BAME children in society and the ratio of BAME authors is equally slewed. Further if these children do appear in books they are often portrayed as victims, sometimes heroic victims, whereas real BAME children don't want to be depicted as exotic or niche, they want to read about ordinary people likethem having adventures. Should these books be written by black or white authors? Well that's something for a different discussion.
