Jun 11

Jun 11 Episode #66: Decision Making and Antiracism

Grace and Alvina talk about the murder of George Floyd and the recent protests and uprisings, including discussing issues of race and how and when to talk to children about race. They also discuss decision making and how they make difficult decisions, especially in light of the pandemic.

As usual, the book friends check in with each other. Alvina and Grace have both been generally feeling down because of all the news of course. Alvina is feeling exhausted and really wants to know what she can do other than just talking about things. She’s tired of not seeing any real change after all this time. She did listen to Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, authors of All American Boys, have a discussion about racism and that gave her a little bit of hope.

Grace isn’t sure how to help either….should she give money? Show up at protests and possibly spread Covid? She did have a chance to talk to her daughter about the current events. She was curious but she did not ask her mom anymore questions. She just understood that it was wrong to judge someone by the color of their skin. However, Grace is wondering when to have a more in-depth conversation about it. ( She definitely wants to have the “China Doll” conversation with her daughter about Asian fetish issues but she doesn’t know exactly what age. ) Grace mentions the book to be released this fall called, The Talk, by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson.

Before all this upsetting news, the world was already dealing with so much. Grace and Alvina open up a discussion about how many decisions there are right now and how stressful it can be to make them. Grace’s daughter would usually be going to summer camp but she is not sure now. She almost wished the camps would definitely cancel so that she wouldn’t have to make any kind of decision. As the world re-opens, now everyone has to think about wether they should go to restaurants, visit with friends and family, go to certain events, or even protest. The current re-opening situation has left it up to everyone to access risks and make the decisions for themselves. Alvina mentioned a blog post she read by an economist who had a 5-step process to decision making:

Frame the question
Mitigate the risk
Evaluate the risks
Evaluate the benefits
Decide.

This led the book friends to ask each other….are you a risk taker?

Alvina: YES, but calculated risks! Like sky diving for example: she researched the companies first before choosing one to go with. Bungee jumping…NO she didn’t do this because she had heard there are many cases of eye injuries.

Grace: She claims she’s not a logical risk taker because she mostly goes with her gut feeling. However, she does a little research but only to re-confirm that her gut is right!

Alvina mentions that Little, Brown Books for Young Readers had to put out a statement last week to the black lives matter movement. This was a tough decision. If you don’t put out a statement you look bad, but if you do, you run the risk of saying the wrong thing (or something people would take the wrong way). They did put a successful statement out.

Grace talks has been sharing Kalaya'an Mendoza’s art on social media. She mentions how Asians don’t have the best track record for standing up for black lives at all. Grace thinks part of that is cultural just like the rhetoric her mom told her growing up: just keep your head down and work really hard. Drawing attention is not good.

Here is Grace speaking about racism found in her childhood books. She had no idea that it would be controversial but she did receive some negativity.

Grace and Alvina agree on how important it is to talk about racism but how it can also be tricky at times. You never know how someone is going to react or take something the wrong way.

What are you grateful for?

Grace explains that even though she feels like the world is falling apart, the bubble she lives in with her family, especially because of being quarantined, feels good. “I’m grateful that it gives me time and space to make decisions.” she says. The bookclub she started with her daughter just finished reading Babe and then watched the movie together through Zoom.

Alvina was feeling hopeless about the state of the world but she went for a long walk on the weekend and was appreciating how beautiful the world truly is. Even the day after the protests, the trees, blue sky, and flowers fed her soul and made everything feel a little bit better. She’s grateful for the ability to walk out her front door and feel this way. She’s also grateful for people doing things that can change people’s minds. (like the Jason Reynolds talk).

2-minute book review with Alison Morris:

The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera.

This sweet story about the power of gratitude encourages young readers to write their own letters, and share their joy with friends, family, and loved ones. For anyone who has ever wanted to encourage children to write thank you notes, Grace's sweet letters and the joyful way everyone in town receives them is the perfect, gentle lesson, and models how to respond to all kinds of gifts--including the intangible ones.

‘This book is a joyful celebration of community, positivity, and the power of saying thank you!” -Alison Morris

Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.