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Mind. Blown.

More to reflect on when considering the number of Asian characters in children's and YA books.

“You guys know about vampires? … You know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There’s this idea that monsters don’t have reflections in a mirror. And what I’ve always thought isn’t that monsters don’t have reflections in a mirror. It’s that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves. And growing up, I felt like a monster in some ways. I didn’t see myself reflected at all. I was like, Yo, is something wrong with me? That the whole society seems to think that people like me don’t exist? And part of what inspired me, was this deep desire that before I died, I would make a couple of mirrors. That I would make some mirrors so that kids like me might see themselves reflected back and might not feel so monstrous for it.” — Junot Diaz

I am so glad I am meeting this man in November.
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Comments

  1. HATBOOKS Author Holly ThompsonOctober 28, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    Great quote. Looking forward to meeting him, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tarie SabidoOctober 28, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    Par-tay! Par-tay!

    ReplyDelete
  3. thehootingmindOctober 30, 2011 at 11:29 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 31, 2011 at 5:28 AM

    I have an award for you! http://wp.me/p13ec-Yw

    ReplyDelete
  5. jonyangorgNovember 3, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    I'm super jealous already.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tarie SabidoNovember 4, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    When are you visiting, Jon???

    ReplyDelete
  7. monideepaNovember 26, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    oh wow! can't wait to read your post about the coming encounter. Pleease, tell tell us, tell us what happened :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tarie SabidoNovember 28, 2011 at 12:41 AM

    Hi, Moni! I tweeted all about Junot at the Manila Literary Festival. Please search for all the tweets with the #ManilaLiteraryFestival hashtag on Twitter. =D

    ReplyDelete

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