Who Really Cares..?

Penguin Random House has partnered with think tank The Runnymede Trust to promote diverse reading lists in schools.

The Lit in Colour campaign follows a recent report by Teach First, which claimed that many students will leave school having never studied a book by an author of colour or ethnic minority background.

Really..?

 

But...maybe there's a good reason that they should study these books?

Penguin CEO Tom Weldon outlined the need to make reading lists more inclusive and representative of the students who study the subject.

"At its best, English Literature offers young people a passport to see and understand the world through others' eyes, inspire a lifelong love of reading and a fundamental sense of belonging. Access to a diverse and representative range of books, authors and characters is key — in classrooms, school libraries and at home.”

But if a kid from the mean streets of Bethnal Green reads about Victorian England or the time of Shakespeare, they are 'reading and seeing the world through others' eyes', aren't they? 

What sort of books are you recommending they read instead?

What books do you think should be on the curriculum?

We can think of many wonderful writers of colour who could be studied, but ultimately we’re not educational experts, and so don’t think it’s our place to suggest them. Moreover, it’s really important to us that at this stage of the initiative that we’re not trying to identify solutions or make recommendations before the findings of the research are published.

So...you don't know, because you're not 'educational experts'. But you are experts on books. 

Aren't you? Surely you could suggest something..?

"But the reality is that our young people are still studying a mostly white, mostly male English Literature curriculum: one which neither reflects contemporary society nor inspires a generation to read outside of their classes. We are joining forces with The Runnymede Trust to support the many schools and teachers working hard to make change on the ground, and to better understand the depth and breadth of this issue.”

Ah. Say no more. You've no idea what you like, just what you don't. We see you. We see you very well.