Get Your Library Card: The Reading Room

Happiness is a Library Card. Welcome To The Reading Room.

Lately I have noticed a trend with a lot of these covers in the IR world. I may step on a lot of toes with this but this is my truth. I know I am not the only one who dislikes greatly when the cover of a book doesn’t match the description of the book. For instance darkened photos.

Just for why?

 

A few well known black authors have used photos of white women and the reason I know this is because it is a stock photo and used on many white books and now are darkened for IR books. Is this some sort of modern day black face? I mean really what is the problem? I have seen people say that there aren’t many diverse photos out there. While this is sad but whenever there is a lack of anything in our community we created a way. We were separated from schools so guess what we started our on schools/colleges. We created a genre IR for women who look like us. ( I will come back to this one). My issue is please create your photos and stop using white women and darkening them up it just looks bad and frankly cheesy. You want to appeal to a broader audience well cool but don’t pimp this mess in our groups for our support and then describe the woman as anything other than black because you want mass appeal.  But the men are described down to their finger nails i.e. blonde hair and blue eyes, full lips etc. Why is the women aren't described but labeled as black woman? Readers aren’t dumb. There is nothing wrong with diversifying but damn let’s keep it real.

Another issue with this mainstreaming is former IR books now being offered as white books and free. Yes I am talking about a book in particular that was circulated in a group I was in. The book and I won’t name the book or the author but the book made #1 on AA list and IR but now the book is offered for free the female named is changed as well as her race and the author is labeling it MC?! Huh?! I mean come on. You want our money but we can’t be represented?

 

Back to the genre of women who look like us. Where are we represented these days? So many covers are dawning women whose race is so ambiguous I don’t know who or what I am reading about. Authors why label a book IR if you are so afraid to say what the woman is? It all comes back to money. Many know readers support and enjoy this genre so they cash in on the popularity. It’s honestly getting ridiculous.

Any way this is just my rant on a few things I have been noticing lately.