I just finished a great book titled ‘Atom Land’ by Jon Butterworth. It’s an interesting read for sure; it’s all about sub-atomic particles but written from the perspective of an explorer shrunk down, physically traveling within the sub-atomic space (think ‘The Magic School Bus’, but for adults). It was honestly a great read, and even though I think I may have only understood about 40% of it, I enjoyed reading it very much. I can also say that I am probably a little more confident in my quantum physics knowledge than your average person. Reading is just so cool!
There’s something about the imagination part of reading that really sticks with you.
It’s kind of always been that way for me, though; I’ve been a fairly avid reader from a very young age. I really enjoy getting wrapped up in what I’m reading. I have vivid memories of scenes from books that I read while growing up. Funny enough, I can remember some books that I read as a child better than I can remember movies that I watched as recently as last year. There’s something about the imagination part of reading that really sticks with you. I really appreciate the time I spent reading when I was younger, and I think I’m a much better adult for having done so.
I remember a few children’s books I had growing up that I read non-stop; I can remember the stories, characters, and artwork from the books like I had just put them away. They were a big part of my childhood. Now that I think about it, some children’s books that I read as a kid are still around. That goes to show you the emotional impact that books, toys, and the like have on a young person.
It’s kind of always been that way for me, though; I’ve been a fairly avid reader from a very young age. I really enjoy getting wrapped up in what I’m reading. I have vivid memories of scenes from books that I read while growing up. Funny enough, I can remember some books that I read as a child better than I can remember movies that I watched as recently as last year. There’s something about the imagination part of reading that really sticks with you. I really appreciate the time I spent reading when I was younger, and I think I’m a much better adult for having done so. I remember a few children’s books I had growing up that I read non-stop; I can remember the stories, characters, and artwork from the books like I had just put them away. They were a big part of my childhood. Now that I think about it, some children’s books that I read as a kid are still around. That goes to show you the emotional impact that books, toys, and the like have on a young person.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember there being many books available to me that featured Black main characters. I do remember seeing a few books in my schools’ libraries on some famous Black historical figures and athletes, but at the very least, I can say that it would have been nice to have more of them. As I mentioned earlier, I loved reading the books that were available to me, but a few more books about Black people (maybe one about a Black programmer or a Black chef) would have been cool! The books I did happen to read about famous figures were always inspiring, though, and I always tried to be a little more like the great people I read about, especially if they looked like me.
Like the book ‘Allergic to Mornings’ by Claudia Martial, we see many more products and media being created featuring minorities nowadays. And thankfully so! Representation is so important to build up an individual’s self-esteem and identity. What we see and hear every day influences us immensely, whether we acknowledge it or not. This is especially true for children.
As far as the Black community is concerned, it’s no secret that until more recently, Black people have been negatively stereotyped in much of the media, as well as being generally under-represented. Remember how the world reacted when the movie ‘Black Panther’ came out? How about when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States? It’s very easy to see that having someone that looks like you do incredible things is something that is important. It’s vital to realize how special we all are and understand that we all have the potential to do great things.
Like the book ‘Allergic to Mornings’ by Claudia Martial, we see many more products and media being created featuring minorities nowadays. And thankfully so! Representation is so important to build up an individual’s self-esteem and identity. What we see and hear every day influences us immensely, whether we acknowledge it or not. This is especially true for children.
What we see and hear every day influences us immensely, whether we acknowledge it or not. This is especially true for children.
As far as the Black community is concerned, it’s no secret that until more recently, Black people have been negatively stereotyped in much of the media, as well as being generally under-represented. Remember how the world reacted when the movie ‘Black Panther’ came out? How about when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States? It’s very easy to see that having someone that looks like you do incredible things is something that is important. It’s vital to realize how special we all are and understand that we all have the potential to do great things.
Just as having a great person come from your hometown can inspire pride in anyone from that town, so too does having a great person look like you do. Just being represented shows that you are part of the equation, a part of the process. You matter. When we have 50+ year old models, Black Disney princesses and Hispanic Marvel superheroes, disabled actresses and actors, etc., we let people know that they are allowed to be whatever they would like and that their presence is welcome in areas of life.
All things start in the mind, and by properly representing all people, we can nurture a mindscape that will allow people to truly flourish and manifest beautiful things.
I think it’s really important to have books like ‘Allergic to Mornings’ and ‘Lumpy Socks’ that show children of all races and gender that the problems they are going through are the same issues as any other child and have the same feelings as any other child would have. Building a solid self-image early on can only help raise a confident, well-adjusted adult.