The Past, The People, and Politics

I remember when I believed the world would be divided into the countries behind the Iron Curtain - under the influence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - and the Western World forever. Then journalists coined the terms "Third World" and "Developing World" for those countries not caught up in the Cold War. Many of these had been subjected to European and U.S. colonialism and had yet to gain their independence.

I remember when the map of Africa included French West Africa which was a vast expanse on that map, the Belgian Congo, German East Africa, and the United Kingdom held colonies of Rhodesia, South Africa, Kenya etc. As children, we not only learned the names of these countries but who "owned" them.  Education like that effects children's view of the world. We were taught to own countries, to divide the world, and, in fact, that some people were more deserving of freedom and independence than others. Our text books supported this.

But literature did not. Read Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, as I did in ninth grade and your view shifts. Read The Family Romanov, a nonfiction narrative by Candice Fleming and you will understand more of how the Soviet Union came into being. Read The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave and you'll get a peek at modern Chinese history and the government it led to. Literature takes up topics that text books do not. Which is our mandate as authors: to write the stories that are buried or forgotten - sometimes for specific political or national reasons.

Today, with education standards being focused on skills - reading, math, technology, and perhaps science - the past is often left out of curriculum. So is foreign language. Cultural information may be limited to celebrations of food or certain days. Authors, artists, dancers, and musicians are more important than ever. Our work shines a light on our commonality as people. It exposes the human spirit. It can speak truth in the guise of art. This is why art is  often discouraged in totalitarian regimes. It's why street art may upset the mainstream culture. It's why I continue to write.

Because people create change. The Iron Curtain fell. Africa now has fifty-four independent nations. China is one of the most powerful countries in the world. Look to art and literature for the changes that are coming. Politicians and autocrats may hold power, but artists create the culture. We see the future and it always belongs to the people.

I am optomistic. I've been blessed to meet, laugh with and learn from people from around the world. I have traveled across the U.S. and Canada speaking at schools and conferences. There are so many stories to be told - and they aren't the "official" ones. They are the ones with heart, the stories of freedom and hard decisions and small daily  heroic acts. We owe it to our children to write, read, and study Middle Grade History.