I find this offensive and inaccurate. Why is urban fiction deemed an automatic synonym for any book by a black author or with mostly black characters? Urban fiction is usually a subsection of black- and sometimes even Latino- fiction and they are books that contain characters from large cities and revolve around a theme of poverty, drugs, and inner city life. But this is not where black books start or end.
I think those urban fiction themes are remarkably different from plots involving southern slavery, segregation or other black books that involve characters in a non inner city, non poverty capacity.
Once I went into a library in a nearby mostly black neighborhood and saw a sectio labeled "urban fiction" and in that section was a book entitled "The Known World". This particular book takes place in 1850s Virginia and is about a free black man who owned slaves. Why is that considered urban fiction???
And why is black literature defined by Zane (erotica) or other books that focus on a drug culture? Every Barnes and Noble has a table like this. How come people forget the works by authors like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Lalita Tademy, and many others. Does anyone else notice this?
Deeya- I don't see how black books about slavery/south are urban or stereotypical. They aren't. They actually have social value and recount the experiences of our people and have a literary value.
Urban fiction can do the same for some segments of the black population but they are often written in such an obnoxious manner.
And there are plenty of black books that don't have any of those themes.
Lana T- I agree
Read my entire question- why is urban a synonym for black? Why is a book that takes place on a rural farm in 1850s Virginia with black characters and a black author classified under urban fiction next to the Zane books? No one is denying what Zane or K'wan are about but not all of our books should automatically be labeled as such.
I think those urban fiction themes are remarkably different from plots involving southern slavery, segregation or other black books that involve characters in a non inner city, non poverty capacity.
Once I went into a library in a nearby mostly black neighborhood and saw a sectio labeled "urban fiction" and in that section was a book entitled "The Known World". This particular book takes place in 1850s Virginia and is about a free black man who owned slaves. Why is that considered urban fiction???
And why is black literature defined by Zane (erotica) or other books that focus on a drug culture? Every Barnes and Noble has a table like this. How come people forget the works by authors like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Lalita Tademy, and many others. Does anyone else notice this?
Deeya- I don't see how black books about slavery/south are urban or stereotypical. They aren't. They actually have social value and recount the experiences of our people and have a literary value.
Urban fiction can do the same for some segments of the black population but they are often written in such an obnoxious manner.
And there are plenty of black books that don't have any of those themes.
Lana T- I agree
Read my entire question- why is urban a synonym for black? Why is a book that takes place on a rural farm in 1850s Virginia with black characters and a black author classified under urban fiction next to the Zane books? No one is denying what Zane or K'wan are about but not all of our books should automatically be labeled as such.