Bloomsbury’s cover of Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore features a white girl when the protagonist is a girl of color. This misrepresentation of the main character’s ethnicity caused an uproar throughout the book blog world. Colleen at Chasing Ray outlined the development of the controversy. Some bloggers advocated boycotting Bloomsbury; others argued that authors shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a publisher, especially since most authors have little control over the cover art. Vassilly at 1330V articulated her reasons for boycotting Bloomsbury until the publisher issued an apology:
To whitewash is to erase; to erase a whole community of people who look a certain way. Whether unintentional or not, it’s cruel. When you say that boycotting is not the answer because it hurts the author and that instead I should buy the book, you are telling me that money is more important than integrity. You may not know that’s what you’re saying, but that’s what I hear. By boycotting, I’m taking my power as a consumer and giving my money to another publisher.
Vassilly’s post includes links to several others concerning this issue. Amy at My Friend Amy talked at length about growing increasingly aware of racism. Personally, I regret the hurt feelings caused by Bloomsbury’s actions and some the discussions, but I firmly believe that racism prevails in silence. Discussions such as the ongoing ones over the last 10 days are important to spotlight and prevent insidious forms of prejudice.
Late last week, Bloomsbury issued the following statement: ”Bloomsbury is ceasing to supply copies of the US edition of Magic Under Glass. The jacket design has caused offense and we apologize for our mistake. Copies of the book with a new jacket design will be available shortly.”
Want to stay current on the issue of whitewashing? Consider joining the group Readers Against White Washing on Facebook. They are “committed to public criticism of publishers who misrepresent characters.” Publishers and readers will be more aware the this issue if people join together to advocate an end to whitewashing.
Tags: Bloomsbury, Magic Under Glass cover art, publisher boycott, race bending, whitewashing
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The Slytherin ways of Bloomsbury — they famously jilted the art of the English edition of Harry Potter I – VII for the strange art of the U.S. version. The publishing house sits in Soho Square, London, and just can’t get over itself, but now push has come to shove. Look forward to reading the revised edition of this work.
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Thanks for highlighting this issue. Over the last week, there were so many discussions over this. You’re right when you say that racism prevails in silence. I’m noticing so many people around the blogisphere making pledges to read more books by and about POC, different sexual orientations, and other differences. I can’t wait to see what the blogisphere looks like in six months.
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