To think it’s off thet they’ve dumped Laura Ingalls Wilder?

[Magpiesarehuge]

They’ve stripped her name from a literary Award named in her honour - seeems she’s not inclusive enough, too racist and problematic. She was one of my favourite authors as a child and her books were funny, sad, emotional snd hugely educational.

www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/24/laura-ingalls-wilders-name-removed-from-book-award-over-racial-concerns

www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/24/laura-ingalls-wilders-name-removed-from-book-award-over-racial-concerns

That's a shame. She can't be the only author expressing attitudes of her time.

It's not that she's 'not inclusive' - she said in the books 'there were no people, only Indians' - that is completely unacceptable.

If these were heirlooms and our society could look at them in a historical context, then that would be one thing, but in the current climate of people calling police because black children are setting up lemonade stands, of racist attacks and of people burning crosses, it's totally wrong to perpetuate stories containing attitudes like that, however much the tv series glossed over it.

There were some interesting points raised in the other thread about this

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3287506-Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-unapproved

Exactly! Florence Nightingale was horrendously anti-Irish and I read Rudyard Kipling in my 20s and was horrified.

ps, I do understand that FN wasn't a writer but she's held up as an angel/heroine but her diaries detailed ideas lacking any understanding of social constraints

So all those who are shocked at some of the things these people said or thought - what would your views have been if you were alive back then?

And thanks for the link - didn’t know a thread had been started on this.

I loved the books as much as anyone but, I think this is definitely the right decision:
(1) she didn't actually write the books. Her versions are almost unreadable. It's her daughter who wrote them.
(2) she doesn't represent the standards of her time, which is not actually as long ago as you'd think. She died in 1957. She, and especially her depiction of Pa, were exceptionally racist even for that era.
(3) the book awards are for today. While as adults we may be able to enjoy the books despite their problems, encouraging children to read them is much more likely simply to keep those problematic attitudes alive into another generation. Especially given the current political climate in the US.
(4) the nature of these particular books is that they are closely linked to the life of the author and the recent publication of Pioneer Girl shows that she really wasn't a great person at all. The award was in memory of her, not just her books, and I'm okay that she isn't commemorated any more.

Totally agree with your view @bridgetreilly

(1) she didn't actually write the books. Her versions are almost unreadable. It's her daughter who wrote them.
(2) she doesn't represent the standards of her time, which is not actually as long ago as you'd think. She died in 1957. She, and especially her depiction of Pa, were exceptionally racist even for that era.

Can’t say I agree with any of that tbh.

Mmm, I have fond memories of these books, so gave them to my 7 year old to read. I sometimes read bits of books he is reading to him as a bedtime story. Frankly, I was stunned when I got to a song about ‘darkeys’. I took it as an opportunity to discuss how things have changed and how songs like that are no longer acceptable.