https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=226

I was recently reminded of John Crowley's "LIttle, Big".

It's a fantasy family saga - or is a work of magical realism? - from the early eighties that won a couple of awards and that enjoys a cult following.

I read it some time ago and remember feeling disappointed. The "faerie" world, far from enchanting me, struck me as twee in places, and I also recall being put off by some self conscious "fine writing".

I also think I remember an African American character called Fred Savage who offered aid and advice in hoky dialect to a white protagonist before turning into a tree - in short, the Magical Negro trope at its worst.

Or have I misremembered this? I can't find Fred Savage referenced in the Wikipedia article on the book.

#Books #Fantasy #LittleBig #JohnCrowley #FredSavage #MagicalNegro

It's 2024 and #JamieOliver manages to fuck up a children's book by introducing a native Australian #magicalnegro

I guess some people never learn.

Jamie Oliver apologises after his children’s book is criticised for ‘stereotyping’ First Nations Australians
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/nov/09/jamie-oliver-apologises-after-childrens-book-criticised-for-stereotyping-first-nations-australians-ntwnfb

I'm no expert on Indigenous people, but think even as a white person it should be easy to spot grotesque racism and not do it.

But somehow, Jamie Oliver didn't have a second thought about writing a book with cultural appropriation, magical negro meme bullshit, and kidnapping Indigenous children. Worse, he put it in a children's book he wrote that includes a character of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.

The publisher, Penguin Random House UK, is going "Oops, my bad" about it. They're not saying how a children's book in the 21st century got all the way through their commissioning, editing, publishing, and promotional processes without anyone asking if it's good or harmful to go ahead with this breathtakingly racist garbage.

#JamieOliver #Racism #FirstNations #StolenGenerations #CulturalAppropriation #MagicalNegro

#MagicalNegro American Society of Magical Negroes

Is it my job to make white people feel comfortable ? Hell to the nawh. My job is to make them feel until they peel the discomfort.
#BlackMastodon

TRAILER is out
‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ Trailer: Justice Smith Belongs to a Club That Makes White People’s Lives Easier
Written and directed by Kobi Libii, the film premieres at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

https://youtu.be/gizIbhk5Eu4