Sassy Historical Fiction!

April 2, 2012 Feature Article: Past Worlds, Future Worlds, and Historical Fiction by J. Anderson Coats    The other day, I went to Curriculum Night at my teenage son's middle school, and I happened to talk with some girls in his language arts class about books. I asked them what they liked to read and I got the answers I expected - Divergent, The Hunger Games - but out of curiosity, I asked, "What about historical fiction?" One girl wrinkled her nose. "No. Ew." I couldn't resist. "Why not?" Another girl was more tactful. "You know. School." Yes, I do know. And I don't blame anyone raised on "social studies" and sanitized school-friendly history for that reaction.  But if you like dystopian secondary worlds like these girls seemed to, let me tell you something: the best-kept secret about history is that the past is the ultimate secondary world.   You can't get more dystopian than the rubber plantations in the Belgian Congo where they'd cut off people's hands and kidnap their families to ensure that quotas were met, or the transportation of petty criminals to a prison colony on the other side of the planet. These things are real, and they give fiction a run for its money every time. Here's a little quiz: which of the following are plot summaries of recent YA novels, and which are actual historical events? * The daughter of a gladiator must marry the fighter who kills her father and captures her dowry bracelet. * When her wealthy husband dies, a teenage widow must climb on his funeral pyre with him and be burned alive, or else face recrimination, ostracism and destitution. * During a seemingly unstoppable plague, a city closes its gates and forbids anyone to enter or leave, and any houses in which plague suffers already live are boarded up with the healthy and sick alike trapped inside. * Girls who reach legal maturity are given a special tattoo that indicates their sexual availability to the entire society. Answers: 1 - Dystopian (Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines) 2 - Historical (pre-British India; the practice of sati) 3 - Historical (14th century Milan) 4 - Dystopian (XVI by Julia Carr) Even if you got all the answers right, it's hard to ignore the fact that the similarities between the past and fictional secondary worlds are striking. Our shared human past is filled with betrayal and revenge and despair and joy and stupidity, and one of the best ways to access it is through well-crafted, well-researched, engaging fiction. The best historical fiction challenges readers' assumptions about what "history" is, and how we in the present relate to people who lived the past. It doesn't judge the past based on our modern standards, but it renders the past - where women were property and animal cruelty was funny - normal and familiar.  It's the same challenge faced by writers who set stories in other types of secondary worlds, but historical-fiction writers have the additional hurdle of social studies to overcome.   But the best historical fiction tells a good story, too, where characters we care about have to deal with some type of issue that feels relatable. It's not just a chronicle of the stuff that happened. So much of history is interpretation. The narrative has to take evidence into account, but at its heart it's still a narrative. The best historical fiction is out there, and it ain't social studies.  There are echoes of the dystopian and traces of the stranger-than-fiction. There is tragedy and adversity and also hope, because it is human. The best historical fiction may surprise you. J. Anderson Coats has dug for crystals, held Lewis and Clark's original hand-written journal and been a mile underground. She writes historical fiction set in the middle ages that routinely includes too much violence, name-calling and petty vandalism perpetrated by badly-behaved young people. Her work is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. The Wicked and the Just, J.'s debut novel, is forthcoming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April 2012. J. lives within walking distance of the Puget Sound with her husband, teenage son and a cat with thumbs.  Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.  To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to her website.      Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Act of Haiku."             Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.    She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.       Upcoming Author Events Saturday, 14 April Alamosa Bookstore, Albuquerque, NM Carolee and Caroline discuss verse novels for poetry month Sunday, April 29th  9-5 Preconference Session   Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire"    Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose     Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories" Carolee Dean November, 2012 YALSA Literature Symposium  "Author Research Panel" Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little and two other authors St. Louis, Missouri