SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

June 27, 2007 by Betsy Bird

The Politically Correct Villain

June 27, 2007 by Betsy Bird   5 comments

A very interesting piece was passed on to me recently regarding the Good Reading Magazine.  It seems that author Anthony Horowitz (of the Alex Rider series, amongst other things) wrote a piece wondering why all his villains have to be white these days.  In relating the recent filmed adaptation of Stormbreaker, for example, he writes, "How depressing it is that Herod Sayle, the Lebanese businessman that Alex Rider fought in his first adventure, Stormbreaker, quietly morphed into Darrius Sayle, Californian trailer trash, by the time the film came out last summer."

It’s funny, but this hit close to home.  You see, I rather disliked Stormbreaker for the very reasons Mr. Horowitz is bringing up here.  As I recall (and granted, my memory may be faulty here) I was under the impression that Herod Sayle appears in the book as someone who was adopted from his home country, brought to Britain, and grew up there.  Then he becomes the book’s supervillain and decides to kill all the children in England.  I’m so used to Muslim villain characatures in film that to find a Lebanese enemy in a YA novel struck me a bit cheap.  Cheap and kind of insulting.  The old, you take them in and raise them and they’ll turn around and bite you, kind of cheap.  I had other problems with Stormbreaker too, but that was my primary concern.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

But Mr. Horowitz’s point is that nowandays it’s hard to create any kind of a villain who isn’t white and in full possession of all his limbs and bodily functions.  I sympathize, certainly, but up to a point.  Seems to me that if you’re beginning a great boy spy teen series then maybe your first villain doesn’t have to be a Muslim right off the bat.  Take a gander at the other sci-fi villains out there.  Horowitz is right when he points out that it’s a pretty white crowd.  Will we have achieved racial equality when children and teen literature villains are of as many hues as… well, not the heroes.  The heroes tend to be pretty white as well.  Hm.  There’s something to be said for showing skepticism if a book contains a white kid saving the world from an evil multi-ethnic crew.

I’d be interested to hear what you think on the matter.  A good villain is a difficult creation anyway.

Thanks to Jane Yolen for the link.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#184)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Announcing the 2022 Winners of the Annual Blueberry Literary Award!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Transformative Power of Books, a guest post by David Aleman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ Announces Best Books 2020

Stories That Soar: Interview with 2022 Best Books Cover Illustrator Guojing

Best Picture Books 2022 | SLJ Best Books

Best Middle Grade Books 2019 | SLJ Best Books

Best Picture Books 2020 | SLJ Best Books

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. rams says

    June 27, 2007 at 6:58 am

    “Mark my words Marilla, that’s the kind of child who puts strychinine in the well!”

  2. JENNY HAN says

    June 27, 2007 at 7:45 am

    Oh, please. Wah wah wah, Anthony Horowitz. He’s complaining that his villains have to be white? Booey for him that’s all he has to complain about. The pendulum swings both ways, Anthony. I’m not arguing against artistic freedom, but come on. After reading his article, I’m even less inclined to give him any sort of empathy. “Tory MP Patrick Mercer, after an honourable and blameless Army career, suggested racial abuse was a normal part of Army life and that he had known many ‘idle and useless’ ethnic minority soldiers. He was summarily sacked as Shadow Homeland Security spokesman for making a remark that was quite probably true and only, by a stretch, offensive.” Um, yeah. No. It was offensive. As are you, Anthony.

    And this? In his next book, “Alex will be facing up to Major Winston Yu, a Hong Kong Chinese gang leader with such a love of Britain that he even drinks English wine.” Gee, that reminds me of the Monkey King from American Born Chinese, in the worst way possible.

  3. JENNY HAN says

    June 27, 2007 at 8:43 am

    Okay, I just reread what I wrote and now I feel kinda bad. Maybe, and probably, Anthony is a nice person. I take back wah wah wah, and I take back one “as are you.” But I stand by the rest of it!

  4. Fuse #8 says

    June 27, 2007 at 10:25 am

    No, see, I’m with you on this one. I figure that if your hero is a white boy, there are certain limitations set on your villains.

    Is it too crazy to hope for an action hero who ISN’T white these days?

  5. your neighborhood librarian says

    June 27, 2007 at 6:59 pm

    Well Betsy I think you’re right and it’s the hero that’s at issue, not the villain. If Anthony Horowitz even once wrote a hero of color he’d be off the hook in my opinion. But as far as I know, he hasn’t, so he ain’t.

    You can look at Bond movie villains too when you’re examining this argument. Even the Korean bad guy in Die Another Day turns himself into a white Euro. I think I watch too much Bond.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023