I had several sensitivity reads for my book that’s on sub, and it was the best experience. I highly recommend, and whole-heartedly agree to find that voice closest to your area, as well as a professional writer if at all possible. When you don’t know, you don’t know. And then you get an inkling and do the best you can with it. It’s not about you, it’s about your readers and getting your left foot (at the least) out of the way of the story you’re actually telling. I do think the shadow side is important to know, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the thoughtful take on an important issue. On balance, I want to believe that publishing (and authors) are better off with sensitivity reading as a viable option. But it is fraught, as you note, and I hope we all continue to bring compassion and tolerance to the process.
I was happy to have a sensitivity read on my memoir. I was adopted by an Irish father and a German mother and did not know until I was 58 that my biological father was Mexican. When I sent my book in I thought "they will never find a thing." But you don't know what you don't know and I made several changes based on her concerns. It was a worthwhile exercise for me as a writer and for me as a human.
I appreciate Brooke's perspective, and courage . This topic takes us down a road fraught with potholes,
But Sensitivity Reading? And they often include stereotypes and biases, labeling others as having white privilege and racists. Those kinds of labels demean others.
I am 69 years old and don’t believe in changing a children’s book to be politically correct or 'more sensitive.'
Next we'll be editing Shakespeare.
Instead, let's teach children to appreciate the culture of Elizabethan England. Children deserve to read what the author wrote.
I grew up hearing Frank Sinatra and the rat pack call woman 'dolls' and 'chicks'.
They exemplified the mainstream attitude of men and women toward each other.
In the sixties and seventies, I didn’t like all the things they said and did… but thank goodness we don't edit their songs so they are appropriate for 2023. We'd lose the artistry and culture of my youth.
Let's teach history without labeling whites as privileged and racist (generalized labels which also, in my opinion are racist).
Instead, let’s have respect for cultures besides our own. The past is simply another culture.
In respecting the culture of the past, we don't have to agree with that culture.
We simply need to stop demonizing others with labels made up by the government to divide us in different tribes.
By refraining from the use of doublespeak, we teach children to be kind and connected to the rights of others. We teach children to be understanding, compassionate, and set boundaries.
While I've never specifically sought a sensitivity reader, I have sought subject matter experts (SMEs) when my fiction included topics outside my ken. For one book, a woman with spina bifida was my SME for a central character who used a wheelchair. For another, an intersex individual ensured that my treatment of that condition was sensitive and accurate. There have been others. And each time, I learn so much more than I would have if I had relied exclusively upon my own research and my own intuition.
I had one great experience with sensitivity reads and one bad. The young black man who began reading my manuscript sent me an email stating no white woman should ever write from the point of view of a black man. That was only the beginning of his put-down. The company he works with was apologetic afterward, but this can happen, though, hopefully, not often.
I had several sensitivity reads for my book that’s on sub, and it was the best experience. I highly recommend, and whole-heartedly agree to find that voice closest to your area, as well as a professional writer if at all possible. When you don’t know, you don’t know. And then you get an inkling and do the best you can with it. It’s not about you, it’s about your readers and getting your left foot (at the least) out of the way of the story you’re actually telling. I do think the shadow side is important to know, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the thoughtful take on an important issue. On balance, I want to believe that publishing (and authors) are better off with sensitivity reading as a viable option. But it is fraught, as you note, and I hope we all continue to bring compassion and tolerance to the process.
I was happy to have a sensitivity read on my memoir. I was adopted by an Irish father and a German mother and did not know until I was 58 that my biological father was Mexican. When I sent my book in I thought "they will never find a thing." But you don't know what you don't know and I made several changes based on her concerns. It was a worthwhile exercise for me as a writer and for me as a human.
Enjoy all your posts and your perspective in this one. Thanks.
Important, grounding essay.
Excellent
I appreciate Brooke's perspective, and courage . This topic takes us down a road fraught with potholes,
But Sensitivity Reading? And they often include stereotypes and biases, labeling others as having white privilege and racists. Those kinds of labels demean others.
I am 69 years old and don’t believe in changing a children’s book to be politically correct or 'more sensitive.'
Next we'll be editing Shakespeare.
Instead, let's teach children to appreciate the culture of Elizabethan England. Children deserve to read what the author wrote.
I grew up hearing Frank Sinatra and the rat pack call woman 'dolls' and 'chicks'.
They exemplified the mainstream attitude of men and women toward each other.
In the sixties and seventies, I didn’t like all the things they said and did… but thank goodness we don't edit their songs so they are appropriate for 2023. We'd lose the artistry and culture of my youth.
Let's teach history without labeling whites as privileged and racist (generalized labels which also, in my opinion are racist).
Instead, let’s have respect for cultures besides our own. The past is simply another culture.
In respecting the culture of the past, we don't have to agree with that culture.
We simply need to stop demonizing others with labels made up by the government to divide us in different tribes.
By refraining from the use of doublespeak, we teach children to be kind and connected to the rights of others. We teach children to be understanding, compassionate, and set boundaries.
While I've never specifically sought a sensitivity reader, I have sought subject matter experts (SMEs) when my fiction included topics outside my ken. For one book, a woman with spina bifida was my SME for a central character who used a wheelchair. For another, an intersex individual ensured that my treatment of that condition was sensitive and accurate. There have been others. And each time, I learn so much more than I would have if I had relied exclusively upon my own research and my own intuition.
Thanks, Brooke. This issue is confusing and frustrating. But you have made a good case for intention and nuance.
I had one great experience with sensitivity reads and one bad. The young black man who began reading my manuscript sent me an email stating no white woman should ever write from the point of view of a black man. That was only the beginning of his put-down. The company he works with was apologetic afterward, but this can happen, though, hopefully, not often.