I dig my fingers through my hair, accidentally ripping a few strands from my scalp. Part of me considers cutting all of it off, but even without my white hair, my maji heritage would damn our family all the same. We are the people who fill the king's prisons, the people our kingdom turns into laborers. The people Orishans try to chase out of their features, outlawing our lineage as if white hair and dead magic were a societal stain. (Children of Blood and Bone, page 27)
The quote above captures one of the complicated perspectives from Tomi Adeyemi's YA fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone. Zelie is a seventeen year old girl born into a world where those with magical descent, the "diviners", are regarded with disdain, fear, and disgust. When she was a child, the king of the land set forth a 'Raid,' a genocidal event that wiped out all practicing maji, including Zelie's mother. Having witnessed her mother be dragged away by the throat in chains made of an anti-magic substance that burns the skin of maji and then her eventual murder, Zelie grapples with anger and resentment toward the king and shame for always putting her non-diviner father and brother in danger because of her actions and very existence.
While the book may take place in a fictional world, the anti-diviner ideology in Children of Blood and Bone mirrors the racism in our own. Diviners are called by the slur 'maggot,' a name that comes from their dark skin and white hair as well as their position in society. The varying languages of the land that existed before the Raid, including Zelie's first language, are forbidden, the king's language taking precedent. The physical features of diviners, the white hair and darker skin, are considered ugly and a mark of impurity and evil by royalty, who favor lighter skin and "tamed" hair. Families with diviner children are penalized by taxes and constant "check ins" with royal guards which typically result in rape, violence, and murder.
Adeyemi's novel would work well in a classroom to introduce how systems of racism work and who is affected, because it is not only the oppressed who suffer; the oppressors do as well. Since the chapters are organized by the perspective of different characters -- Zelie, the princess Amari, the prince Inan -- readers gain different insights into just how toxic racism and hatred can be, even to those who are benefiting from the racism. Zelie has difficulty having mercy for Amari despite the princess' position as a "pro-diviner"; Inan carries out his duty in fear of incurring his father's wrath, even if it means killing his sister. The characters are not two-dimensional but complex, struggling with their beliefs and ideas in wake of a world that does not readily accept them.
Reflecting on the characters' experiences and battles, students can make connections to how racism manifests in our world, and think more critically about their own personal struggles, positions on racism, and where they might be in the world of Zelie versus where they want to be, as well as in our world. Children of Blood and Bone raises questions of history and heritage as well -- what is the history we are told and what are the histories hidden from us, both our cultural history and our history as a country? Are they so out of sight that we do not know they exist, or are we privileged enough to be able to ignore them? I think this novel is an empowering one as well -- the characters risk all in pursuit of justice, even if it means falling out of favor or losing loved ones.
A hard read, but well worth the 525 pages. At the end of the book Adeyemi makes it a point to note that while "riding giant lionaires and performing sacred rituals might be in the realm of fantasy, all the pain, fear, sorrow, and loss in this book is real [...] written during a time where I kept turning on the news and seeing stories of unarmed black men, women, and children being shot by police [...] I felt afraid and angry and helpless, but this book was the one thing that made me feel like I could do something about it [...] if this story affected you in any way, all I ask is that you don't let it stop within the pages of this text [...] we've been knocked down for far too long. Now let's rise" (526-527).
I think the engagement for students would be in all the cool fantasy elements, but from the very thorough synopsis you gave this book has a lot to unpack. It says it right there in that quote you have in the beginning of your post. "We are the people who fill the king's prisons, the people our kingdom turns into laborers." These magi alter themselves physically just to get a little relief, but they're going to be persecuted no matter what they do. History is a very subjective lens to look through because it's predicated on that narrative being entirely truthful. We all know that the things that are told and not told to us are politically motivated. A great example of this is that the other day I read that the Texas Board of Education are in the process of removing Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from their curriculum.
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