My next novel will be released Tuesday, October 20th! I am really thrilled to have this story out in the world. It’s a joy to think that people, especially kids, will be reading it soon.
Jose Leyenda and the Wailing Woman is about a Mexican-American boy who discovers that a legend from Mexico, La Llorona, is haunting his neighborhood, the South Side of Milwaukee. It is very different than my first book! And that has pros and cons. I plan to write about those in a future blog post.
But today I wanted to focus on a fact that I am very much aware of. You see, I know that it may seem wrong for a white man to be writing a book from the perspective of a Latino boy and his two Latino friends and their Latino families. I get it. It’s pretty much Cultural Appropriation — which is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures.
Now, there’s a lot to unpack here. There’s been a plethora of thoughts and emotions and opinions on this as I wrote the novel and now that it’s about to be published. But I’ll try my best to keep this succinct.
I attempted to make up for my Cultural Appropriation by recognizing it, apologizing for it (in a way), and being grateful for it in my acknowledgment section of the book. Here is what I wrote:
Because I am an old white guy writing from the perspective of a Mexican-American boy, I’d like to thank some of the influences for this novel, for I know that most of my personal experiences haven’t compared with the challenges these Mexican-American characters probably endure on a daily basis.
I’ve been with my husband for twelve years. He’s from Vera Cruz, Mexico and moved to America in 2006 at the age of eighteen. He earned his Green Card in 2018. He has provided most of my fascination, delight, and awe of the Mexican culture. Thank you Adan for not only making me the best Mexican food and for traveling with me throughout the beautiful country of Mexico but for also showing me the pride, character, and soul of Mexicans…Or of at least one amazing one.
My husband and I are legal guardians to my three nieces and nephew. Their father is Mexican. We’ve cared for them for about six years now, and they’ve cared for us too. I am forever grateful for them to have taught me, among countless life lessons, the spirit of the Latino-American.
I teach at Veritas High School in Milwaukee. The population is 90% Hispanic. Much of the book is inspired by my students…This story weaved itself into my heart because of them: their attitudes, personalities, and sense of humor; their expressions and body language; their hobbies, likes and dislikes; their music; their fashion. I’ve soaked up my students’ culture on a daily basis, falling in love with it, respecting it, and learning from it. Thanks to each and every one of my students for influencing Jose Leyenda and the Wailing Woman.
The school I teach at is on the South Side of Milwaukee. This neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic and Latino. I have obviously been moved by this area of my city. I am so incredibly thankful to have had a first-hand experience with the art and spirit of this neighborhood almost everyday for the last thirteen years. The people that live here are so full of life that I just had to set my book in this vibrant community.
Of course, as always, these were just my personal experiences with the Hispanic culture, and this book only recounts the fictional experience of one Mexican-American boy. Please remember the “danger of a single story” and realize that this is simply a tale that resided in my own mind. I felt an urge to tell this story of Jose Leyenda, and I am glad that I did. I hope you enjoyed it as well.
Lastly, I’d like to thank others who assisted in writing this novel.
I’d like to thank my editors Ashley Goodnow, Callie Stoker, and Charity West.
In addition, I am thankful for the assistance of my sister Shawn Salter and my great friend Sara Brown, who is exemplary with grammar and punctuation. They both provided much needed critiques and edits of the book.
I’d also like to thank my book formatter Michelle Argyle. And Slobodan Vukovic for the book cover design.
I’d like to thank my students Julio Hernandez and Nashalee Rodriguez who acted as my “Sensitivity Readers.”
I cannot forget to thank Blum Coffee Garden, a cafe that provided a safe, serene space to get creative. Every writer needs a great ambiance to get stirred to write every day. They were that to me. Oh, and their coffee is awesome too!
Thank you to everyone that supported and believed in me. I am a writer because of all of you.
I understand that this doesn’t totally excuse me from this controversy. But I anticipate it at least helping people understand my perspective and fosters compassion towards me as a creative storyteller and artist.
One of the biggest reasons I love reading and writing is because it allows us all to, as corny as it sounds, live inside someone else’s shoes for a little while. Stories are the ultimate, I believe, empathy creator. I dream that people will continue to not only read books from diverse and unique perspectives but will also write stories from those diverse and unique perspectives; get inside other people’s minds; try to understand them; attempt to look through their lens, even practice it.
People may say two things:
- A person from a dominant culture should not be able to make money off a disadvantaged minority culture.
- A person from a dominant culture should read and hear perspectives from actual people in the disadvantaged minority culture.
I agree with both of these sentiments.
If I do make a lot of money off Jose Leyenda, I will donate some or much of it to an organization that assists the Hispanic community in my city of Milwaukee, probably Voces de la Frontera. However, I don’t think I’ll make a ton of money off this book. Unless I hit the jackpot like selling it to Netflix or something, I’ll need to utilize the funds I make on this book for my family to simply pay the bills. LoL. For the most part, I’ll be using this money to assist us in our surrogacy journey. But if I do become the next R.L. Stine, then I will for sure give back to the community.
I also believe that the second sentiment is true. I mean, I pretty much live and breathe and practice that philosophy on a daily basis — I teach World Literature. We are always reading stories, poems, articles, and books by authors from disadvantaged minority cultures. We read diverse and unique perspectives, celebrating, studying, and analyzing them with thoughtfulness and gusto. I have faith that everyone will do this: Read and listen to stories from actual members of disadvantaged minority cultures. If you aren’t, do it NOW!
As controversial as it sounds, I hope that people can have the permission and are even encouraged to write stories from other people’s points of view. I hope that my white students can try to write from the perspective of a black person. I hope my straight students can try to write stories from the point of view of my gay students. I hope my male students can try to get inside the mind of my female students. And so on and so on.
I am not negating cultural appropriation…But I am saying that sometimes it can lead to true and powerful empathy if done right…If that makes sense.
Anyways, you can order your copy of Jose Leyenda and the Wailing Woman one week from today. It’s a perfect book for Halloween. It’s written for kids but I think adults will have a fun time with it too. It’s spooky, suspenseful, and a quick read.
On a side note, I am currently on the 3rd chapter of my next book…Death Drop : A Lucky Summers Mystery. So far it’s been a delightful book to write and I am eager to see where it goes.
Remember you can order The Closted Life of Claude Hartel HERE.
Read a book today people. Peace!
Joe Neman : Writer 