So I was actually working on it sitting on my couch and I have a nine-year-old, she was almost ten, and she asked me what I was writing about. Do you want to share that a little bit?Įrin: Sure. Grace: So you begin your essay with an anecdote about your daughter.
And we don't label those characters as strong, even though they might be just as active or involved in their stories as the characters that are outspoken and aggressive. And then where does that leave those characters that are clever, or open-hearted, or have just as other amazing character traits, but they're not so masculine-leaning. We're kind of setting up this weird dichotomy in the way that we talk about books with female main characters in them.Įrin: And a lot of times the other part of the essay is really about how we associate those quote and quote 'strong characteristics' with masculine characteristic or traits, I guess, with being assertive or outspoken. And sort of the implication there is that if we're calling some characters in some books strong, then other characters, other female characters must be weak. Tell us a little bit about your essay, just for those who maybe don't remember it or haven't read it yet.Įrin: So the essay is really about how we label some books with female characters as strong. I thought it was really thought-provoking. Grace: So, Erin, thank you so much for joining me today. This is Grace Lin and I'm here talking to Erin Dionne about her essay, The Fallacy of the Strong Female Character. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio and video essayist for PBS NewsHour ( here & here), as well as the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf.
Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the Theodor Geisel Honor for Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Her most recent novel When the Sea Turned to Silver was a National Book Award Finalist and her most recent picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor.
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