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It's time for our monthly recs post! Usually I make this a space for members to ask for recs that interest them, but this time [livejournal.com profile] oyceter and I want to do something different.

Dunno how many of you have been following the dustup over a certain pair of white SFF authors? (Briefest of summaries: one author wrote a "shiny" alternate-universe U.S. "frontier" story in which Indians never existed and the U.S. never had slavery; she also characterized that as a history that wouldn't be "wildly divergent". Another author made statements that, among other things, imply that POC are new to SFF.) Notice, please, that this isn't a post about the two authors: we don't write posts about white authors on this comm.

Given that we don't write posts about white authors, here's the reason I'm even bringing up that hot mess: while browsing nahrat's link round-ups, I've been noticing that now and again someone asks for recs of books that give the lie to the assumptions those two authors made. Unfortunately, the rec-making has been a bit thin, and sometimes is pretty heavily tilted toward white authors.

Happily, reccing POC authors is something this comm does really well. Let's make some recs! I'd like to see recs for the following:
  • Alternate histories or universes that are indigenous-centric and/or anti-colonialist. There is no need for the AH/AU to focus on the Americas, and I'd love to see recs that don't.
  • Books that oppose the notion of an Empty Continent -- again, books can focus on either of the Americas, Australia, Africa, or anywhere else that has had to deal with that lie.
  • Books about how indigenous peoples have been an integral part of shaping the history of the world, and aren't just optional background scenery.
  • Books which document and/or demonstrate that POC have a long history with SFF, or a history that's independent of the Verne/Heinlein/Asimov/Campbell anglophone tradition.
If you have other themes that seem appropriate to the discussion, do feel free to start a comment-thread for them.

Additionally, here are two existing POC-author rec-making posts in the discussion:Remember, please: this is not a post for discussing white authors; this is a post for reccing POC authors. Let's make some recs!

ETA: I set up some category-specific comment threads below, but if you've got something that needs to be rec'd and the categories seem to be too constraining, DO feel free to ignore the categories. The recs are the important thing here, not the categories.

Date: 2011-06-16 10:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] juliandahling.livejournal.com
Hah, I might do a write up! I totally agree that the first third was entirely WTF (especially the first scene with Jarrod). I was really not expecting to like it/finish it after those first couple scenes... But, I ended up really really liking it, as did my sister. Yeah, I hear tell of a sequel, although I almost really liked it as a stand alone because of how UNshiny the ending was. I would worry that it would be turned into a heterosexual romance if the story continued, although I should have more faith that Lowachee wouldn't do that, because she doesn't have a tendency to do that. Unfortunately the link to your writeup doesn't work, but I'd really like to read your review.

Oh, and here's the origin (http://criptheatrequeer.tumblr.com/post/6592599615/you-know-what-i-want-more-awesome-first-nations-sf-f)of the tumblr thread in question, in which someone who later reblogged recommended this thread. I popped on over here because I've been thinking a lot lately about colonialism and SFF, and was thinking of starting a blog dedicated to SFF books explicitly complicating colonialism... Maybe still will?

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