After Reading:Insider/Outsider Debate

After reading the points given by Shannon, Sims-Bishop,Harris, and Cai, I still believe that the most authentic literature is that written by an insider. Shannon tries to raise the points that multicultural literature is not restricted to race and that by restricting multicultural authors to insiders, he and others are being left out of the conversation. I think that his points contradict each other. Because multicultural literature is not restricted to race, everyone has a chance to be involved in the conversation. Therefore, someone from every type of racial, social, economic, or physical background can give their own personal story. Whether you are an able-bodied white male or an handicapped Asian female, you still have a point of view and therefore can contribute to multicultural literature. I also agree with Sims-Bishop's point that even though multicultural literature involves all cultures, there should be a focus on groups who are usually misrepresented. As he stated, Many children are going to get to read books from Maurice Sendak but multicultural literature may be the only chance for children to read books from Faith Ringgold.