By Kellie Houx, Editor of KC Studio
Kansas
City’s own Derrick Barnes is the author of a series of children’s books called
“Ruby and the Booker Boys.” These are aimed more at younger girls. Then there
is the young adult read, “The Making of Dr. Truelove,” an ALA Quick Picks
selection and has been hailed by the New York Public Library as one of the “100
Best Books for the Teen Age.” Now, he is releasing “We Could Be Brothers,” his
first hardcover book hitting stores Nov. 1. The book is available on such Web
sites as Amazon and through Scholastic. Barnes and his wife, Tinka, live in
Kansas City with their three sons. KC Studio’s editor posed two quick questions
to Barnes and here are his responses:
KC Studio: Fellow Young Reader Author Christopher Paul Curtis said there are not enough authors writing for young African-American boys. Is that why you needed to write “We Could Be Brothers”?
Derrick Barnes: First I’d like to say that I am a huge fan of Mr. Curtis and his gift of writing powerful yet poignant historical fiction. Big fan. In regards to not having enough material for African-American boys, Mr. Curtis is exactly right. When my eldest boy was 7, we went to the movies to see “Spiderwick Chronicles.” Afterwards, he asked my how come movies or television shows never have Black kids as the stars or main characters. As an author of children’s books, that just so happens to be an African American man/father, I feel as if it is my obligation to not only tell stories that feature African American characters, but memorable, strong, positive characters from my perspective. The material, regardless of what you’re talking about (literature, cartoons, television, and film) is always a reflection of the creators. So do we need more books told with African American male protagonists? We sure do. To that point, we need more books written by authors that are representatives of the beautiful people that realistically reflect the vast array of human beings in this country — across the globe.
KC Studio: You
have mentioned that you hope “We Could Be Brothers” will appeal to young men.
Who else do you want this to appeal to?
Derrick Barnes: I most definitely hope the novel appeals to young men of color, but there are a multitude of others that could learn something from sharing three memorable days with Pacino Clapton and Robeson Battlefield (the protagonists in the novel). For anyone that has become accustomed to viewing African American boys in the one dimensional view that is, in my opinion, so prevalent in popular culture: violent, basketball loving, oversexed, angry, buffoons, etc. I wanted to focus on the conversation between two compassionate, smart, well mannered Black boys from two completely different family structures; their likes/dislikes, aspirations and dreams, and focus on the individual points of view of the world around them. One is fatherless; left to create his own definition of what a man should be. And the other has a father that is a very strong and present influence in his life. Hopefully the reader will get a clearer and more human view of African American boys that’s not always readily available. One of my main goals was to provide a more inside glimpse of their motivations, influences, desires, and most importantly show, regardless of your race, economic background, or nationality, that these young men could be your sons, brothers, nephews, neighbors and students. And just as we have sympathy and high hopes for children/young men that we more closely identify with, we should share those same feelings for the child that we may have once considered a stranger.
