Guest Post: Show Your Work

 

For the next few months, I'll be hosting a series of guest posts from the Class of 2K21 Books!  Enjoy!

Show Your Work!: Researching with MG author, Andrea Wang

By Louisa Onomé

 
If there’s one thing we remember from being in middle school and working on a lengthy paper, it’s the constant reminder from teachers and librarians to “show our work”. As a kid, I heard that phrase so many times that I began to self-regulate. Every time I found a new source or a new piece of information, it was like a reflex: I immediately had to show where it was from and what made it special enough to include in my paper.

 I’m sure my elementary school librarians would be happy to know that writing a book is no different!

 Debut middle grade author of The Many Meanings of Meilan, Andrea Wang, would agree that research is a never-ending process. “Actually,” she tells us. “I haven’t stopped [researching] yet, even though the book is finished.”

 For her debut, Andrea Wang had to do a lot of research to ensure the Chinese and Chinese-American representation was as authentic as she could make it. She’s no beginner when it comes to attention to detail.

 “I started by researching Chinese names, since that’s at the heart of the story -- I wanted to find a name that meant something to me personally and had multiple homophones in Chinese, but could also be seen by non-Asians as unfamiliar enough to warrant changing to a more Americanized version.”

 In The Many Meanings of Meilan, Meilan Hua’s world is turned upside down when her Nainai passes and she and her family set out for a new home in a new town. It was important to Wang that certain cultural concepts were examined with legitimacy and care.

 “I also knew I wanted to talk about filial piety and how it affects Chinese American kids, so I found old books from my father’s stash (he was an Asian history professor) about Chinese traditions,” says Wang. “As my characters developed, I read and researched Chinese folktales and mythology, Chinese and Taiwanese history, and Chinese idioms. As themes of loss and internalized racism appeared in the book, I read articles about coping with grief and guilt, as well as colorism.”

 These research phases came in stages for Wang. She built Meilan’s world from the ground up, ensuring that authenticity was key, by starting with smaller details before ironing out the larger framework in which her story lives.

 Just like we were tasked with showing our work in projects, writing kidlit is no different. Now more than ever, accurate and respectful representation is necessary to ensure all kids can see themselves reflected in an authentic light. Wang’s method of research, starting from micro and moving to macro, is our preferred way to build the foundation of a story. What’s yours?

 For more on Andrea Wang and our debut class of YA/MG 2021 authors, visit Class of 2k Books.

Fun! As a librarian, I always love hearing about research. We have more guest posts coming up. Stay tuned for next month's edition.