Themes of race

Use this forum to discuss the August 2021 Book of the month, "Chameleons" by Onyx Gold
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Suzer6440 xyz
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Re: Themes of race

Post by Suzer6440 xyz »

I did not see many race issues in this book at all. where? All I saw was the author making Zias character to be a confident woman feeling content to who she was. I don’t understand the eye color thing at all- why would this be considered racist?
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ReaderAisha2020
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Post by ReaderAisha2020 »

I think it seems that she maybe felt a bit different and perhaps like she doesn't entirely fit in as many characters do and as many people do nowadays.

This is actually different to racism, which is when other people don't allow you to fit in for your skin colour.

Since she was black but with different coloured eyes it seems she was not identifying with a particular race but was a person
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EternalD
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Post by EternalD »

emeraldlaurice012 wrote: 12 Aug 2021, 07:59 I feel like the author attempted to achieve this. However, I found it lacking as it could have been tackled more. We barely scratched the surface as it was.
I got the same impression. It's as if the author had just played the subject out of social pressure and didn't even bother to develop it further. Anyway, I don't think this is a theme that should be developed in every possible book. In books such as historical fiction, the topic should generally be handled more carefully.
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Post by NancyDrew12 »

I think the author indeed could have tackled the issue of race a bit better. I also thought the scene where Zia realized all the servants were black needed more attention. I had anticipated that something bigger would happen and was left wanting when nothing more came from it.
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Post by Mys_Trea »

The race topic could have been explored with more depth. I don't feel like this would have taken away from the romantic or criminal element of the book at all. Many books tackle multiple themes at once and the readers seem to handle them well enough. An African American woman's life experience would have a lot to do with the colour of her skin. That's the reality, and instead of the issue being cautiously broached, it could definitely have definitely been developed more.
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Post by Nkgchidimma080 »

I don’t think the author addressed the theme of race properly. However it seems to me like it was done on purpose to allow the readers connect the dots on our own or maybe he just didn’t think it through
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Post by Elon Gathungu »

I think the author covers the issue of race through Zia's identity. Her acceptance of herself and her connection to her family makes her race a part of her identity. The issue of race is a big deal in current society; it's sought of the elephant in the room. People are often aware of people's race every time they walk into a room. Zia noticing the servants' race is a good exmple.
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Post by Ra Ka »

I think that the author touched on the issue of race superficially and did not delve into it because the nature of the novel does not require that, and I believe that color does not determine the type of people, but their actions do that. No to racism in all its forms
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Post by Kerry Limat »

I would have loved to see the issue of race addressed more than in the way that it was. Then again, I am glad that it didn't pose much of a problem for the main characters as we normally see in most books. Having race become a major issue would have made it more of a cliche (not that I would have hated it though)
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Post by vitalisvicky »

I can not deny the fact the author of this fantastic book, through the character of Zia, brings out the idea of racism and how the victims are always affected by such inhuman act. As for me, the author clearly addresses the issue of racism through the eyes of Zia.
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Post by Luchris_michael »

The issue of race can be controversial. It would always raise concerns that affect the decision of the character. The author did a good job.
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