{"id":2030192,"date":"2023-09-13T06:27:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T10:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dearth-of-historical-fiction-is-a-disservice-to-curious-kids-everywhere\/"},"modified":"2023-09-13T06:33:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T10:33:23","slug":"the-dearth-of-historical-fiction-is-a-disservice-to-curious-kids-everywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dearth-of-historical-fiction-is-a-disservice-to-curious-kids-everywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Lack of historical fiction disappoints curious kids."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-dearth-of-historical-fiction-is-a-disservice-to-curious-kids-everywhere%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2030192&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>In May\u200b of this year,\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationsreportcard.gov\/ushistory\/results\/scores\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Nation\u2019s Report Card<\/a> reported that the average U.S. history \u2062score for eighth\u2062 graders in 2022 was five points\u2062 lower than the last assessment in 2018. In other words, students don\u2019t know \u2062history like they used to.<\/p>\n<p>There are\u200b many causes, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-marginalized-students-are-missing-from-virtual-learning\/\" title=\"\u2018Thousands\u2019 Of Marginalized Students Are Missing From Virtual Learning\">forced school closures<\/a> to the quality of today\u2019s\u200c curriculums and\u200c teachers. There are also other, less regarded factors that have undoubtedly contributed as \u2063well. Namely, as a lifelong \u2064reader and almost a decade as a writer, I\u2019ve noticed a glaring deficit in my industry; compared to other genres, there\u2019s not a lot of historical fiction published for teens. Goodreads unofficial list of \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/blog\/show\/2611-the-most-popular-young-adult-books-of-the-year-so-far?content_type=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cThe Most Popular Young Adult\u200b Books of the Year (So Far)\u201d<\/a> features only one \u200bhistorical fiction \u2014 more romance \u2064than historical, as per usual \u200b\u2014 set in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1837340898\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8899d5beac8eb23c58ae02c0a3ce7a6c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8899d5beac8eb23c58ae02c0a3ce7a6c\"><\/div>\n<p>Anyone who\u2019s ever read a book that\u2019s made them think, laugh, cry, feel, knows the power of words and \u200cthe power of stories.\u2064 We know that communities aren\u2019t \u2063only bound by location\u200c and meetinghouses but also by the stories we share. \u200bStories as\u2063 parables. Stories to frame social discussions.\u2063 Stories to portray heroes\u200d and courage and friendship and wisdom \u200dto live by. For\u2064 better or worse, there\u2019s\u200b something\u2063 about books that makes information\u200b seem more \u200creal \u2064and factual. They give authority to arguments.\u200b They give\u200c space to\u2062 expand upon and discuss ideas. They allow \u2064for conglomerations and \u200bvariations, argument refutations, and building upon previous works.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s\u2062 not one genre more relevant than others in reaping the benefits of stories, because each has its own angle of approach. Even before \u201cStar Trek,\u201d \u2064Science fiction long regarded \u2063itself as a \u200bgenre that \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dearth-of-historical-fiction-is-a-disservice-to-curious-kids-everywhere\/\" title=\"Lack of historical fiction disappoints curious kids.\">explores complex \u2063social issues<\/a> from the safety of future\u200d and\u200b space. Fantasy heightens imagination, widens dreams, and showcases different uses\u200d and\u2062 abuses\u2063 of power. And so on. Historical fiction, of course, is a gateway to the past.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Uninterested Literary Agents<\/h2>\n<p>I grew up reading historical fiction, so when I noticed the discrepancy, I \u200cfloated\u2064 the question to various individuals in the book world and asked them why historical fiction wasn\u2019t as popular or supported by the\u200b publishing industry the way it once was.<\/p>\n<p>Answers weren\u2019t always direct, and included vague ideas of the industry shifting over time, the claim that historical fiction doesn\u2019t sell, and that\u2062 historical fiction can\u2019t be published without mixing\u200c in fantasy, which\u2064 isn\u2019t really historical fiction at all.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f56bd3bd7a5836dbecc57cf7d02dd589 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f56bd3bd7a5836dbecc57cf7d02dd589\"><\/div>\n<p>While \u2062the first answer \u2064is probably the truest, especially at a time when nonfiction for younger readers is getting more attention, \u2062a better\u2064 answer can\u2062 be found with the gatekeepers themselves. Agents are the key\u2062 to large publishing\u200c companies, those with marketing budgets and pipelines to schools, libraries, and book fairs. As \u200bso many people\u200c want to publish\u2062 in so \u200bfew slots, agents champion manuscripts to publishers in an attempt to gain a coveted spot in a season\u2019s limited catalog. Considering the work that goes into a\u2064 project \u2014 about\u2064 two years on average \u2014 agents have to really like a \u200bbook to \u2064take it\u2063 on. Fortunately, agents are\u200d usually \u200cpretty clear about what sorts of projects appeal to them. \u200cAs a general idea, there\u2019s some sense to the system. \u2064Unless the system is shutting out certain\u200c types of projects.<\/p>\n<p>So, let\u2019s \u2062amend. It\u2019s\u2064 not that\u200d historical fiction is no longer published, it\u2019s that the \u200brelatively few \u200bopenings are \u2062designated for rather particular types of history. First, history is\u2063 rewritten\u200d with\u200b fantastical elements or really\u2063 a fantasy set in a historical setting. History is also rewritten altogether with \u201cgender swaps\u201d\u200c of key historical figures (e.g., King Arthur as a girl) or modern \u2063issues and ways of\u200c thinking\u2063 implanted into\u2063 characters from \u200cthe past. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s enough to convince a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-racist-organization-says-it-can-no-longer-use-dr-seuss-books-to-teach-tolerance-because-they-dont-address-structural-racism\/\" title=\"\u2018Anti-Racist\u2019 Organization Says It Can No Longer Use Dr. Seuss Books To Teach Tolerance Because They Don\u2019t Address Structural Racism\">young reader<\/a> that praiseworthy women were always champions of feminist ideals, that every century grappled\u200d with the\u2064 same racism \u200dspoken of today, and that \u200bevery noble family had a progressive daughter\u200c who wanted \u200deveryone to be equal. All of\u2063 which bends more toward fantasy than history.\u2063 (Netflix\u2019s\u200b adaptation of the highly \u2064engaging,\u200b highly beloved classic <em>Anne of Green Gables<\/em>, \u201cAnne with an E,\u201d was rendered unwatchable with the imposition of modern \u2063sensibilities\u200c not found in the book such as racism, sexuality, and feminism.<\/p>\n<p>Second, many agents willing to take on historical projects specify only \u200d\u201cnon-Western\u201d historical fiction, fables, settings, etc.\u200c Ostensibly, the purpose is to write something new and increase the range\u2063 of stories available to readers. Which would be a good\u2062 thing if the \u2062\u201cinclusivity box\u201d\u2064 had been \u2062widened, instead of merely shifted\u200c away from the Western world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c76b65ba7a66d4b0cfb187b2d8f13d9b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c76b65ba7a66d4b0cfb187b2d8f13d9b\"><\/div>\n<p>Third, only particular time periods \u200dwith particular types\u2063 of protagonists make the cut. If you\u2019re an adult reader, you may have noticed the \u200coversaturation of World War II stories on historical fiction shelves. Notably, these aren\u2019t usually Holocaust stories (though those usually get published, too), but \u201cuntold\u201d stories about the women of\u200b the war. Victorian \u200cEngland. The latter half of the 1900s. The occasional Greek\u200b gods and\u2063 mythology, a dash from ancient India or Arabia, and that\u200b basically covers the entire range of historical fiction\u200d on\u2062 offer. Moreover, any historical reference during\u200d war,\u2064 tyranny, or other trying times is usually a \u200dsimple narrative\u200b of \u201cevil\u200b man was bad\u201d instead of an introduction into some of the social and political complexities \u200cthat \u200cencourage any \u2063particular event\u2063 or era to come about.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fiction\u200c Captures What Academics Cannot<\/h2>\n<p>Next\u2062 time you\u2019re near a bookstore, \u200ddrop in and \u2064skim the YA shelves. Or go online and check the top sellers of any given month. See what the \u2062stories are about.\u200d See\u200c what\u2019s on the cover. See which other tags have \u200cbeen added to describe the book, and see how\u2062 many are \u200ctrue historical fiction.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say no one ever writes a unique story from different points in \u200bhistory, it\u2019s to say they are singular. Graham Moore\u2019s\u2062 novel about \u201celectrifying\u201d America, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/532572\/the-last-days-of-night-by-graham-moore\/\"><em>The Last Days of Night<\/em>,<\/a> \u2064 was a New York\u200b Times\u200d bestseller, which shows that historical \u2062fiction can sell, and sell well.\u200b All kinds of \u2064genres could and should exist, but more accurate accounts from \u2064all parts of\u2063 history should also published for readers. As\u200b much as students \u200dmay learn in the school, there\u2019s no arguing \u200cthat an intriguing historical fiction can\u2064 capture them\u2064 in ways academics cannot. And once fiction becomes the hook, the world of nonfiction is open\u2064 to them.<\/p>\n<p>Like\u2062 anyone, teens will pursue information about things they care\u200d about, and what better\u200c way to get \u200dthem to\u200c understand what we went through to get \u200bto this point, what\u200b life was like before, and what was endured to build \u2063society, than connecting to a character living and \u200cdealing \u200cin \u2064the nuances of those times?<\/p>\n<p>Let young readers\u2062 imagine themselves in \u2063the \u200dshoes \u2063of\u2063 their historical\u200d counterparts. Let them draw courage from those who\u2062 fought \u200band \u200cendured and dedicated themselves to \u200dsomething\u2062 bigger. Let them \u200dlive through\u200c characters who have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/knowles-with-republicans-like-liz-cheney-and-mitt-romney-who-needs-democrats\/\" title=\"KNOWLES: With Republicans Like Liz Cheney And Mitt Romney, Who Needs Democrats?\">make tough choices<\/a> because history isn\u2019t black and white, \u2063but a whole gradient\u2063 of gray. \u200cAnd, once they\u2019re interested, let them go looking for more.\u200d See if \u200cthey don\u2019t get \u200cbetter at understanding history then.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-060fa8ecc3b735620d3e9a4d07d56906 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-060fa8ecc3b735620d3e9a4d07d56906\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In May, The Nation&#8217;s Report Card revealed a decline in the average U.S. history score for eighth graders in 2022, dropping by five points compared to 2018. This indicates a concerning lack of historical knowledge among students. Factors contributing to this include school closures and the current education standards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2411,"featured_media":2030193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2030192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2411"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2030192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2030193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2030192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2030192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2030192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}