Friday, January 6, 2012

Our authors have much to teach us

On a very personal note: The multicultural titles we publish at Paramount Market Publishing are usually written by members of the segment they are writing about, whether they refer to themselves as Hispanic, Latino, Black, or African-American.

As a White editor, who grew up in a largely Caucasian environment, I find myself profoundly grateful for the insights these authors provide for us. This is especially important in the multicultural world that is now the United States.

Although some people are extraordinarily uncomfortable with the U.S. as a multicultural society, what we learn from our authors is that the values of other ethnic and racial groups are, for the most part, similar to our own. They believe in the importance of respecting each other and other cultures. They want their children to have a good education and find opportunities for advancement in our world.

They love their families and want the best for them. And, they want the media to respect their cultures and share good news about their groups as well as the disappointments.

And, they provide these insights in their books in an authentic, non-judgemental way. They don't whine and complain about the treatment they receive by some other members of our society, but they also don't shy away from topics such as racism that hold them back from their dreams and aspirations.

Coming up in the first quarter of this year, we have some exceptional books from two of our bestselling authors, M. Isabel Valdes and Pepper Miller. You won't want to miss them. And in the second quarter, we'll hear from two new (to us) authors, Teneshia Jackson-Warner and Jeff Burns Jr.

More about the subjects covered by those new authors later. But in the meantime, take advantage of what you can learn from all of our multicultural authors by going here.