What is authenic literature?

Who has the right to tell and illustrate stories about specific cultures?

I really feel that anyone who can write and/or illustrate and, in turn, become published has the right to compile stories on any culture. It is called a freedom of speech, and all of us Americans are entitled to its benefits. However, it is the responsibility of parents, teachers, librarians, and others who relay information to children to determine what is "authentic" or not. "Authentic" literature should be used to teach students true cultural practices, operations, etc. And for non-authentic literature? Inaccurate literature does have its place in society, otherwise what else would comparisons of "good" literature be made with?

A person who is a member of a Native tribe has the same right as a non-Native member to create stories on a specific Native culture. Let us say that both parties did extensive research on the topic and portrayed the culture as accurately as possible. This would not mean that the Native author has more credibility. (Unless of course the Native author had access to more credible resources than the non-Native author). Anyone can be a historian. Events/customs that happened in the distant past have no living primary sources to rely upon. Therefore, it is up to the historians to piece together the tid-bits of the past.

What is "authentic" literature?

Reiterating what I have already touched upon, "authentic" literature is that in which the author has spent significant amounts of time researching the topic in an attempt to accurately portray the subject matter.


What is "diverse" or "multicultural" literature?

I define diverse literature to be literature which describes topics that vary from the norm. Multicultural literature is that which includes a broad range of representative samples. This type of literature would include subjects with socioeconomic, creed, religion, race, culture, etc. perspectives.