Windows and Mirrors: A Writing Journey
By Guest Blogger Aarenne Milton
Author Aarenne Milton at the Bookhub.
Author Aarenne Milton explains her path from teaching remote elementary school to writing her first book, Ahmad and Nia and the Mistake of the Century. In addition, she details the inspiration behind the publishing company and community she founded, One in a Million Publishing. Find Aarenne’s list of favorite books that center children of color in beautiful and interesting ways at the end of this post.
I wrote Ahmad and Nia and the Mistake of the Century as a way to bring a very particular perspective to life–one that promotes meeting our mistakes with accountability, confidence, self-awareness, and kindness to ourselves and others.
My living room is where I found myself sitting when I received an email stating that we were to stay at home–per the governor’s orders. Reflection was a lot of what I did when I wasn’t teaching remotely. It made me think about both my mental health and the mental health of my students. What was my mental and emotional wellbeing like as a child? How did I wish the adults in my life would show up for me? The questions were running through my head a mile a minute. This is where I turned to my community. The “I” questions turned into “YOU” questions. What was your mental and emotional wellbeing like as a child? How did you wish the adults in your life would show up for you? It was through time with my community that I learned so much about other people. The willingness to share the deepest part of themselves inspired me.
Aarenne Milton with Brooklyn Book Bodega co-founder, Seema Aghera.
There was one particular topic that really stuck out to me during this time. That was this idea that you have to be perfect. That as you get older, mistakes aren’t even an option. Not when you’re responsible. Not when you’re mature. I realized that children are not always privy to the mistakes that adults make. They trust and follow their parents, teachers, aunts–any authority figure–with blind confidence. This turns into wanting to be “perfect” just like them. The carefully curated images of the adults in one’s life closes the door on the messiness of adulting. And it teaches that you should meet every challenge and misstep with shame and the need to cover it up. It does not promote honesty, self awareness, or confidence. Nor does it promote a growth mindset.
It was really important to me that Ahmad and Nia centered on children and families of color–specifically black children. I knew that a big part of the messaging I received as a child centered around excelling at whatever I did while also fitting snugly within the confines of society. You can’t make one simple mistake, because the world will hold you–the black girl–far more accountable than they will anyone else. Don’t stand out too much, because you don’t want a target on your back. I knew that if I’d had a book like this when I was a child, I would have been reminded of my power. Especially because Nia looked like me. Brown skin, braids, and all. With the storyline down and the messaging clear, I knew that illustrations were going to change the game.
Aarenne reading aloud to a classroom of students.
When Ahmad and Nia and the Mistake of the Century first came out, a lot of the support I received came from friends and family–my beautiful community. The support came in the form of sharing posts, buying copies of the book, and posting reviews. One review in particular stuck out to me. “Definitely related to little Ahmad and his pursuit of perfection. Who knew a children’s book could touch on such an important subject? Maybe if I’d had this lesson earlier, I’d be much more forgiving of my own mistakes!” It was the first moment I saw the actual impact of my words. It further proved the point that representation matters. When we see ourselves in the content we are consuming, the lesson becomes way more poignant and impactful.
I once saw someone describe culturally responsive literature as literature that allows children to see themselves reflected back to them and to see into the lives of others, like windows and mirrors. It’s stuck with me ever since. When I was still teaching 4th grade, I noticed that unless there were pictures or explicit descriptions of characters of color, my students automatically assumed that the characters in the pages of a book were white. Conversations with my teacher friends had me realizing that this was a fairly common trend. It became more clear to me that children’s literature still has a long way to go in terms of providing adequate access to and celebration of the beautiful cultures that makeup our world.
So how do we get more culturally responsive literature into the hands of children? We can write more children’s books. We can buy more of the books already out there. We can amplify the voices of authors of color. I created One in A Million Publishing to amplify the voices of authors of color, get high quality diverse literature into the hands of the global community, and to create community based programs that cater to the whole person.
We can support organizations like Brooklyn Book Bodega – ones that seek to get as many books into the hands of children across the community as possible. Through the work of organizations like Brooklyn Book Bodega, children are given an opportunity to see into worlds they never imagined possible. There are so many beautiful, diverse books out there that people don’t yet know about!
Here are few of my favorites that center children of color in beautiful and interesting ways:
ADHD Is My Super Power and It Comes with Great Super Strength by Alana Moore
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
Skin like Mine by LaTashia M. Perry
Abuela by Arthur Dorros
Bindu’s Bindis by Supriya Kelkar
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
The Day You Begin x Jacqueline Woodson
Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor
Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji by F. Zia
Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand
I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne
Brooklyn Book Bodega publishes select guest blogs from community members whose work aligns with our mission to increase the number of 100+ book homes in NYC. If you would like to submit a blog post for consideration, please contact us via our volunteer page in the “author/illustrator/creator” section. Thank you!