This introduction to the popular reading material that, let's be honest, is geared towards male readers has brought several questions to my mind. Most of these books feature male protagonists, in the vein of the movies that they are based on. They are filled with action, feature very little character development and almost no dialogue.
Imagine my surprise when I was introduced to Sabine, the female, POC Star Wars rebel.
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I don't mean to hold Sabine up as the token female or woman of color, meant to carry the message of empowered womanhood to readers, but I do want to acknowledge what she represents within this very masculine franchise.
In Sabine's Art Attack, she infiltrates a stormtroopers' base. She apparently does not want to cause harm; instead, surprise, she wants to make art. She graffitis one of their ships with a purple bird, the rebel symbol. When the troopers try to stop her, she adds an "eye" to the bird, a bomb. When it goes off, a purple (sparkly?) smoke fills the air. The stormtroopers are momentarily stopped, but no one is seriously injured.
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So... let's break this down. This female character, decked out in armor, sporting short purple hair, shows up on a covert mission. So far, so good. But then, she only fights back when she is attacked. Her intended action does nothing more than disturb the situation. Maybe the Imperial Army lost a ship, at best, but mostly her actions mean that the cleaning crew will have extra work that night.
Where is the balance though? Do we want children, regardless of gender, reading about fighting and violence? The only fighting I've read about in the Star Wars books is a report of what happened in the films. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi fights and "defeats" Darth Maul. Maybe with books with an intended child audience the violence is intentionally curbed. Sabine comes from the TV show Star Wars Rebels, a show that airs on Disney XD.
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But her indirect way of fighting back. Her covert mission to leave a mark that won't harm is so distinctly feminine. "I will sidestep confronting you." "I will make things inconvenient for you without making you acknowledge my presence." This is particularly uncomfortable because she is a woman of color.
Am I making too much of this children's book that will probably never be read by anyone else at the academy? Some would say, yes. But these students aren't reading Charlotte's Web or Matilda. This is their reading of choice. (Believe me, I've tried to give them other options.) Shouldn't we care what they are consuming? And how women, and women of color, are being portrayed?
The more female characters there are, the more they can afford to be one-dimensional. But when there is a "token" female, then making her a stereotypical woman teaches readers that that is the woman's role in these action films. Leia gets rescued in the Episode IV, and Sabine makes art. Thank goodness for Rey.
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