This is my first attempt at a new thread, so please bear with me.
I have read - and enjoyed - four books in Alexander McCall Smith’s “No 1 Ladies Detective Agency” which is set in Botswana. On the whole, I found it to be an enchanting and thought-provoking, refreshing taste of life in an African country, which although has not got it completely right, has none of the acute problems we associate with Africa.
The style, which is very simple, and the uncomplicated nature of the characters’ outlook on life, made me wonder whether some might find it patronising, racist even, towards Botswana and it people. There are contrasting views in the US and UK amazon sites to that effect.
The author is Zimbabwean born, as far as I can tell, white and now lives in Scotland.
I read and enjoyed The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency . I found Precious to be a strong female character. It must be said that I am a white American female who has never been to Botswana, so I do not know of McCall Smith has accurately characterized women from Botswana. I guess it is always a gamble when a white author writes about black characters. Some are probably bound to call just the idea of a white author writing about black characters racist. That is not for me to say. As an avid reader of detective fiction, I welcomed this author into my reading life. And I remember that it is just fiction.
Yes, those books are racist and patronizing, if by “racist” and “patronizing” you mean “astonishingly well written yet simple portrayal of a strong, thoughtful, independent, honest, and noble woman”–who just happens to be of a different from that of the author.
I’m sorry, but I hate this kind of PC crap.
I haven’t read any current fiction in the last, say 15 years–of any genre–that’s as good as this series. This is the only fiction, IMHO, that doesn’t leave me with the feeling that I’ve just wasted my time. I’ve become more and more jaded by current fiction: every Pulitzer winner, every Oprah book, every book-club fashionable “must-read” that I’ve read in recent years has left me feeling more cheated than the last.
Except these books. These books have the kind of depth of humanity, the simple human truth, that you’d expect from a Noble prizewinner. There is not a shred of racism or patronizing in any of these books. Anyone who says otherwise has another agenda, and certainly doesn’t deserve the joy and comfort that these books offer.
I just came from the Lost in Translation thread where I opined that that movie isn’t exactly racist but is insulting to Japanese culture. This was based on my having done a great deal of business in Japan.
I read McCall’s book shortly after vacationing in Southern Africa including a little over a week in Botswana. I spent some time there with native Botswanans, particularly my safari guides. It’s a wonderous part of the world that defies description. I didn’t think that the book was patronising or racist in any way. It’s a cute story with a great character. The protagonist is a very wise woman with a huge heart.
I read the first book in the series and I did not get the impression that the characters were described in a patronizing way - they are not stupid, they are not caricatures, the reader can readily identify with their motivations. They just live in a different kind of society than we are used to.
Thanks for your replies so far. I was hoping that someone who did think it was condescending or racist would appear, explaining why they thought so. The reviews I read which slammed the book for this weren’t that explicit and left me wondering just what it was they could object to.
I also hoped to hear from someone from Botswana - or someone who knows it well, so thanks in particular hajario for your reply.
I agree with you all that these books are in a class of their own. I particularly love the way the characters tackle big issues in a low-key way, and the way they see their country as being very much at the centre of their universe, because, after all, don’t we all? The characters’ main points of reference are Botswana’s neighbouring countries, Zimbabwe and South Africa, with which they compare themselves mostly favourably.