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The Changing Color of Romance
By Kei Swanson

While the tapestry of American is ever changing with the addition of many brightly hued threads and colorful patchworks, the coverlet of romance novels remains the pure white Irish lace. The average reader is slowly changing as well, but the stories they are reading have little in common with their lives. Americans of African, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic ancestry who wish to be entertained by romance novels have had little choice in hero and heroines in the past. Although Native American romances have been available, it has only been recently that ethnic lines have begun with characters of African or Hispanic backgrounds.

In contemporary settings, the ethnic hero has little to offer a heroine of either the same or different race. Seldom are the characters drawn in the same vein as the European hero or heroine. Little credence has been given to Asian heroes whereas the Asian heroine often remains the diminutive, submissive woman-child. The African American male is often painted stereotypically. He is the drug dealer, rapper, or sports figure instead of the upstanding community leader with a high salaried, responsible career. The African American woman can find little in the ethnic character to call hero.

Hispanic women are given equally poor characters to find lovable. They are shown criminal minded alcoholics instead of the hard working, civic-minded family man. The character traits are drawn from overblown Mexican legends while the typical American of Hispanic descent has little in common with such.

Asian men are in the same boat, pictured as a combination of a Buddhist monk and computer nerd. They spout philosophy as easily as breathing, but words of love never seem to pass their lips. They are shown as men lusting after a Caucasian woman in an evil light, either drawn to the less attractive woman as a form of settling, or accepted by the woman for the intellectual help they can provide. Yet, seldom are these characters allowed to realistically and genuinely entwine their lives.

There are many examples of interracial relationships to offer, movies, television and other lines of literary sources, to list but romance novels seem blinded to the option of different. It can be easily said that Anna and the King of Siam is truly a romance novel as in some respects is Shogun even through the hero and heroine are not allowed to live happily ever after. Fiddler on the Roof opens the door to Jew and non-Jewish lovers. A Patch of Blue investigates the relationship between a African American and Southern Caucasian woman.

Yet, romance publishing, while stating their eagerness for new voices and ideas, are steadfastly set against ethnic romances. The settings for historical romances are limited to the shores of Britain with occasionally foray into Europe. Scandinavia seems plausible but the Middle East, much less Far East and Africa are off limits.

Literature has always been a source of knowledge, a way of educating one's self while being entertained. In advertising, romance novels, especially historical ones, are said to take the reader to exotic places and times only dreamed of. Where but in reading can a person view Camelot, the Emerald Isle with leprechauns and fairies, or the Highlands of Scotland without spending a fortune or using a time machine? But what of the Forbidden City of China, the bright Ginza of Tokyo, the time of Lady Murasaki and the ancient Japanese courtiers? The Mayan and Aztec kings are waiting to be shown in heroic proportions. Are knights in shining armor limited to Medieval England, Scotland or Ireland? Cannot the samurai, a knight in Japan, be as equally dashing and chivalrous? The Mexican and Native American warrior less brave?

Romance and love stories abound in the native languages of the multiethnic peoples of the world. These are left unexplored by Western culture because of a publishing world color-blind to their readers. The reader of the near future will be a woman of the world, needing to see the broad paintbrush used to illustrate humanity. She will be forced to welcome the changing hues and perhaps through the knowledge she could obtain by her reading entertainment, come to embrace those once see as different and unfathomable. It is up to authors to continue to push the envelope by creating heroes and heroines of every ethnic background which we can see as men and women of any color, characters who, despite of and because of, their ancient and current customs and beliefs, triumph over daily life to fine love and romance.

Thank you for your interest!