I’ve never realised this blatant racism before and I’m shocked and disgusted by everything I read in this post. I’ve even read one of the series mentioned, and even though the covers of the ones I read are different to the ones in the post, they too didn’t feature the protagonist in the ethnicity they are in the books. I’m only realising this now a few years after reading them. Clearly, I’m so used to seeing white characters on book covers, I take no notice if they represent the actual protagonist.
This is also because I’m white and saturated with white-modelled covers. If a book featuring a white protagonist had a black model on the front, I have no doubt I’d think ‘Whose that on the front? Because that can’t be the protagonist – they’re not white’. But when it’s actually, physically, the other way round, I didn’t notice for three books. That’s ridiculous and proves to me how unconsciously-privileged I am as a white reader.
I can’t believe some publishers in the 21st century think this is an okay thing to do. These publishers are actually saying if you’re not Caucasian then you don’t deserve to be fully represented on a book cover even if the protagonist is not white. That is a horrible message to send to anyone and something that needs to change immediately. You deserve to be represented on a book cover whatever your race. Representation needs to be on the inside and the outside of the book.
