race [book differences?] (WAS Dean Thomas and Re: book differences - Lilies)

[N Fry]

No: HPFGUIDX 40292

rosie wrote:
>I noticed from the differences list that they introduced Dean Thomas
>in the Sorting Ceremony in the US edition too, and described him as
>black. Does anyone know if this was because someone decided he should
>be introduced earlier? Or was it (as I fear) because they
>thought, "Oh no, we better point out that some random characters are
>black to be more inclusive, even though we don't both pointing out
>when people are white, and even though it has no bearing whatsoever
>on the story."? I'm all for books representing the whole of
>society... but I think it looks very clumsy to just point out that
>the odd character is black, or Asian, or whatever, and just assume
>that obviously everyone else is white; it looks as if it's just been
>done so that the publishers can go "Look! We had a single
>mother/black child/wheelchair user" etc.

I wondered about this, also. The character that really caught my attention, 
though, was Angelina Johnson. In the US hardcover GoF, when she comes to 
breakfast after putting her name in the goblet (Ch 16 pg 261), she is 
described as a "tall Black girl." I don't have my other books with me to 
double check, but I don't remember her being described this way in any of 
the other books.

Is this true of the UK editions, too, or is it yet another difference in the 
American versions? If it's so important that we know her race (otherwise, 
why mention it?), then why wait until the fourth book before telling us. 
It's not as if Angelina was some minor character that Harry occasionally 
passed in the halls, but didn't really know. She was a member of his house 
and a fellow teammate on Gryffindor's Quidditch team.

Do the books point out the races of other characters? I only seem to 
remember references to the black students (All three of them, I think - 
Isn't Lee Jordan black? I'm suddenly drawing a blank...) Meanwhile, some 
people have suggested that Parvati and Padma Patil might be Indian, based on 
the Hindu inspirations for their names. Cho Chang's name suggests an 
Oriental background. And yet, I don't remember any passages stating that 
"Harry had a crush on Cho, a pretty Asian girl." It just seems a bit awkward 
to specifically draw attention to the black students, but not to mention any 
other races.

Slightly OT - I suppose if Parvati and Padma are Indian and it is mentioned 
in later books, that fact will be another difference between the US and UK 
versions. The publishers, who are *so* concerned about our poor, clueless 
little American kids becoming confused, will surely be certain to change 
that description: "P & P, who were Indian, as in they were from the country 
of India, not Indian in the American sense that they were Native 
Americans..." <g> (and, yes, that was written sarcastically)


~ Nik (who would *gladly* start counting down the days until OotP comes out, 
if only they would announce a release date.  grrrr....)

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