Balancing Darkness with Light in Literature

By Anuradha D. Rajurkar and the Class of 2k21books  

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”  --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Literature has always served as a safe space for readers to explore darker themes, ones that can provide a window into other worlds, or act as mirrors of their own. Young adult and middle grade books today--perhaps now more than ever-- delve deep into challenging issues that kids and adults alike already manage daily in some form. And while we as authors strive for truth and raw honesty in our stories, we also aim to imbue them with hope and joy, striking that perfect balance between the darkness and the light. 

In my own debut titled AMERICAN BETIYA, South Asian American teen, Rani Kelkar, finds herself falling into an intoxicating, forbidden relationship with the charismatic but damaged Oliver. The highs of new love along with a hilariously jaded but approving best friend are the elements I hoped will balance the racism, stereotyping, and patriarchy that Rani begins to encounter in places she least expects it. 

Curious to learn how others used elements of lightness to balance darker themes within their stories, I interviewed fellow class of 2k21 authors Louisa Onome, J. Elle, Joan F. Smith, and Jessica Vitalis. Here are their insightful thoughts.  

Jessica Vitalis: I love this question because THE WOLF’S CURSE is a middle grade novel in which a twelve-year-old boy loses everything—his beloved grandpapá, his home, and his livelihood. I tried to balance a realistic portrayal of his grief with an action-packed plot so that readers don’t feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of his loss. In addition, my snarky, omniscient narrator brings levity to a topic that otherwise might feel too heavy. I think we sometimes don’t give young readers enough credit for the topics they can (and often want to) read about; we can’t protect them from the real world, but we can give them a safe space to explore difficult subject matters. 

Louisa Onome: It’s difficult to ensure I’m being truthful while offering space for hope when tackling tough issues. I faced this issue a lot while writing LIKE HOME. I think the most important thing to remember is that young people understand a lot more of their circumstances than we, as adults, might give them credit for. In my story, my main character Chinelo often comes face-to-face with those older than her who think she doesn’t have the full story or that she’s being naive, which bothers her. Remembering that young people who deal with tough issues on a daily basis aren’t naive about their situations is important. They’re living a different reality, one that’s completely valid.

Joan F. Smith: I think about the juxtaposition of lightness and darkness for “issues” a lot. The death of a parent, for example, is a traumatic event for anyone, and the younger you are, the more that can be true. That said: Grief is not a linear process. We need moments of levity to remind us what joy feels like. We need moments of sadness and sorrow to remind us of the importance of life and human relationships. When I was a kid suffering from the near-loss of my father to a suicide attempt (that became a real loss six years later), I was so startled by the depths of grief, and I was desperate for a way to climb out of it. It felt like I needed permission to laugh or be happy. In my book THE HALF-ORPHAN’S HANDBOOK, I gave my protagonist this permission. She uses humor as a way to wade through her grief the same way I wound up doing. I hope readers take away the reassurance that it’s okay to feel feelings on a huge spectrum. Right now, the entire world is suffering through a pandemic--a universal trauma. We need to fight its impact so that we can cling to the hope for brighter times ahead.   

J.Elle: I don’t think young people get nearly enough credit for what they can handle. When I consider the things I and my teenage sisters saw/lived through, and compare that to all that’s on the shoulders of high school students growing up in this moment in American history,  I’m inspired by them. 

When writing WINGS OF EBONY or any YA pieces in particular, I also consider the state of the world when deciding how dark is too dark for a story to go. Today’s high schoolers are rehearsing active shooter drills, living amid a pandemic, witnessing (some even participating in) a worldwide uprising of protests after the murder of George Floyd. They are living these thematic realties and many are parched for a way to connect and process those events. 

Literature can be a fantastic tool for that. I don’t want the message of my stories to be so buried in allegory that kids can’t relate to it. That said, I aim for balance. And hope is my method of choice. Part of the reason I enjoy writing in the fantasy space in particular is because as I explore these tougher themes in my stories, I want to equip characters in the most dire of circumstances with magic, as a metaphor for the reader’s own power. I love the balance of powerful magic in the face of a raw, gritty, reality. That juxtaposition can be so inspiring for students, particularly those who aren’t accustomed to seeing themselves on the page as a hero /heroine. I aim to write stories that validate my community’s challenges while showing them their resilient power in the face of it. 

We at the Class of 2k21 books love honest stories that treat with care the tough topics we are all managing in some form as a society. At the same time, we also crave that sense of escapism and joy, and access them in our writing by utilizing the tools of action, humor, and above all, hope. Take a look at our debuts below if you, like us, revel in stories that explore darkness while also revealing the light that shines within us all. Thanks for reading! <3 

With love and light,

Anuradha Rajurkar & The Class of 2k21 

Pre-order Joan F. Smith’s THE HALF-ORPHAN’S HANDBOOK  here Add THE HALF-ORPHAN’S HANDBOOK here 

Pre-order Louisa Onome’s LIKE HOME (February 23, 2021 | Delacorte Press) here Add LIKE HOME on Goodreads here

Pre-order J. Elle’s WINGS OF EBONY (January 26, 2021 | Simon and Schuster)  here Add WINGS OF EBONY on Goodreads here

Pre-order Anuradha Rajurkar’s AMERICAN BETIYA (March 9, 2021 | Knopf ) here Add AMERICAN BETIYA on Goodreads here  

Add Jessica Vitalis’s THE WOLF’S CURSE on Goodreads here

The Man with Half a Heart and the Kid from Brazil

by J.D. Netto

It’s a story every writer or reader will be fortunate to experience. Love, loss, hope, and the challenges of living with half a functioning heart. As an author, these things alone were enough to inspire me to pen this journey down.

I was no stranger to Paul Cardall’s music and journey. “Redeemer” graced my ears for the first time when I was on a trip to Seattle, Washington. I searched the internet for more information about the genius behind the song. Not only did I find an extensive library of music, but I found an even more enthralling tale.

After being approached by his team, a meeting was arranged for Paul and myself in New York City. Under a torrential storm, we met at a bar in Manhattan. I had heard it said that you should never meet your heroes because of how disappointing such encounters can be. Well, the tale suited this one. He was cheerful despite the struggles and achievements, humble even though billions had listened to his melodies. 

We talked about the ordinary and the miraculous. I was the Brazilian kid brought to America at a young age and he was the man born with half a functioning heart. That alone provided us hours of conversation—two forked roads that merged into a single path.

I joined him on a book research trip a few weeks later. As a first timer in Salt Lake City, the towering mountain peaks and breathtaking scenery sparked so many ideas for the story. Spending time with Paul brought clarity to what was to be truth and how fiction would enhance that truth. My phone was heavy with videos, photos, and notes of what eventually became the story that now belongs to the world.

But that was just the beginning of my own adventure. While locked up in my apartment in Massachusetts, I dissected not only the content I had gathered, but Paul’s diaries, articles, and videos. To my author-self, I was running through a luscious forest; every word a new fruit or creature I had never seen before. The best part, you ask? I got to turn them into characters and prose. The downfall? This was someone’s life entrusted to me.

Paul and I grew from acquaintances to friends. How could we not? The adventure led us down a path where we got to know one another fast. He’d read the drafts of my chapters and would find truth in them. Even the fictional moments sparked clarity in situations where doubt had dwarfed reason. 

And so, the journey continued. Writing, rewriting, editing, repeating. Draft turned to story and story turned to book. Copies were slowly distributed to industry friends and beta readers. All embraced the journey. The tears I shed as a writer were now shed by the reader. My heart, once heavy as words found paper, was now beating with anticipation as more joined the journey of the man with half a heart.

Inspiration continued to spread, quietly, swiftly. An album with songs inspired by the novels was suddenly in the works. Then music videos. And the scenes I had worked on had become the fuel behind melody and lyric. Seeing names like Paul Cardall, David Archuleta, and Tyler Glenn on a project connected with my own work was (and still is) surreal.

And now here you are, the reader, invested in my words and tale. This is but a brief summary of the journey. Perhaps I’ll share the full tale someday. But as of right now, The Broken Miracle awaits your eyes and your heart.

Laugh like Paul. Think like Jonahs. Believe like Olivia.

J.D. Netto is a fiction author known mostly for his fantasy titles that have captivated readers across the globe. His works include The Whispers of the Fallen series and Henderbell: The Shadow of Saint Nicholas. His new book The Broken Miracle: Part One of the Broken Miracle Duology, will be released February 2. Learn more about Netto and The Broken Miracle by visiting thebrokenmiracle.com

How Do You Write An Authentic Courtroom Scene? Ask A Lawyer

by Howard T. Scott

If it bleeds, it leads. We tend to want to hear about the blood and gore of a situation. Bad news sells -- but in regards portraying the legal profession, oftentimes being “realistic” equals something that’s just plain not interesting. The courtroom is a popular setting, a great fit for books and movies. But, the results are frequently inaccurate.  

Anyone remember the name Ted Stevens? Ted was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1968-2009. In 2008, he was embroiled in a federal corruption trial while he ran for reelection to the Senate. He was found guilty of failing to properly report gifts and eight days later he was narrowly defeated at the polls. A year later, in 2009, the indictment was dismissed, but the damage had already been done. Ted died in a plane crash in 2010, disgraced after having been run out of office. It was only after his death that a report was released finding widespread prosecutorial misconduct.

In real life, most little guys, they don’t stand a chance. Even those with millions of dollars can be behind the eight ball. Your reputation is gone and five years later, they may dismiss the case and you’re out, broke, humiliated and disgraced. But that’s not how it plays out in books and on the big screen, is it?

Plaintiff Power: Courtroom Fact Vs. Fiction 

We all love a good David Vs. Goliath story. It feels good to root for the little guy. In the real world, however, it’s rare that a plaintiff can pierce the evidence shield on a terribly uneven playing field where defendants have unlimited funds to do whatever they want. Defense attorneys routinely hire all the experts they need to carve out an exception to every aspect of a client’s case. They virtually have unlimited funds to do whatever they want. On the other hand, that is also the case when the federal government is in the role of prosecutor.  

When you have total power and resources at your disposal in a case, the little guy can get crushed. That’s why people often offer guilty pleas to crimes they don’t commit -- totally ruined and totally innocent.

Objection! Movie Misconduct

Writers and filmmakers have the power to create fairy tales where the little guy or underdog we talked about emerges victorious and beats a big corporation. It makes everyone feel good, but it’s not reality.

What movie misses the mark? “The Verdict,” with Paul Newman comes to mind. The 1982 movie’s screenplay was written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed’s novel of the same name. Newman’s character, attorney Frank Galvin, is an alcoholic with a struggling practice and checkered past. He finds himself representing a comatose woman’s sister and brother-in-law who are suing for medical malpractice after the victim choked on her own vomit during childbirth and was left in a vegetative state due to hospital error. It’s a good hook, right?  

So, the plot thickens when Frank stumbles upon a witness who is being bought off by the hospital. It’s a plot-changing development and makes for great cinema. In real life, though, it’s rare that a culprit hospital is revealed so dramatically in a blatant lie or cover-up. Almost always, everything has been reduced to affidavits and sworn testimony way ahead of time so the fact that a surprise witness surfaces at the last minute almost never occurs. It’s a fantasy to think that justice would really prevail against a big corporate entity.  

On Writing The Lawyer’s Life  

You know, as writers we are tasked with balancing what will be a good read (and what will sell) as opposed to what the reality is. There’s a big difference between writing a truthful, realistic courtroom scene but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be popular with the public. Quite often that means you must compromise a little bit to strike the right balance.  

How can we write a compelling story without selling out and creating a tall tale with no basis in fact? This is the same lesson or morality play that I deal with, and it’s why I left the practice of law to write a novel about lawyers instead, Rascal on the Run. It’s all a big circle conundrum.  

Howard T. Scott mastered the nuances of the courtroom scene through initially working in his father’s law office at the young age of thirteen. He worked as a criminal defense attorney for seven years in his native Athens, Ga, and then transitioned to working in civil litigation. Howard’s murder-suspense novel, RASCAL ON THE RUN, is the ficitonalized tale of actual cases navigated by Howard and his late father, the late attorney Guy Scott.