Writing About Other People

I love reading biographies, don’t you? A biography allows us a small window into the minutiae of someone’s life. Why only a small window? Well, if you think about it, life is short but the journey is long. I know this may be an oxymoron but I’ve given this phrase a lot of thought for many years now. 

When reading someone’s biography or autobiography, we’re not reading everything about that person; only those things that the person wants to share or those things that you, the author, feel are important to share. And, a book must come to an end some time. It could be 320 pages long or 32 pages short. So, the writer must choose the bits to put in that would keep the reader turning the pages. 

As biographies go, there are those endorsed by the subject and those that the subject refuses to acknowledge, they may even shun the book. Not all biographies are written with permission. 

This is similar for children’s picture books. 

But first, the writer needs to know that permission is not necessary to write about someone. Second, anyone can write about the same subject/ person. There is no such thing as someone copying your idea for a biography. Just look at how many Frida Kahlo picture books there are or picture books about Malala Yousafzai. Third, even if you want to write about a particular person, the publisher may not think that this person is worth their publishing budget. This could be for many reasons and here are three: the subject is controversial, like Aung Saan Su Kyi, for example; the person is too obscure—who would want to read about them?; the market is already saturated with bios of the subject. Repetition may be good for children but too much of one thing is never good.

Who To Choose Then?

There is a parade of people we can write about. So, choosing the right one can be challenging. 

First, write about someone you want to read about—this person may be well known but not famous. Second, do your research—are there books out there about them? In your case as a picture book author: are there picture books about your subject? Third, pick a theme—why are you writing about them? 

How Did I Come Up With The Idea of Writing About Asian Women for Children? 

I had the idea of writing about Asian women for a very long time. This idea germinated in Paris when I was living there. I was the Chair of Memberhship for a society called the Asian Women’s Association in Paris (AWAP). This was the brainchild of a few Asian women, friends of mine, who were interested in starting a community for Asian women living in Paris. The group was made up of Asian women from all over the world. They were a global  diaspora of women who could trace their roots back to East Asia and Southeast Asia. And, many were leaders in their fields and doing wonderful things while juggling motherhood and a career. 

Having the opportunity to meet and speak to some of AWAP’s members made me think about the Asian women whom I wanted to know who have shaped Asia in so many ways. But as life goes, I was a mother of two—one toddler and the other a teen—juggling learning a new language—Oui, Je parle français—and navigating an expat life in the City of Light. I was too mesmerised by Paris—it’s Paris!!—to think about writing about other women’s lives. I concentrated on writing about my life instead—how selfish, non? So, I started a blog writing about what I know and love best—food, Asian food—which took me down a rabbit hole searching for veritable Asian grub, which took me down another warren looking for female chefs, particularly Asian ones. That blog turned into a memoir of sorts and helped me cope with major homesickness for Asia. And, before I knew it, I found myself in Singapore. The blog is now on a hiatus. 

Navigating Singapore became the next step in my expat journey. In Singapore, I was both an insider and outsider. I sought books for my then 6.5 year old with Asian themes, on Asian heroines and Asian aesthetics. Books that I wished I’d read when I was a child. Books that made me look up to women for leadership. I was disappointed to find none of the latter, and the few I found that ticked the boxes on themes and aesthetics were copies or pastiches of western children’s books like ‘The Diary of Adrian Mole’, ‘Katie’s museum adventures’, or stories written through a western lens. [These are books written in English.] 

There was nothing on Asian women. No biographies that I could show my young daughter that reflected the wonderful achievements by Asian women, and we have so many great women too. But at the same time, I found many written and published in America.

As Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

And Maya Angelou reinforced it when she wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” 

And so, I found myself proposing a 6-book series to publishers on Asian Sheroes. [I was pretty gung ho about it too as at that point, I only knew I wanted to write about 6 Asian women, but did not know who yet.]

It was a hard sell, to tell the truth. Asian Sheroes? Who are they? Why would American and British children want to read about them when they have nothing to do with “us”? 

I worked alone for some time researching and finding out who I can write about. I sent out feelers and got some great answers back. The problem is in the lack of information (more on that in another post) about many of these women. I even thought of self publishing at one point.

Working alone is fine and fun but as life is short and the journey is long, I wanted to share this journey with people I love. So, I roped in two sheroes: June Ho and Debasmita Dasgupta. We discussed it and furnished a proposal and sent it out, closer to home.

World Scientific Publishing who was in the midst, unbeknownst to us, of starting a new imprint, World Scientific Education, acquired the series on proposal. 

The Birth of A Series

Meetings were held. At that time, we could still meet face-to-face. And names were proposed. And that was how Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali: The Accidental Doctor was born.

Did I follow my own rules on writing about lesser-known but known-enough Asian women? Did I write a book that I wanted to read because there is none out there? Did I condense a long journey into a short book of 32 pages? 

I would say, yes. WE did it because the creation of ‘Women Who Shaped Asia’ takes a team. The creation of sheroes takes a family. 

And just like this, the seed that I germinated in Paris grew into a plant that now needs constant watering and feeding. It won’t eat you, I promise. But it’ll feed you and your kids with knowledge and pride of the women who shaped Asia. 

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali: The Accidental Doctor is available here. If you live in Singapore, Malaysia and/or Southeast Asia, get your copy here. In America, it’s here.