Newbery Rewind: 1923

Here we are finished with the Newbery winner for 1923, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Right in time for my Mock Newbery teen group to start back up!

1922

• USSR forms with communism as the unifying political system following the Bolshevik revolution
• BBC is created in Britain
• Monhandas Gandhi is imprisoned for seeking the end of British rule in India
• The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in May.
• Nosferatu premieres in Berlin and Stoker's widow claims plagiarism of Dracula
•  Irish Civil War begins in June
• Reader's Digest magazine begins publishing.
• The Great Gatsby, Ulysses, and The Velveteen Rabbit are all published.
• Jack Kerouac, Dick King-Smith, and Kurt Vonnegut are born.
• President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio to the White House.
• Egypt leaves the British Empire.
• The Teapot Dome scandal rocks US government.
• Construction on Yankee Stadium begins.
• A typhoon hits Shantou, China, killing over 5000
• Morocco revolts against the Spanish.
• The National Fascist Party is formed in Italy with Benito Mussolini in power.
• The Ottoman Empire is abolished.
• Rebecca Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first woman United States Senator.
• Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3,000 years.

Strangely enough, there are no honor books awarded in 1923.

And the winner is....

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

First of all, I'm not sure why this is called the "Voyages" since it is really about one trip and the return, but whatever. As before, I read the original version, which involved downloading it from Project Gutenberg. While this is not my favorite way to read, it allowed me to see the original, un-PC version with the original illustrations even. And believe me, the illustrations were part of the problem.

Now, don't get me wrong, this was a highly readable example of early kid lit in the US. The doctor is affable, friendly and pretty progressive in his beliefs in many ways. His views on animals and natural science are downright revolutionary for the time period. And his treatment of children is exceptional.

However, we are at the tail-end of the colonial period of Western history, and therein lies the main problems with this story. Doctor Dolittle is the white savior, the benevolent and learned white man who will teach and save all the people of color he encounters. Both Prince Bumpo and Long Arrow are portrayed in very stereotypical manner. Bumpo often misunderstands the things he is supposed to be knowledgeable of and misrepresents his confused understanding of the world with mangled language. The depictions of him are of a "darkie" with a sloping forehead and big lips. Long Arrow, on the other hand, suffers from the "noble savage" cliche, with perfectly sculpted appearance, feather head dress, and arcane knowledge.

In the end, though, this book is one of the better early Newbery books on readability and sensibility toward child's nature and understanding.

Now I'm just waiting on the DVD of Doctor Dolittle (1967) to arrive from Netflix so I can peruse the movie and see if I remember it correctly and how I view it as an adult!