Michelle Kadarusman's middle-grade novel Berani is an inspiring introduction to environmental activism
CBC Books | | Posted: August 23, 2022 5:59 PM | Last Updated: August 23, 2022
'I'd really like to impart to my readers in the middle grade to believe that you can make a difference.'
Michelle Kadarusman says writing for middle-grade is where she has found her voice. The Canadian Australian Indonesian author's novels have a compelling way of unraveling complex world issues for children and teens.
Her latest middle-grade novel, Berani, is no exception. The story is told in three voices: Malia, who is determined to risk whatever is necessary as a young environmental activist; Ari, who can tell what is right but fears what that path will cost him; and Ginger Juice, a caged orangutan whose former home was turned into a palm-oil plantation.
In Berani, Kadarusman draws on the plight of orangutans while offering up a narrative steeped in empathy and inspiration for youth.
The Toronto-based author grew up in Melbourne and has also lived in Indonesia. Her previous works include The Theory of Hummingbirds, Music for Tigers and Girl of the Southern Sea, which was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
Kadarusman spoke with CBC Books about writing her latest novel.
Inspired by activists
"Recently I read two news articles: One was about students in Malaysia who put on a play that was protesting the palm-oil industry. It got them into so much trouble that they actually had to end up apologizing to the government. And then there was another article about activists protesting against the fact that products with palm-free labels were being pulled from Jakarta supermarkets.
I was really inspired by the young activists in the region who are fighting for this cause.
"I was really inspired by the young activists in the region who are fighting for this cause. And that's when I had the idea of weaving these voices together to write the novel."
Giving voice to an orangutan
"In my research I was trying to find out the behavioural patterns for an orangutans in captivity: What would be some behavioural patterns? What would be the product of having an orangutan in a cage for so long?
"Initially, my plan was to go to Indonesia and Sumatra, but then obviously 2020 happened and I couldn't do that. I was able to go to an orangutan sanctuary at the Melbourne Zoo and observe three orangutans there. I also have a good friend who's a primatologist, who had worked and studied in Borneo. I was able to mine her for research information as well.
Orangutans display the same anxiety and mental health deterioration that it would be if it was a human child.
"And there's an organization called The Orangutan Project. The founder, Leif Cocks — his books and webinars and documentaries are incredibly helpful. The answer I was continually getting was to imagine a human, because we are so similar. Orangutans display the same anxiety and mental health deterioration that it would be if it was a human child."
Broadening Indonesian representation
"It was really important for me to write a book set in Indonesia that wasn't about extreme poverty, because so often books about developing countries are books about hardship."
"Indonesia is a complex country with so many different languages and cultures within it — so many different socioeconomic groups that aren't reflected, especially in modern contemporary children's literature for North American audiences, certainly. There's not a lot of representation.
It was really important for me with to write a book set in Indonesia that wasn't about extreme poverty.
"It was important to me that my only book representing Indonesia wasn't only about poverty. There are obviously many different sides to Indonesia, so I wanted to give a glimpse of some of those different lives and cultures."
The young and idealistic
"Of course I want to create a story that's interesting, but my books usually have some deeper themes running throughout, and this one does as well. The issue of palm-oil plantations versus orangutan habitat is an incredibly complex one. I didn't appreciate how complex it was before I started.
One of the reasons I love to write for middle grade is it's an age where we're still very idealistic.
"One of the reasons I love to write for middle grade is it's an age where we're still very idealistic. We are looking outward to the world at how we can make a difference. And that's what I would really like to impart to my readers in the middle grades — believe that you can make a difference. It's being able to take out the real kernels of the issues and present them in ways that kids might be able to grasp that I work toward.
"For all the young activists out there, that one voice can make a difference."
Michelle Kadarusman's comments have been edited for length and clarity. Interview by Ryan B. Patrick. Written by Hannah Abrahamse.