Daughters of Destiny (novel) - Biases

Biases

Daughters of Destiny was reprinted in the 1998 issue of the annual Oz-story Magazine, with new illustrations by Eric Shanower. That publication was accompanied by a notice that the story "contains a number of offensive stereotypes. Fortunately, they have very little bearing on the story." The comic character David the Jew, the Americans' interpreter, would be offensive to the sensibilities of many modern readers.

In his thoughtful and deliberative frame of mind, Baum was in favor of tolerance and against bigotry of all types; this is reflected in Daughters of Destiny and in other of his books. (For pertinent examples, see Sky Island and Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea.) Yet he was not, and could not have been, a man with a mindset of modern political correctness. Most often when writing humorously (or attempting to do so), as with David the Jew in this book, Baum willingly exploited the ethnic and racial stereotypes that were current in his era. (See also Father Goose: His Book, The Woggle-Bug Book, and Father Goose's Year Book.)