SVH #93 - Stepsisters
In my last recap ( SVH #81 - Rosa’s Lie), I claimed that Rosa Jameson was not in any other SVH book because, you know, she’s a minority. Turns out, I was WRONG! SVH #93, Stepsisters, is not only fabulous enough to show another minority’s struggle to fit into the bleach-white world of Sweet Valley, but the girl in question actually takes advice from Rosa! Oh, Sweet Valley High and racial issues… once again, the topic is handled in a sensitive and non-offensive manner. Seeing how no one had recapped this book yet, I thought I’d recap another book that tackles the same issue (racism!) in almost an even worse manner.
We open at a cheerleader’s practice; not even a full page goes by before Annie Whitman starts musing about the differences between the twins. Annie, by the way, is pretty much the star of this book. That’s right, not even the miniscule B-plot revolves around the twins. GASP!
The B-plot sucks, so I’m just going to get it out of the way to begin with. Tony Esteban (a minority!!!) cheated on Annie but wants her back. She doesn’t know if she can trust him! (Once a cheater, always a cheater) But, as we all know, he feels horrible, and she takes him back. LAME. Aren’t you glad I got that out of the way? Personally, I think Tony is only brought back because it allows Annie to think about how she’s NOT racist because she dated someone who wasn’t white. And yes, she does think about this. Repeatedly. Conclusion: She cannot be racist. Clearly.
The A-plot sucks too, but in a totally different way. I had train-wreck syndrome throughout the entire book. No joke.
Annie comes home after cheerleading practice, where her mom (who’s just returned from a modeling gig in New York) has big news: She’s getting married to someone she’s never mentioned to Annie, Annie’s never met, and who has a daughter Annie’s age!
What the hell? Neither Annie nor I knew her mom was dating again.
Annie is surprised but thrilled. Her mom talks about how much Annie’s going to like them and vice versa. Then, at the end of the chapter, we get this revelation:
“Annie,” Mrs. Whitman said, “Walter and Cheryl are black.”
Hehe!!
It continues:
Startled, Annie looked up at her mother. “They’re black?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Whitman replied simply.
Annie considered this for a moment. Why should that be especially surprising? She asked herself as she fingered the photo frames on her mom’s dresser. Why shouldn’t she have fallen in love with someone who happens to be black?
Annie decides it doesn’t matter to her. But she doesn’t decide to stop obsessing about it. Oddly enough, she seems to be more shocked that her future family is black than that her mother is marrying someone she’s never heard of.
Oh, but Annie has HEARD of him - he’s a famous photographer.
Annie also wonders if Cheryl will have a hard time in Sweet Valley because she’s black. Um, yes.
Enter the first of many conversations where Annie and her mother discuss how racist they are not. Annie is given the worst line EVER, saying, “I guess you could say that the issue’s not quite as black and white as I thought it was.” Her mother, in reply, “bops her with a throw pillow.” (actual quote!!!)
Annie and her mother move in next door to the Wakefields - worst neighbors ever. You never know when there’s going to be a kidnapping, crazy stalkers, crazy Margo, or Elizabeth Wakefield peering over your fence.
Jessica has heard of Walter Thomas (the groom), as he’s done photos in Ingenue and Style. In one, Cheryl (Annie’s soon-to-be stepsister) was featured, so Jessica knows she’s black and expects to meet celebrities through her. Also, in odd contrast to Annie, Jessica does not stress about the fact that she’s not racist.
As a side note, might I just say that I’m glad they named the family Walter and Cheryl Thomas and not some racially-charged stereotypical “black” name?
Annie tells her friends about her mother’s remarriage but does NOT mention that they’re black. She makes a big point NOT to include this information. At the Dairi Burger, Jessica makes some comment about Cheryl and someone asks how Jessica knows what Cheryl looks like. Instead of just letting Jessica mention that she saw Cheryl in a magazine article, this is what happens:
Annie, frantic that Jessica was going to blurt out the fact that Cheryl was black, cut in with, “My mom’s told me a little about what she looks like, and I told Jessica.” Annie felt bad about lying, but she thought, ‘I don’t want someone else to mention that Cheryl’s black, because it’ll look like I was trying to hide it. Then people might think I was ashamed of it.’
Actually, it looks like she’s trying to hide it by lying. What does she think, that Cheryl’s NOT going to arrive and that her friends will NEVER see that she’s black? I mean, people in Sweet Valley are dumb, but come on!
Liz enters the Dairi Burger and manages to cajole Annie out of there, saying, “I figured you might want to get out of the Dairi Burger. It was a little, um, crowded…. Is there something you want to talk about?”
Annie, this is the future. Today, it’s at the Dairi Burger… Tomorrow, it’s Liz peering into your bedroom…
Liz and Annie have the best convo EVAH! Annie stresses some more about Cheryl and Walter being black and, in turn, about she and her mom being white. Annie says, “There aren’t as many black people here as there are in New York.”
UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.
Liz ingeniously suggests that Annie talk to some of the black kids (kids?? Plural??? In Sweet Valley???? Maybe it’ll get up to double digits soon!!!!) on campus, and Annie decides she should get to know the black students better. Although, to be fair, Liz does say that Cheryl might not “automatically gravitate towards other black kids just because she is black.” Uh huh.
So, the Whitmans go pick up the black half of their family at the airport. Annie likes to do the cooking at home (…last book I read, Annie just liked to do all the guys on campus…), but Cheryl can’t eat the dinner that Annie’s prepared because (I’ll let Cheryl explain): “I’m a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. That means I eat milk products and eggs, but no meat, seafood, or poultry…. I can eat some plain rice, though.”
Cheryl, having just moved across the country and having endured a long flight, says it’s been a long day. Annie thinks, “It can’t be easy leaving your friends and your school and moving clear across the country to live with a woman you scarcely know and a girl you don’t know at all… She studied Cheryl’s dark eyes and couldn’t help wondering whether part of the problem was that she and her mother were white.”
W. T. F. Does the stressing about being or not being racist never end? Personally, I think the problem has more to do with the fact that Cheryl doesn’t know them and left her whole life behind, and LESS to do with the fact that they’re white. But, then again, this is just me. Unlike most of Sweet Valley, I’ve seen a black person before.
Cheryl and Annie try to get to know each other. Cheryl says things are so different in Sweet Valley and Annie immediately wants to ask her if she’s talking about race. (Yes, Sweet Valley is just like New York but with less black people - there are NO other differences…) But Annie wusses out and saves the racists ponderings for her mind.
The Wakefields go to Annie’s new house (naturally, uninvited but not unwelcome - after all, they’re the Wakefield twins!). They are nicer to Cheryl than Annie is. They even point out that Annie seems uncomfortable around Cheryl (but, of course, she’s not racist…).
Annie talks about the welcome party she’s planning for Cheryl. Like I mentioned before, Annie had wondered why she doesn’t hang out with more minorities and so decides to invite a lot of people to the party who she barely knows just because they’re minorities. When she mentions the guest list to Jessica, Jessica asks, “Did you invite Greg just because he’s black?” Annie “blushed even more furiously and stammered, ‘I - I thought Cheryl might like to meet someone who… who…’” Unfortunately, they’re interrupted by Elizabeth. (Who WHAT, Annie? That’s what I want to know!)
At one point, Cheryl is clearly a mouthpiece for the ghostwriter’s opinions of Sweet Valley (as well as my own personal opinion) when she says, “Sweet Valley sounds like something out of a 1950’s beach party movie - football, cheerleaders, sororities, surfing. I suppose you have a burger joint too?”
Annie at this point decides that Cheryl should pledge PBA. Who isn’t in this elite sorority? Besides Rosa, of course (which is later mentioned in this book). When Annie mentions this idea to Robin, Robin wonders if PBA will care that Cheryl’s black.
Of COURSE they will. It’s PBA.
Annie is then forced to tell Robin that she hasn’t actually told anyone that Cheryl is black. Robin questions this and points out that they will all be surprised to see her. Annie says, “It shouldn’t matter.” (but, of course, it truly DOES matter to Annie… and, for the record, it DOES look like she’s trying to hide it!)
Now, the party. Everyone who comes in is shocked and stares at Cheryl because, you know, they don’t expect a black person to show up in Sweet Valley. I’d stare too. It is a pretty rare sight.
Annie is uncomfortable that everyone talking to Cheryl is mentioning sports because Cheryl’s totally not into that. So Annie takes it upon herself to give everyone the rundown of Cheryl’s celebrity connections to give them something to talk about. Everyone, in return, looks embarrassed FOR ANNIE and walks off. Even Cheryl is embarrassed. I’m embarrassed and I’m not even there!
Cheryl eventually has to ask Annie, “What gives with all these black, Asian, and Hispanic kids here? I don’t think I’ve seen this many people of color since I got to Sweet Valley and certainly not in one place.”
Nor have I, Cheryl. Annie somehow managed to round all ten of them up for your comfort.
Cheryl continues, “What’s more, every time I ask somebody who’s white how they know you, it turns out that you do stuff with them after school, but every time I ask someone who isn’t white the same question, it seems like all you have in common is that you have a class together, or did once.”
Annie finally fully admits to herself and us that she “figured that Cheryl would be more comfortable with people who aren’t white.”
Am I the only one who thinks that this is the most uncomfortable party EVER?
Rosa Jameson (hola! - one of the minorities!) comes in and mentions that Cheryl and her mom have something in common - they both love Debussy. WTF? I just read the book on Rosa and her parents blast Spanish music, not classical stuff!
Rosa voices the opinion of EVERYONE THERE (and here, for that matter) and says that people are wondering why Annie hid the fact the Cheryl was black. Rosa and Elizabeth also notice that “about a third of the guests were black, Hispanic, or Asian.” Rosa points out that the room looks “like a rainbow.” (Too bad Tom McKay wasn’t there to appreciate the rainbow :-) )
Side note: Oddly enough, Cheryl does bond with one of the black people there, Patty Gilbert. But not because they’re both black. However, score one for Annie for inviting minorities!
The next day at school, Cheryl points out again how different Sweet Valley is and says, “I’m beginning to realize how sheltered my life in New York was.”
Um.
Annie goes overboard trying to make Cheryl feel welcome, dragging her along to football games, swimming, pizza… At the football game, Cheryl talks to Steven (who’s home for the weekend, naturally) and when Cheryl mentions that she now feels like a minority, Steven mentions that “you’ll probably be surprised at the diversity around here.” We’d ALL be surprised, Steven. That’s why everyone was surprised to see diversity standing in the doorway when they first saw Cheryl.
At the PBA pledge nomination night, Annie nominated Cheryl for membership, Suzanne Hanlon says she doesn’t know if it’s a good idea, and Annie asks her if she doesn’t want Cheryl in PBA because she’s black. “Suddenly, the whole room was tense.” The nomination passes through. At the end of the meeting, Suzanne blackmails Annie into buying and cooking food for her party in order to secure Suzanne’s support for Cheryl’s membership in PBA.
This sorority sucks.
Enter Rosa and meddling Liz, who go with Cheryl to Rosa’s house. We get a synopsis of SVH #81 - Rosa’s Lie! Rosa gives Cheryl more reasons to not want to be in PBA.
Suzanne’s party. Annie brings the food but Suzanne takes credit for it. Again, this sorority seriously sucks. In Cheryl’s “acceptance speech,” she mentions that Annie cooked the food and then declines membership in a diplomatic way. Annie is pissed because she claims she was trying to do Cheryl a favor by giving in to blackmail! Cheryl rightfully asks, “WTF? I didn’t even want to join!” (I paraphrased) Cheryl then asks, “I’m supposed to be grateful to you, am I? That’s the way it always is - black people are supposed to be grateful to white people for trying to turn them into white people too.” (actual quote)
Annie is humiliated, but let’s face it - she did tell Cheryl she was turning Cheryl into a California girl. We all know what she meant.
Annie feels guilty. Good.
Then Annie’s mom has to have her appendix removed, so Cheryl and Annie go to the hospital and refer to themselves as “Mrs. Whitman’s children,” showing their solidarity. The mom is fine. Cheryl and Annie make up. Annie says something in “a husky voice.” I thought the only people in Sweet Valley to speak in husky voices are the guys Liz and Jess are dating? My whole word is turned upside down. Maybe “Annie the Ho” is back - pucker up, Cheryl! And why the crap do these books always have such dramatic endings?
Ho hum.
And are Cheryl and Steven in love? Find out in SVH #94, ARE WE IN LOVE?