Kudakwashe Rutendo talks about deliberate word choice in Shut Up You're Pretty
On the final day of Canada Reads, Kudakwashe Rutendo discussed accessible language in Shut Up You're Pretty
A collection of linked short stories, Téa Mutonji's Shut Up You're Pretty is a master class of simple language that packs a punch — an aspect of the book that champion Kudakwashe Rutendo wanted to highlight on the final day of Canada Reads 2024.
To Rutendo, Shut Up You're Pretty's craft is in its simplicity of language.
"Speaking to Téa, she told me about her deliberate choice to choose everyday words so that people from every community, with all access to the various resources that communities have, can still read this book, can still derive meaning from this book," said Rutendo.
She calls back to one of the short stories in the book, This Is Only Temporary, in which Darnell, a young Black man, is killed.
To describe how people perceive him, the story uses the phrase 'we heard that,' at the beginning of many successive sentences.
"It's saying all the stuff that media perpetrates about the Black community," said Rutendo.
"And at the end of that chapter, it told us who Darnell really is. And you get that immediacy, the potency of seeing how Black young men are illustrated in the media. And then you get it in that artful, literary way and in a way that is accessible because the word choice was deliberate to make sure that the everyday reader could access it."
You get that immediacy, the potency of seeing how Black young men are illustrated in the media. And then you get it in that artful, literary way and in a way that is accessible.- Kudakwashe Rutendo
The 2024 Canada Reads contenders are:
- Athlete and CBC Sports contributor Dallas Soonias champions Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
- Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi champions Denison Avenue by Christina Wong & Daniel Innes
- Fashion influencer Mirian Njoh champions Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
- Actor Kudakwashe Rutendo champions Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji
- Author Heather O'Neill champions The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou
Catch up on the 2024 Canada Reads debates
If you missed out on the debates, here's where you can check them out and see who won!
WATCH: The Finale, Day Three, Day Two, Day One
LISTEN: The Finale, Day Three, Day Two, Day One
