Really, it was bound to happen sometime. a YA novel published– yes, sold in bookstores, about k-pop. please, a show of hands for who will expect the following.
a) it will be written by a non-asian author. b) it will contain the white savior trope. c) the main character will be white, and the narrative will display a flagrant amount of racist and culturally insensitive commentary– and go through a sparse amount of reconciliation for the fact, resulting in a half-assed excuse at labeling it a ~character flaw~
if you answered all the above, then you are absolutely correct. between stunning quotes in the novel like–
there is a lot to work with. snark aside, a few in depth reviews that do a more thorough explanation can be found
here, and here– just a few out of a cursory search, but please, give them a read.
i encourage people who are willing to spread the word and bring the criticism to her attention through through tweeting her twitter account, public instagram account (though please, only on photos of the novel in question, and adressing the critisms about it. we do not condone harassment on her personal life. these are all links that have been publicly advertised as contact methods on her website.) or her goodreads page. this is something that happens over the course of dozens, hundreds of novels, and it’s important that we get the message out that it’s not acceptable.
that it’s an important issue considering this isn’t AFF fanfiction written by bored teens– this is an adult woman profiting off this book geared toward young adults, through publishing houses where asian authors are already so underrepresented. where asian protagonists and main characters are underrepresented. asian authors who have to rely seeing their culture popularized through the work of non-asian authors who couldn’t be bothered representing another culture in a respectful way.
if you are writing about a culture that is not your own, especially if you are white, you have to do your research. You have to speak to the communities you are writing about. You have to test the book with those communities, listen, and digest their feedback before releasing it to the public. You have to be aware of what has come before in terms of stereotypes, and you have to take care that you are not simply adding on to those stereotypes. Seriously consider if your book is helping, not hurting, representation. If you are diligent in your research it will show through; if you’re not, you can’t get upset when people come after you for portraying their culture in a disrespectful manner.
“
we don’t just want to be seen in your fantasy novels, where other people get to fabricate what they think we are in a mockery of diversity– we want to be heard.
there is a lot to work with. snark aside, a few in depth reviews that do a more thorough explanation can be found
