Fascinating Piece on Reviews and Diversity

[davidgillon]

Malinda Lo, one of the major voices behind We Need Diverse Books, has produced an essay looking at how US trade reviews (i.e. meant for booksellers, librarians etc rather than the general book-buying public) react to diversity. The examples are YA, as that's her field, but I suspect things are probably even worse in other genres. Some of the examples will definitely make you wince, and the suggestion of a 'diversity ceiling' - that major parts of the industry don't believe a book dealing with more than one minority is viable - is particularly disturbing. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in diversity, intersectionality and/or publishing.

Perceptions of Diversity in Book Reviews 

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks for pointing me to this excellent essay. It made me rethink words often used in reviews which reveal a colonialist standpoint:

begin quote  I hope that when a reviewer encounters a diverse book, they will think intently about what they mean if they are tempted to describe the book as, say, “believable.” What are they truly getting at? Because there are better words to use: well-executed, daring, honest, real. quote ends

[davidgillon]

When I think about intersectionality in books (which is what that believable is usually being deployed against, I inevitably come back to the fact I probably know more gay crips than straight crips, so to reflect my world...

When we can run into things that denormalise us in the places we go for comfort, then it shows how things need to change.