YABookgate -

[Puddleduck]

I thought it might be handy to have a general thread to document weirdos, gatekeepers, and short term dogpiles from the YA "community".

I'll get the ball rolling with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. Most of her Twitter is sperging on about race related things, particularly in fiction. She is an Associate Professor, in a VERY interesting subject area...

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas studies how people of color are portrayed, or not portrayed, in children’s and young adult literature, and how those portrayals shape our culture. She regularly reviews children’s books featuring diverse heroes and heroines, teens and tweens caught between cultures, and kids from the margins for the Los Angeles Times. She has a particular interest in young adult fantasy literature and fan culture. A former English and language arts teacher, Thomas also explores how teachers handle traumatic historical events, such as slavery, when teaching literature.
https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/faculty/thomas

She's got a book coming out which is all about this:

The Dark Fantastic
reveals the diversity crisis in children's and young adult media as not only a lack of representation, but a lack of imagination

Stories provide portals into other worlds, both real and imagined. The promise of escape draws people from all backgrounds to speculative fiction, but when people of color seek passageways into the fantastic, the doors are often barred. This problem lies not only with children’s publishing, but also with the television and film executives tasked with adapting these stories into a visual world. When characters of color do appear, they are often marginalized or subjected to violence, reinforcing for audiences that not all lives matter.

The Dark Fantastic is an engaging and provocative exploration of race in popular youth and young adult speculative fiction. Grounded in her experiences as YA novelist, fanfiction writer, and scholar of education, Thomas considers four black girl protagonists from some of the most popular stories of the early 21st century: Bonnie Bennett from the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Rue from Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Gwen from the BBC’s Merlin, and Angelina Johnson from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Analyzing their narratives and audience reactions to them reveals how these characters mirror the violence against black and brown people in our own world.

In response, Thomas uncovers and builds upon a tradition of fantasy and radical imagination in Black feminism and Afrofuturism to reveal new possibilities. Through fanfiction and other modes of counter-storytelling, young people of color have reinvisioned fantastic worlds that reflect their own experiences, their own lives. As Thomas powerfully asserts, “we dark girls deserve more, because we are more.”
https://nyupress.org/9781479800650/the-dark-fantastic/

This book sounds several years out of date, and based on some statements (will re-find later) she has been writing it and getting rejected for years. I guess it's ironic that her drivel only got taken seriously when the industry changed beyond the point of what she was actually talking about...


Slightly related, we might have something of a "Shadowy Don" in the YA community. Her literary agent is Brooks Sherman - he also represents Angie Thomas, who wrote The Hate U Give, aka the BLM movie; and Becky Albertalli, who wrote Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was about a gay teen and was also adapted into a movie.

 

[Save the Loli]

Was that Harry Potter character ever actually said to be black in the books? Not that it matters since they're a literally who.

 

[Puddleduck]

Was that Harry Potter character ever actually said to be black in the books? Not that it matters since they're a literally who.

Not until like the fifth or sixth book, if I recall correctly. She was described as having dreadlocks at some point earlier on, but that's hardly definitive. She was black in all the movies, and JK specified some of the characters' races when the books didn't describe them.

 

[Coh]

Honestly, if you are a young adult or a teen, you shouldn't read YA novels. You should either read books like Redwall and LoTR (if you are on the younger side) or more historical fiction/ nonfiction stories if you are older. The Young adult section in the library has always been shit. It's just now that it's more apparent now that it's been infested by #RESIST types.

 

[GentlemanFaggot]

Was that Harry Potter character ever actually said to be black in the books? Not that it matters since they're a literally who.

I'm more concerned about the fact that a writer doesn't know what a protagonist is.

 

[Venus]

Reposting this from another thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/andreasomberg/status/1105187594281906177

Keep in mind that not even TransWomen, the undisputed oppressed queens, are not immune to receiving accusations of having privilege if they happen to be white.

Now you might notice something:

Now take note of the original tweet:

Notice anything? If not, let’s put emphasis on the important part:

 

[Cho Chan]

Reposting this from another thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/andreasomberg/status/1105187594281906177

Keep in mind that not even TransWomen, the undisputed oppressed queens, are not immune to receiving accusations of having privilege if they happen to be white.


View attachment 734690
View attachment 734691
View attachment 734692

Now you might notice something:

Now take note of the original tweet:
View attachment 734694

Notice anything? If not, let’s put emphasis on the important part:
View attachment 734695

Calling out trans women? Has the SJW movement reached critical mass already?

 

[Cool kitties club]

Reposting this from another thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/andreasomberg/status/1105187594281906177

Keep in mind that not even TransWomen, the undisputed oppressed queens, are not immune to receiving accusations of having privilege if they happen to be white.


View attachment 734690
View attachment 734691
View attachment 734692

Now you might notice something:

Now take note of the original tweet:
View attachment 734694

Notice anything? If not, let’s put emphasis on the important part:
View attachment 734695

Imagine refusing to buy books from a publisher because someone dared to write a book about people different from them. Whats next you can't history books anymore because you weren't literally there?

 

[The Shadow]

Honestly, if you are a young adult or a teen, you shouldn't read YA novels. You should either read books like Redwall and LoTR (if you are on the younger side) or more historical fiction/ nonfiction stories if you are older. The Young adult section in the library has always been shit. It's just now that it's more apparent now that it's been infested by #RESIST types.

"Young Adult" used to specify a specific genre of throwaway fiction aimed at Middle Schoolers. Honestly by High School you should have at least moved into fiction of questionable quality for actual adults- the Stephen Kings and Nora Robertses.

But YA I think had a limited window and they wanted to make more of that idiot-money from people that like to pretend that reading as a pastime is an indicator of intelligence. Being a 40 y.o. reading Divergent doesn't make you intelligent or interesting.

It also shits up other genres. If you want cheap Sci-Fi at least have the self-respect to pick up a couple of old Baen or Ace paperbacks at the used store.

 

[Cool kitties club]

"Young Adult" used to specify a specific genre of throwaway fiction aimed at Middle Schoolers. Honestly by High School you should have at least moved into fiction of questionable quality for actual adults- the Stephen Kings and Nora Robertses.

But YA I think had a limited window and they wanted to make more of that idiot-money from people that like to pretend that reading as a pastime is an indicator of intelligence. Being a 40 y.o. reading Divergent doesn't make you intelligent or interesting.

It also shits up other genres. If you want cheap Sci-Fi at least have the self-respect to pick up a couple of old Baen or Ace paperbacks at the used store.

At least old cheesy sci fi was unique and wasn't full of itself. YA tries way to hard to be WOKE and "revolutionary"

 

[Magnus did Nothing Wrong]

I think the only people that actually read YA are mentally deficient adults that still want to seem smart for reading. Aside from girls reading reading their generic love triangle stories the teenagers that are actually interested in reading usually jump straight to adult books while the rest don't read at all. I wouldn't be surprised if the YA market is a Marvel comics situation where they are putting out a lot of product to a small customer base while getting marginal or non-existing profits.

 

[Venus]

YA tries way to hard to be WOKE and "revolutionary"

This here is why I think YA gatekeeping is such a huge thing- it’s the last bastion of “youth culture” that they can even touch because otherwise they’re scared shitless of the fact that Gen Z is a lot more right leaning than millenials and boomers are.
I can’t even begin to count how many shitty dystopian YA there is out there that revolves around some army of teenagers overthrowing an incompetent totalitarian government after The Hunger Games started to get noticed by the masses. In fact, anytime I see anything resembling “Teh resistance” pop up in any book I just cringe.

 

[Recon]

They call this shit YA fiction for Young Adult but they ought to call it DL, for Divorced Librarian.

 

[Someone in a Tree]

I can’t even begin to count how many shitty dystopian YA there is out there that revolves around some army of teenagers overthrowing an incompetent totalitarian government after The Hunger Games started to get noticed by the masses. In fact, anytime I see anything resembling “Teh resistance” pop up in any book I just cringe.

At this rate, the only truly subversive YA book someone could write would depict teenagers as they really are: creatures who swing wildly from moody to apathetic and spend all day jerking off.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

At least old cheesy sci fi was unique and wasn't full of itself. YA tries way to hard to be WOKE and "revolutionary"

Not one single thing these people do is revolutionary. Everything they try is just a lite version of a barrier someone already broke, probably in the 70s or 80s. Do they really believe they're breaking gender barriers? Gender barriers? race barriers?

Spoiler

Fuck them.

 

[Venus]

An example of the type of book “reviewers” that the YA community attracts.

I’d make a joke about them being trapped in a perpetual childhood, but the screencap below speaks for itself.

 

[SpeedOSanicRee]

Honestly, if you are a young adult or a teen, you shouldn't read YA novels. You should either read books like Redwall and LoTR (if you are on the younger side) or more historical fiction/ nonfiction stories if you are older. The Young adult section in the library has always been shit. It's just now that it's more apparent now that it's been infested by #RESIST types.

At this point, YA is no longer for the age that it portrays. I almost guarantee you that an overwhelming majority of YA readers are divorced 30/40-something soccer moms and also the younger end of Millennials who realize how harsh the real world is and want some semblance of their youth back. The younger end of it (say, 12-14/15) can read Middle Grade, like Percy Jackson (to be fair, it kinda hovers on being YA, but it was initially intended as middle grade) or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the older end (15-18/19) should just stick with adult novels. There's plenty out there that are surprisingly clean, which is something I know some parents worry about with their high schoolers.

At this rate, the only truly subversive YA book someone could write would depict teenagers as they really are: creatures who swing wildly from moody to apathetic and spend all day jerking off.

It doesn't matter who's writing it, it's always one of two extremes--the fantasy-esque YA about relatively normal kids whose only problems are the 'Big Bad' they're destined to destroy, or the more 'realistic' novels some unrealistically ill kid/group of kids (mentally or physically, but the more problems the better) who are out of control and need their saving grace. These people were teenagers once. Is it really that hard to accept that some people didn't have an entire friend group made up solely of disabled kids, or that not everyone was a total bipolar, drug-addicted slut in high school? There is a happy medium between kids who are essentially invincible and kids so broken they wouldn't even be alive IRL. At this point in time, I'd have respect for the first person to write a YA book that was realistic and showed a white person struggling with an underdiscussed mental/physical illness, because these virtue signalling idiots seem to forget that WHITE PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS TOO.

I can’t even begin to count how many shitty dystopian YA there is out there that revolves around some army of teenagers overthrowing an incompetent totalitarian government after The Hunger Games started to get noticed by the masses. In fact, anytime I see anything resembling “Teh resistance” pop up in any book I just cringe.

There was a joke made in the Honest Trailer for Divergent that they'd 'already did this one' because they'd released a Hunger Games trailer previously. YA might be the most formulaic genre out there. I read quite a few YA books, even in recent years, because they're pretty quick reads. I stopped because I got bored of reading what is basically the same 2 or 3 plots over and over again. There is so little variety in these books and I'm honestly surprised anyone is still reading them.
You got like 3 plots:

1. the paranormal love story; usually includes vampires, but sometimes there's a small bit of variety.
2. rag-tag group of teens singlehandedly overthrowing the government or some other omnipotent enemy because every single goddamn adult is a complete fucking moron
3. John Green.

An example of the type of book “reviewers” that the YA community attracts.

I’d make a joke about them being trapped in a perpetual childhood, but the screencap below speaks for itself.
View attachment 742430

I went to her website recently. Is this shit why she takes years to read an ARC and by the time her review is out nobody gives a shit anymore? Because yikes.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

An example of the type of book “reviewers” that the YA community attracts.

I’d make a joke about them being trapped in a perpetual childhood, but the screencap below speaks for itself.
View attachment 742430

Many female characters were written by men and many male characters were written by women. Does she have a problem with how Harry Potter somehow thinks too much like a girl? What a bitch.

 

[Someone in a Tree]

Does she have a problem...

Let me stop you right there.

 

[SpeedOSanicRee]

Many female characters were written by men and many male characters were written by women. Does she have a problem with how Harry Potter somehow thinks too much like a girl? What a bitch.

Funny you ask. See, I went to her website and saw she had her Goodreads account linked on the sidebar. So I went to it and fiddled around for a second (I've never used their search feature on a profile before), and apparently fucking not. I guess it's totally fine to not be #ownvoice when you agree with the person politically?

Honestly, I can't make sense of that. She was doing '50-page tests' on a stack of books she had, and she decided to donate one solely because it was a woman writing a m/m romance and 'if it's not ownvoice, I have to say goodbye'. Considering I doubt a conservative woman would write a gay romance, I don't know what the fuck her standard is.