The Whitney Book Bistro will be joining with our Social Justice Book Club on October 8th to discuss R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface. On the second Monday of each month, Whitney’s Social Justice Book Club meets to discuss books “written by and reflecting people from historically marginalized groups. Books focus on issues such as racial and gender justice, income inequality and poverty, criminal justice reform and more.” The Whitney Book Bistro group meets on the second Tuesday of each month to discuss a book in a variety of genres and subjects. Whether the selected books are well-loved, uplifting, offensive, educational, or simply entertaining, we read and discuss books as an exercise for the brain as well as to socialize and create a community with shared experiences through books. Book Bistro members often comment that they appreciate the opportunity to read things they might not otherwise even consider. Social justice can often be an unsurprising element of our discussions as we note stock characterizations, lack of diversity, economics, and our own limited perspectives. 

The Book Bistro discussions generally start with our first impressions – whether we loved or hated a book, what impressed or impacted us the most. Often, many of the standard discussion points on a book will be covered quite organically. We only refer to prepared questions if the discussion stalls or when we have time and want to delve deeper. Something seemingly simple, such as “Why the title?”, can bring out nuances we might otherwise miss. During our discussion of Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, a couple of readers were disappointed in the book because they had happily expected to read and learn about an adventure along the Lincoln Highway. Violence, sex, drugs, identity: expectations of a book make a difference. How will discussing a book entirely through a social justice lens change the reading and discussing experience?

In a New York Times review by Alexandra Alter, author R.F. Kuang is quoted as saying, “I hate the feeling of being read just because somebody’s trying to tick off a diversity check box.”^[i] As the moderator of a library book club, I have a diversity check box. I am required to make sure we read at least four DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) selections each year. I have never needed such a requirement, but finding books of substance in a variety of genres, with a lot of copies in large print and audio, by diverse authors from marginalized groups, is not always easy. In addition, reading can be quite traumatic, not only triggering for some but off-putting. If you want to educate, you do need the selected audience to be able to stay the course – otherwise you are preaching only to the choir. You need to know your audience and your purpose. As book club members have made it clear, they like to be educated and entertained. Perhaps in a perfect world, we would not know the race of the author of a book; but in a perfect world, would we be concerned with social justice? 

As Yellowface showcases, popular, best-seller books are made by the publishing industry and, I guess, gullible readers. As a white reader, how do I know if a book has been white-washed by an editor? Perhaps even worse, what if I never read and learn about something important and impactful because I couldn’t palate it. What if, because of my subconscious bias and racism, I use phrases that will prejudice people against me?  Reading the books makes it possible for us to learn and grow and change. Discussing the book with others makes us vulnerable. I admire everyone for coming out to our book clubs, for challenging themselves and others to think, and look, and feel a little differently, to share opinions in a safe environment. That, I believe, will lead to more social justice.

So what did I think about Yellowface? When I read a book, I am always concerned about authority and believability, even with fantasy. I have been told by a member who is an author that she was totally engaged by the accuracy of the publishing and social media experience depicted in Yellowface. How many of us understand that big publishers actually buy the spaces that showcase their books on bookstore shelves, let alone buy reviews, interviews, and popup ads? I found the book to be easy to read but the narrator was so unreliable and unlikeable that reading became an exercise in finding social-justice keywords and phrases. We all think and feel things that are politically incorrect, so I couldn’t help but worry about the vulnerability of discussing this with people you don’t know. I was reminded of the buzz at the library in 2022 when James Patterson was lambasted for claiming that older white men were facing a form of racism. ^[ii] I was driven to look up some of R.F. Kuang’s other works and interviews.^[iii] In the end, I wished the story had been told through the eyes and experiences of a side character, Candice. I still don’t understand why the thieving author would have refused a sensitivity reader. That seemed contrived. I am looking forward to the discussion and all the new thoughts and understanding that will bring.

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^[i] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/books/yellowface-rf-kuang.html

^[ii] “Gina Denny, an associate editor at the publisher TouchPoint Press, noted that when USA Today reported on Patterson’s comments, just nine authors on the newspaper’s list of 150 bestsellers were non-White writers. Three of Patterson’s titles made the list, while just five women of color and four men of color were on the bestseller list. The rest were made up of White men between the ages of 36 and 84, Denny said — and some of the White males on the list have long been dead.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/06/14/james-patterson-white-male-writers-racism/

^[iii] R.F. Kuang on White Paranoia and the Pitfalls of Identity Politics. An interview between R.F. Huang and  Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black Girl. May 2, 2023. https://www.interviewmagazine.com/literature/r-f-kuang-on-plagiarism-and-the-pitfalls-of-identity-politics