This author made a deliberately misleading Twitter thread that accused me (and several other readers) of being anti-Semitic. However, the truth is thaThis author made a deliberately misleading Twitter thread that accused me (and several other readers) of being anti-Semitic. However, the truth is that the issue at hand was about Nic Stone, who is a widely popular author and self-identifying Christian woman (aka not Jewish!), living in illegally occupied land and recently posting selfies taken in front of a bombed hospital with quirky captions about self-discovery. Since Daniel Friedman’s thread, I’ve been repeatedly harassed online on Twitter and Instagram.
For that reason, you’ll never catch me picking up any of his works. Frankly, fuck him....more
I'll be honest: I had zero interest in reading Woven in Moonlight simply because I did not vibe with the synopsis.
However, it's come to my attention tI'll be honest: I had zero interest in reading Woven in Moonlight simply because I did not vibe with the synopsis.
However, it's come to my attention that there are some readers who refer to my will-avoid-forever shelf for context, educational purposes, and what-have-you. So, this one's purely to raise awareness and to encourage readers to make an informed decision before reading, supporting, and/or purchasing Woven in Moonlight and its sequel.
Helpful references regarding the problematic content and unchallenged issues of this book: ...more
I wasn't interested in this book, to begin with. However, since I'm seeing so many people comfortably promoting this book on my feed, I feel compelledI wasn't interested in this book, to begin with. However, since I'm seeing so many people comfortably promoting this book on my feed, I feel compelled to say:
Smash It! contains insensitive and hurtful comments, such as racist remarks towards Hawaiians and the trivialization of Palestinian genocide (e.g. "I'd let him holy war up in me"). Members from these marginalized communities have directly asked the author to address these comments, and I've yet to see her publicly acknowledge their concerns.
Although I received an e-ARC of The Bookweaver's Daughter in exchange for an honest review, I no longer intend to read it. Nor will I ever pick up a cAlthough I received an e-ARC of The Bookweaver's Daughter in exchange for an honest review, I no longer intend to read it. Nor will I ever pick up a copy of this book once it's been published.
Many Indian, including Kashmiri, early reviewers of this debut have kindly explained their main issues with The Bookweaver's Daughter: ...more
Note: I am only own-voices for the Filipino representation. I cannot comment on the authenticity of the OCD representation.
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When How to Make Friends wNote: I am only own-voices for the Filipino representation. I cannot comment on the authenticity of the OCD representation.
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When How to Make Friends with the Sea was more or less introduced as a 12-year-old white boy befriending an orphaned brown girl from the Philippines and this ~*friendship*~ leading to his character development, I immediately had reservations about this debut.
Nevertheless, I read a preview of this book on Amazon so I can make an informed decision about whether or not to purchase it. And I've come to the conclusion that I wouldn't touch this book with a 10-foot pole.
It's one thing for Pablo to be "homesick" (to quote the book's synopsis), but it's an entirely different thing for him to be so unnecessarily hostile towards the Philippines and Filipino culture ESPECIALLY since this story is supposedly told by one of our own.
The language and word choice in How to Make Friends with the Sea are so very indicative of the book's intention to make fun of and "other" Filipino culture.
Examples: Very early on in the story, jeeps are described as "weird-looking mini-buses covered in so many decorations that they could have easily passed for tacky carnival rides". Fast forward a few chapters, the Filipino language is described as "totally alien" even though there are literally hundreds of ways to express "I could not understand what he said because I don't speak Tagalog" without being offensive. Let's not forget the numerous Filipino characters with "broken English" that comes off as ridiculous at best, and downright uncomfortable at worst. (I dare you to convince me that a Filipino man from a rural area can use the word "guerrilla" casually in everyday conversation, but for some reason, never learned the existence of "don't." Make it make sense, Cassidy.)
Moreover, the second chapter -- yes, the second chapter -- of this book already had me seething. Why? Because it is revealed that the orphaned girl is ostracized by her entire community because her grandfather had allegedly been a communist. I can't even begin to unpack how culturally insensitive this is, especially at a time where red-tagging is rampant and dangerous in the Philippines.
Quotes lifted from the Amazon preview:
Basketball Shorts Man pointed at the irate birds. "The girl ... She want stay with the chikens ... Her lolo, um ... her grandfather die, already two days, ma'am. She not eat. She sleep and cry ... only sleep and cry," he stammered in broken English.
Basketball Shorts Man shrugged. "Hindi ko alam ... Sorry, ma'am. I do not know. The people sa baryo -- in the village ... they not talk so much. They afraid, ma'am. The girl, her lolo was NPA, the New People's Army -- communist guerrillas."
Basketball Shorts Man pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his sweaty forehead. "Ma'am, they talk, konti lang. Small talk. The girl not go to school, not go to town so much, because her face ... She stay home, sa bahay. She help with work. Take care of chicken, sell egg, look after her lolo."
He exhaled. "Opo, ma'am. But the owner of the land, Sir Luis, he not want the government, the pulis. He want private. No questions ... That why you here, ma'am."
Also, not as huge of a critique compared to my previous points, but I was born and raised in a rural area in the Philippines (near a farm even!), and I've never heard of chauffeurs being a common thing. But you do you, I guess.
"But then Mama explained that chauffeurs were pretty common in the Philippines."
TL;DR: I've already wasted too much of my breath and time on this book. I highly recommend that you save yours....more
I'm going to sidestep the fact that The Seventh Sun is "based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people" (according to the synopsis) andI'm going to sidestep the fact that The Seventh Sun is "based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people" (according to the synopsis) and its main character is named Mayana. (A clear red flag, in my opinion.)
I've seen numerous reviews that have criticized the poor depiction and white-washing of indigenous culture in this debut novel, which is written by an author who has no significant connection to the Mesoamerican culture. Since I trust the opinions of own-voices reviewers, I definitely won't be picking this up.
Before you decide whether or not to give this book a chance, I highly recommend that you take the time to read the reviews of Melissa, Tiffany, and Quirky Title Card....more
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