Read on Twitter
I’ve never really made a Thread before, but not enough people know about this so: Eleanor & Park is a deeply racist book and the fact that it’s now being made into a movie makes me feel.... just so sad.
I’ve had several people recommend Rainbow Rowell, and specifically this book, to me since they know I’m always looking for biracial rep to read. But Asian Americans have been talking about the racism in this book for years.
For starters, the male main character is a biracial Korean teen named Park, which is a Korean LAST name, not first. That should tip you off to how much research Rowell put into this character. https://twitter.com/noahreservation/status/1128397855033401344
The descriptions of the biracial kids, Park and Josh, are extremely racist. Honestly reading this just turns my stomach. Saying the Korean genes “scrambled everything” sure sounds like Rowell thinks the Korean genes negatively impacted Park’s whiteness.
Park himself has a lot of internalized anti-Asian hatred, and doesn’t think he’s attractive specifically because he’s Asian. He never embraces his Asianness, and also manages to dismiss the exotification that Asian women experience.
Also, check out what Eleanor thinks about Park’s eyes. Acknowledging racism without working to alter your perceptions doesn’t keep you from being racist.
Why so much focus on squinty eyes? This is a harmful stereotype. Squinting doesn't make you look more asian. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/973056436
Park’s Korean mother is literally described as a china doll, which is a slur. The text never addresses this racism, it just romanticizes it.
From Chantal Cheung’s review: “Throughout the book, there is constant focus on Park’s otherness. His mixed-race identity is often reduced down to a plot device for the white protagonist to fetishize and project upon. ” http://www.nupoliticalreview.com/2018/10/31/the-problem-with-eleanor-park/
Ellen Oh on Park’s anti-Asianness: “Will [young people] have the maturity to say “he’ll grow out of it” or will their take away be Park would rather be white?“ Because that was my take away and that was why this book hurt.” https://elloellenoh.tumblr.com/post/83411304305/whats-your-opinion-on-eleanor-park
From Rachel Sun's review: “I will acknowledge and appreciate the author’s effort in trying to diversify the young adult section... However, the method in which Rowell chose to talk about these serious topics... made the book uncomfortable to read.” https://bit.ly/2JniVns
YA has a serious issue with depicting biracial people, and a lot of that can be traced back to this very popular, very racist book. Every time I see another person gush over how great this book is, I just feel so, so tired.
Even if the movie changes these problems, book sales are going to go up. I wish I could protect all the biracial kids who are going to read this book and internalize it’s hatred. Please don’t support this book.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who read this with an open mind. Please read books by Asian authors! If you’re looking for recs, I suggest starting with Asian reviewers like @VickyCBooks @shutupshealea @readwithcindy
I see this thread is making the rounds a year later, so I think it's worth saying: when I wrote this, I expected it to reach 10 people max, so I thought it was okay that it only spoke to my personal issues as an AsAm reader. Since then this thread has been shared a lot,
and I'm worried this could be read as a comprehensive account of the issues in this book, when it really only covers part of it. So for the record: In addition to anti-Asian racism, this book has issues like using the r-slur and including anti-Black stereotypes.
I encourage people to look for OwnVoices critiques of the anti-Blackness in this book. Also, I apologize for starting this thread without a trigger warning for racism and the r-slur. I will be more careful in the future, and suggest people share this with a TW if they can.
