Since we've been talking so actively about American Dirt, it reminded me of when I first read the novel Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Though I initially liked the book when I read it in high school (quick summary: two high schoolers fall in love yada yada yada with some different circumstances that make the book *unique*), it received some heavy criticism because of Rainbow Rowell, a white woman, trying to write from the perspective of Park, who is half–Korean and half-Caucasian.
A few people praised the book because the main love interest in the novel is an Asian American male, but many people saw Rowell's depiction as fetishization. She even described Park's eyes as "almond shaped" which is just completely unacceptable and comparable to J.K. Rowling's Cho Chang. Another line (which I shudder at even typing) was "...Park's dad tucking his Dainty China person into his flak jacket and sneaking her out of Korea." Which... is... obviously incorrect and sadly very casually racist. I could go on and on as I recount instances of error in this novel, but I'm afraid I would only grow more and more frustrated at how many times these errors occur.
This novel is also apparently being made into a movie, which I didn't know was still in the works up until ten minutes ago. I wonder (and hope) if the movie will be depicted differently, or if it would even receive as much backlash as the novel. It also makes me wonder how this novel's uproar compares to American Dirt.
No comments:
Post a Comment