26 MOST CANCELED Authors ... Who Wrote "Great" Books

[@spitefultealeaf5783]

I hadn't heard about the problems with TJ Klune until watching this video (have been absent from online bookish spaces for a while), but this just shows me that as much as I love spontaneous book shopping/browsing in stores, I really need to get better at researching authors before randomly buying their work, no matter how compelling the synopsis might sound. Will probably still read the novels I did buy back then, though they've now become less of a priority - but I'm glad to find out about the issues with the author now and take them into consideration during the reading experience.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

really like this take :) what you say makes a great deal of sense! truly hoping you enjoy the Klune title

[@lpa4058]

just read what you want. Discover for yourself whether you think a book is problematic.

[@Air_Serpent]

Easy solution if you want to read a problematic author: buy their books used. You'll be giving money to a person who probably needs it and you'll save money to get more books. Can't say it's pirating because it's the actual thing.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Love this ty

[@cakt1991]

I like that y’all made the distinction of fairly critiquing BIPOC authors, while acknowledging the ways in which these situations are used in bad faith by those who don’t hold white authors to the same standard. It’s definitely something I think about too: is their identity unfairly impacting my perception of them here? That and whether it’s an isolated incident they’ve acknowledged and learned from, or if they’ve continued to get into controversies.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Brilliant. Ty

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Yes yes yes

[@never-endingquestions3314]

Related and unrelated but I critique BIPOC authors harsher and I realize I do. I hold them to higher standards because it takes us more to get to that point most of the time. Also, as an adult, I've been exposed to a huge world of BIPOC authors and feel like I have to read almost exclusively from them.

[@shelbykoning]

I de-recommended One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest recently after a reread and faced a really defensive reaction... It's so problematic on multiple levels! Thank you for this video, I definitely had this reaction to The Bell Jar which I revisited recently... Amazing how awareness shifts and grows if we allow ourselves to embrace others viewpoints. Appreciate this important content ❤

[@JesseOnYoutube]

"Amazing how awareness shifts and grows if we allow ourselves to embrace others viewpoints." beautifully said.

[@danaslitlist1]

OMGGG "The Little Prince"?!?! Okay add that to the list of books I have never heard criticism about or any mention of racism. That is actually so nasty and just overall vile, hiding that racism by editing it out when it's not the author's decisions..... I love love love how y'all discuss the unbalanced and racist way the book community targets BIPOC authors for the smallest things while ignoring LARGER issues and authors who deserve equal or more criticism for their actions. The community is so quick to accept apologies that are not theirs to accept. There needs to be a lot less (white) bookish folks talking and a lot more of us just listening and learning. "Wonder".......oooffff......yeah I haven't read the book but I remember seeing the trailer and literally wanting to scream, "WE'RE STILL DOING THIS?!" xD. I also wanna ammend my previous statement because over the last couple months I've actually come to change my stance: depending on the level of problematic behavior from an author, I no longer feel comfortable supporting authors even after they've passed. For me this comes from realizing just how much their behavior and thoughts (especially when it comes to racism, transphobia, zionism, etc) will be reflected in their work. There are so many wonderful authors who have written amazing books, who aren’t horrible people that I’d much rather support and spend my time and energy on.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

The way we KNEW you no longer stand by the "after they've passed" thing lmao we are so alike

[@missyaman7053]

Man, the little prince?? I have loved this book, since I was young. As a black woman I'm so disappointed. I literally had it as my wallpaper at one point lmao. Like, it was one of my comfort books.

[@simplyreads]

The video topic reminds me of a nonfiction book I read called "Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma". It talks about enjoying or even just consuming content from entertainers and creators who are problematic or just downright terrible. Fascinating read that made me wrestle with "what are my boundaries when directly or indirectly supporting media creators?".

[@bex9708]

Viewer! The return of the bowtie is so nostalgic, I loved it 🎉 Great video as always

[@JesseOnYoutube]

omg awww Bex, thank you!!!! didn't realize how much we missed them.

[@quartzyuploads]

i have to agree with y'all when y'all bring up how BIPOC get WAY harsher critiques when it comes to their problematic depictions than white authors do, and it's extremely disheartening to see. there needs to be a balance, both white and BIPOC authors need to be critiqued for their depictions, making excuses for one while bashing the other is counterproductive and very indicative of the bias many readers have when reading newer or classic works (but especially classics) written by white authors vs BIPOC authors. i've personally had a long journey in trying to move away from exclusively reading white authors and expanding my reading to include BIPOC authors as well, which also includes classics, because for the longest time i mostly read from white authors. i'm going to be taking this journey for the rest of my life and i'm not afraid to admit that i was very ignorant when i was younger. i don't hold the same views as i did back then and will happily continue to educate myself. if i may throw a problematic favorite in here that i don't see often discussed; lord of the flies by william golding. this book meant a lot to me in high school, it lived consistently in my thoughts long after i read it and once considered it an absolute favorite. however, in the years since i read it (and after a reread in 2019) i realized that there are extremely harmful stereotypes of indigenous culture and traditions woven into the children's actions on the island. from wearing "tribal paint" when hunting for food, to having a "structured society" vs "unstructured society" (i.e. indigenous people are uncivilized and wild whereas white christians are civil and reasonable), to the usage of a word that's derogatory to indigenous people that i will not repeat that describes the children's actions, etc. there's so much that i didn't think about back then. i can't in good faith recommend it without mentioning the mocking and stereotyping that's going on, or just outright stating that people shouldn't read it. for as much good as it did me then, i don't need it to make me happy, i've found plenty of authors (especially those who are indigenous) who create beautiful works that i'm more than happy to place my support firmly behind instead. sorry for the massively long paragraphs !! this is an amazing subject to discuss and one that is very important !! as a semi-newer viewer of y'all's, i can definitively say that y'all have quickly become one of my favorite booktubers to watch !! y'all are endlessly entertaining, recommend fantastic reads from author's i've never heard of before, and create amazing videos like this one that create great discussions and help to reevaluate my way of approaching authors and reading as a whole, especially when it comes to those who are problematic. so thank y'all for this video and thank y'all for being so wonderful ! wishing y'all well (and i also hope akasha is doing well as well !! i saw y'all's insta story a bit ago, sending both of y'all good thoughts and lots of love !!)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

This entire comment is so wonderful. Thank you. Akasha is napping and recovering well from her surgery today. So proud of her. Thank you for all this nuance and for adding Lord of the Flies!!!!! As a teen we read it and were sickened.

[@thursday48]

Okay, the quickest explanation on the realm of ruin marie lu nft thing i think i can do. Important note it wasn't just Marie Lu, it was 7 different YA authors and it didn't actually happen, so no one lost any money or ip as far as I understand. So back in 2021 twitter and the internet at large was going ham over NFT's, which were the griftest grift and ran on blockchain so they were also terrible for the environment. Essentially you were supposed to own a digital file but it didn’t mean anything or actually change ownership functionality. So every career field seems to be floating this idea and these author decide they’re going to write a 12 story book called Realms of Ruin and then sell character art as NFT's and the readers could help expand the story (hand wave around how that would also somehow end up on blockchain iircc). Now, we've got users who are essentially going to be writing fan fiction thats somehow going to end up in the story which is a huge copyright issue because this book is going to be sold. If the chain/servers go down all that just dissappears. General mess. And also these are all YA authors so were looking at a lot of teens spending money on grifty NFT's and their IP stolen. Overall. It sounds awful but I do think the authors got caught in the NFT hype and people were not using their critical thinking skills because the hype train was real. I do think some of the authors were commenting back to people about it not being grifty grift griftland but I believe most of thats been scrubbed because the project was quickly canned after people started pointing out the obvious issues (like I believe within a day of the discord server opening).

[@pauieeepau]

I heard about that debacle before I got into book communities lol. NFTs were such a techbro fad that every corporation was quick to jump on. It's so funny how most NFTs are worth nothing these days.

[@victoriatalkswriting8352]

I was in the discord server and was reading books from most of these authors at the time. This is a pretty good summary. The whole thing lasted maybe 2-3 days? There were a few days where we could sign up for the discord and then they announced the NFTs. I fully thought they were announcing that they were writing a book together or something like that. It was pretty disappointing, but as far as I can tell they all apologized pretty quickly.

[@averymello437]

I absolutely love this series. I'm a big classics reader, and its like a minefield sometimes. There are some books I've really loved story wise but suddenly throw out some racism or ableism. Carmilla is one of those, there was literally one line where they mention an "ugly" and "frightening" dark skinned servant. No matter who iconic the book is or how groundbreaking it was for its time or how it is one of the progenitors of the modern vampire story I cant recommend it because any time I think of it I remember that part of the book. The other big one I struggle with is The Scarlett Pimpernel. It's considered the inspiration behind the modern idea of a masked vigilante, and Batman specifically, but on its own its just a really good adventure book and romance. That said it also has a large chunk of text that is basically nonstop negative jewish stereotyping. (It also sides with the bourgeois during the french revolution, which is not fantastic but not enough for me to to recommend it on its own. They jewish stereotyping is plenty reason alone though.) I usually just drop classics that are egregiously offensive, (The Princess of Mars was a nightmare I swear) but when you read a lot of classics you're going to run into great stories with bad content, even some of the most well meaning books I've read may succeed in elevating one group of people while then completely mistreating or misrepresenting another. I try to offset this as much as I can in my reading by making sure I'm reading classic authors of color as well and recommending them as much as I can. Two of my favorite classics of all time are by black authors, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and Babel-17 by Samuel R Delany. A good alternative to white classic mystery authors is The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo, the first book in a very Sherlockian detective series by a Japanese author.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

love this comment. you gave this one lots to ponder. interestingly, The Count and Babel-17 are both HIGH on my to-read list. i need to get a physical copy because i'm more likely to read them. thank you SO MUCH for the alternatives to white classic mystery authors. added The Honjin Murders to goodreads!!!!

[@Nixx0912]

"Mists of Avalon" broke my heart, I've read it as a teenager, I had this beautiful edition in hard cover with huge illustrations. It was my first feminist reteling before it got to be the thing, and then you find out what disgusting, sick person Marion Zimmerman Bradley was.

[@megm6569]

MZB is the first one that came to mind for me. I cannot bring myself to reread or recommend Mists of Avalon, despite being one of my favorite books of all time, because of what a vile person she was.

[@bethylbug7541]

Yes! I also loved The Mists of Avalon and The Forest House but stopped reading anything else when I learned how disgusting she was.

I really love y'alls videos and opinions, it has opened my eyes for so many topics I was unaware of, I try really hard to educate myself and consciously pick my readings to not further elevate people who don't deserve an audience. Also love when you say we have to be forgiving of ourselves for our past mistakes, I know I made many but It's important to recognize evolvement!! Looking forward to y'alls book styddenly in love 🤩🤩 P.s.: I think JKterf wasn't mentioned as much as expected bc by now she's probably the most well known of the ~problematic authors, as a former potterhead, I'm still furious to this day.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you Debora

[@juju98bean]

Such a fun video! I recently discovered your channel and find it to be one of the most thoughtful and interesting on BookTube. The way you talk about taking accountability and growing as a person is so refreshing. No wallowing, no excuses, just recognizing what was done wrong and striving to improve. If only more people followed that example!

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes that's why I respect jesse 😊

[@ellismorten]

I love hearing what y'all and the commenters have to say, like I just feel my mind expanding, and honestly the whole conversation was very refreshing tp listen to. Thank you for making this!!

[@giigiireadss]

Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii do I have another childhood book series to tell y’all about… The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot is wild asf. The first book in the series has comments about having Asian eyes being funny then there’s a comment about somewhere (I think Iraq) getting bombed and it was handled so insensitively. The second book was fine until 98% through when our little princess Mia decides to go on rant about her mom traveling to Mexico and if she drinks the water, her she’ll give birth to a half fish baby. I’m losing it, honestly.

[@kitkat-vn6id]

I really liked what y’all were saying about removing portions of text removes the nuance and context about a person and their work. And I definitely get (internally) defensive about critiques sometimes but I try to use that defensiveness and a cue to know that I need to be open about how things I love may be hurtful or harmful in the broader society and to challenge myself to be more critical about the things I’m reading!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Oh good!!! That means a lot. 🥲

[@JesseOnYoutube]

We are trained to get defensive. It's hard to break that response and we are proud of u for working on it.

[@wedprez]

What a masterpiece of a video. You truly separate yourself from the booktuber bullshit that I sit through. Thank you for teaching and guiding us.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

You are *extremely* kind. Thank you.

[@soupgirlreads]

Viewer! Some authors that I didn't see mentioned, but I've read growing up: -Sarah Dessen: I was really disappointed at how she went after a grad school student ("Common Reads gate") without considering the power dynamic between her (a very famous YA author) and some random student -Jodi Picoult: I think recently she's said some disparaging and insensitive things about trad publishing versus indie/self-publishing, but before that she strongly defended Sarah Dessen during Common Reads gate -Emily Griffin: Her husband very publicly harassed an online reviewer and the reviewer later clarified on Reddit that they never got an apology from either of them -Jenny Han: As an Asian woman myself, I really don't feel comfy that most of the Asian women featured in her works (book & T.V.) are always light-skinned and in love with a white man (and in the T.V. series, the FMC always rejects a Black man?? Why??) -Nicholas Sparks: Known for being ultra-conservative where he lives (allegedly) and (allegedly) an a-hole to his agent and assistant (I can't stand people who are assholes to people they wield positions of power over). -Margaret Atwood: (Allegedly) hosted a NIMBY campaign in her neighborhood and strongly defended a professor who engaged in SA And also Nadya Okamoto - Period Power was on my TBR pre-2020, but I took it down after it became known she had exploited the labor, time, and efforts of BIPOC period advocacy groups. Personally, her Tik Toks make me uncomfortable, but that's probably just a me problem. Sorry if you've covered these authors in your previous videos already - I'm a brand new subscriber!

[@angelaholmes8888]

Wow I'm surprised about nicholas sparks I used to been a fan of Sarah dessen but lost respect for her because of her behavior same for Emily Giffin

[@Reads-n-Roots]

I'm becoming increasing critical of books and media as I get older. At this point in my life, I find something problematic with absolutely everything I read and watch. Sometimes it's a single line in a book that will rub me the wrong way. Sometimes it's a theme that isn't specifically called out in the actual book, but it's heavily implied with the context clues. I feel that I mostly separate the art from the artist, and that's primarily because I'm not on any social media except for KZbin, so I don't always know what the authors are doing. However, once I'm informed of the authors bad behavior, I become even more critical of their books. I no longer buy any books new. I buy all my books from thrift stores and library sales. I love having a large "library" in my house, but I feel like the only way I can justify owning so many "Problematic" books, is by being able to truthfully advise that I'm not supporting any of the authors or publishers. (Because publishers are sometimes more guilty with their behaviors.) All this to say: Thank you for these videos. Thank you for educating me on issues that I may not be aware of. I really appreciate you building a community here on KZbin and allowing me to be a part of it.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

you're wonderful, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

[@mikeshreds4real]

I’m a new follower and am drawn to your channel strongly. Thank you for enlightening us.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

hey Mike :) thank you for these kind comments & subscribing! really appreciate you

[@teaganrichichi]

About the Rick Riordan stuff, HoO recieved criticism for its Indigenous rep, his Norse myths series had issues with Muslim and genderfluid rep, and he portrays basically a doctor-patient relationship as the first confirmed queer relationship in his books. He's issued a lukewarm and overly defensive apology for the first two things, but hasn't addressed the others

[@andiman44]

Not Uncle Rick 😩 I’ve never actually read any of his work but he always seemed like a decent guy

[@annjowolfe1561]

I loved and still love Rick Riordan's works, but will freely admit he doesn't always get things right. His portrayal of Muslims in Magnus Chase was absolutely problematic and misrepresented Muslim people in America and other western countries. He does seem to improve with representation with every new book he writes. But being defensive about something you've done wrong is not a way to improve. That being said while for a multitude of reasons, I've since stopped reading his books, the "Rick Riordan Presents" books I can't recommend enough, a few of them I've read. Other authors using their own mythos from their cultures to write books of the same flavour. Imo really good.

[@nicole_ivory]

Viewer 👀!! Love this community and hearing everyone’s reading experience! There are a few titles I’m not familiar with, but I appreciated learning how the text has been harmful. Y’all are absolutely correct, BIPOC authors are critiqued harder. Lastly, the fit is fire 🔥

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Thank u Nicole! Got us blushin

[@KathyTrithardt]

I've only read updated versions of _The Little Prince_ so had no idea it was edited to remove the racism. Thanks for mentioning that!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Kathy

[@KathyTrithardt]

@@JesseOnKZbinI'm doing well, thanks! Going on lots of adventures, and definite wtf for me given I actually bought a copy of that book last month as a souvenir :|

[@AshtheViking]

I can't remember if I've ranted about this book/author previously. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I LOVED that book. I loved that it was the first depiction of a women who didn't want to be a mother, and she expressed so much of my thoughts about motherhood and how someone choosing to go against what they know is right for them causes regret and doubt (is the fact she didn't want a child a contributing factor to Kevin's personality). I tried a couple of her others books and they were bad or just mid. Then I saw she was a contributor to an anthology Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: sixteen writers on the decision not to have kids and bought it. Well -- Shriver's essay was a racist dumpster-fire of white replacement theory, bemoaning the loss of "European" culture because Black and Brown people are outbreeding whites in North America. How she regrets not having kids now, missing the chance to pass on her European genes 🤢and providing examples of several educated white women who regretted not having kids. I am assuming, considering Shriver was the only author in the anthology I have ever heard of, the editor kept her in for name recognition but I think it was disgusting it was included. I've unhauled all of Shriver's books and will never read from her again.

[@nonbinaryreading]

I had to pause the video to write this comment, because I had to say something about y'all's point about books/authors being problematic and how people just shut down when hearing that, despite the fact that all of us have problematic aspects to various degrees (because as y'all said, we are all the products of a problematic society) Jesse, the amount of times I've made that exact point in class and have people react like I've personally offended their mothers???? In classes on literary science and/or history???? Like, I'm getting flashbacks to spending 15 minutes arguing with some dude about Hergé 😅 Anyway, what I wanted to say is that hearing y'all say that was extremely validating, I appreciate y'all a lot, and y'all are so right (and since I have a master's degree in lit, one would hope I know what I'm talking about when saying this)

[@NessaBunessa]

Unrelated but you sparkle like an angel ✨

[@JesseOnYoutube]

THIS IS SO KIND OF U, NESSA!

[@fkaJupiter]

Can we talk about Slewfoot by Brom? Its scary how nobody ever mentions that Slewfoot is a reimagining of the real-life massacre of the Pequot tribe in the 1600’s (the massacre that Thanksgiving is based on) and people LOVE the book and recommend it for “spooky fall vibes” and it makes me feel sick to my stomach. Wth??

[@JesseOnYoutube]

oh my god. !!!

[@scheherazade2291]

Authors off the top of my head that I’ve read before or never read and won’t because they’re problematic: JKR (Harry Potter) SJM (ACOTAR, throne of glass) Jay Kristoff (nevernight, empire of the vampire, lotus war) Cassandra Clare (mortal instruments) Donna Tart (Secret History) Sarah Jenkins Reid (Evelyn Hugo) Rainbow Rowell (carry on, Eleanor and Park) Kierra Cass (The Selection) Veronica Roth (Divergent, Carve the Mark) Maggie Stievater (Raven Boys)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

omfg yooo, what did Veronica Roth do? and ty for adding your thoughts

[@scheherazade2291]

@@JesseOnKZbinhere’s a summary from a blog post: “Antiblack and Anti-Indigenous racism in Carve the Mark. There are two warring nations in the book. One, Thuves, who are portrayed through light-skinned characters with straight hair who want to colonise and force their culture and beliefs onto others, and when other lands don’t want this, they are considered savages. The other nation, the Shotets, who are portrayed through dark-skinned characters with curly hair and shown as the aggressors and savages. This clearly indicates a very heavily racialised and problematic narrative. Ableism: In Carve the Mark describes a character who has constant pain as having a ‘gift.’ This is ableist and equates the characters suffering as something positive and inspirational, not something they are allowed to complain about or resent. This romanticises chronic pain as something that makes women strong and survivors, and limits their ability to ask/seek help without being criticised. There is an excellent blog post here, which goes into more detail and specifics. When called out, she failed to apologise and instead justified her book.”

[@blackk_rose_]

I've seen people say every now and then that certain words or passages should be changed or edited out of books due to them being problematic and it always made me feel uncomfortable, but I felt like it was wrong to think that way because I could never really put into words why. You just put it perfectly: it lets authors get away with what they did and publishers can continue selling their books without backlash. Censorship in many cases isn't actually helping anyone but instead disguises the deeply problematic aspects of a work. I think adding content warnings is a much better alternative. It gives every reader the chance to find out what they're getting into before picking up a book. It would prevent readers from accidentally buying books from authors they wouldn't have supported if they had known about their offensive content, while not altering the book into a more palatable version than it was intended to be. I also think especially for books written in the past when society was very different, changing a book to fit our current ethics doesn't seem fair. If we don't agree with them anymore and it's upsetting to read about, we should just not read it and stop buying these books. Instead of altering classics so they seem less racist or less homophobic or less mysogynistic how about we just stop reading them and focus on books that have never been racist, homophobic, mysogynistic in the first place?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

don't you love when someone phrases things in a way that really helps you phrase something you've been struggling to name? I love when that happens. there's so many things i have toruble putting into words. loved this comment

[@Yosoybean]

Definitely a great convo. I can’t get behind people who make excuses or don’t care because they love the book (esp a problem with Maas fans).

[@seochangbinsarms]

11:59 also from what I know Brandon Sanderson actually has changed his views on the queer community since his earlier days (I could be wrong wrong tho don’t quote me)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

yes!!!! this is something i was wondering about. i was very pleased to hear he changed his views and ways and responds to criticisms from fans VERY well. however i'm wondering if he still donates 10% of his income to the mormon church. does anyone happen to know?

[@seochangbinsarms]

@@JesseOnKZbin I haven’t heard anything new regarding the donations, I tried looking it up but the only thing I’m finding is from a year ago on Reddit and twt

[@aimeem.6752]

His website FAQ says he’s still in the LDS. 10% seems to be a pretty common amount of tithe so he’s probably still giving them money. Edit: I’m going to tack on that Sanderson’s stance on LGBTQIA rights sounds compassionate but he consistently defaults back to profit/god/church above all else. So the tacit approval is thick with this one.

[@scheherazade2291]

@@JesseOnKZbinsince he is still in the LDS church and pays the tithe, that’s like $1M a year going to the LDS church and all they believe in and support.

[@nojerama788]

Is LDS one of the churches where if you leave the church you're not allowed talk to anyone in the faith anymore, like JW does? Absolutely not to excuse Sanderson but it could be that he doesn't want to overly criticise the LDS if it means that he'd lose contact with his family or something. We don't really have LDS where I'm from so I know basically nothing about it

[@theriverlasol]

Viewer! ❤ yall have seriously become my favorite book creator on this platform and I don’t have funds to join patreon but I hope to one day! I haven’t seen anyone discuss nuance the way yall do on Booktube!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

SHUTUP, THAT'S SO EXCITING TO HEAR!!!! THANK YOU

[@ReeceG231]

The NK Jemisin situation was interesting. I completely agree with your take about selective outrage with black authors. Namely because above all this, her intentions were actually good (just as all the others that attacked the essay). Additional if we're going to split hairs with nuance about why her actions are more reprehensible than the hundreds of others, than there should also be discussion about how problematic an essay with a title like that is in the first place (regardless of the satire). Whether the author was trans or not, we are fully aware that there are trans people out there that can intentionally or unintentionally bring harm to other trans people (aka Blaire White). Not saying this author was right wing. But I am saying that fueling a dangerous meme (attack helicopter) with an inflammatory title should be fall right into the same standard of "should have known better" as we're holding Jemisin to. Just my opinion.

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

It is something of a minefield navigating the problems with authors particularly in classical literature. I am reading through Charles Dickens and my least favorite of his novels is Oliver Twist partly because of its blatant anti-semitism, Fagin is often referred to as "The Jew" and is in many ways a grotesque caricature. Dickens did evolve, Oliver Twist was his second novel, in his last finished novel, Our Mutual Friend, there is Mr Riah, another Jewish character, who is portrayed sympathetically. Most people are aware that Mark Twain is often challenged because of the language in Huckleberry Finn, my issue with Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) is Tom Sawyer, the character of Injun Joe is seen as evil because of his "Indian blood" Samuel Clemens was very prejudiced against Native Americans.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

love this comment, Jim, thank you! I appreciate all of the detail you put into it. I was genuinely *shocked* Mark Twain was not #1 on this list, to be perfectly honest. i don't even think he was MENTIONED (at least not in the comments I read and I scrolled for awhile)

[@DawnBurn]

I really appreciate you doing a nuanced and exploratory take on NK's issues. I hadn't heard about it until this video and was like 'wait wtf' because my (trans) wife & I adore her books. But I also recall the Attack-Helicopter article (even if I didn't see NK's response) and it was... a clusterfuck. The text hit in just the wrong right way and a lot of trans people were really upset by the title/article. So thank you for exploring.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Absolutely! NK retweeted it after people were already upset about it yet apparently, she is the only author we can remember even being involved, and ppl are conveniently ignoring all of the white trans people, some of them authors, who retweeted the article and were LEADING the charge

[@KittyxKult]

Mists of Avalon unlocked a core gay memory for me. I had forgotten it existed but I remember I would carry it around and only read the sex scenes (I was like 10). Never read the book and no idea where it went. Completely forgot about it until the cover popped up. Really explains a lot given my childhood trauma and what sexual rep I was exposed to as a child

[@KittyxKult]

I also want to add TRIGGER WARNING SA that I obviously had no understanding of consent bc due to my own trauma I didn’t know consent was something children and women had any right to. So all the sex scenes seemed perfectly normal to me. the only discomfort I had was that I might get caught reading them but bc they were save under the cover of a book with a girl riding a horse I thought it was safe.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

i feel this. def been there.

[@ladyredl3210]

I really wanted to love a “feminist “ King Arthur retelling, but yeah… no. I can’t support someone like that.

[@RaspberryDevil]

This was fun to watch, it looked like a lot of work y'all put into it with reading and picking out the comments! I also always love the discussions we can have about these books and authors 🐢✨️

[@JesseOnYoutube]

awww ty ty ty!!!!!

[@TheseFourWalls]

👁️ love your content! Grateful to have found your channel. 😊

[@kaylamoran3528]

I'm not done the video yet, only just finished the Agatha Christie part, but that comment was 100% my experience too! I read it before I knew its history and edits, and absolutely loved it and recommended it to people. When I found out, I was horrified but also felt so stupid, like I really should have known.

[@kiandrarodgers3436]

This video was great, y'all! I always love the way y'all introduce nuance to conversations that are too often reduced to black and white situations. My stomach DROPPED when y'all said NKJ, but so glad y'all elaborated and were responsible in presenting the controversy. I think that the situation sounds like a human error that I'm sure many of us, if we were honest with ourselves, can relate to.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

very much so to all of this! many other (white!!!) authors were involved in retweeting/adding fuel to the fire but guess who the #1 dragged for retweeting without reading it is? NK Jemisin. by who primarily? white queer readers, thirsty to make an example of a Black woman whenever possible. I won't have it.

[@juditkovacse]

👀 I appreciate y'all and the other viewers/subscribers pointing out problematic things from authors or in books. A lot of times it is helpful to counter the hype that the rest of the bookish internet is putting out there.

[@Otherworldly_21]

The last time I read Sylvia Plath was her poetry collection Ariel. There was a particular poem that had a line that felt sickening when I read it. She used a dehumanizing term to describe the colour of berries. I just didn’t understand why she couldn’t have used “blackberries.” I felt uncomfortable with her work ever since. Also the blatant racism of the Secret Garden is so apparent! The way they describe India and its people is atrocious. It was crystal clear how the characters thought of Indian people. Mary carried a lot of ignorance because of her neglectful parents and Martha couldn’t tell the difference between two different races of people. Like you said, most classic white authors are extremely explicit in their racism.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

oh my god. yikes. WHY. ugh.

[@lovesophiexox]

It’s such an important conversation to have. I can’t believe how many books I’ve added to my tbr only to find out their pretty problematic, I’m not against reading or even recommending some of these books but at least mention it so we can make an informed decision. 👁

[@freddie.spaghetti]

viewer!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

KZbin DOES THAT ALL THE TIME! it always makes us paranoid because we worry folks think we're deleting/censoring, but its unfortunately a known malfunction of youtube and we DON'T.UNDERSTAND.WHY we're doing so well and seeing you in this comment section made us perk up

[@freddie.spaghetti]

@@JesseOnKZbin it’s been happening so much for me lately and it’s really frustrating when you’ve just typed out a long-ass comment! i actually commented twice on this video, but i think only this second one came through 😩 (dw i know it’s not smth y’all are doing and i don’t think any viewers here would think y’all would do smth like that. still, i totally understand the worry) very glad y’all are doing well!

[@davionalexander147]

For me it depends on the issue if it is an issue that is more of opinion based. A lot of ppl around us, family and friends are much worse yet we ignore it but when ppl are more in the public eye we quick to “cancel” not these issues you mentioned by far but I’m speaking in general.

[@NovelSarahndipity]

Those growth moments are so important and prove how human we all are, both authors and readers alike. Authors miss things, editors miss things, and readers miss things. That just means we need to grow. Booktube often takes away the conversations and moves to "cancelling". And that's the part that really bothers me about the book community's "conversations". A lot of manga are racist and misogynistic. Japan has a lot of growth to do themselves just like everyone else in the world. I find that a lot of westerners look at Japan with rose colored glasses. A book I really loved was Wicked Saints, but the Emily Duncan showed her cards and it all went down hill from there. I also learned myself about some of the representation in the book that I didn't catch the first time around. I own the second book but I have yet to pick it up because of the whole thing...

[@angelaholmes8888]

I was shocked learning about Emily's behavior I really enjoyed the first 2 books in the wicked saints series but once I found out about her I decided to dnf the series and never read any of her books again

[@NovelSarahndipity]

@@angelaholmes8888 such a shame right?! Glad I’m not alone. I still have the first two books on my shelves but I turned them so the spines don’t show…

[@JesseOnYoutube]

LOL Sarah

[@JesseOnYoutube]

we know you live in Japan but as someone who doesn't and also isn't Asian, we aren't comfortable critiquing their misogyny, but we always boost when folk who are Japanese for example, share their perspectives on sexism in their own culture. that's just an us thing though. we always love hearing your thoughts. CAN cosign that westerners look at Japan with rose colored glasses as you put it, romanticize it in a way that is exotifying, harmful, and just icky.

[@banannakis6723]

Daniel Handler who wrote A Series Of Unfortunate Events has also had accusations of being racist and sexually inappropriate with several women. So overall not great.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

oh gross :(

[@banannakis6723]

I admit I still love Agatha Christie's work, it was such a giant part of my life growing up. It's one of the main reasons that I love mysteries and puzzles. But I can see her books are full of racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, colonialism, and negative views on women. One of the main reasons I still read her books is that she's been dead for several decades and can no longer use her influence, wealth, and position to do more harm with her books.

[@banannakis6723]

@@molly-kl7pi Exactly it's somewhat easier to separate Christie because she's been dead for a long time. And she was a large part of my life growing up. But that doesn't mean that I don't think she shouldn't be called out for her racist and classist themes for example. I don't think we should erase them and pretend they don't exist to put her in a better light like what Disney does with their several items filled with racism. But acknowledge that the material contains these themes and actions. Christie isn't personally profiting from her material. She's not using her platform like writers alive now to spread her venom.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

lots of people feel this way and i think its a generally good way to go about it for individual readers just enjoying books on their own! I love that you found a way to read her works that works for you. I wish (figure of speech, i don't actually wish this lmao) that I COULD enjoy colonialist, wildly racists classics. to my brain it makes no difference if the author was from the year 1931 or 2024. i simply don't enjoy it. does anyone know of other complex mysteries? would love to get some suggestions! ty for commenting and sharing your perspective!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

just wild to me to edit Christie's work to omit her prejudices so that people can keep celebrating and enjoying that author. its censorship, giving credit where credit isn't due, and the epitome of white privilege. if ppl are going to read the work, read the work as it was written. not the version that makes you feel less guilty for enjoying it.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

love the part where you say " But that doesn't mean that I don't think she shouldn't be called out for her racist and classist themes for example" but disagree with the misconception that she doesn't profit from her material. The way we retain power as the dead is through celebration and memory. these things are just as influential as money. she's still profiting. still benefiting.

[@banannakis6723]

@@JesseOnKZbin Good point, she is still one of the best-selling authors to date. And her work is still being celebrated.

[@teaganrichichi]

I dnf'd Rage of Dragons for the same reason I dnf'd the Wheel of Time series: the gender essentialist magic system. Like, as a nonbinary person, I just couldn't see myself in either setting, so I didn't even know about the misogynistic tropes later on. Really liked this video, it was informative, didn't know about Agatha Christie, now questioning that I read one of her books in 6th grade for class

[@JesseOnYoutube]

hate gender essentialist systems. so inherently misogynistic. thrilled you enjoyed the video :)

[@CaughtBetweenPages]

booktube hold white authors to the same standard as Black male authors challenge failed 100% of the timе. We’re gonna critique Evan Winters’ misogyny but not SJM’s?? Really?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

its. gross. it makes me sad to see a few people who critiqued Evan Winters sharing WHY they chose to critique him. that's not the point.... the point is that out of everyone, his name comes up the most often. and reader society needs to look at themselves and figure out why that is. you mean to tell us that Evan Winters wrote the only popular biological essentialist/sexist fantasy? yeah ok.

[@BA-hm6fc]

Viewer! Shocked but not surprised to hear about the little prince and agatha christie. If publishers decide to do this it should definitely come with like a sticker on the book explaining this is not the original but a version edited to be palatable in the 21st century. We deserve such honesty and respect. Read an article the other day about how JKR being "canceled" had 0 impact on her wealth, franchise and platform. People can just get away with anything as long as they've achieved something enough people think is impressive, eg writing a popular book series as a white woman. This video did give me the added nuance to make the decision to unhaul the ebook I had of a little life. I haven't read it but now I know I won't. And somehow I had the vampire academy as want to read on goodreads so that's been removed too. I used to find it fairly easy to remove the art from the artist in other mediums, like music and the visual arts, because with books you're more directly confronted with the problematic aspect and as soon as I spot something it ruins the reading experience for me, so I've found it easier to unhaul/derecommend authors vs musicians or sculptors or painters. But I'm trying harder with those mediums because there's no reason musicians etc should get scrutinised less than authors. Great video!! Y'all have been spoiling us with so much amazing content.

[@maeverose2290]

Personally I also found the trans rep in The Fifth Season to be offensive. It's one of those things where I'm unsure if it was supposed to be the character's offensive views or the author's. I've only seen like two other people point it out, so it makes me feel like I missed something or misunderstood, because it seemed so clearly transphobic to me (Tonkee always being smelly and gross when no one else was, revealing both trans characters to be trans by showing their genitals, and the comment Essun made in her head after finding out Tonkee was trans). I did like the book overall but that part ruined it a bit for me

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you for adding your perspective! appreciate you

[@sw61911]

Calling readers who don't have a large following or an online platform part of the community made me smile thank you!

[@seochangbinsarms]

41:27 I do think Rick has grown a lot. From what I remember he didn’t make a bunch of excuses for the problematic aspects of PJO, instead he just actually did smth about it. And same with the r slur in sea of monsters, it was used only in that book and obviously people were upset, and then it’s never used in the books again. He was adamant about Leah being perfect for annabeth when the poor kid was being bullied off the internet by adults, wrote a whole blog post in support of her playing the character. Now, in light of his recent take on Palestine, safe to say I’m monumentally disappointed, but not surprised.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

LOVE watching people grow and learn from their mistakes. that's literally all we can ask. k just read the part about Palestine jsd;flajja!!! do i want to look into what he said?

[@cakt1991]

I have mixed feelings about Rick Riordan. I haven’t read the books he’s written himself, and I don’t really have desire to anymore with the recent comments on Palestine. I do respect how he’s tried to be an ally for marginalized people, and even put his money where his mouth is with the Rick Riordan Presents imprint to give platforms to BIPOC authors. I’ve read a number of those, especially if I’d already read other books by the authors in question, like Roshani Chokshi, or most recently, Sajni Patel.

[@seochangbinsarms]

@@JesseOnKZbin unfortunately he did the whole “neutrality” thing, and uh kinda put a book promo at the end of the post he made about it…. Not a good look

[@seochangbinsarms]

@@cakt1991 exactly, like it was so genuinely disappointing bc he put in the work to be a better person with riordan presents and now here we are….

[@andiman44]

@@seochangbinsarmsYikes

[@CityGirlWriter]

VIEWER 👀- I completely forgot I contributed! Tiger's Curse saga was a fantasy series I wanted to love as a teenager but felt uncomfortable due to Colleen Houck being a white author who wrote a story following a white girl who must save two Indian princes from their curse of turning into tigers. I did not know about the misogyny and gratuitous violence against women in The Rage of Dragons. I was looking forward to reading it since it was a dragon book written by a Black man, but I cannot read that series with that criticism in mind. It was kinda disappointing seeing the top 3 most cancelled authors. The book community (myself included) hold authors of color to a higher standard when they mess up and lack grace unlike their white counterparts. This is something I need to work on (not just for problematic authors, but also books that disappointed me) in regards to not putting authors of color onto a pedestal when I engage in their books. Authors of color are allowed to make mistakes, given a chance to apologize and/or rectify them, and move forward. Looking forward to the next installment in this series. EDIT: I am genuinely surprised Oscar Scott Card and Colleen Hoover were not mentioned more often and taken the top 3. Still disappointed (but not surprised) no one mentioned Donna Tartt at least once. While I have never read anything by that woman (despite wanting to join in the hype at one point), I will rest in bookish peace when the book community turn their backs on Donna Tartt.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Your last paragraph shows how hard we are on brown vs white authors Those authors are far more problematic. (If we are to quantify these things) but notice who gets the most criticism. Notice Stephen king is critiqued for using the n word but Donna Tartt is all over the dark academia girlies' igs. Apparently Evan Winters is worse than these authors who have decades of abuse under their belts AND have financially been involved in reinforcing systemic abuse of queer people. But yeah...let's drag the debut Black male author the MOST instead

[@CaughtBetweenPages]

Was already typing a comment saying “interesting how 2/3 of the top 3 most cancelled authors are POC…” when y’all’s interstitial came in 😂 and honestly part of me wonders if King took the top spot as a white man in part because AS a white man, he’s more widely marketed/read and thus simply by having a larger total readership also necessarily has more cancellers. I wonder what it’d look like if we broke it down “per capita”/as a percentage of total readers…

[@JesseOnYoutube]

ooo Vendi go off as alwayssss

[@sheramelton3583]

Love the return of the Bowtie! The one that was most surprising for me was Karin Slaughter. I ready Pretty Girls based on everyone talking about it online and loved it. Last year I tried to read 5 of her other books, from a variety of time periods in her writing career. She has so many slurs and derogatory remarks against almost EVERY group of people who aren't straight and white that I couldn't even finish any of the 5 I tried. Everyone seems to love her and recommend her so I felt like I was reading a totally different author.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Ewwwww

[@neilgallagher7923]

Jay Asher, 13 reasons why was one of my favorite audio book experiences. But he has been kicked out of the writers guild due to sa allegations. Even after getting kicked out he got a Netflix deal.

[@neilgallagher7923]

I listened to the audiobook on an iPod and he made it sound like you were actually listening to tapes Hanna left.

[@hbsupreme1499]

Alleged

[@neilgallagher7923]

@@hbsupreme1499 they did an investigation before he got kicked out

[@gogo_lopez]

Viewer 👀 I'm so grateful for y'all and your wisdom! Educational and entertaining. Also thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion!!

[@colorofspurge]

I appreciate your insight on this topic. It confirms my stance on separating art from artists. I hate the racism in American History X, but still find it a good movie. I don’t follow artists of my fave art because I don’t care about their personalities. Your video demonstrates how it is important in this era. Thanks for sharing.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

i appreciate you

[@nazimelmardi]

American History X is literally a lesson about racism. So what do you mean you hate it in it? It is the main theme how discrimination works and affects people from generations down and can affect families and a grave issue not just from the white supremacy but from black too. And to be mindful to others, don’t discriminate people based on skin colour or by anything else. It only leads to bad things no matter how you think about it at the current moment. It’s a movie that a lot should see as a mandatory part of education.

[@writergrrlxox]

"I am only interested in love. I am only interested in mutual respect" yes same! That's why I have never read Plath. I found out about her racism and antisemitism before I had the chance, and I don't think I'm missing out tbh

[@WonderOlive479]

Viewer! I am so thankful for this conversation and how it makes me reflect on books and authors I have read.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

this means a lot, Olive!

[@ForTheLoveOfMusicals]

I wonder if popular books are less likely to get cancelled, because it’s harder to stop supporting books that you can’t quite replace. Popularity isn’t a factor for me, but if you were to find a “replacement” for those popular books, they will probably be significantly less popular and thus won’t come with the community of others loving those books too (though ofcourse for people with monetized book platforms, this has a monetary value too) I mainly struggle to cut out The Matzah Ball, because I can’t find any other books that have ME/cfs representation (that are fiction and) that I liked because there are just very few books that have that rep

[@maatheru5543]

Thank you Jesse for your commentary! As an African-descent male who reads voraciously, I love nuanced criticism from other BiPoc readers and influencers. I was able to reevaluate my own lens from which I read and select books to read (my limited time is precious to me) that will move me toward navigating racism in a way that I survive and my offspring survive. 👀

[@JesseOnYoutube]

always love to see u in the comment section

[@MiracleMiriamMichaelaMilagro]

Waaaiiittt! Nooo! Not the little prince! I was trying to practice my French by reading this book. Welp, guess it’s getting donated. I’ll find something else to use.

[@VesnaVK]

Or, you could read it and make up your own mind about it.

[@theoraven]

So much of the "historically accurate" excuse is why I realized I don't need to read most classics (let's add "especially by white men"). I hadn't heard about some of these, like Anna-Marie McLemore and The Little Prince. Thank you for making these videos!

[@sarahloomis2034]

Mine is The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Even aside from the many issues with the author, the book isnt very well written and has a lot of problematic romance tropes, but i find the melodrama and descriptions of alien worldviews compelling, especially with the parallels to the parasitic aliens of Animorphs (a series i would recommend despite a few installments with questionable handling of disability)

[@ladyredl3210]

Context matters to me in this issue. I knew about the ten little N-- thing, and I always tell people so they can decide whether or not they want to read it. Nuance always matters. For example, one of my favorite books, Jane Eyre has antisemitism and anti Romani bs. I always mention that. Just like you said that gets cut out of all modern adaptations to make sure the audience knows Rochester is a good person.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

LOVE that you mention it. that's all i ask for. like damn if ur going to rec the book, fine, but see the work in its entirety. its okay to love something and see its flaws. that's what love truly is.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

in many ways I feel you cannot truly love a thing unless you can critique it.

[@ladyredl3210]

@@JesseOnKZbin as someone who just fell in love again with a wonderful lady, I agree with you on many levels. Yeah, I’ve read so many books with SA content that I wish I had been warned about.

[@AShadowInTheLibrary]

The jump scares of putting the authors pictures so large on the screen 😭😭😭 trying to give me heart palpitations but I love your videos 🖤

[@JesseOnYoutube]

lmaooo, sorry, friend!

[@Read-alert]

I didn't know Brandon Sanderson was homophobic; my hold on The Way of Kings was about to come through at the library after a month of waiting, but I've canceled it now. Also, for A Series of Unfortunate Events, while I definitely agree with the issues regarding the henchmen, and the transphobia surrounding the androgynous one was so bad it made me DNF my reread, I don't remember any antisemitism. While I'm not Jewish myself and am not qualified to say if it's present there or not, I do know that the author is Jewish, so if it is present in the books, I would assume it's more complicated than just bigotry on his part. My new thing that I can't recommend now though is all things Marvel with them ignoring the BDS boycott and continuing to feature a flag character with such heavy propaganda for Israel. The situation has made it so that not only can I not recommend any of their books to others, but that I can't stomach reading them myself anymore. While obviously being sad about fictional characters is absolutely not a problem in comparison to the suffering that Marvel is supporting, I am still deeply disappointed and will miss the characters that made me fall in love with comics in the first place

[@JesseOnYoutube]

had no idea about Marvel. that is wildly. disappointing. yikes.

[@imani_iguana]

Videos like these are so important ❤

[@JesseOnYoutube]

awww thank you Imani!

[@AllyEmReads]

I read the second book in the rage of dragons series and I personally liked it a lot more than the first one, I thought it was better in terms of the sexism, a major secondary character I would argue as the deuteragonist is a powerful woman and I think she was treated much better than the women in the first book (though its been a couple of years since I read it so take my words with a grain of salt)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

You taught us the word deuterantagonist. Thank you so much; it's so cool! Officially picking up the sequel

[@ifigeneiakourou7054]

The Ender's Game issue is such an interesting one to me, because when reading the book, I cannot think of any situation where the author's homophobia came through? Although back when I read it, I had no idea about the author's views , so I wouldn't be looking for it, but I think others also have commented that the homophobia isn't apparent in the work? If anything the whole: When I come to completely understand my enemy, I can't help but love them, is such a powerful idea...Putting yourself in someone else's shoes, understanding them, and accepting and loving them as a result. I wouldn't necessarily suggest that someone buy the book, but I would lend them my own copy, because I think it is a book that is worth reading in many ways. And then I also tend to think that problematic books should not always be completely "cancelled", if only because we sometimes need to see those issues for what they are, discuss them, and grow as readers and people? We can use those books to point out problematic views, and behaviours in the "safe" environment of the fictional world of the book. I might be wrong in this, honestly. I have been trying to read more critically, pay more attention, educate myself, etc. but it is a long process. Thoughts?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

i don't think there was homophobia in Enders, but I didn't say there was! Apparently there's on page homophobia is other books of his (ex: the comment I shared). but as mentioned, her wildly homophobic and has stayed firm on his views. I grew up having to empathize with homophobic people/folks who believe in the oppression of others. of course I understand the logic. Of course I see their humanity. That is not going to change me speaking on it. i'm wondering if you watched the full video because i talk at length about how problematic books and their authors shouldn't necessarily be thrown outA I also talk a lot about empathy, giving people chances, waiting to see if they change their behavior. I ALSO talk a lot about ways to share, discuss, and talk about problematic books in a meaningful way. all that reminded, I think its awesome that you're on your journey and asking questions (i think i say this in the video too, if you're questioning even if you don't "have an answer", that's a good thing!)

[@ifigeneiakourou7054]

@@JesseOnKZbin Thank you for your reply! Sorry, I think my comment went off on a bit of a stream of consciousness tangent, where I mostly posited my thoughts, without necessarily commenting on the video content details, if that makes sense? I didn't meant to imply you said that Ender's has homophobia in it. It was more of a question of...I don't remember seeing it, or others commenting on anything specific (you included), so was there actually some that I missed in that specific book? I thought maybe some of the viewers would see the comment and reply on that front to clarify. I did watch the whole video! And again, when I wrote that I don't think problematic books/books with problematic themes should be completely cancelled, that was not to say that you suggested anything of the sort! Sorry if it came across that way! I have very rarely in the past commented, or interacted in comments on KZbin, and I only recently decided that I should try to do more of that and involve myself more in discussions online (since I don't have that many people that I can discuss these sort of things with irl) to hopefully better understand some points, and clarify some of my own thoughts, and so on...I think I might just be bad at it...though this was like...attempt/comment number 2? I should probably watch a video on how to meaningfully interact in comments on KZbin and not come across weird...The dos and don'ts. Anyway, I just wanted to close by saying, I really enjoy your content. I have only watched a few of your videos so far (since I pretty much discovered your channel not so long ago), but they have been really cool, informative and thought-provoking (also I love your dog!). In retrospect, maybe I should have opened with that in my first foray into the comments world of KZbin, instead of going on my tangent. Take care! :)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

hi hi! that all makes sense! i was so confused. i was like wait i said none of that lmao. phrasing is tough in general. so i find no fault in you and am grateful to hear your thoughts/perspective. awww akasha says thank you!! she's such a sweetie. i love her so much. if u ever have questions about communication in general, feel free to ask because i get really excited about discussing the nuances of interpersonal reactions. because without having awkward, uncomfy conversations about it, how else can we learn how to move with each other? plus in this instance i think its just an 'online' thing, like if we were conversing in person I probably would've interpreted what you were saying the exact way you meant it!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

oh and something i do that may or may not help you is if i'm going to expound upon someone else's point or digress, I state that plainly so they catch it. for example "I hear you, this makes me think about .... (insert tangent)" get really anxious about misunderstandings/speaking precisely since i have an online platform. i HAVE to be very firm in my communication not because i'm upset, but because if i am not as linear and clear as possible, it becomes, "Jesse said (insert words I NEVER said)" harm has come my way from viewers paraphrasing me and those paraphrasings leading to rumors, and those rumors leading to discussions of things I've never even said or actually done lmao so online i have to be far more firm in my communication and correct any potential misunderstandings because as mentioned, people are not forgiving of Black people in the public eye who make mistakes, especially if they dare to speak out frequently on injustice because then that makes us "hypocrites" [all of this was my own tangent hehe but hoping this explanation communicates WHY i have to be so "precise" online.] ALSO ty for telling me you're new to navigating comments because if i'm lucky enough to see u in the comment section again, I can be mindful. hope this didn't cause anxiety and if it did that you feel heard. i see you

[@ifigeneiakourou7054]

@@JesseOnKZbin Thank you for understanding and for your advice! I completely understand you having to be firm and make sure your thoughts and opinions are not misinterpreted, etc. Sorry for the confusion. As you said, if we were in actual conversation, face to face, my tone of voice, etc. would have helped get my meaning across more clearly. I think part of the problem is that I tend to write more formally, in any situation where writing is required. I learnt English as a second language, and most of the writing I did for years and years were essays, and formal letters (Dear Sir or Madam!), so even though, I have lived in an English speaking country for years now (UK), I still tend to be more formal (unless it is in texts with friends), which often makes me come across as more stand-offish, or even arrogant/pretentious. Once, I wrote about a document at work that the signature was "barely discernible", and 3 different people asked me why I didn't simply say it wasn't very clear. And I thought to myself...I did? That's what that means? I was very confused. Lol. So yeah, I am really glad to work through this miscommunication. As I said, I have watched a couple more of your videos, and I will be watching more, as I find your content interesting, and the way you present it very engaging! I might have more thoughts and/or questions to share, and hopefully, I will manage to convey them better in the future. I want to take you up on discussing the intricacies of (mis)communication in general, if you are up for it. I was raised speaking a different language (Greek), and in that language we had different words and terms for race and Black people in particular. Not all of those translate exactly in English, and even some that do, might at one point have been considered inappropriate in English, while being perfectly acceptable in Greek. For example, "Black" used to be considered problematic, and "Coloured" politically correct. A lot of the terminology is jumbled in my head, because, honestly, I can't say that, especially back in the late 90s, early 2000s, when I was growing up, we were having a lot of deep conversations about race...or any at all. Greece is a predominantly white country, even to this day, and as a kid I only remember seeing the odd Black person on holiday in the summer, and then on TV and that was it. For a long time I only associated the N-word with Hip Hop lyrics, or, again, films and TV shows. I didn't understand that black people using it in music was them reclaiming the term. I remember being confused when I first heard someone call it the N-word. In Greek, the translation given in subtitles was the same as for the word "Ne*ro", which was considered an anthropological term, devoid of sociological implications, and therefore politically correct. Like if you were to call a white person: Caucasian! As a matter of fact, the Agatha Christie book mentioned in the video, in Greek, had the anthropological term version of the N-word on the title, which made it sound a lot less problematic in my language. Even now, if I think of the title in Greek, in my head, even though I KNOW the reality of it, what it was about, how wrong it is...the words themselves sound...neutral in Greek, and I have to remind myself that it IS problematic! It is crazy, I know. So yeah, it is hard enough to discuss race in a single language...add the intricacies of translated terminology, different cultural backgrounds, and what not, and there are a bazillion ways to miscommunicate. But I am hopeful we can still get there! I would be interested to hear your thoughts on that sort of confusion, arising from differences in terminology between languages, and people who were raised in different cultures not quite getting why certain things, words, situations, etc. are problematic. I read Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, and had no idea what even mentioning Stone Mountain can mean for Black people. One of the girls in our online bookclub was kind enough to explain it to me. I am pretty sure I hadn't even heard of that infamous film "Birth of a Nation" before reading that book either! Well, that got a bit derailed again. Lol. I'll close on a more positive note by saying: Give Akasha an extra cuddle from me. I have a little menace of a dog, named Scylla, but she lives in Greece with my parents, and I miss her. She is like...1/3 of Akasha, but she has a LOT of energy. Also, kind of random, but have you, by any chance watched the TV Show Motherland: Fort Salem? It is an excellent LGBTQ+ show and I totally recommend it, if you haven't watched it yet. Take care and thank you again for your comments and advice. I really appreciate it!

[@monster-enthusiast]

I really wish fantasy authors would just give up on misogyny being a part of their worldbuilding. It usually doesn't even make sense for their world either. It's just modern USA copy and paste. Yuck.

[@hbsupreme1499]

Whatever

[@leafalls1137]

Great discussion! Also many relatable titles. I started loving Agatha Christie then learned more about her racism and antisemitism and stopped reading her work. The Little Princess is my nostalgia favorite book, but deeeefinitely problematic too. More recently, I read The 7 1/2 Deaths by Evelyn Hardcastle and loved it so much but cannot recommend it because the fatphobia is viiiiile. Truly the worst I’ve ever read and I’m a reformed HP fan. Thank y’all for the great video!

[@nataliemt8555]

Viewer 👀👀I made the Kay Kristoff comment (or at least one extremely similar) turns out he apologized awhile back for his ableism and changed the book accordingly. My library had the old audio. I appreciate him changing it! Still think I'll keep my support on the down low considering the other issues he's presented.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

loving this update

[@aluralorrell3297]

I had no idea about Agatha Christy

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yeah me too

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

I HATE that J.K. Rowling is transphobic cause I absolutely love the HP series. It's part of the reason I fell in love with fantasy books and was one of my top all-time favorite series. Now is it the best series in the world, no, but I fell in love with the Wizarding world when I first read them in high school (would've read them a lot sooner if my parents weren't super religious and tried to keep us away from "witchcraft" and "that devil stuff"). Honestly, I still enjoy reading the books sometimes and watching the movies, but I'd never spend any more money on HP stuff unless it's something made by a small business owner & it won't support Rowling. I didn't know about the situation with N.K. Jemisin (which is one of the reasons I clicked on this video when I saw it come up on my homepage), I was like, "wait, why is N.K. Jemisin in the thumbnail for this video? What did she do?" 😭 I've only read one of her books, but I was interested in checking out the others, plus I really liked her class on the Masterclass site. I'd still probably give her other books a chance unless there's other stuff that comes up about her in the future. I'm a bit surprised that 2 out of the 3 most canceled authors are POC; I really shouldn't be at this point, but I was (I thought OSC & maybe Jay Kristoff would be in the top 3). You're right, people are always much harder on POC than white authors/creators. I'm actually the opposite, I'm harder on white authors/creators only because we've been having these conversations about the problematic stuff white creators do for years and years and years now. And many times these authors/creators will refuse to listen & learn and/or will double down on their stance. So if anyone "should know better" by now, it's white authors. And they do know better, which is why some of them do try to learn & grow from their mistakes, but for the others it's just a waste of time continuing to have these conversations with them. And, like I always say, no group is a monolith, so there are POC authors/creators that will try to learn & grow from their mistakes and there are some that will refuse to listen and/or will double down (*cough* Tyler Perry *cough* 😉 I'm actually planning on making a video soon of his latest Netflix movie & the problems with that). But I think we need to stop expecting perfection/no mistakes from others, especially POC. That comment about how N.K. Jemisin "should know better" sounds like an assumption that because POC are part of a marginalized group, then they're incapable of making the same mistakes others make. No one is immune to saying or doing something problematic just because they're POC. Honestly, I think this has made me become a little afraid of being seen as a "good person" (totally related when you mentioned this) cause I feel like these days when people think of you as a "good person" it almost becomes synonymous with being perfect or not making any mistakes (which is impossible cause no one is or will ever be perfect). And if I'm seen as "good" then the reaction from others the moment I inevitably make a mistake can be taken to the extreme. We need to allow people to be people, which means making mistakes, and allowing them to learn & grow from it (if they even want to). If someone is putting in the work to try to change and you can see that, then I'm all for giving them that chance, the only time I wouldn't is if they refuse to change/grow. On another note, I can't say I wasn't excited/satisfied to see King as #1 on the list cause I've always thought he was super overrated. Glad there'll be less recs for his books. Now if only B&N would follow suit and stop wasting half of the horror section with his books. 😩

[@JesseOnYoutube]

def will look out for your Tyler Perry commentary because yesssss. and the more we think about that 'this Black woman should know better' comment, the more it sickens us. He said in his comment "I can't weigh in because i'm a straight (white?) male", but has no problem loudly saying "This Black woman who has written her fair share of 'problematic' characters should know better". sketchy. the clear disgust that SHE dared to error, the desire to make an example of her in particular.... just, sickening. love the part where you say "We need to allow people to be people, which means making mistakes, and allowing them to learn & grow from it (if they even want to). If someone is putting in the work to try to change and you can see that, then I'm all for giving them that chance, the only time I wouldn't is if they refuse to change/grow." you're wonderful.

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

@@JesseOnKZbin 🥰💕

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

@@viktoriebartosova3798 Also some of her statements use the straw man fallacy (misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack or refute) and becomes a dog whistle (coded language used to gain support from a particular group without provoking opposition) for conservatives. For example, she tweeted, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.” This is a straw man argument cause no one is denying that sex is real and no one is erasing women's experiences/lived reality by using inclusive language, so this statement is misrepresenting the issue in order to make it seem like she just "doesn't want women to be erased." On the surface, this statement would seem fine to most people, but it's a common talking point of conservatives which is what makes it a dog whistle. It's coded language signaling to conservatives "hey I'm one of you, I agree with you" while trying to make it seem she's just trying to speak truth. She's made other statements, including just flat out responding "no" to the quote trans women are women, but I'm not going to get into everything else. Like I said in my previous comment, that video by ContraPoints does a good job breaking down a lot of her statements.

[@leewalters4813]

Viewer. I appreciate the work you do and take the critique to heart. I was going to use some Florence Nightengale references in a book about nurses I was working on. Until I found out about her terribly racist beliefs and practices. Not surprising. We just don’t hear those critiques of her when we have to read On Nursing in nursing school. Because racism is baked into the whole system. Even if they tried to tell me otherwise.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you, Lee

[@readingfuriously]

There’s so much nuance to this video and also feels community driven thanks for putting this together it must have been a ton of work to put together. I remember reading IT as a child and hiding it from my parents so they wouldn’t know I was reading it def would never recommend king especially It I actually re read IT as an adult and realized it wasn’t as good as I remembered it just didn’t hold up there are better horror books out there I wonder if there’s a way to recognize and hold space the work an author has done for the genre but also recognize and hold them accountable for the harm they have caused people

[@valeusagi1911]

I loved this video and this kind of videos in general. It's good for me (a white cis italian woman) to reflect on my readings, challenge my view or opinion about books that I've enjoyed. An example is The Bell Jar: I read it during university and i remember liking it a lot, but at the time I did not see the racism in it. This is indeed a proof that we live in a very racist society and that the "canon" they teach you in uni is very white and biased: for example, my main english lit classes where ALL about white men. We just touched Sylvia Plath in a minor class, but that was it. So, thank you for your amazing job Jesse, It's really good to be here and learn :)

[@tishbenson4107]

INTERESTING that this came through my vortex today 8 months after posting And all I can hear is How it qualifies “BANNED BOOKS” If not as an action as a concept

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Interesting!

[@Windkandi]

Thank you for this video, very interesting! I think it’s important to hold people accountable, not just authors, but everyone, but of course, authors reach/influence a lot more people than most of us do. However, I think appropriation is a complicated matter. In ’Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’, Gabrielle Zevin writes (and believe me, I know she is problematic too) that the opposite of appropriation is that each culture just writes about itself, with it’s own references and language. So white Europeans just write about the experiences of white europeans etc. And where does that lead us? I am not an expert in any way, but I feel like there has to be a middle ground where we can meet respectfully and see and explore others’ cultures and experiences. And of course, expect to be called out if we get things wrong, but not shamed into never trying to explore in the first place. I am not talking about people who are -ist now, that is a different kettle of fish.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

hi hi, ty for watching. its weird that people often conclude that i'm saying you can't write outside of your culture. omg Tomorrowx3 is SUCH a nuanced book, its on my list of books i love but can't ethically recommend (and none of the reasons are me thinking folks can't write outside of their culture lmao). YO, the phrase "Kettle of fish" lmao i've never heard that before and I like! :)

[@Windkandi]

@@JesseOnKZbin Hi Jesse! Sorry, I should have been clearer, I didn’t think that YOU were saying that you can’t write outside of your culture, it was more a comment on the general debate, where it often feels to me that only people with direct experience are ’allowed’ to write about something. Unfortunately that would leave us short of books about minorities, like people with disabilities etc. And what is writing, and indeed reading, if not getting to experience things that are outside of your own world? Btw, reading the comments, I saw your thoughts on Agatha Christie and it really made me rethink how I have read those books, thank you for the new perspective! ❤️

[@jlittlejohn97]

Wooow I didn't remember any of that from series of unfortunate events at all. On the circus folk in book 9 (I still have that one because it was my favorite) -- a kinda core thing about carnival freaks is that several if not all of them are not actually freaks (the book takes the stance that its odd for these people to be portrayed as freaks). For example, one of them is ambidextrous, and another is a contirtionist. There are others but I don't fully remember what their deal is and how the book handles them. Having the set up of the villains pointed out puts that in a completely different light.

[@Cinders80]

I love your videos! Just wanted to say thank you.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

aww thank you, Cinders

[@DawnBurn]

And re: Percy Jackson I haven't seen (so I think I need to be paying more attention) the anti-black/bipoc rep, but the focus on Beauty is GOOD and Ugly is EVIL (though it gets better somewhat by the 4th book) is a PROBLEM. My wife was very upset during parts of the first book in the series. I think the fact that the author has endorsed and embraced the casting of a Black Girl as Annabeth who is CONSISTENTLY described as very very white in the books shows growth.

[@moonyreadsbystarlight]

👀 I didn't know that about The Little Prince!! TJ Klune was definitely one for me. The one I thought of first was JKR. It was so much of my childhood - and my personality long after. Even before the big stuff that came out around 2019 or so, I had lots of critiques (and spent a *lot* of my time in fandom spaces discussing and writing fanfiction that critiqued it until it just became too much when things were more overt), so I don't know that I would have recommended it per se. But her being so horrendous definitely hurt my heart.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Moonyyyy hi! always makes us happy when you comment.

[@arimcphail4124]

For empire of the vampire although there was queer rep both lesbian and gay, the lesbian rep struck me as weird at some points, one of the people in the lesbian couple for a while was seen as very underage, maybe 14, whilst the partner was an adult. I think it is later cleared up that they are actually older than 14 but if i recall right it wasn’t by much, they were perhaps 16 really. The make out scene depicted in the book was gratuitous but i suppose so was the gay male scene.

[@allaboutcars19]

Viewer! Now after this video I’m going to look up more videos on problematic authors. I didn’t know about half of these authors were problematic. (I only knew about JKs problems) Question: if you know an author is problematic and you hear someone recommend them (friends, book club members etc) do you inform them or leave it?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

it all depends on "why". for example, if its the mistake NKJ made, then no. if its something like TJ Klune then yes. and then from there a person can decide what htey want to do :)

[@lusalma5404]

I admit, MZB is complicated. She mentored women authors, wrote many things, but is not a good role model. Last I recall the sale of her books go to foundations which is why in many ways it is easier to recommend a dead person because the harm they can do is limited and sometimes the money is going to good causes. Historically accurate only holds water in books written in that period. Mark Twain... I am really not sure that editing his works to change the language is a good thing. Though I do understand why it may be preferred, but it does represent the language shift.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Yesss, she's complicated because ALL of these authors are complicated since we're all complex beings and not solely good or bad! All of these authors have made a positive impact (to someone)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Omg the editing of mark twain is so wild to me! WHY! And the fact that his name wasn't brought up(maybe once or twice?) but so many comments critiquing brown authors who wrote a debut (evan winters) somehow rage of dragons is worse than mark twain? Make it make sense 😂 thank you for watching and adding your input :) I appreciate u💗🤧

[@lusalma5404]

@@JesseOnKZbin Hey I have to show some love to a MN friend :) Stay warm for today.... until tomorrow.

[@clarencebarker2763]

I grew up reading Asterix and Tintin comics every week from the library. But in the past few years I've properly thought about them for the first time since I was a kid and I'm honestly disgusted at how prevalent they are given the blatant racism in them. I also recently learned about how Tintin was used to promote Belgian colonialism.

[@DanielReads]

For me- it's Patricia Highsmith- I read The Price of Salt and enjoyed it, but I can't recommend it or read anymore of her works. She was a virulent antisemite. Another is Paul Auster- I put down his New York Trilogy cause he is a Roman Polanski apologist. There are so many other things that are worth reading. Thanks for making videos like these- examining the content and context of the books we consume is absolutely crucial.

[@sinaseas]

i relate to the agatha christie mention so much - i started reading her books when i was quite young and theyre definitely some of the most well crafted murder mysteries ive ever read - but she DEFINITELY has problematic views reflected in her works

[@JesseOnYoutube]

do you happen to have any suggestions for great murder mysteries? no pressure but am actually looking for some!

[@misscheevous8786]

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White. I've just started it, but I'm liking it so far. LGBT Muder-Mystery on a boat. It was one of the books review bombed by the racist white lady.@@JesseOnKZbin

[@sinaseas]

@@JesseOnKZbin not really 😭 i would also love some recs though i cant seem to find many that scratch the same itch that agatha christie always did for me... i simply havent been reading a lot of the genre. ruth ware is the closest i can get to a rec but only some of her books work for me 🤷‍♀️

[@Nixx0912]

@@JesseOnKZbin I like Japanese ones, I discovered Keigo Higashino few years back and it kind of started it all. Willow on his channel Books and Bao/ now Willow talks books has a recommendation video for some of locked room mysteries. I'm not sure if it's out in English I got French editions, an Italian author Piergorgio Pulixi has a good series. I liked the first book but the second is so much better, just not for someone with fobies concerning teeth. Going back to Japanese authors and classics of the murder mystery Egogawa Renpo, he was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (what gave his pen name), but I also found one of his earlier ones inspired with Conan Doyle with a character being basicly female Moriarty, I can't remember the tittle but it was something about lizard, the tattoo that the villain had.

[@autistic_alexis]

I. Hate. "A little Life". I hate it and stand by it. As someone with mental illness and disregard of their needs from childhood on, this book taught me nothing. Just that depression exists, trauma is real and pain is real. It actually triggered a depressive episode for me, since I couldn't see the meaning of life after it. 😢 ⚠️ I STRONGLY recommend to read the trigger warnings, if you wanna pick this one up. There was no empathy and i generally dislike "cautionary tales". Like wtf. Mental health isn't something that can be cautioned away. It felt very much like mental health was written into the book for shock value. 💔

[@JesseOnYoutube]

good for you for speaking up for yourself, Alexis. I'm glad you are still here.

[@autistic_alexis]

🤍 THANK YOU

[@autistic_alexis]

❤️ Know that you are loved. Your video is the highlight of my day!

[@chexmixbaby44]

I almost commented that I was surprised George RR Martin wasn't a part of this video, but I'm glad I waited! I recognized my comment about Evan Winter and Rage of Dragons, but I think I had a comment about GRRM on the other video as well, and I just wanted to clarify: I absolutely know that my letting GRRM be my guilty pleasure and dnf'ing Rage of Dragons is a double standard. I have my own reasons for it, but it's not impossible that racism is a factor. I'm definitely trying to give Black men writing fantasy a chance more than white men because they can be "cancelled" more easily. I just need to like... not automatically put a newly published book down when it has a man's name on it 😅 My goal this year is to read through my physical backlog, so I won't have as much of a chance (besides audiobooks), but in the future I plan on reading Moses Ose Utomi's books, The Nameless Republic series by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, and Tochi Onybuchi's books, since I've read some of their books and loved them, and y'all have given glowing reviews to the ones I haven't.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

no clarification needed :) because we didnt think less of u in any way for that comment 💗 we're simply critiquing HOW MANY ppl pick him to draw the line at versus ... far more popular white authors who have been writing damaging books for years, donating to harmful charities for years, etc. not a coincidence that HIS name was named so.many.times.by.so.many.comments. PSA to everyone who wrote a comment about Winters: i don't think you indidivually are racist for pointing out the sexism in Rage of Dragons. that's not the problem here :)

[@chexmixbaby44]

@@JesseOnKZbin I'm definitely overly apologetic sometimes 😅 I just felt the need to lay out a plan, and I think y'all's comment section ended up being the vessel for that. Also, side note: I feel like a lot of people didn't say JKR because she's become less of a guilty pleasure read, people just... don't want to read her stuff. Like she's become so bad that I don't even to see her or her main character's name . That's my feelings on it at least.

[@coela2616]

Anyone reading this comment, please please take care of yourself before looking into Marian Zimmer Bradley's history. When discussing most problematic authors, I feel comfortable giving a general rundown of their behaviors, but for MZB, I put the biggest trigger warning on even hearing about or researching what she did. When I learned about MZB's abuse of her daughter, I couldn't even keep the book on my bookshelf. It's been over a decade now, and it still makes my stomach curl and blood boil to think about.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you for this heads up. truly.

[@ΕυφροσύνηΜαθιουδάκη]

When I saw the comment about The Terror by Dan Simmons I remembered his islamophobia in Hyperion. Ugh, disgusting. It was the good christian / bad muslim trope but in space. No suprize that Stevie was the top one cancelled. I think his fans are like the Roachling fans. They haven't read any other / better books and that's why they love these so much. The most important thing I took from this video was what y'all said about Agatha Christie. We can't erase someone's racism by editing out of a book. We should feel uncomfortable with her and every other white clasic author's racism. Because we if don't, we learnt nothing. Swiping racism under the rug isn't helping anyone.

[@Mayte-AC]

I never read Mist of Avalon but it had been on my tbr for a while and seeing it in the video made me curious so I just googled Marion Zimmer Bradley and wow... She is a disgusting person! I'm glad that I saw this video before I read her books. I know she is dead and she can't do anything with the money, but it feels wrong to buy and read those books knowing what kind of person she was.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

big hugs

[@WDR1995]

👁️ Yes to every single thing y’all said. Hard agree, I appreciate this video so much. Also love the return of the Bow tie ♥️✨

[@ohladysamantha]

Late to this video, but I want to say... I need to know where to look in the Little Prince for the problematic content. I totally believe it is there as French folks are racist but love to act like they aren't. 🤡 I'm here to drag my ancestors. To be fair, I read it in high school and in the original French so that's the copy I'll be looking back on. Thank y'all for always having these conversations and shedding light on this.