But I also feel a bit weird (one might say…queer?) knowing that I was taken through the wringer by an author who isn’t part of the selfsame community that is being highlighted. I don’t believe that authors should only write about their experiences. In an interview with bi.org, Reid talks about wanting to use the platform she has (a multi-book deal, an audience) to elevate queer stories, and the research that went into accurately depicting the Golden Era of Hollywood and all the associated muck that was swept under the rug. But then again, bicultural ol’ me found Evelyn’s successful assimilation and then sadness with said success very realistic. I didn’t check midway through, but there were parts–I’m thinking of a passage where Monique was discussing her to her biracial identity, very near the start of the story, that rung a bit…odd, just as someone who’s bicultural. It’s not #ownvoices, a few times over–Reid (Jenkins Reid?) is a white, straight author (who, by her own admission, is not always very feminine presenting) writing about biracial, queer characters. What is this book not? I think it might be more helpful to frame what I did like that way.
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