Seriously, you’d think they could have learned a lesson from last time, but no.
So really, publishers, if you’re so convinced that a book with a dark-skinned heroine won’t sell unless readers are tricked into thinking she’s white, then just be honest about all of it — admit that you don’t want to risk publishing books about characters of color. Admit that white people are the only audience you really care about. Admit that you don’t give a tiny rat’s ass about that adolescent girl walking through a bookstore, trying to find a story about someone who looks like her and learning — probably for the umpteenth time that day — that only white people can be pretty or interesting.
UPDATE: They’re changing the jacket, even though the book was already in stores.
Leave a Reply