The Thursday Book Beat: ‘Some Girls Are’ Pulled From Reading List

Angel is not here right now so I’LL be taking over for her. Let’s get through this book news!

Our WWAC Staff Writer, Angel Cruz, Suggests Some Books For The Shoujo Manga Lover

Even though it’s a suggestion for Shoujo Manga fans, I think it’s a great resource for young adult readers who want to get into manga. Check it out!

A ‘Hell No’ Romance: Kate Breslin’s For Such A Time

A book where a Jewish woman falls in love with a Nazi and she converts to Christianity in the end! This is a terrible premise for a romance for a number of reasons with the first being that it can’t be romance because our jewish lead is ultimately a prisoner and therefore it’s rape. Consent can’t be given. Also, it paints a person pariticipating in a genocide as the “redeemable lead” and romanticizes one of the most horrific moments in history.

Why is this news? This book was nominated for a RITA award which is a big deal in romance and people are rightfully angry. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a great review up that goes into detail as to why it’s just an idea book. Katherine Locke writes a great post on why a book like this is so harmful as a Jewish woman. I don’t know how this book exists since it feels obvious as to how wrong it is but I’m flabbergasted that it was nominated for a RITA. Another day, another WTF.

Little Women Getting A Dystopic Twist At The CW

I had to look up Little Women just for this news piece because I haven’t read it, seen its screen adaptations, or even read its synopsis. The approach to this adaptation is…interesting:

Written by Jolly, Little Women is described as a hyper-stylized, gritty adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, in which disparate half-sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy band together in order to survive the dystopic streets of Philadelphia and unravel a conspiracy that stretches far beyond anything they have ever imagined – all while trying not to kill each other in the process.

I am unsurprised that the CW bought this script and this is the approach they’re going with. I don’t think anyone has told them that the dystopia thing was soooo 2012. So far the CW has had some quality shows so who knows? Maybe this’ll be really good.

Some Girls Are Pulled From High School Summer Reading List

Melanie MacDonald got West Ashley High School to pull Courtney Summers’ young adult novel, Some Girls Are, from the school’s summer reading list. Her daughter’s Honors English 1 class had a choice between Some Girls Are and Paul Volponi’s Rikers High and the pair decided to download Summers’ book for the assignment. 74 pages in and she saw the book as “trash”:

“I’m not a prude for God’s sake and I understand that these are issues kids are facing – the drugs, the alcohol, the bullying – but there has to be a way to present it that’s not destructive to them,” she said. “I get they’re trying to find something the kids are interested in, but this book is trash.”

MacDonald brought her concerns to the School District Board of Trustees and the school’s English department chair. They offered a third book option, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but MacDonald demanded more and got the book pulled all together. Summers’ wrote a great blog post on this topic. I’m all for parenting your child but I don’t think it’s right or appropriate to prevent access to the book for those who do want to read it. The topics Summers’ explores are real life things that teens deal with and while some may see it as “trash”, a teen can see it as a life line.

Brilliant Books in Michigan Offering Refunds for Go Set a Watchman

Short Story By F Scott Fitzgerald Finally Published

Japanese Readers Lead In Ebook Sales

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Ardo Omer

Ardo Omer

Former WWAC editor. Current curmudgeon and Batman's personal assistant. Icon art by Diana Sim.

One thought on “The Thursday Book Beat: ‘Some Girls Are’ Pulled From Reading List

  1. Grrr I’m still so mad that Courtney Summers’ novel was banned.

    Also I heard Chapters/Indigo has had to take back a bunch of Go Set a Watchman because it was a Heather’s Pick and therefore a “guaranteed” read

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