In the wake of KR’s release of her newest work, Before I Let Go, all social media platforms have been flooded with praise and accolades for the 2022 release. The book has been described as “amazing”, “raw”, “real”, and so many more positive adjectives. This success does not just stop at Ryan, but there are a plethora of other Black women who have experienced this same, or similar, success. While it is not lost that it is great to see Black women being elevated and praised for their contributions to their industry, it is also clear that there are typically costs to these types of accolades: a cost that may stem from a worldview that was socialized into them, or a cost that may have been pushed onto these women by the industry that claims to love them.
There is a sense of inauthenticity looming over all of this success. Books being marketed as romance, specifically Black romance, with racially ambiguous characters. Within the Black reader community there are a few romance readers, specifically speaking of this new release and other books by these authors, who acknowledge the uncomfortability of this ambiguity. The cultural and racial ambiguity of these characters blatantly manifests itself through the lack of vivid descriptions for main characters and a lack of cultural authenticity. It leaves the physical appearance of these characters completely open to the interpretation of the readers. This piece will touch on the issues with this way of writing, its implications about authors who have benefited, as well as readers who feed into it. To be clear the focus is not to bash or tear down a single soul, however, this is something that needs to, at least, be acknowledged because of its impact on the reading community and the writing industry as a whole.
So you may ask, “Black women are winning! What is the problem with this?” In short, it perpetuates racism within the writing industry. It’s a widely known occurrence that Black authors aren’t always welcomed in the industry. The lack of diversity is not a secret. Black authors regularly have to fight for entry, fight to be picked up by traditional publishers, and fight for recognition. Regardless of this rejection, they still aim for the acceptance into this traditional space. So what do they do? How do they get what they crave and fulfill their dreams? The answer is simple: they write ambiguously, whitewash their characters, or even scrap the Black characters all together. They add just enough ambiguity, throw in some white characters, and blur the lines in order to pass the test. A hair of Blackness to gain Black readers, but enough ambiguity to maintain the white ones. This method leaves them with a plethora of readers and the mainstream success that they wanted. While this sounds great for these authors, this method has a major downside. Due to their willingness to conform to the white standard, everybody else is set back, specifically the Black authors writing Black stories about Black characters. These steadfast authors may be expected to do the same if they ever want the chance to be noticed within the traditional publishing industry and gain mainstream success. Underlying all of that is something truly sinister. There is much more that could be said here, but again, bashing is not the focus of this piece.
Now what does it mean for readers? In purchasing these books and supporting these authors, readers are perpetuating these anti-Black systems while proving the theory of these traditional publishers to be right. They think giving Black readers breadcrumbs is enough to secure the Black dollar. From the conversations and support that has been on social media, these companies may be correct. If that is good enough for you, then this is where the conversation ends. On the other hand, if this is something that bothers you, start being intentional about what you read and who you support. Typically readers are urged to read what they want and what they enjoy, but what if what you are reading and supporting is actually working against you as a Black person and the other Black authors that you love? Take yourself from viewing this issue on a personal level and get a bird's eye view. This cycle is more than just a social media popularity contest, it has a real life impact on the industry and the reader community.
I have been using a variation of my academic voice as I’ve been writing this piece, but right now I want to communicate in my natural voice lol. I want to be honest and say that although I have read some ambiguous books, I haven’t read Before I Let Go. I saw the rave reviews and the praise, but that wasn’t enough for me. I had heard of this author before and that she has written white and interracial books in the past. Idk about y’all but that is a red flag for me because why now are you trying to write “Black” books? Still I was interested, so I asked around and checked in with the girls. I was hearing that although it was good, the Black characters in her books were whitewashed. That just doesn’t sit well in my spirit. Due to that I decided to save my coins for something that was for me! Beyond that, I was also reading a book called, Never Tell (2022) by Stacy Abrams (yes, the politician. I was shocked to find out the author was the same person!). Reading her work is more so what compelled me to write this. It stirred thoughts in me (which were exacerbated by the KR talk) because I really felt played lol! It was like she willfully refused to describe the physical appearance of the main character, Gabriel Moss. He could have been ANYTHING racially. For me it felt intentional. It’s marketed as Black romance, but nothing felt Black about this romance AT ALL. The culture was muted and the characters were white washed. Honestly for me books like these seem like tools that allow people who read them to post about them as an “I read diverse books” moment. Fake and phony!
What is really going on y’all? This piece is not to bash anybody or their reading preferences, however, I am aiming at opening the eyes of Black readers and authors. I want y'all to stand up IMMEDIATELY! There are so many Black authors out here who are authentic. They are writing Black characters and STANDING ON IT! Who knew that in 2022 something so simple could really be categorized as something kinda revolutionary??? They are literally here standing ten toes down writing FOR US! Publishing characters that are a mirror of US! They aren’t afraid to talk about the deepness of our rich skin tones, the fullness of our lips, the curls, coils, bundles, and braids that make up our hair, the richness of our cultures, the issues in our communities, the many ways of our lives. They aren’t afraid to show Black women being loved by Black men (and vice versa) OUT LOUD! No gimmicks! No pandering! Just them being real, raw, and CREATIVE! That is why I will always show them love, support, and gratitude! You should too! They do what so many don’t have it in them to do!
I’m dedicating this to the Black women and men (of all genres) who are going against the grain:
Antoinette Sherell, Kwan Foye, Love Belvin, Desiree Granger, Monica Walters, Alexandra Warren,
Alexandria House, Shvonne Latrice, Takeah Latimore, Tay Mo’nae, Nina, Skye Moon, Ladii Nesha, Kyeate,
Courtney Irving, Jahquel J., Chenell Parker, Treasure Hernandez, Cion Lee, Treasure E. Blue,
M. Monique
And so many more!
With love, I am charging you to be intentional! I'm not telling you who not to read, but I am telling you to give those who are unapologetically authentic their flowers and support them! BOOST THEM! AMPLIFY THEM! EXALT THEM! Those are the books that are FOR US BY US! That’s it and that's all!
Ciao,
J. Lynae 💋
(PS. I don't mind if you share your opinion, even if it is different from mine, but keep it cute or keep it mute! Thank you!)