When Authors Normalize Problematic Ideals

On thinking critically to evaluate their purpose

[Dear readers: This issue contains discussions of transphobia and a notoriously transphobic author.]

There’s a little explosion that goes off in my head every time I read an uncritical mention of J.K. Rowling’s books. Most recently, it happened while reading an audiobook; a character who worked as a bookseller referred another protagonist to a buzzy bestseller, comparing it to Harry Potter. I found myself squinting, peeved, enough to stop reading. I couldn’t help but wonder why, in the year 2026, an author chose to make such a reference.

This reaction doesn’t just happen with Harry Potter or Rowling. In another recent read of mine, a character noted in passing that a wealthy family’s security was recruited from the Mossad—the Israeli secret service intelligence agency which has a history of targeting Palestinians. The security guard is shrouded in a bit of humor, their movements depicted to seem comical. I also felt this way last week when learning that in his new book, a kid lit author—and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature—writes that “94.7 percent of kids’ books are crud.”

What stands out to me about these references is how they are made. The subject is not the entire focus of one’s book—in fact, all of them could have easily been left out or slightly reworked. They add nothing to the plot, nor serve to get the author’s point across. Nor are they “predictable,” as with memoirs by SCOTUS judges or books that stem from a specific publishing imprint. And it is this exact distinction that makes them dangerous. With their uncritical gaze, they normalize problematic ideals.

Sure, these references sometimes are made in passing, or even as hyperbole (as said kid lit author claims), but they do not exist in a silo. They are deliberately made within a current society facing extreme transphobia and violence against trans people, amidst an ongoing genocide of Palestinians and attacks on Lebanon, and a country in which kid lit is facing divestment and deprioritization.

And so of course I can’t help but ask myself as I read them: Why did these authors make the choice to include this reference in this way at this time. And why did an editor not, presumptively, flag them for review.

Art is a form of protest; it is also one of politics and privilege. An individual’s identity often determines whether or not they get published, whether they have connections/stability to get residencies and MFAs, or whether they get monetary support from their publisher. (Whether authors live up to said responsibility is, of course, on them.)

If everything published enters our zeitgeist, not just as a product of our times but a representation of our times, why would we not want it to be one that strives for equity?

I’d love your thoughts on this; let us know how you feel in the comments!

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Books we are reading (or hoping to read) this month

✅ The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji

✅ The Healing by Gayl Jones

✅🎧The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

✅🎧Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai

🗓️ Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

🗓️ Canon by Paige Lewis

🗓️🎧Solito by Javier Zamora

Note: For books we have completed, we’ll only include here ones we recommend.

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Books new to our TBR

• The Hill by Harriet Clark (anything Naomi Klein recommends, I will read)

• Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton

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Other publishing updates

• Publishing! Is! Unionizing! And these employees need all our support.

• What does it mean for accessibility when Libby becomes the “exclusive” library provider for an audiobook? We dive in here.

• Your regular reminder to call your reps yet about HR 7661, the nationwide book ban bill! And on the topic, have you read the American Library Association’s latest report on censorship?

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We’ll be back in a few weeks with the latest publishing updates.

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