If you are in America, I hope that you have today off in which to read plenty of awesome things, and a quiet weekend where people for God’s sake get their act together and stop shooting off every single firework. I plan to read a bunch of nonsense and hopefully write a book review post for Monday. I probably remember how to write posts of this kind. And maybe I will do something pretend-productive like enter old reviews into Storygraph. Relatedly, I’m on Storygraph! Follow me!
“At your best, a companion. At your worst, a danger.” Linda Holmes examines white/black relationships (and complicated love) in Do the Right Thing and The Help. (link)
Television loves white suburban criminals. (link)
John Paul Brammer recreates the Left Behind (For Kids!) books from memory. (link)
The National Book Critics Circle has imploded over discussions of racism. (link)
Books that emphasize Black pain aren’t the only Black books worth giving support to. Those are just the books the publishing industry and white audiences choose to uplift. (link)
Alex Brown looks at diversity in YA publishing for 2020 to date. (link)
This actress fell in love with her stunt double! It’s fuckin wholesome! (link)
Why to capitalize Black. (link)
On the allies of whiteness in publishing and journalism. (link)
It’s time for journalists and journalism to be honest about what objectivity is and isn’t. (link)
Can RWA be saved after its moment of racial reckoning? (link)
On Confederate monuments, with a content warning for discussions of slavery and rape. (link)
Hamilton, in our political moment. (link)
Why are so many rich people such assholes? An investigation by Wired. (link)
You may have noticed that although it’s July, this links round-up does not include the second half of 2020 book preview from The Millions. This in spite of my absolutely desperate desire to know what books I should anticipate in the second half of 2020. If my next links round-up does not contain the Millions book preview, you must assume that I have been taken hostage or The Millions has. Happy 4th!