“It’s disingenuous to say their race doesn’t matter in this world, when the most prominent and numerous people are white.” On the racial casting choices of Bridgerton. https://observer.com/2021/01/bridgerton-sees-race-through-a-colorist-lens/ And along the same lines: If Bridgerton wanted Black aristocracy, why didn’t they portray Haiti? (link)

Repressed memories, implanted memories, false memories: How did the narrative around these things develop in psychology, and is it merited? (cw: child sexual abuse and CSA apologism) (link)

This GQ story of the 2020 capture of a Rwandan war criminal who has evaded justice for decades was extremely fascinating. (It does talk about the Rwandan genocide, and early in the article there’s some disturbing descriptions of the violence in that period.) (link)

I just can’t get enough of profiles and interviews with Amanda Gorman, whose performance was an absolute standout in the inauguration. (link)

“To tell a student that ‘said’ is her only option is ‘not to teach her to write better, but to teach her whose writing is better,’ Salesses argues.” An interview with Matthew Salesses, author of the new book Craft in the Real World. (link)

This is a fascinating, and horrifying, deep dive into the story of a German doctor accused of sexually assaulting vulnerable HIV patients for decades. (link)

“The character of a distributed, rules-optional game isn’t made of paper and ink, stony tropes or immovable stereotypes. First and foremost, it reflects the character of its players.” On racism in D&D. (link)

Namwali Serpell considers the racial politics of Soul and the tradition of race-transformation tales in American cinema. (link)

The Rahm Emmanuel Livejournal fan community is an embarrassing relic of the days when many liberals uncritically idolized political figures. WERE WE EVER SO YOUNG. (link)

Reading Sara Ahmed’s work always requires a lot of focus from me (her language is simple but her ideas are dense), but it’s invariably worth it for gems like this: “Reconciliation can be experienced as the enforcement of communication.” (link)

Who gets to escape into fandom? (White people! It’s white people.) (link)

Joshua Yehl considers the case of Harry Potter fandom and how, if at all, it’s possible now to ethically engage with JK Rowling’s work. (link)

“How many women—one, two, fifty, ten thousand, more—will we sacrifice to the ravenous maw of men’s promise?” Carmen Maria Machado on Promising Young Woman. (link)

AOC refuted the lies that Republicans want to tell about what happened on 1/6 of this year. (link)

The invention (and consequences) of printing books. (link)

“The fact that Levinson, who is white, has decided to deploy Washington, who is Black, as a shield for his rhetorical bomb-throwing inspires enough eye-rolling to power a household appliance.” Soraya Nadia McDonald on Malcolm and Marie. (link)

“Knowing that some people are already invested in the characters does mean you can skip straight to being very nasty to them.” The best line of an excellent interview with Emily Tesh, Everina Maxwell, and A. K. Larkwood. (link)

“They want to be safe from us, but they don’t want us to be safe from them.” On policing library patrons. (link)

What have y’all been reading this week? Books, internet articles? Tell me everything!

The post Really a lot of thoughts on racism: A links round-up appeared first on Reading the End.

“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!

The post A Links Round-Up for the Long Weekend appeared first on Reading the End.

Garbage in, garbage out: A really straightforward and helpful look at the ways algorithms become biased.

Jia Tolentino is one of my all-time faves, and this is a piece about The Westing Game, so I am about as happy as it is possible for a person to be.

Remember that thing where Sherrilyn Kenyon said her husband was poisoning her? Lila Shapiro has been reporting it ever since, and here, at last, is the story. IT IS SOMETHING.

Holidaygoers do not need to be protected from the violent history of empire in the places they visit.

Nothing on House Hunters is real (but we kinda already knew that, right?).

“Everyone, Jensen said, seemed to be constantly posting about how they were horny and how they wanted to die.” MORE JIA TOLENTINO, this time about the trend of demanding that celebrities kill us.

Here’s how to live in a country where 1/5 of its residents want you gone.

Never stop reading Angelica Jade Bastien’s appreciations of Keanu Reeves. Never do it.

“Very little, if anything, about the cruelty of the internet commentariat is specific to YA.” On diversity critiques on YA Twitter.

I’m sorry to have another article about how women’s rage and women’s suffering never ever ever starts to matter, but this is your article about the most recent in a string of rape accusations against the sitting president. https://www.damemagazine.com/2019/06/25/womens-anger-was-supposed-to-be-a-reckoning-why-isnt-it/

Emily Nussbaum has some great thoughts on what makes TV different than other art in terms of intimacy with the audience.

A terrific interview with Jackie Sibblies Drury, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author of Fairview. (Especially when she talks about how fucking weird Yale is.)

Julia Carpenter writes about the harassment romance novelists face online.

Happy weekend!

The post The Westing Game and Other Matters: A Links Round-Up appeared first on Reading the End.

And now, on to the links.

Drop everything and read this profile of Jonathan Franzen. It brought such joy to my heart. It was everything I wanted it to be.

Heart of darkness: The grim, authoritarian soul of Thomas the Tank Engine. (This is not new but it is new to me and I need y’all to be aware of it.)

Which borough of New York City would win in a civil war?

Misogyny is boring as hell: A profile of writer Carmen Maria Machado.

That time England paid reparations for slavery — to slaveowners. (And other horrifying stories from the British history of slavery.)

“Alabama organizers have literally never stopped fighting.” Imani Perry on her home state.

Roxane Gay on why To Kill a Mockingbird matters (or doesn’t).

About suffering they were never wrong, the Old Masters.

While I wish this article had talked more about nonbinary folks, who also face a ton of harassment, it was still good to hear from women who have faced harassment as they talk about what they still value about the internet.

The Atlantic’s cover story for Pride Month made me really angry, but Alex Barasch had Slate has a very measured and sensible response to it.

Linda Holmes does not look with favor upon the new Roseanne-without-Roseanne show.

Just read the opening two paragraphs of this piece on women in Luke Cage, even if you don’t want the spoilers from the full article. Because they are a gut punch.

Harassers seem to apologize to everybody except the person they harassed.

Take care of yourselves, friends! Whatever care looks like for you, take the time for it. We’ll all be still here for the fight on Monday. I love y’all.

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