This post is dedicated to the authors and books impacted by this scandal, listed here in no particular order.
*Voyage of the Damned -- Frances White
*So Let Them Burn -- Kamilah Cole
*The Poisons We Drink -- Bethany Baptise
*To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods -- Molly X Chang
*Mistress of Lies -- KM Enright
*The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
*The Empire Wars -- Akana Phenix
*Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love -- Katrina Kwan
*Iron Widow/Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor -- Xiran Jay Zhao
*Gods of Hunger series -- R. M. Virtues
This isn't my usual kind of post, but I feel moved to do it. For some little time, I've been half-following a recent scandal involving author Cait Corraine. Put briefly, Corriane created multiple fake Goodreads accounts, simultaneously posting positive reviews of their own work while review bombing the work of multiple BIPOC authors including Xiran Jay Zhao, Alana Phenix, Frances White, and many others. After attempts to resolve the matter privately failed, Zhao took the step of publicising the matter, which brought it wider attention and a groundswell against Corraine ultimately leading to them losing their book deal. A recent follow-up has seen Corraine blaming their behaviour on their medication, which is its own unpleasant can of worms and slap in the face of those who cop with mental illness, of which I'm one (that part made me feel almost personally insulted). Even this is a heavily simplified version of this fiasco.
On the one hand, I'm not in the best position to talk about this in a concrete way. I'm male and white, and while I'm neurodivergent and bisexual, I've likely had nowhere near the troubles these other authors had getting published. I likely had unconscious ethnic and biological biases working with me rather than against me (which shouldn't be the norm, but unfortunately still is), so my talking about this particular scandal can come off as the height of hypocrisy. But something about this struck me hard.
Looking at this play out and seeing recent developments, particularly hearing some further updates on the situation via this compilation video on Zhao's YouTube channel, it got me to thinking. Zhao makes valid points about racism not being just shouting slurs and showing outright hatred. It's the unconscious biases, the unthinking belittlement, the little things that are done through ignorance or rather than active malice. Ours is a world that for several hundred years saw a culture of colonisation and oppression, and while great strides have been made away from that, there is still that ingrained legacy.
And, perhaps the most difficult to admit, I had those feelings inside me. I'd had resentments and suspicions that were unpleasant to remember while I was trying to get myself a publisher. I'm hopefully beyond that now, but I have to remember them. And admit them to myself. They are part of the ugly side of me. The side that can be petty and spiteful, the side that contemplates hitting something so hard that it breaks, that might fly off the handle and become something horrific to myself. As stated above, racism isn't just overt actions. It's not realising that there is something like that in myself as well.
Of course, another recent scandal can't be completely ignored, that of the Hugo nomination snubs which appear to have been done purely to avoid political backlash from the host country. Done in such a clumsy and condescending way that it's a slap in the face of the world of fiction writing, where unfair situations in the real world should be challenged, and those challenges celebrated. It makes one depressed at the industry, especially as an author just starting out. But there is a silver lining to be taken from this. It was exposed, Cait Corraine lost their book deal, and while there has unfortunately been bile flung at those who decided to break this scandal when private resolution failed, there's also been support for those who were victimised by this. If you can, and I plan to when I'm financially able, please support the authors and their work.
Writers aren't a competition any more. We're a community. And people like Corraine undermine everything.
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