The 21st century is both amazing and annoying, balled into one. Mainly because while some things have improved, others are just ridiculous and out of hand. Cancel culture and stuff of that nature go a little too far sometimes.
It’s gotten to the point where writers get nervous to write about certain topics. I know that writing or reading about something that triggers a person can be difficult, but completely ignoring it won’t make it go away. Being angry, crying, sad or any other emotion is what a story should do when it’s read. This is especially true when it comes to ethnicity, sex and class issues. They have a tendency to slap you in the face over the course of a book.
Stories about the struggles that a certain ethnicity has had to face shouldn’t be frowned upon. It might be hard to read, but it’s an unfortunate reality and people should be educated, even through fiction. As a minority, it’s difficult to read about certain things people of my background have faced, but I know it happens and I would rather read something and feel an emotion, then act like it couldn’t possibly be true. The same goes for when I read about issues that other ethnicities have to face. There are real race disparities that need to be addressed. Constantly.
Books that mention terrible sex crimes are not something people want to think about, but if this isn’t a reality, I don’t know what is. Men and women alike have to face situations like this everyday. It could be harassment, rape, being sold, being stalked or so much worse. It might be difficult to read, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Also, I might be a big advocate for stories that involve something like this because I know people who have had to face said issues. Also, my first book covered sex crimes.
Now when I say class, I mean social and economic class. One of the most common factors humans face at one point or another is not being accepted by their peers or being considered the “outcast.” This can be due to an action they performed or circumstances. Losing rank, socially or economically, isn’t something anyone wants to experience no matter how much a person says “others opinions don’t matter.”
While we live in a time where #metoo and #blacklivesmatter were born, there are things that shouldn’t be canceled or frowned upon and that’s educating someone through literature. Be it nonfiction or fiction. There’s a truth to telling a story when it comes to an author that shouldn’t be pushed down and overlooked just to keep someone from feeling an emotion.
This is something I told myself when I decided to write books: If it doesn’t evoke an emotion, it isn’t worth writing.
