Barnes & Noble causes uproar following controversial policy

Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr.
Author Kelly Yang and Mount Holyoke student Sam Pittman ’23 critique Barnes & Noble’s 2019 policy for negative impact on marginalized authors.

Olivia Wilson ’24

Books Editor 

On Aug. 18, bestselling middle-grade fiction author Kelly Yang posted a video to her Twitter expressing her disappointment in international bookstore chain Barnes & Noble concerning their 2019 bookselling policy. According to NBC News, this policy allows for the shelving of only the top two bestselling hardcover books per publisher each season, which has led to the rejection of thousands of authors, even those who had been stocked by the company in years past. 

This is the case for Yang, who  stated in her video that the fourth novel in her award-winning “Front Desk” series, “Key Player,” was among the middle-grade books that received the ax from the bookselling conglomerate. Yang posted the video, which garnered over 300,000 views, to her Twitter page after receiving the news. The media discourse attracted immediate criticism from authors and readers alike. 

Midlist and marginalized authors were particularly impacted as thousands received the news that their books would not be displayed on Barnes & Noble shelves. Large bookselling retailers like Barnes & Noble are consequential to a book’s exposure and distribution, which contribute directly to garnering the sales needed for an author to continue writing. 

In an interview with NBC News, some authors expressed their concern that in an industry that is vastly white, cisgender and straight, stories by authors in marginalized communities are vital for young readers who wish to find books where they are represented. As this policy takes effect, that may become harder to do as authors lose bargaining power from high sales. Barnes & Noble’s decision likely means that the books that will continue to receive attention and make profit are the ones that receive mainstream attention to begin with. 

Laekan Zea Kemp — one of the affected authors — stated in an interview with NBC News that, “Straight, cis[gender], able-bodied and white-centered books” would continue to receive all of the attention, ultimately having a harmful impact on marginalized authors and readers. 

According to a 2018 study by The New York Times, only 11 percent of published books in 2018 were authored by people of color, and a 2017 study by The University of Wisconsin-Madison found that their elementary and teen book collections in 2017 contained only 3.68 percent of books that prominently feature LGBTQ+ content – less than half of which were written by LGBTQ+ authors. As this new policy continues to impact exposure and sales from marginalized communities, authors worry that the numbers of diverse books will decline. 

Mount Holyoke education studies major Sam Pittman ’23 was taken aback by the new bookselling strategy and offered another perspective on how Barnes & Noble’s policy would affect generations going forward. “I’m going to be a teacher,” Pittman said, “Something [education students] have been talking about a lot … is mirrors and windows in books, and [how] it’s important to see yourself in media and in books, but also [how] reading into other identities and experiences that are beyond your own … creates empathy and validates you.” 

“Something [education students] have been talking about a lot … is mirrors and windows in books, and [how] it’s important to see yourself in media and in books, but also [how] reading into other identities and experiences that are beyond your own … creates empathy and validates you.”

— Sam Pittman

Pittman continued by expressing their disappointment in Barnes & Noble’s new policy and the effects that it could have on students in the future. “When companies like Barnes & Noble say that only these bestsellers can be stocked, it sends a message of whose voice matters and [they’re saying] that is cis het authors who are white, because those are the people who get picked up by the] publishing companies.”

Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt stated in an interview with NBC News that he disagreed “fundamentally” with the accusations levied by critics online, and that the purpose of the new policy was to allow the company to “exercise taste in the selection of new titles” and “Send lower initial quantities to stores.” He further stated that the new policy was part of an initiative by the company to give local store buyers more of a say in the book-selection process in the hopes of boosting company sales. He asserted that any critics of the new policy, including those with concerns about how diversity would be affected by the policy were “jumping at shadows.” 

The long term effects of Barnes & Noble’s decision remain to be seen, but authors like Yang and Kemp and readers like Pittman are skeptical as to whether or not audiences in the future will be able to find books they relate to. 

“It sucks,” Pittman said, “Books that can make such a difference in someone’s life are not going to be available in a bookstore.”

Kick back this summer with these three new fiction reads

By Olivia Wilson ’24

Staff Writer

In the spirit of summer’s approach, Mount Holyoke News has compiled a list of potential beach reads. These books — all authored by women — may help keep the Mount Holyoke vibes nearby no matter how far you are from campus. 

“Book of Night” by Holly Black 

“Book of Night” is the adult fiction debut of popular young adult and middle-grade author Holly Black. It is a “modern dark fantasy,” according to Goodreads. The novel takes place in a fictionalized version of the Berkshires where shadows can be manipulated by magicians called “gloamists,” who utilize the shadows for fittingly dark purposes. According to the book’s description on Black’s website, the story follows Charlie Hall, a low-level con artist and bartender, as she tries to survive while her friends and enemies fight to steal a powerful secret. It is set to release on May 3. 

Described as a “master at world-building” by The New York Times Book Review, Holly Black grew up in New Jersey and is the author of over 30 books for young adults and middle school-aged children. Her other notable works include the beloved children’s series “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and the 2018 New York Times bestseller “The Cruel Prince.” 

According to the Odyssey Bookshop website, Black resides in New England with her husband, son and secret library. A launch party for “Book of Night” will be held at the First Congregational Church in South Hadley on May 3 at 7 p.m. 

“We Measure the Earth with our Bodies” by Tsering Yangzom Lama 

“We Measure the Earth with our Bodies” takes place over the span of 50 years and recounts the story of an exiled Tibetan family affected by political violence and colonization. Told through the perspective of four different characters, the book follows the lives of a Tibetan refugee family as they struggle to survive and keep hold of their culture amid what the BBC described as the longstanding Chinese “claim to sovereignty” over Tibet. A review by Booklist characterized the novel as “[an] achingly beautiful debut.”

According to the biography page on her website, Tsering Yangzom Lama is a Tibetan writer born and raised in Nepal who currently lives in Vancouver, Canada. Her work has appeared in numerous books, magazines and other publications. She is also the co-founder of “LhakarDiaries,” a blog for Tibetan youth living in exile. She currently works for Greenpeace International as a storytelling advisor, coaching branches of the organization around the world on how to craft narratives. “We Measure the Earth with our Bodies,” Lama’s debut novel, is set to release on May 17.

“Human Blues” by Elisa Albert 

Described as “virtuosic” and “brilliant” by The Washington Post and The New York Times, Elisa Albert’s “Human Blues” is told over the course of nine menstrual cycles. The story follows Aviva Rosner, a singer and songwriter who wants a child but is unable to get pregnant. She is wary of artificial insemination, and her decision to write her fears into her music leads to a surprising reaction from audiences. The book’s blurb on Goodreads describes it as a “bold, brainy, darkly funny” interrogation of society’s obsession with childbearing. The book is set to release on July 5. 

Elisa Albert is also the author of the short story collection “How This Night Is Different” and the novel “The Book of Dahlia,” which follows a woman dying of brain cancer. According to The Odyssey Bookshop, Albert currently lives in upstate New York.

Sequoia Nagamatsu explores life and death in a plague-stricken future in debut novel

Graphic by Sofía Savid ’24.

By Maggie Wills ’25

Staff Writer

“It seemed like everyone was walking either to or from a funeral. Death had become a way of life,” author Sequoia Nagamatsu writes in his new novel, “How High We Go in the Dark.” The book, published Jan. 18, 2022, drops readers into a futuristic reality eerily similar to our own. 

In Nagamatsu’s world, it is 2030, and researchers in Antarctica are working tirelessly to find solutions to salvage the rapidly-warming planet. Despite their efforts, the melting permafrost has released a 30,000-year-old virus that begins infecting the research team and later spreads to the rest of the world. The deadly virus, known as the “Arctic Plague,” overwhelmingly infects children, causing their specialized tissue cells to assume the identity of other tissues. Patients’ hearts develop tiny brains and their lungs slowly develop into livers. Death rates increase, as does the demand for funeral services — lists of patients needing organ transplants are endless. 

The world adapts to these changes by developing new technologies, such as human organs grown in pigs. The individuals inhabiting this world are forced to adapt. Their morals and values change as they become desensitized to death. What does not change, however, is humanity’s desire for hope and relationships. 

In each chapter, Nagamatsu introduces readers to a new individual who yearns for human connection while simultaneously navigating a life affected by the plague. Many chapters take place in the California Bay Area and Japan, but others transcend Earth and even the physical world. The scope of the book is wide, with some chapters spanning centuries. 

Each individual’s story is intricately linked to others in a way that unifies the novel. These characters grapple with their new reality and attempt to find hope and community in the darkest of times. A medical researcher mourns the loss of his son by becoming the acting father to his test-subject pig that has learned to speak; an adolescent boy connects with his mother through her prized robot dog after she dies from the virus; a close-knit cul-de-sac hosts funerals together, vowing to combine their ashes in a community urn. 

“In each chapter, Nagamatsu introduces readers to a new individual who yearns for human connection while simultaneously navigating a life affected by the plague.”

At points, the world Nagamatsu creates feels like the direction our humanity is currently heading in, which can make for a particularly unsettling reading experience. In Nagamatsu’s world, death is slowly being commodified — countless companies advertise their funeral packages and death-centered social media platforms. Constant natural disasters lead scientists to search for a new home planet with zero plans to fix the one they’ve got. 

Other stories are absolutely heartbreaking, but impossible to put down. The chapter “The Used-To-Be Party” is incredibly striking. It  is told from the perspective of a newly-widowed man, Dan, who attempts to connect with his neighbors who have also lost loved ones. He laments on his failure to be a bigger part of his daughter’s and wife’s lives, seeking to change that by hosting a cookout for his neighbors. Dan reasons that “[they] need a party to break the silence, to begin to heal.”  

According to Nagamatsu’s website, “How High We Go In The Dark” is his debut novel. He has published many works in literary magazines and penned a 2016 collection of short stories called “Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone.” He is soon publishing another novel shortly entitled “Girl Zero.” Nagamatsu lives in Minneapolis with his wife and teaches creative writing at St. Olaf College. 

In an interview with LitHub, Nagamatsu said he began writing “How High We Go In The Dark” before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He mentioned feeling apprehensive about publishing due to the subject matter, but ultimately decided that publishing the book served as a way to understand the lockdown and cope with his father’s death. 

According to Nagamatsu, the book has received mixed reviews. Some readers have found his world comforting, while others have felt it hit too close to home. 

To echo Gabino Iglesias of Locus Magazine’s thoughts on the novel, “reading [Nagamatsu’s] ‘How High We Go in the Dark’ is not always a pleasurable experience.” Nevertheless, it is an introspective and rewarding read. It invites readers to reflect on grief, sadness and hope. Despite the world seeming to grow more and more despondent, Nagamatsu reminds readers to find comfort in connection, even in the darkest of times.