In Y.A., Where Is the Line Between Criticism and Cancel Culture? | The New Yorker

Late last month, the author Kosoko Jackson withdrew the publication of his début young-adult novel, "A Place for Wolves," which had been slated for a March 26th release. The book, which follows two American boys as they fall in love against the backdrop of the Kosovo War, had garnered advance praise ("a tension-filled war setting, beautiful young love, family strength and all heart," one blurb enthused). It also had the imprimatur of the #ownvoices hashtag, in which the main characters of a book share a marginalized identity with the writer-Jackson is black and queer. But a disparaging Goodreads review, which took issue with Jackson's treatment of the war and his portrayal of Muslims, had a snowball effect, particularly on Twitter. Eventually, Jackson tweeted a letter of apology to "the Book Community," stating, "I failed to fully understand the people and the conflict that I set around my characters. I have done a disservice to the history and to the people who suffered."