Thread by @karlajstrand

@HilarieAshton Thank you so much for your comments. I have been reading and watching all of the concerns about American Dirt. So, not that you asked for this, but I'd like to explain and update all where I'm at. This'll be a thread. 1/

@HilarieAshton So for January, I compiled two lists: one is a big 2020 preview and the other was a list of January releases. The focus of my lists, as you may know, is on books by women, womxn, and writers who are LGB, queer, BIPOC, immigrants, neurodivergent, fat, Indigenous, disabled, etc. 2/

@HilarieAshton I center books and writers who are historically underrepresented, debut writers, indie publishers, etc. So normally I give priority to those books and writers who haven't gotten all kinds of play and buzz in MSM. I really use my platform to call attention to the "rest of us." 3/

@HilarieAshton My point in saying all this is to explain that normally I wouldn't include a book like American Dirt because it has gotten so much hype. Which is why I didn't include it in the giant list. The problem w not including hyped books is that readers sometimes think I don't know 4/

@HilarieAshton about those books. Or often, they are really excellent and it's hard to not at least mention them, so my compromise has been to mention some of these in the intro, which is where you see I mention Am Dirt along w some others. 5/

@HilarieAshton "Masterful" was a quote from Sandra Cisneros and should've had quotation marks around it. When I look back to my copy of the article, I see I neglected to add the quotation marks, so that is on me, not my editor. Not an excuse, just an explanation. 6/

@HilarieAshton Let me be clear: I haven't read American Dirt. I have hundreds of galleys and books sent to me each year between my day job (I publish a review journal) and my freelance gigs (Ms is one of those). I read as many as I can but I simply can't read them all. 7/

@HilarieAshton When something as hyped as Am Dirt comes along, I depend on other reviews from people and outlets I trust. I also do my own research. I went to Cummins' website, social media, read reviews, etc. It was hard not to make the determination that it wasn't as great as others said. 8/

@HilarieAshton I did not see the 2 negative reviews that I have seen in the last few days. I had hundreds of other books to consider, so I trusted the reviews I saw, decided to add the book to the intro and not give it it's own spot on the list. I also decided to put it on the Jan list. 9/

@HilarieAshton When I read the concerns about the book, I contacted my editor and we decided to take it off of the January list. I also requested she remove it from the intro of the 2020 Preview, which I'm not sure she's gotten to yet. It will also be removed from the Jan graphic come Tues. 10/

@HilarieAshton I apologize for including the book. With my current methodology (including some books that I haven't read based on other reviews, description, reputation of the writer/publisher, skimming the ARC, etc.) I am uncertain how I could've avoided. 11/

@HilarieAshton That being said, I am reflecting on how I might amend my methodology in order for this not to happen again. It goes against everything I do with these lists, my writing in general, and my library job, so I absolutely want to apologize and learn from my mistake. 12/

@HilarieAshton Perhaps I can only include books I've read or I spend even more time on deeper research (which would make the lists smaller, but maybe that's the way to go). Maybe I need to put a disclaimer on the lists or the ones I haven't read. I am 100% open to suggestions. 13/

@HilarieAshton I should specify that I did not know that Ms. was considering a review in the print magazine. I write the "Bookmarks" column in the print and have very little to do w the reviews beyond suggesting books I may come across. So I can't speak to de Serrano's experience w Ms. 14/

@HilarieAshton But I do stand behind Ms, the work they do, & the work I do w them. I just can't answer for them as I am a contracted freelancer, not an employee. I'm grateful for the platform they give work I used to just do on my own little blog, love that it reaches a wider audience. 15/

@HilarieAshton So, again, I'm sorry to include such a problematic book on one of my lists. My editor and I are working to fix it, and I will do better in the future. I am always open to suggestions, feedback, questions, etc. I know this was long but I appreciate you voicing your concerns. 16/16

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