Book Lovers Series

Book Lovers: Episode 53

Episode 53: Yellowface

January 18, 2024


Who gets to tell what stories? It’s a question authors—and all of us—have grappled with for years now, and R. F. Kuang’s novel Yellowface digs into that question and pulls out a very sloppy and difficult main character. A skewering, funny, intense look at the publishing industry warts and all, Yellowface also digs into the messy world of female friendships, jealousy, and cultural appropriation.

In this episode, we’re talking through Kuang’s latest novel, plus sharing our feelings about improv (not great, per Jess), and catching up on Joseph’s challenge to watch all the Twilight movies.





Titles discussed:

  • Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
  • Atonement by Ian McEwan
  • the Twilight movies
  • Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
  • Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig
  • Titanic, directed by James Cameron
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
  • Erasure by Percival Everett
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce’s Ulysses by Kevin Birmingham
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • May December, directed by Todd Haynes
  • Wild Massive by Scotto Moore
  • The Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
  • Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell

 

 

Titles from the RA Corner:

  • The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
  • A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder by Mark O’Connell
  • The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • An Absolutely Remarkable Thing & A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green