YELLOWFACE: Athena Liu's Stolen Manuscript

“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang revolves around the actions of June Hayward, a white author who steals the manuscript of her deceased Asian American Friend, Athena Liu, and publishes it as her own.

As the story unfolds, “Yellowface” delves into the complex issues of plagiarism, racism, and online harassment. June lies and gaslights as she attempts to explain her actions and deal with the consequences.

This was such a clever book; I devoured it. It was timely, it was funny, it was suspenseful, it was edgy.

Also, I’m not well versed in the publishing world, so I thought the representation of it and the processes that go behind making a book (beyond just writing it) was especially interesting.

Beyond being an engaging read, “Yellowface” has so many real life layers that I think would lend itself to an exceptional book club discussion. It’s the type of book that leaves you thinking even weeks after you’ve finished reading.