Other criticisms have stemmed from the fact that Park is a Korean surname, not a first name. But all I could keep thinking was, Damn it! Why did he have to be Korean? Why did this boy, who is so filled with self-loathing and contempt for his heritage, have to be Korean? Why did his mother with her sing songy broken English have to be Korean? Here’s the thing, it IS a lovely little teenage love story. But then another friend of mine asked me if I had any problems with the depiction of Park and his mother and I hurriedly picked it up before my daughter could read it. I even recommended it to a friend of mine (non-Korean) who loved it. It sounded like a perfect teenage love story. Of course I was! I bought it right away for my daughter. When I first heard of the book, it was through friends who thought I’d be interested in the portrayal of a half-Korean boy. But at the same time I have developed a growing angst over this subject and I will try to put it into words for you. I admit that I’ve not been very vocal about my feelings on this book because as a fellow author, I don’t feel comfortable speaking negatively about another author’s book. YA author Ellen Oh shared her feelings in a Q&A post on Tumblr in 2014: The arguments that Eleanor & Park is racist aren’t new. They have been talking about this for a while. “Boost them and the conversations they are having. “Listen to the Asian community on this one,” McKinney tweeted. McKinney was among those who spoke out against the movie adaptation because of the book’s depiction of Park. He never embraces his Asianness, and also manages to dismiss the exotification that Asian women experience. Park himself has a lot of internalized anti-Asian hatred, and doesn’t think he’s attractive specifically because he’s Asian. Others took to Twitter as well to voice their concerns. In The Wizard of Oz - the book, not the movie - Dorothy goes to this place called the Dainty China Country, and all the people are tiny and perfect.” Stupid, beautiful Asian kid.” Another passage compares Park’s Korean mother to a doll: In a tweet, the BookTuber includes several passages from the book that focus on Park’s race. While the book is immensely popular, many have taken issue with the depiction of the male-protagonist Park who is half-Korean.Īccording to BookTuber littlewolfreads, the character Eleanor fetishizes Park. It’s Rowell’s first YA novel and was published in 2012. But many don’t want to see the movie as they say Eleanor & Park is racist and perpetuates harmful stereotypes and ideas.Įleanor & Park is a romance chronicling the story of two misfit teenagers, Eleanor and Park. Rainbow Rowell’s popular YA novel will get a big screen treatment, according to a recent announcement.

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