Hey, everyone!
So for my second BookLook, I’ve been reading Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan. However, I will not be doing a formal review of this one for a reason I never thought I’d encounter. I’ll try to keep all of this as neutral as possible and state only what I know, as all of this has happened over two years ago.
Duncan has received some serious flack and allegations that, if true, definitely present a problem. In saying that, since I wasn’t around for the live play-by-plays (if you will) of what happened between her and a couple other authors, I don’t think I can fairly formulate an opinion on the issue.
Without going into too much detail, I’m going to state my opinions on this cancel culture we live in today. I am strongly against censorship because that sends us down dangerous roads. There are people on both sides of the fence arguing their case for why we should or shouldn’t read Duncan’s series. I will be honest and say that, since I’ve already started it, I am going to finish it–partially because I did not purchase the book to read it and therefore have not funded anything either way. I got it from my local library, so it has already been bought and printed. Secondly, there is no evidence that I found to validate the accusations. The connections are loose at best and–at the current point I’m at in the book–seem to be pointing to everyone being the “bad guys.” That can obviously change, but for now, that’s what I’m getting. Thirdly, due to how loose the connections are, I don’t have a strong qualm about consuming the work she put out. Since I’m not purchasing additional copies of the book, I feel that I can read it and enjoy it for what it is, without grasping at straws to connect it to the many social issues of today.
My big opinions: How far will we go to shun the published works of a person who has done horrible things? Look at the Harvey Weinstein scandals. Atrocious. Disgusting. Exploitative. (And proven factual.) Nonetheless, his fingerprints are all over some incredibly popular movies that I can’t see people canceling anytime soon. Resevoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction. Shakespeare in Love. Spy Kids. Kill Bill. Clerks. Scary Movie. The Hateful Eight. 47 Meters Down. The list goes on and on. The industry has essentially agreed on a stop-work with him moving forward, which is absolutely the right choice. But the movies that already exist? They’re there. Wicked Saints is no different. In addition…just a wild thought here…can’t horrible people learn from their mistakes? Can Duncan serve her time and move on? Not saying that people do learn every time, but they should be at least given a chance. If we ourselves messed up–horribly–and genuinely wanted to make things as right as we could moving forward, wouldn’t we want to be given the opportunity to do so? Now is her time to regroup and reassess her values as a person and an author, and she has received enough negativity at this point to let her know that she needs to do so if she wants to succeed.
Needless to say, I’m not going to come straight out and say if this book is or isn’t worth your time. But what I will say is to follow where your conscience leads you. If you can’t separate the art from the artist, I understand. Rip all those Weinstein movies off your DVD and Blu-Ray shelves and trash them in memoriam of all the people he hurt. Burn all those J.K. Rowling books from your collection because she made insensitive comments. Delete all those FNaF games from your Steam library because Cawthon made donations to a party you didn’t like. Just know that they’ve already made their money off you. Not to mention that the rabbit hole of boycotts will go deeper than you can imagine if you open that can of worms. The only person you can agree with 100% of the time is yourself. On the contrary, if you can separate the art from the artist, I understand. But keep in mind if you haven’t bought them that it may not be worth it to continue funding them. There are plenty of other movies, games, and books out there to consume.
It’s fully up to you to read it–or not.
