Bitsy's Books
Note: I'm uploading my books from Goodreads and since there are like 200+ it's going to take awhile. The uploading seems a bit wonky too, so hang with me as I fix things. Also there may be spoilers until I can make all the appropriate tags.
I'm an ex-English Major who, sick of reading classics after college, decided to read all the trashy books I didn't before because I was too snobby. Since graduating, I've entertained myself with comics, YA, and romance novels, finding out they can not only be decently written, but superbly written. I've since recovered from my classics aversion, but I'm now more open-minded reader willing to read from any genre. If a book has kick-ass heroines and/or witty banter and/or takes place in a different time or place (including fantasy settings), I will most likely fall in love with it. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Shakespeare, E.M. Forster, Meljean Brook, Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hartman, Catherynne M. Valente, and Aliette de Bodard.
3.5 out of 5 StarsAn interesting look at prejudice and bigotry using zombies and high school. This book felt more like a contemporary YA than a paranormal one, exploring the troubles of growing-up, friendship, first love, self-discovery, and death. However, the two main characters were a Mary Sue and Gary Stu, and it was troubling that in a book about diversity and bigotry, all six main characters were white, cisgender, and straight. The two highest functioning zombies, destined to become “leaders” were blonde and blue-eyed. The one African-American zombie was one of the slower zombies and made a headdesk comment about guns. It’s a very troubling oversight in a book about bigotry and diversity.I remember pointing out how I felt that the lessons in Team Human would have served a white-protagonist better. However, complete erasure of POC or LGBT (except for a few very minor side characters, most of whom are depicted as violent and angry) is much worse and makes the book seem like a ‘white people experience -isms’ book, rather than a study of discrimination and privilege. I hardly think this was the author’s intent, but it’s especially disappointing because Waters seems very sensitive to issues and people otherwise. This left a very negative view in what I think is a high quality book.