A Statement on RUN by Kody Keplinger


The Teen Librarian Toolbox and its bloggers have valued VOYA's professional contribution for years. Some of us have reviewed for VOYA and we have all benefited from the wide ranging perspectives offered in its reviews and feature articles. Between 2012 and 2014, TLT was a VOYA networked blog. Despite the link remaining on the VOYA site, that relationship has ended and TLT is now proudly networked with School Library Journal.

Teen Librarian Toolbox and its bloggers in no way condone, support, or agree with the editorial response that VOYA made to Tristina Wright regarding the problematic way bisexuality was referenced in the review of Kody Keplinger's RUN. We encourage VOYA to hear and listen to the critics of their treatment of the review and the response. We encourage VOYA to reflect on the criticisms, being mindful of the biases and prejudices--acknowledged or unacknowledged--that we all hold, and thoughtfully consider the fact that even at our most empathetic, we do not know and live the lives of others. Additionally, we encourage VOYA to consider that the lived experiences of bisexual people and the parents of genderqueer youth are valuable and should be held on a higher platform of authority than our assumptions about them, or even our presumed expert knowledge on the subjects at hand. We empathize with Tristina in her hurt at this response and assure her that we at TLT are using this public conversation to listen, learn, and strive to improve. We encourage VOYA to do the same.

You can read TLTer Amanda MacGregor's review of RUN by Kody Keplinger here: http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2016/06/book-review-run-by-kody-keplinger/

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