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Sara asked this question about Fifty Words for Rain:
I'm unclear on the author's background with Japan, how she did her research, and what her qualifications are to write such a book? It feels as if this could be a story set anywhere.... and I'm curious why the author chose to set this book in Japan. Anyone?
Pearl Hart I think a better question might be why a white woman is so concerned with the qualifications of a POC author. If your concern is around cultural or r…more I think a better question might be why a white woman is so concerned with the qualifications of a POC author. If your concern is around cultural or racial sensitivity, you really have no business interrogating and arbitrating whether or not the author's qualifications are suitable. Japanese readers can do that for themselves. I assume this novel has been through rounds of sensitivity reads. Are you suggesting you know better than Japanese sensitivity readers? As it is, you're acting like a white savior and speaking for people you have no business speaking for. Furthermore, based on your responses elsewhere (now edited to be less vitriolic), you seem to be suggesting that your specific notion of an authentic Japan is the "correct" narrative. Again, if she is so wrong in her portrayals, let Japanese people speak for themselves. However, if your gripe is that she isn't portraying Japan the way you, a white woman, think it ought to be portrayed, then you really should interrogate your own culturally essentialist view of Japan. Unfortunately, being fluent in the language and literature does not preclude you from biases. As I'm sure you are aware, some of the most orientalist scholars of the 20th century were perfectly fluent in both language and cultural productions.

*EDIT*

I'd like to respond to Sara here where it's visible for anyone coming into this thread.
The problem isn’t whether Sara has experience or knowledge about Japan. The problem is the position of authority she is claiming in relationship to the story’s point of view. Even with her experience, she is not in the position to be heading this crusade about a racialized point of view. The problem with Orientalism isn’t a lack of expertise; it’s the underlying assumptions or points of view that color that expertise and create expectations about how things should be portrayed. Lafcadio Hearn lived in Japan, wrote extensively about Japan, became a Japanese citizen, changed his name, married into a samurai family, and had four half-Japanese children. He was still an Orientalist. Donald Keene is one of the most recognizable and prolific names in Japan studies. His earlier works are largely considered to be Orientalist.

I’m going to save Sara's comments so that when I teach my graduate students about how the Dunning Kreuger effect can manifest in Area Studies undergrads, I have a perfect example.(less)
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Fifty Words for Rain
by Asha Lemmie (Goodreads Author)
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