How To Excavate A Heart

One of the most significant happenings this winter for people even peripherally involved in publishing – be they agents, writers, editors, Instagrammers or book bloggers – was the Harper Collins Union strike. It was inspiring to see these workers unite to demand the pay and working conditions they deserve, but it was also a very confusing time to be a book reviewer. As a writer, my role in all this was simple. Don’t submit books to Harper Collins and related imprints. As a blogger, the waters were more murky. Harper Collins imprints still released books as scheduled. Per the union, writers were allowed to promo their own books. The union also specifically asked that readers not boycott as this would harm writers. A link was made available through their bookshop so that purchases would send some money to support the union workers. However, they asked bloggers and reviewers to withhold reviews of these books and they included hobbyists in this as well as trade reviews.

There was a huge kerfuffle amongst reviewers who really wanted to support the union and had to find a way to meet this request. Many of us had solicited arcs before the strike and made commitments we now had to break. There was also a brief moment in time where it was unclear that content from related imprints like Carina Press and Harlequin was also restricted, as there was an erroneous communication released saying it was OK to review those books. Some bloggers accidentally posted reviews from those imprints. Finding out they inadvertently broke the strike request was horrifying. We all wanted to do the right thing by the union, and the panic was high that we would make a misstep. Therefore, many chose to chuck Harper arcs and reader copies unread. People dumped books from their NetGalley and Edelweiss dashboards because having those reviews hanging over their heads was both panic inducing and prevented them from getting arcs from other publishers. Not to mention, TBRs are huge. Nobody was willing to invest in reading a book for review without knowing when they would actually be able to review.

Throughout, the authors were tremendous. Nobody chased after us or asked bloggers to review their books. Many actively reminded us not to do so. It was a beautiful act of solidarity in the face of watching a dream they have likely worked towards for years, being affected by factors way outside their control.

 I do not doubt that withholding reviews was the right thing. The union asked and it was our job to support them. But now that the dust has settled, we bloggers and tokkers and grammers, need to step up and support our creators. This includes both the authors AND the Harper employees that worked on these books and purchased them because they loved them. The blogging mindset favors the hot and the new because this translates to likes and page views and shares. Luckily, BookishlyJewish has never bought into that dogma. Focusing only on the new and believing a book is dead if its week one sales are not huge reflects some of the most toxic attitudes of the publishing industry. What it does not reflect are actual reader habits and needs.

Readers want good books. They don’t care when they were released or how many pre-orders were obtained. Which is why BookishlyJewish was founded on the principle of including both frontlist and backlist on our pages. Therefore, I think it’s high time we go back and feature some of the books released during the strike that we were unable to review at the time. Because these books are evergreen. They do not spoil like fruit. There is no time frame after which a review isn’t useful.

I’d like to start with How to Excavate A Heart by Jake Maia Arlow. If ever there were book characters that would support a strike, it is the protagonists of this queer Jewish romcom. Shani is a not-fully-out queer college freshman fleeing home and a bad break up to start an internship in DC. Unfortunately, she’s so eager to get out of her moms house and avoid talking about her relationship, their car runs right into May, the daughter of a local celebrity weatherman. Barely avoided vehicular homicide aside, these are the two most socially conscious, gentle characters I could ever hope to meet.

 Shani is interning in an ichthyology lab, introducing us to the delightful world of fossil fish and the not as delightful world of the barriers marginalized individuals face in science. She also has a massive communication block as she herself does not fully realize the trauma her ex girlfriend subjected her to. Meanwhile, May, who is unaware of any of these issues, stands up for herself in a way I wish more young people did in relationships. She exhibits a quiet dignity, unwilling to be mistreated. She is not vindictive. She simply refuses to stick around for abuse and lack of honesty. When these two finally do talk, the resolution is fully in line with the socially conscious and humane character traits that we have seen them exhibit all throughout their DC adventures. 

Shani and May would have joined the Harper Collins picket line in the blink of an eye. But they are fictional, and I am real, so I’m here to stand up for their values and those of their author who stood by the strike the entire time. There is no need for this heartfelt, unique, and charming book to be forgotten due to the timing of its release. In fact, this book is an emblem of why the strike was so important.

May and Shani are both Jewish. As part of the book they hang out together watching movies on Jewmas, because Christmas is not a holiday they celebrate. Yet, because the people at the publishing house most familiar with their story were striking around release, the title was accidentally changed to lump it together with Christmas stories. This huge affront to the identity of the story was quickly corrected, but the event underscores the importance of in house editors and marketers that are invested in a book and understand the authors intentions. If we want these people – we actually have to pay them! Shocking, I know.

The union win was a win for us all. Fair pay will lead to better books for readers and improved services for writers. But the work of reviewers and bloggers is only just beginning. Dig up those arcs, just as Shani digs up fossils in a very memorable dumpster scene in the book. Give these books the time they deserve. It’s the best way to support the editors and writers who invested their time in these stories.

Find It: GoodReads | Bookshop | Amazon

BookishlyJewish received an e-arc of this story without strings attached because the author kindly made them available to Jewish reviewers.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.