{"id":6670,"date":"2026-10-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev95.site\/the-biggest-literary-controversies-of-the-last-15-years-part-1\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:00:00","slug":"the-biggest-literary-controversies-of-the-last-15-years-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev95.site\/ar\/the-biggest-literary-controversies-of-the-last-15-years-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Literary Controversies of the Last 15 Years: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"dev95-615143625\" class=\"dev95-- dev95-entity-placement\"><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl27862732.profitableratecpmnetwork.com\/2ad7a50e0bbc23ac6801d7b77c501463\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-2ad7a50e0bbc23ac6801d7b77c501463\"><\/div><\/div><div id=\"dev95-3545816392\" class=\"dev95-before-content dev95-entity-placement\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Stop wasting time on dead links! \ud83d\uded1 This smart platform automatically detects your device and country to give you the exact best offer instantly. Check it out now 100% free! \ud83d\udc47<\/strong><br data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-pl=\"|||[]\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif, &quot;Noto Color Emoji&quot;; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.profitableratecpmnetwork.com\/pvhx5mbcc?key=ff7d362db3c20bc86fad685cc94f1fc4\">\ud83d\udd17 <strong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-complete=\"true\" aria-owns=\"action-menu-parent-container\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif, &quot;Noto Color Emoji&quot;; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\">[Click here]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Light the candles and roll out the red carpet: today is our 15th anniversary at Book Riot! All month long, we\u2019ll be looking back on the last 15 years in books and publishing, and you\u2019re invited to join us on a book nerd Eras Tour of sorts. <\/p><div id=\"dev95-3309337833\" class=\"dev95- dev95-entity-placement\"><center>\r\n<script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '4ba6b6513c00e0ba76511f798ae56401',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 50,\r\n    'width' : 320,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highrevenueformat.com\/4ba6b6513c00e0ba76511f798ae56401\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n\t<\/center><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To stay in the know and up to date, be sure you follow us on social (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bookriot\">@BookRiot<\/a> everywhere), subscribe to the <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/book-riot-newsletter\/\">Book Riot Newsletter<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/listen\/shows\/thepodcast\/\">Book Riot Podcast<\/a>, and visit us here at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bookriot.com\/\">BookRiot.com<\/a> for all of our 15th anniversary content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re kicking things off with a hop in the time machine for a look at the biggest literary controversies of the last 15 years. The events we\u2019ll cover run the gamut from fun and frivolous to serious and sobering, from breaking news that changed the industry to stories that lit up the staff chat and gave us a good laugh. We\u2019ll give a rundown of each event followed by commentary from Book Riot Staff: Jeff O\u2019Neal (JO), Rebecca Schinsky (RJS), Sharifah Williams (SZW), Vanessa Diaz (VD), Kelly Jensen (KJ), Danika Ellis (DE), and Erica Ezeifedi (EE).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To the time machine!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The National Book Awards Announce Wrong Title and Ask Wronged Author to Withdraw (2011)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest literary awards presented to books for young readers is the National Book Award. Imagine, though, what happens when the wrong book is announced as part of the award\u2019s short list. That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/lauren-myracle-withdraws-national-book-awards_n_1015649\">went down in 2011<\/a>, when author Lauren Myracle learned her novel <em><a product-id=\"0810984172\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fshine_lauren-myracle%2F340141%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Shine\" data-publisher=\"Harry N. Abrams\" data-releasedate=\"2011-05-01\" data-ean=\"9780810984172\" data-asin=\"0810984172\" data-author=\"Myracle, Lauren\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Shine<\/a><\/em> landed on the short list. Unfortunately for Myracle, it wasn\u2019t her book that earned that spot. It was a similarly-sounding book by Franny Billingsley called <em><a product-id=\"0142420921\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fchime_franny-billingsley%2F451911%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Chime\" data-publisher=\"Penguin Young Readers Group\" data-releasedate=\"2012-04-12\" data-ean=\"9780142420928\" data-asin=\"0142420921\" data-author=\"Billingsley, Franny\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Chime<\/a><\/em>. National Book Foundation staff had misheard the title of the book, but the error wasn\u2019t caught until the announcements were made.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon realizing what happened, the National Book Awards elected to keep <em>Shine<\/em> on the list, but they then added <em>Chime<\/em>, creating a short list of six titles for the Young People\u2019s Literature category for the first time after. But that wouldn\u2019t be the end of the story. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One week later, officials with the National Book Awards asked Myracle to withdraw her title in order to maintain the integrity of the judges\u2019 initial decisions. Disappointed after a week of ups and downs\u2014going from being a finalist for such a prestigious award, to learning that her book wasn\u2019t actually one of the finalists, to her book being considered a finalist because of the error, to then being asked to remove her title from consideration\u2014Myracle agreed, but with a request. She asked the National Book Awards to donate $5,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\/pw\/by-topic\/childrens\/childrens-industry-news\/article\/49143-shine-withdrawn-as-nba-young-people-s-literature-nominee.html\">They agreed<\/a>. Myracle\u2019s supporters, including those who were introduced to her through this error, not only helped increase sales of her books, but they developed a hashtag campaign on Twitter, #isupportshine, to raise its profile even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is a reminder of how important it is to <em>write the things down<\/em> when you plan on sharing them aurally. Also what a time capsule of YA book covers between <em>Shine<\/em> and <em>Chime<\/em> <em>\u2013 KJ\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Clearly, the organizers\/presenters for the Best Picture award at the 89th Academy Awards did not know of this event. <em>\u2013 JO<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Pulitzer for Fiction Awarded (2012)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction is\u2026nobody. It wasn\u2019t the first year the prize went unawarded, but it was the first time it had happened in 35 years. Jurors select the final books that go to the Pulitzer board for a vote, but when no book gets a majority of the votes, no book wins. The three books up for nomination that year were:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a product-id=\"0307276686\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fswamplandia_karen-russell%2F251006%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Swamplandia! (Vintage Contemporaries)\" data-publisher=\"Vintage\" data-releasedate=\"2011-07-26\" data-ean=\"9780307276681\" data-asin=\"0307276686\" data-author=\"Russell, Karen\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Swamplandia<\/a><\/em> by Karen Russell: This was Russell\u2019s debut and a big deal that it was up for consideration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The Pale King<\/em> by David Foster Wallace: This was Wallace\u2019s posthumous final novel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a product-id=\"1250007658\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Ftrain-dreams_denis-johnson%2F260257%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Train Dreams\" data-publisher=\"Picador Paper\" data-releasedate=\"2012-05-22\" data-ean=\"9781250007650\" data-asin=\"1250007658\" data-author=\"Johnson, Denis\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Train Dreams<\/a><\/em> by Denis Johnson: Johnson\u2019s novella was adapted into a critically acclaimed film of the same name in 2025.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The literary world could not stop talking about and dissecting the premise that 2012 had produced no great American novel. At the time, we rounded up some <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/the-9-smartest-things-said-about-the-non-pulitzer\/\">highlights of the 2012 Pulitzer controversy<\/a>. Here\u2019s what Ann Patchett had to say about it over at <em>The New York Times:<\/em> \u201cThe Pulitzer Prize is our best chance as writers and readers and booksellers to celebrate fiction. This was the year we all lost.\u201d Ouch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The non-selection also drew a critical eye to the selection process:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u2026let me also just note that the report that the three-person jury \u201cread about 300 novels each over the course of six months\u201d is, of course, ludicrous. This would require reading almost two books a day, seven days a week, for those entire six months while also being, at least in the case of Maureen Corrigan, a professor of English at Georgetown. Bullshit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013  John Warner, at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.themorningnews.org\/article\/a-coalition-of-dunces\">The Morning News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of these authors faded into obscurity after the non-selection of 2012. In fact, they were the talk of the town.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The fiction Pulitzer going to nobody was one of the first literary controversies that came to mind because the uproar it created is what made me start paying closer attention to literary awards. I\u2019ve always been an avid reader, but the way people flew off the handle about this loss taught me a lot about why people in the world of books and publishing get so invested in major literary awards. Also, I cannot believe no Pulitzer Prize in Fiction was awarded the year <em>The Bluest Eye<\/em> by Toni Morrison was published.\n<p>Non-awards are the biggest own-goal in the whole literary\/publishing racket. This shouldn\u2019t be allowed. <em>\u2013 JO<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"B0GYRNGMJR\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fgone-girl_gillian-flynn%2F306476%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"Gone Girl (Special Edition): A Novel\" data-publisher=\"Ballantine Books\" data-releasedate=\"2026-08-25\" data-author=\"Flynn, Gillian\" data-ean=\"9798217374847\" data-asin=\"B0GYRNGMJR\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Gone Girl<\/a><\/em> was sitting right there! A miscarriage of literary justice on several levels. <em><em>\u2013 <\/em>RJS<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jeffrey Eugenides\u2019s Vest, Which Launched a Spoof and Its Own Twitter Account (2012)\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a story from Peak Book Twitter. In October 2011, just as Book Riot was being born, Jeffrey Eugenides was on one hell of a promotional tour for his novel <em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"125001476X\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fthe-marriage-plot_jeffrey-eugenides%2F251473%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"The Marriage Plot: A Novel\" data-publisher=\"Picador\" data-releasedate=\"2012-09-04\" data-author=\"Eugenides, Jeffrey\" data-ean=\"9781250014764\" data-asin=\"125001476X\" class=\"rnmg-book\">The Marriage Plot<\/a><\/em>. Eugenides was a big deal at the time; his previous books <em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"1250303540\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fthe-virgin-suicides_jeffrey-eugenides%2F249973%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"The Virgin Suicides: A Novel (Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition) (Picador Modern Classics, 2)\" data-publisher=\"Picador Paper\" data-releasedate=\"2018-10-02\" data-author=\"Eugenides, Jeffrey\" data-ean=\"9781250303547\" data-asin=\"1250303540\" class=\"rnmg-book\">The Virgin Suicides<\/a><\/em> and <em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"0312427735\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fmiddlesex_jeffrey-eugenides%2F250296%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)\" data-publisher=\"Picador\" data-releasedate=\"2002-06-05\" data-author=\"Jeffrey Eugenides\" data-ean=\"9780312427733\" data-asin=\"0312427735\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Middlesex<\/a><\/em> had both scored the rarest combination of critical acclaim and commercial success, and publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux had its hopes up and its wallet open. Which is how Eugenides found himself <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/news\/articles\/reasonstoloveny\/2011\/jeffrey-eugenides\/\">on a billboard in Times Square<\/a> sporting \u201ca silly floral-print button-down (Paul Smith!), his \u2018signature\u2019 Shakespearean goatee, and a woven-fabric charcoal vest\u201d unbuttoned and flying like Tyra Banks had pointed a wind machine at it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Was Eugenides in on the joke, or was he the joke? The ad campaign was a great Rorschach test for the internet literati. <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/top-5-fake-bookish-twitter-feeds-i-wish-existed\/\">The vest got its own Twitter <\/a>account (@<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EugenidesVest\">EugenidesVest<\/a>). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/culture\/2012\/06\/will-eudenides-vest-sell-jennifer-weiners-new-book\/326447\/\">Jennifer Weiner parodied it<\/a> in an ad for her book <em>The Next Best Thing<\/em>, a move that author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2012\/06\/29\/the_vest_plot_weiner_pokes_fun_at_eugenides_ad\/\">Jami Attenberg described<\/a> as \u201cpretty insidery\u201d but\u00a0 \u201cfreaking hilarious\u201d regardless.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pour one out for the days when the internet was fun and publishers had money to burn. No way this ad was ROI-positive on any metric except joy. <em>\u2014 RJS<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We need more <em>fun<\/em>, unhinged moments like this in publishing. <em>\u2013 SZW<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is the second time this month I\u2019ve gotten a kick out of a famous American author and his <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-gossipy-writer-who-spilled-too-much-tea\/id647720354?i=1000791252872\">slutty little vest<\/a> (21:08) <em>\u2014 VD<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From The Big Six to the Big Five in Publishing (2013)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It might be hard to remember, but there was a time when New York City\u2019s publishing giants were referred to as the Big Six\u2013Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon &amp; Schuster. But in 2013, they became the Big Five when Random House and Penguin completed their merger into one giant publisher.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.libraryjournal.com\/story\/now-there-are-5\">Industry experts<\/a> worried about the merger creating a giant conglomerate, and that each of the publishers would lose their unique identities in the process and create a monopoly in the market. One in every four books published in English would be published by the mega-publisher with the merger. Penguin Random House officials, on the other hand, said this would help the publisher better meet demands for digital books, as well as fight back against Amazon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2021, the publishing world was rocked by the news that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/25\/books\/simon-schuster-penguin-random-house.html\">Penguin Random House wanted to acquire Simon &amp; Schuster<\/a>, too\u2014but that move was <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/prh-merger-is-dead-in-the-water\/\">blocked by a federal judge in late 2022<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It should never be forgotten that there was a missed opportunity in naming the mega-publisher Random Penguin House.\u00a0 <em>\u2013 KJ<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you would have asked me how many Big X houses we would have in 2026 right when this news broke, I think I would have made the over\/under 3. <em>\u2013<\/em> JO<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Yassification of <em>Anne of Green Gables<\/em> (2013)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First of all, the title of this <em>Vice<\/em> article talking about this controversy is egregious: \u201c<em>Anne of Green Gables Is Now Totally Boneable<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And just like that, my childhood and sense of self are irrevocably tainted. <em>Eeyuckk<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But yes, in 2013, someone thought that a new edition of <em><a product-id=\"055321313X\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fanne-of-green-gables_lm-montgomery%2F258962%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Anne of Green Gables\" data-publisher=\"Bantam Books (Classics)\" data-releasedate=\"1982-05-01\" data-ean=\"9780553213133\" data-asin=\"055321313X\" data-author=\"Montgomery, L. M.\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Anne of Green Gables<\/a><\/em> by L.M. Montgomery needed a new cover, and that that cover would be a young woman posted up in a plaid shirt and a sultry pose with blonde hair, not the iconic red we\u2019re used to Anne having. Mind you, in case you don\u2019t remember, Anne is a very young girl in the series. And who might commit such an atrocity, you might wonder? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/entertainment\/books\/anne-of-green-gables-fans-blast-new-blond-version\/article_26545188-1440-5545-9703-1dc5c166835c.html\">A self-publisher through Amazon\u2019s CreateSpace self-publishing program<\/a>. We can just add this to the list of crimes Bezos will have to answer for.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to all of that, looking back at the articles written about the matter to refresh my memory gave me a bit of whiplash, partially because the cover is atrocious, but also because of people\u2019s responses to it. One person said the cover was giving \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/entertainment\/books\/anne-of-green-gables-fans-blast-new-blond-version\/article_26545188-1440-5545-9703-1dc5c166835c.html\">kiddy pageant tramp<\/a>,\u201d while another said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/anne-of-green-gables-is-now-totally-boneable-now\/\">\u201cThat whore is not Anne of Green fucking Gables<\/a>.\u201d Big yikes.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Now, who cleared that \u201cboneable\u201d line? Whomst?! <em>\u2013 VD<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">BookCon Featuring More Cats than Authors of Color (2014)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2014, BookCon, which was a fan-oriented event at the time loosely aligned with Book Expo America, released <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/readers-bookcon-diversity-book-expo-america\/\">the slate of authors making an appearance at the show<\/a>. And all 30 of the featured human guests (more on this in a second) were white. There was one non-human in the line-up: Grumpy Cat. This led to understandable and transformative pushback (and far less significantly, me being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/05\/28\/books\/bookexpo-keeps-it-breezy.html\">quoted in the New York Times for a tweet<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The organization <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/close-reading-bookcons-statement\/\">released a statement that was as tone-deaf as it was evasive,<\/a> which only brought more attention to the stunning lack of diversity at the event and in the wider industry. In many ways, this was a flashpoint for still ongoing conversations, efforts, and issues with increasing representation in all phases of the book industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We Need Diverse Books, which was born directly from this situation, has been around almost as long as BookCon has now. What an incredibly needed organization not only for young people\u2019s literature but for books, period. <em>\u2013 KJ<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I wish I could say that more than a decade later, all-white panels and literary events featuring hardly any BIPOC voices was a rarity, but if there\u2019s any silver lining here, it\u2019s that this debacle was put on blast. I wasn\u2019t part of the Book Riot team when it happened, but I\u2019m so proud that we were among the loudest voices pushing back. <em>\u2013 SZW<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Every Few Years, Everyone Hates Jonathan Franzen (2015)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try as he might, Jonathan Franzen just can\u2019t avoid feeding the trolls.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It started in 2001, when Oprah selected Franzen\u2019s breakout third novel <em><a product-id=\"1250824028\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fthe-corrections-a-novel-25th-anniversary-edition%2F57636214%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Corrections\" data-publisher=\"Picador Paper\" data-releasedate=\"2021-10-12\" data-ean=\"9781250824028\" data-asin=\"1250824028\" data-author=\"Franzen, Jonathan\" class=\"rnmg-book\">The Corrections<\/a><\/em> for her book club, which was then at the peak of its bookselling powers. Rather than warming up to backstroke through a flood of cash like Scrooge McDuck, the newly-minted superstar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2001\/10\/29\/books\/oprah-gaffe-by-franzen-draws-ire-and-sales.html\">balked at appearing on <em>Oprah<\/em><\/a> because he was concerned that such an act would not be aligned with \u201cthe high-art literary tradition\u201d and that the Oprah\u2019s Book Club sticker might put off male readers. Always a class act, Lady O stood by her book rec but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\/pw\/print\/20011029\/39360-oprah-author-disinvited-from-show.html\">quietly revoked the invitation<\/a>. Franzen went on to win the Pulitzer and learned to be (a little bit) cagier with his public commentary.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jump to 2010. Franzen\u2019s novel <em><a product-id=\"1250823994\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Ffreedom-by-jonathan-franzen%2F246340%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" data-title=\"Freedom\" data-publisher=\"Picador Paper\" data-releasedate=\"2021-10-12\" data-ean=\"9781250823991\" data-asin=\"1250823994\" data-author=\"Franzen, Jonathan\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Freedom<\/a><\/em> was flying off shelves. <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/archive\/6597465\/jonathan-franzen-great-american-novelist\/\">He was hailed as \u201cGreat American Novelist\u201d on the cover of TIME<\/a>, the first writer to grace the magazine\u2019s cover in a decade (Stephen King preceded him in 2000). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/culture\/2010\/12\/the-corrections-oprah-and-jonathan-franzen-revisit-feud\">He and Oprah squashed the beef<\/a>, and he appeared on her show. Jonathan Franzen was back IN, and that was exactly the problem. Female authors fed with up with structural sexism in book media noticed the rave reviews and fawning features for Franzen and began pushing for more equitable coverage. Franzen was a symptom, not the cause, but he made for good branding. Enter Jennifer Weiner (she really was everywhere, y\u2019all) who <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/human-interest\/2010\/09\/is-the-new-york-times-book-section-really-a-boys-club.html\">coined the term \u201cFranzenfreude\u201d<\/a> to describe \u201ctaking pain in the multiple and copious reviews being showered on Jonathan Franzen.\u201d A hashtag and a movement were born, and one Book Riot contributor <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/why-arent-jennifer-weiner-and-jodi-picoult-pissed-at-jeffrey-eugenides\/\">wondered why Weiner and her compatriot Jodi Picoult weren\u2019t also mad at Jeffrey Eugenides<\/a> and his infamous vest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2015, just a few years after declaring that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2012\/mar\/07\/jonathan-franzen-calls-twitter-irresponsible\">\u201cTwitter is the ultimate irresponsible medium,\u201d<\/a> (where\u2019s the lie?), Franzen once again dropped takes and made waves on tour for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Purity-Novel-Jonathan-Franzen\/dp\/1250824036\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cWV9ODKIPlo3w9GkKesGTQo1Hm7PL5RBhjtzqOSNZ6M.T5UyVTVyVUzUGxou8eUxS6xoOZVimuCBPKVedGRMYiM&amp;qid=1790812330&amp;sr=1-1\" data-asin=\"1250824036\" data-title=\"Purity\" data-author=\"Franzen, Jonathan\" data-ean=\"9781250824035\">Purity,<\/a><\/em> where his comments about race, birds, and the idea of adopting an Iraqi orphan set keyboards aflame.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anti-Franzen commentary has quieted in the dozen years since <em>Purity<\/em>\u2014maybe since his 2021 novel <em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"1250858704\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fcrossroads-a-novel-a-key-to-all-mythologies-volume-1_jonathan-franzen%2F27227414%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"Crossroads (Key to All Mythologies, 1)\" data-publisher=\"Picador Paper\" data-releasedate=\"2022-10-04\" data-author=\"Franzen, Jonathan\" data-ean=\"9781250858702\" data-asin=\"1250858704\" class=\"rnmg-book\">Crossroads<\/a><\/em> was met with mixed reviews\u2014but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2026\/sep\/19\/jonathan-franzen-its-still-mysterious-to-me-that-i-was-angry-for-so-long\">Franzen is getting back out there<\/a> as he wraps up writing a long-awaited adaptation of <em>The Corrections<\/em>, which will star Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=plgbxkIuvZM\">recently revisited <em>The Corrections<\/em><\/a>, I\u2019m willing to drop perhaps the hottest take of all: Jonathan Franzen was right about (almost) everything. <em>\u2013 RJS<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With all love and respect to the great Oprah Winfrey, she, too, must answer for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/oprah-winfrey-responds-criticism-dr-oz-dr-phil-big-breaks-12059064\">her crimes<\/a>! <em>\u2013 VD<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Elena Ferrante\u2019s Identity \u201cRevealed\u201d (2016)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a minute there, we thought we knew Elena Ferrante\u2019s identity, but the author of The Neapolitan Novels remains one of literature\u2019s great mysteries. In 2016, Italian journalist Claudio Gatti claimed he used forensic accounting to trace Ferrante\u2019s money trail to one Anita Raja, a translator living in Rome. This is why Raja\u2019s image pops right up at the top of searches about Elena Ferrante\u2019s identity and perhaps why her face is unwittingly what you see when you think of the author. It sounded like a stretch even then, but the claim was published by <em>The New York Review of Books<\/em> and gained significant traction. Comparisons between Raja\u2019s life and what <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/who-is-elena-ferrante\/\">autobiographical details<\/a> Ferrante offered readers caused an uproar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If what Gatti was claiming was true, Ferrante\u2019s real-life connection to her literary work was a lie. It was enough to give a Ferrante acolyte an existential crisis, but most fans didn\u2019t need to know who she was in the first place. Writing for <em>The New Yorker<\/em> shortly after the sensational story published, Alexandra Schwartz brought up this deeper point of friction produced by the claim, concerning an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/cultural-comment\/the-unmasking-of-elena-ferrante\">author\u2019s right not to be known<\/a>. Ferrante has made her desire for anonymity clear and the desperate attempt to unmask her read like a cheap publicity stunt.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I\u2019m still not sure where I land on this. On the one hand, Ferrante clearly doesn\u2019t want their identity known. On the other, they are publishing hugely successful and influential novels and are now part of history. As time goes on, this seems more like real news and less like gotcha journalism. <em>\u2013 JO<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Let her live in anonymity! And I do mean <em>her<\/em>, specifically. Anyone who thinks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2015\/sep\/02\/elena-ferrante-speculation-she-could-be-man-italian-novelist\">a man wrote these books<\/a>? Straight to jail. <em>\u2013RJS<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Author Who Cheated Her Way to the Top of the New York Times Bestsellers List (2017)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 2017, Twitter went abuzz over a new book landing at the coveted #1 position on <em>The New York Times<\/em> Bestsellers list for Young Adult Fiction. No one had ever heard of <em>Handbook for Morals<\/em> by Lani Sarem, and bypassing the 25-week reigning #1 title, <a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"0062498541\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fthe-hate-u-give_angie-thomas%2F13522718%2Fitem%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"The Hate U Give: A Story About Police Violence, Racism, and Speaking Out\" data-publisher=\"Clarion Books\" data-releasedate=\"2022-05-03\" data-author=\"Thomas, Angie\" data-ean=\"9780062498540\" data-asin=\"0062498541\" class=\"rnmg-book\"><em>The Hate U Give<\/em> <\/a>by Angie Thomas, was hard for many to believe. Turns out that skepticism had merit. YA author Phil Stamper <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/how-ya-twitter-took-down-a-best-seller-pretender\/\">began asking questions about the book\u2019s origins<\/a>\u2013a small website named GeekNation\u2013and why it was unavailable to purchase from the major book retail websites. What unraveled was a scheme by the publisher and author to bulk purchase the title from bookstores that report sales for New York Times list reporting. It wasn\u2019t long before the book was removed from the Times list, with the list issuing a rare correction with the next week\u2019s list.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It turns out that Sarem had a long history of wild storytelling that only made <strong>her<\/strong> story far more interesting than the poorly written and edited book she cheated to the top of the NYT list. This not only had a 23-hour bestseller, it had Carrot Top, N*Sync, Wayne Newton, and more,\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an era where it was easy to write off the YA community on social media as drama, this story was a reminder that the YA community cares deeply about young adult literature.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This story was wild, start to finish, but one of my favorite aspects of this was one with a good ending. Sarem was the former manager of the band Blues Traveler, and I connected with Blues Traveler on Twitter while this story was playing out. I was trying to help fund classrooms across the country seeking books via DonorsChoose, and I asked whoever was behind the Blues Traveler account if they\u2019d consider making a donation to an El Paso classroom. Not only did they make a donation, <a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/books\/2017\/08\/25\/blues-traveler-john-popper-handbook-for-mortals-justice-was-done\/\">they fully funded the classroom<\/a>. (I also was a guest <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/2W4GvY0GB1gdDaA4IMx4uR\">on an episode of Worst Best Sellers<\/a> talking about the experience of reading the book and spoiler: it was not good) <em>\u2013 KJ<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is wild that we are just OK with the secret incantation that the NYT uses to come up with its lists. \u201cNYT bestseller\u201d is marketing gold and it is a proprietary, secret, and flawed. Not awesome. <em>\u2013 JO<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Let this be your (and my) reminder to live life with at least 50% more audacity. <em>\u2014VD<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Dick Soap Incident (2018)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you think of the sorts of goods you might receive in a bookish subscription box, you\u2019d probably expect a signed book plate, a pen or pencil, maybe a pin or bookmark, or a jazzy little sticker. But once upon a time in 2018, a romance-themed book box got a little edgy with it: mixed in with a book sleeve, a pillow case, some lip balm, fanfic, and an art print was a sexy, soapy surprise: soap in the shape of a phallus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dick soap. The box had <a href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/acotar-fandom-box\/\">dick soap<\/a>. Though as one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/jennaguillaume\/dick-soap-in-a-box?utm_term=.jyd0azm2rN#.rnkoErWnye\">BuzzFeed<\/a>\u00a0 writer made sure to clarify: \u201cIt\u2019s soap that looks like a dick, not soap for your dick, fyi.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The internet had some pretty predictable feelings about this sudsy scandal. Mixed in with the camp of folks looking gleefully forward to bathtime (rock on) were a whole bunch of people clutching their pearls. Most of the naysayers taking issue with the inclusion of such adult ablutionary agents found it problematic because of the fandom this box was (unofficially) for: Sarah J. Maas\u2019 <em><a title=\"Buy from Thriftbooks\" product-id=\"1635575567\" href=\"https:\/\/bookriot.com\/p\/click\/camref:1101lkCeo\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thriftbooks.com%2Fw%2Fa-court-of-thorns-and-roses%2F9280355%2F?partner=thriftbooks\" target=\"_blank\" nofollow=\"nofollow\" data-title=\"A Court of Thorns and Roses\" data-publisher=\"Bloomsbury Publishing\" data-releasedate=\"2020-06-02\" data-author=\"Maas, Sarah J.\" data-ean=\"9781635575569\" data-asin=\"1635575567\" class=\"rnmg-book\">A Court of Thorns and Roses<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These books are famously on the smuttier side, and contrary to what was at least then popular belief, the series is not Young Adult. And even if it were YA, the subscription box was very much marketed to adults.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find yourself in want of a fun and frivolous rabbithole, this one is one of the sillier kerfuffles we\u2019ve covered in our 15-year history.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staff Commentary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Look, the world was (and is) on fire. If you like to get clean while you feel a lil\u2019 dirty, go ahead and get your soap on<em>. \u2014VD<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I wonder if this would make headlines in 2026: online reading culture has gotten so much hornier since then. (We can probably thank BookTok for that.)<em> \u2014DE<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_6670\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"6670\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon large\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev95.site\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"dev95-2858409987\" class=\"dev95-after-content dev95-entity-placement\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Finally, a link that actually works for your region and device! \ud83c\udf0d Get instant access to the top exclusive offers tailored just for you right now. Don&#8217;t miss out, click here! \ud83d\udc47<\/strong><br data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-pl=\"|||[]\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif, &quot;Noto Color Emoji&quot;; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.profitableratecpmnetwork.com\/uzeja8ahze?key=bc876be53d6ad0ff6370ab8ea030e479\"><strong>\ud83d\udd17 [Click here]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Light the candles and roll out the red carpet: today is our 15th anniversary at Book Riot! All month long, we\u2019ll be looking back on the last 15 years in books and publishing, and you\u2019re invited to join us on<\/p>\n<div class=\"hosteria-entry-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dev95.site\/ar\/the-biggest-literary-controversies-of-the-last-15-years-part-1\/\" class=\"no-underline font-light  group-hover:text-primary-800 dark:group-hover:text-primary-300 py-1\">Read more &gt;&gt;&gt;<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_6670\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only\" data-element-id=\"6670\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon large\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/dev95.site\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fp_fajr_begins":"","fp_fajr_iqamah":"","fp_dhuhr_begins":"","fp_dhuhr_iqamah":"","fp_asr_begins":"","fp_asr_iqamah":"","fp_maghrib_begins":"","fp_maghrib_iqamah":"","fp_isha_begins":"","fp_isha_iqamah":"","fp_midnight":"","fp_midnight_name":"","fp_sunrise":"","fp_single_prayer_begins_title":"","fp_single_prayer_iqamah_title":"","fp_prayer_times_for_today":"","fp_hijra_date":"","fp_fajr_name":"","fp_dhuhr_name":"","fp_asr_name":"","fp_maghrib_name":"","fp_isha_name":"","fp_sunrise_name":"","fp_currentDate":"","fp_current_time":"","fp_current_title":"","fp_current_location":"","fp_masjid_name":"","fp_prayer_title":"","fp_next_prayer_iqamah_time":"","fp_next_prayer_iqamah_title":"","fp_next_prayer_begins_time":"","fp_next_prayer_begins_title":"","fp_next_prayer_title":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1,"today_views":1},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Biggest Literary Controversies of the Last 15 Years: Part 1 - Dev95<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dev95.site\/ar\/the-biggest-literary-controversies-of-the-last-15-years-part-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ar_AR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Biggest Literary Controversies of the Last 15 Years: Part 1 - Dev95\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Light the candles and roll out the red carpet: today is our 15th anniversary at Book Riot! 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