The field is so competitive right now; it’s a huge honor to have pissed off so many people this early in my career.
Emmalyn, Winner of Fasted Banned Book Award
Debut novelist Taylor Fierro is getting the kind of buzz publicity can’t buy: a freshly-minted spot on 2022’s banned book list. In rare form, her story has been condemned by both the political right and left. It chronicles a nonbinary teen who flips a police car, burns down a community garden, inherits a coal mine, and leads the school in mandatory prayer. All this happens while the teen faces a difficult decision between two love interests– one with green eyes and light-colored hair, and one with green eyes and dark-colored hair.
Fierro described herself as “overwhelmed” by the reception the book is getting, both among chaotic Gen Zers on tiktok and the scathing critical reviews. “I really believed in this book, that is, I really believed I could write a book, and I have. The fact that it’s getting so much attention is wild. But hey, no such thing as bad press.”
Publishers confirmed that presales are high due to adult readers wanting to see what the fuss was about, and to determine whether or not they were the ones who should be most offended by Fierro’s work of fiction. Presales among adolescent readers are also high, with younger audiences invested in which green-eyed love interest will win the protagonist’s heart. Fierro said “Keep pre-ordering! This little baby is going to pay off my student loans.” Fierro hinted she is already planning a sequel where the protagonist commits tax evasion and spraypaints the capitol as an act of political protest.
