“What About Jeff?”

I recently got an email from a teacher asking about the bully in my first and third books: Jeff. The reader was hoping for redemption for Jeff, and referenced The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio, in which the main bully of Wonder gets a backstory to explain his behavior. I’m not copying the email here for anonymity, and because it’s not about this specific reader. The question has come up before. But I took the time to answer it fully, and wanted to share it here, both for general reading and so I can point to it next time:

Dear Xyz,

This comes up from time to time, and I’d like to respond to the question genuinely, if critically. I hope you’ll trust that this comes from having thought about this a lot over the last few years, and know that you’re not the only person to ask about it.

Frankly, that’s not the type of story I want to write. I don’t deserve to spend my queer energy on redeeming the kind of person I’ve had to deal with all my life. There are too many LGBTQIAP+ kids out there who need stories that focus on them, not to mention adults like me who never got them growing up, and that’s what I intend to continue to do. Besides, so much of the world’s energy is bent on excusing and second-chancing problematic straight white guys, and I don’t intend to comply.

That said, I am toying with a third book in Melissa’s world, and with Jeff still having issues, it’s probably time for him to get some resources. Not redemption or explanation, but as way to change. However, it is not going to be the responsibility of any of my LGBTQIAP+ kids to help or forgive Jeff. Adults will be responsible for that, probably mostly off-page, since it’s not who the story is about, and on the other side, none of my queer kiddos are going to suddenly become friends with Jeff – that’s not their desire or responsibility.

And if Jeff continues to be a bully, or queerphobic, or whatever he is, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. There really are people who don’t change. However, seeing that bullheadedness just might push someone to realize that maybe they’ve been a bit heterosexist and could do with some growth. I’d rather real kids learn and grow than my foil of a side character.

I see this as the heart of the difference between writing within community and writing outside your experience, and, to be honest, it’s my biggest critique of Wonder. As though Auggie’s life is a learning experience for the other characters in the book. The story never comes back to Auggie, and he gets an award for being inspirational to other people. The story isn’t about Auggie; it’s about how admirable the school is for accepting him.

Thank you for reaching out and I hope that you’ll let these thoughts sit with you, and the next time you’re reading a book with a marginalized character, you’ll pause to think about who is humanized and who is a device for others’ humanization.

Best wishes,

Alex

Update 12/16/21: Great news. Sometimes the work is worth the effort! They responded to say, “I have reread your email many times and I will continue to look back on what you wrote, sit with it, and learn from it”, along with thanks for my time and an awareness that emails like that must get tedious. Yay team reach out.