Decentering Whiteness and Monolingualism in the Reception of Latinx YA Literature

Abstract

Discussions of multicultural literature often center on the notion of cultural authenticity. Significantly less attention has been paid, however, to how implicit expectations of cultural authenticity shape the reception of Latinx literature. Through analysis of Isabel Quintero’s Gabi: A Girl in Pieces and an online discussion of its suitability for the Printz Award in the context of changing understandings of the role of Spanish in Latinx YA fiction, this article demonstrates how stakeholders made use of an online forum to contest the presumed centrality of Whiteness and monolingualism to the reading experience.