Literary Hub has published a series of 13 reviews highlighting books by trans and queer authors that received no coverage in the New York Times Book Review from 2013 to 2022. The project, titled 'What Was Lost: A Queer Accounting of the NY Times Book Review, 2013-2022,' responds to the editorial tenure of Pamela Paul, who led the section during that period and later wrote an anti-trans essay. Organized by Sandy E. Allen and Maris Kreizman, the initiative aims to address gaps in literary criticism and foster discussion on representation.
The project stems from concerns over Pamela Paul's influence as editor of the New York Times Book Review from 2013, when she took the role, until 2022, when she shifted to the opinion pages. During her time, she oversaw books coverage for the entire paper, becoming a key figure in literary criticism. Her 2022 anti-trans essay drew widespread criticism, prompting questions about how her views affected coverage of queer and trans works.
Sandy E. Allen, in collaboration with Maris Kreizman, commissioned the reviews to spotlight books by trans and queer authors published between 2013 and 2022 that the Times ignored. They selected 13 titles from numerous submissions, noting the intimidating volume of worthy books. Allen expressed gratitude to contributors and emphasized the project's role in connecting trans and queer writers amid societal challenges, including book bans and industry failures to address transphobia.
Among the reviewed books are Maia Kobabe’s 2019 graphic memoir Gender Queer, which topped the American Library Association’s most challenged books list from 2021 to 2023 and ranked second in 2024; Lio Min’s 2022 novel Beating Heart Baby, a queer YA romance exploring trans identity; Gretchen Felker-Martin’s 2022 horror novel Manhunt, subverting the 'gender apocalypse' genre; and others like Vivek Shraya’s 2018 memoir I’m Afraid of Men, Casey Plett’s 2021 story collection Dream of a Woman, and Frankie de la Cretaz and Lyndsey D’Arcangelo’s 2021 history Hail Mary on women’s tackle football.
Allen hopes the effort sparks broader conversations, inspiring reviews, classroom assignments, and reckoning with cultural gatekeeping. The reviews appear as standalone pieces on Literary Hub, each focusing on the books' themes of identity, gender, and marginalization without NYT attention.
