The Young Elites (Young Elites, #1)

by Marie Lu

[nannah]

DNF @ like 6%

yeah, that's a little awful. But so was my reading experience. I feel like this book has so much extreme ableism and violence against disabled people disguised as representation.

Content warnings:
ABLEISM
abuse (child abuse)

I initially picked up this book because of the many good reviews and recommendations -- and because the MC has a missing eye. Representation! Yay! But it wasn't long before things started to become really icky.

A severe fever wiped out much of the people of Adelina's country. Survivors often don't come through unscathed (such as Adelina, whose eye had to be removed). These survivors with disabilities are called malfettos, and treated as second class citizens, shaming their families, blamed for their failing country, usually unable to get suitors, abused constantly, and are even burned at the stake.

ok. Read that again. As a disabled person, do you know how awful it is to read a book where there's this much violence against disabled people? People like me are already treated as second class citizens. I don't need to read about a world where we're villainized even more (you can't get disability, what about our family reputation? our taxes are wasted on the disabled! you can choose either medicaire or marriage, but not both [which really happens]. And don't even get me started on the violence against disabled people that happens in real life).

Not to mention that the title, The Young Elites, refer to those malfettos who somehow got superpowers from the fever that almost killed them. And they only rescue the disabled people who also have superpowers - as in, who can also do something for them. At least that's how I read it. It feels like how in real life disabled people are only "worth something" when they have something to "give society," like an autistic person who's an amazing artist or something.

In any case, this is all I'm gonna say about this book now. I can't read any more.