The Who, What, and Why of Sensitivity Reads

Note: This article originally published in The Hot Sheet on July 31, 2024. This is an excerpt, but if you’d like to read the full article and see the resources, please click here.

In December 2017, the New York Times inquired whether sensitivity reads result in better books—or censorship. At that time, several books (mainly debut YA novels) were deemed offensive in pre-publication reviews and delayed by the publisher as a result. In 2019, following a backlash, a YA novel was withdrawn from publication at the request of the author, who, ironically, worked as a sensitivity reader. Online skirmishes have also prompted authors of adult books to revise, postpone, or pull their work, both in the US and across the pond.

Last summer, not long after denouncing the idea of posthumous edits of literary classics, PEN America implored the literary community “to be zealous guardians of literary freedom and to avoid giving in to pressure to pull books because of content that some consider offensive.” Social media calls for canceling books seem to have subsided (although conservative-led book bans have not).

Still, writers continue to wonder if and when hiring a sensitivity reader is the best course of action. The answer depends on who you ask and how you define this term.

What are sensitivity readers?

• According to the consultancy Writing Diversely, they are partners to writers, guiding them to “genuinely represent diverse experiences while steering clear of stereotypes and biases.”