Well-intended 1980s-set romance has troubling stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
The Cure</a>, The Smiths, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/u2">U2, Dead Kennedys, XTC, Joy Division), comic books (<a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/book-reviews/watchmen">Watchmen, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/movie-reviews/x-men">X-Men, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/ Batman: The Dark Knight">Batman: The Dark Knight</em></a>), literature (<a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/maya angelou">Maya Angelou</a>, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/judy blume">Judy Blume</a>), and TV (<a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/search/Tom Selleck">Tom Selleck</a>, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/"/tv-reviews/magnum-pi">Magnum P.I.</em></a>) are discussed in nearly every conversation between Eleanor and Park.</p>
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Any Positive Content?
Language
a lot
High schoolers swear on a regular basis, as does Park's father. Language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "bitch," "d--k," etc. Somebody writes abusive comments on a girl's notebooks, calling her "a bitch in heat." Classmates use racist and fatphobic taunts such as "raghead" and "Big Red."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Eleanor and Park keep their relationship chaste, holding hands and caressing each other's faces and arms, for a long while before they eventually kiss. After a few kisses, their physical relationship leads to three passionate make-out sessions, but they stop just shy of sex. Eleanor mentions that nothing with Park is "dirty, because she knows he loves her." But their codependency is portrayed as romantic, rather than unhealthy. Adults also kiss, parents warn their school-age sons not to get anyone pregnant, and a dad has a collection of Playboy magazines.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Park starts a fight with a classmate who was making fun of Eleanor. Both Park and the classmate end up with bloody, bruised faces. Eleanor's stepfather is cruel and violent: He smashes things and physically abuses Eleanor's mom, who sports bruises and hickies. He acts threateningly toward Eleanor, who hates him and is frightened of him. He also anonymously writes abusive messages on Eleanor's school notebooks, calling her a "bitch in heat."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Brands are mentioned within the context of the 1980s setting, like Converse, Vans, Doc Martens. Popular culture, especially New Wave music (The Cure, The Smiths, U2, Dead Kennedys, XTC, Joy Division), comic books (Watchmen, X-Men, Batman: The Dark Knight), literature (Maya Angelou, Judy Blume), and TV (Tom Selleck, Magnum P.I.) are discussed in nearly every conversation between Eleanor and Park.
Educational Value
a little
Teen readers may learn about adolescent pop culture (particularly alternative music and comic books) of the early-to-mid 1980s. The author firmly places the story in 1986 by mentioning the music, celebrities, apparel, and books that mean a lot to the two central characters.
Positive Messages
a little
Eleanor and Park's friendship and romance show that you can't judge someone by your first impression of them. If that had been the case, Eleanor would forever have thought of Park as the "stupid Asian kid" who cursed at her, and he would've considered her the off-putting weird girl. The story stresses the importance of standing up for those you love, having a relationship based on honesty and respect, staying true to yourself, and trusting parents who love you to understand. But Park's self-doubt and Eleanor's fetishization of him make their relationship unhealthy at times. The book romanticizes this toxic dynamic, with neither character working to overcome past traumas.
Positive Role Models
a little
Park and Eleanor love each other and want to help each other in any way possible. Park, in particular, wants to make Eleanor happy, since she lives in such an unhappy home. He demonstrates courage by standing up for Eleanor, who's constantly bullied. She feels as though there isn't anything she can give back to Park in return, but she does give him the gift of the Beatles and her constant love. Still, there's a power imbalance in their relationship: Park caters to Eleanor's emotional needs and tries to "save her" from her abusive home by silencing his own voice. But Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan are positive examples of happily married, loving parents; they're the foils for Eleanor's abused mother and checked-out father, as well as her abusive stepfather.
Diverse Representations
very little
Eleanor endures fat-shaming at school, called names like the "Big Red." While she retains a unique sense of style and is proud of her academic success, she's insecure about her body and traumatized by her abusive home life and takes her frustrations out on Park. Park is biracial White and Korean, depicted as brave, empathetic, and a supportive friend and romantic partner. But he shows insecurity and internalized racism toward his Korean heritage. He also falls into several Asian stereotypes: He's short, slim, reserved, wears eyeliner to enhance his "Asian look," and assumes a support role to meet a White character's needs. His Korean mother cooks and cleans and constantly plays the peacemaker between Park and his disapproving father. She's also described as "a dainty China doll" that Park's father brought back from Korea during his military service. Two minor Black characters named Beebi and DeNice are negatively portrayed as mean and gossipy.
Parents need to know that Eleanor & Park is Rainbow Rowell's coming-of-age romance about two high-school misfits in the 1980s who meet and fall in love on the school bus. There's strong language such as "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," and "d--k," and mature themes about poverty, domestic and sexual abuse, and emotional/financial instability. The central characters explore the challenges of being "different" (in Park's case, because he's biracial Korean and White, in Eleanor's because she's not thin and comes from a poor family) but also the joy of falling in love for the first time. Popular culture from the 1980s is regularly discussed, and the couple shares everything from holding hands to nearly having sex. But readers should note that the book uses racist Asian stereotypes, fatphobic language, and negatively portrays Black characters as mean and gossipy.
In the time since this book’s debut, many readers (including myself) have realized this book contains a lot of casual racism, fetishization of Asians, and harmful stereotypes usually involving the Koreans and Korean-Americans in this story.
Firstly, the author makes the two main characters out to be “strange” and “outsiders”. Eleanor is strange because of her red hair, and Park is “strange” because he… is Asian. The racism Park faces should not equate to Eleanor’s hair color and weight.
Eleanor often focuses on the appearances of Park and his mother, usually in a negative way. She says, “His mom looked exactly like a doll… tiny and perfect… Eleanor imagined Park’s dad, Tom Selleck, tucking his Dainty China person into his flak jacket and sneaking her out of Korea.” The comparison is supposed to be a compliment about how delicate and “perfect” Park’s mother is, but it just furthers the stereotypes that Asians are tiny and “delicate”, and that all Asians are the same.
She calls his mother a “dainty China person”, when she is in fact Korean. Eleanor later says, “Park’s eyes got wide. Well, sort of… Sometimes she wondered if the shape of his eyes effected how he saw things. That was probably the most racist question of all time”. She knows she's being racist, but no one ever does anything to change this.
“Park” is a Korean last name, not first name. Park embodies many common East Asian stereotypes: he takes taekwondo (which is incorrectly used interchangeably with “kung fu”), is great at math, struggles in English, and is often described as “small” and “feminine-looking”. He also has a lot of self-loathing, mostly having to do with being half-Korean. Park also has a lot of internalized anti-Asian hatred, and doesn’t think he’s attractive specifically because he’s Asian.
The book also contains harmful stereotypes in Eleanor’s friends, two Black girls who are only loud, sassy, and constantly ready to fight someone.
There are many other things to say, but I wanted to keep this as concise as possible. Please seek other books by Authors of Color!
Books I recommend instead:
- Love From A to Z by S. K. Ali
- To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
- Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
- Frankly In Love by David Yoon
Don't bother with this book. Eleanor is a character that constantly is racist to her "love interest," Park. Also, Park is not even a traditionally Korean first name, but a LAST NAME. The author stereotyped the people of color and characterized them mainly by racial stereotypes associated with their race. Park's own mother was called a "China Doll." Don't bother reading this book or watching the movie.
What's the Story?
In ELEANOR & PARK, a morning bus ride changes everything for Park Sheridan. He's minding his own business until a new girl -- a redhead with a scowl and in bright clothes -- gets on and has nowhere to sit. He offers to let her sit next to him, and despite the six inches of space she leaves between them, it's the start of something really special. Park is a sensitive Korean guy whose parents are still in love with each other, while Eleanor is an intelligent but often ridiculed girl from a poor, White and troubled family. But every day, Eleanor and Park's seating arrangement leads to silently reading comics together, then talking about music, and eventually sharing a deep and abiding friendship that becomes an unforgettable first love.
Author Rainbow Rowell touchingly explores the overwhelming nature of first love -- the kind of love that feels as if it can last a lifetime, that can help heal wounds and open doors. In Eleanor & Park, two high school misfits see the best and the beautiful in each other. Their passionate conversations and debates, about everything from the role of women in comic books (Eleanor says they're too passive, Park disagrees), to the opening measures of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" or the short-sightedness of Romeo and Juliet, lays the foundation for a believable and poignant love story.
It's unfortunate, then, that Rowell romanticizes the codependent aspects of their relationship, which edge into toxic one-sidedness whenever Eleanor takes out her traumas and insecurities on Park. This imbalance is also evident in that Rowell portrays Eleanor far better than she does Park, who's often reduced to fetishization and stereotypes. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that, as a White author, Rowell can't do Park's Korean heritage justice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Eleanor and Park's romance, which isn't fluffy and sweet but intense and life-changing. What does Eleanor mean when she says, "The me that's me right now will be his, always"? What do you think of their relationship's chances of survival?
Did you notice any stereotypes in the book? Do any characters, even well-intentioned ones, reinforce stereotypes about their loved ones? How can we love and respect our friends as unique individuals rather than reducing them to stereotypes?
How does Park demonstrate courage? What can we learn from him about school bullying?
What do you think of the author's depiction of the 1980s? Do Eleanor and Park's conversations about music and comic books make you interested in the artists or works they discuss? How do the pop culture references add to their characters?
How do the adults in Eleanor's and Park's lives affect the way they approach their relationship? Do Park's parents and grandparents make him more open to "love" than Eleanor's dysfunctional parents?
Available on:
Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
December 5, 2023
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By Sandie Angulo Chen
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