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Natasha Tynes had only recently sold her novel They Called Me Wyatt when she ran afoul of cancel culture for snitching on a rail worker who was breaking the rules by eating on a train. Look it up on Goodreads andโas of this writingโyouโll discover nearly 2,000 one-star ratings and over a thousand reviewsโmany, if not most of them, from people who give the book one star despite admitting they never read it, parroting the lie that โNatasha Tynes hates black women.โ As a publisher myself, itโs personally distressing that a bookโs reputation can be tanked by a horde of people whoโve never even seen the novel in question when so many authors struggle to generate even triple-digit reviews from people whoโve actually taken the time to sit down and read the book theyโre reviewing. Tynesโ work suffered for her bad behaviorโunjustly, unfairly, and unread. Almost two thousand negative reactionsโwhen only a few hundred copies were even ordered, and when Tynesโ previous publisher stopped shipment on books after her tweet went viral. Tynesโagain, a woman of color, mother of three, and immigrant to the United States with journalistic bylines under her belt in a variety of publications around the worldโhad her career ended before it began because the demons of outrage so decreed it. The problem is that They Called me Wyatt is a good bookโa compelling, original thriller that, under other circumstances, would instead be praised for its unique and original voice, weaving together the stories and lives of people from a multitude of cultures and backgrounds for a one-of-a-kind espionage thriller. Tynesโ literary voice captures a woman caught between multiple worlds: first, as a teenage immigrant to the US, and then as an adult woman trapped in the body of a young boy after her murder results in reincarnation. Growing up with an identity not her ownโand struggling with what her identity even isโTynesโ protagonist goes on a journey fantastically reminiscent of so many immigrants to the United States who attempt to forge a new identity while remaining faithful to their own culture. All of this was lost, though, amidst the outrage. Readers were never given the opportunity to discover Tynesโ work on its own terms, to be judged on its own merits. Until now. Iโve decided to publish They Called Me Wyatt because I believe in second chances. Natasha Tynes has since apologized for her tweet and acknowledged her bad behavior. I respect that. I believe in forgiveness and growth. I believe that people can learn from their past mistakes and move beyond them. I do not believe in the one-and-done brutality of Twitterโs outrage police. I do not believe that one ignorant tweet should brand an individual forever and ruin their career. I do not believe an artistโs work should be judged on the basis of one act of stupidity on the part of its creator. Thatโs why, just like its protagonist, Iโve decided to reincarnate They Called me Wyatt as the first entry in the REBELLER literary imprint. REBELLER is about bucking the systemโabout seeing a good idea, being told it canโt be done, and doing it anyway. Itโs about judging art on its merits and turning our backs on a Hollywood system and elitist mindset that would determine the worthโor worthlessnessโof something based on arbitrary rules. Itโs about remaining calm in the face of certain fury that will be leveled on us by those most insecure and apoplectic from our confidence in our convictions. Itโs about something being dangerous and doing it anyway.
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Natasha Tynes was born in Amman, Jordan. She worked as a journalist in the Middle East and the United States for over two decades. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children.ย They Called Me Wyatt is her first novel.
