A Teen Girl Starts a Feminist Movement in Michelle Quach’s “Not Here To Be Liked”

As the title of Michelle Quach’s debut novel, Not Here To Be Liked, suggests, not everyone is going to immediately connect to Eliza Quan, the main character. In fact, the book’s back cover warns readers that the story they are about to read contains an “unlikeable female character.”

“There’s been a lot of discussion about unlikeable female characters in general and I personally wanted to give [creating one] a shot because I think unlikable characters are more realistic,” Quach told the FBomb.

Eliza Quan’s world is shattered when, after working her whole high school career toward one day becoming editor-in-chief of the school paper, a charismatic star athlete, Len, is elected to the position because he “seems more like a leader.” When Eliza writes a scathing editorial about sexism and the expectations placed on teen girls, the essay quickly goes viral and sets off a mini-feminist movement at their school. But when Eliza begins liking Len as a person, things become even more complicated for both her and the budding movement.

Not Here To Be Liked hits shelves on September 14. We had the chance to talk to Quach about her debut novel, the weirdness of going viral, and how teens can speak out against injustice when they see it.

How did you get the idea for a book about the election of a high school paper’s editor-in-chief? Did you write for the paper when you were in school?

Yes, I was on the paper in high school, and also while I was in college, so I borrowed elements from those experiences for the book. For example, moments like the election of editor-in-chief as described in this book didn’t happen when I was in high school, but it did happen on my college paper. So the book was a blend of all those experiences.

When Eliza first wrote her editorial about sexism at the school newspaper, she never intended for it to be printed at all, let alone have it become a viral sensation. She also isn’t prepared for the attention she and the piece receive because of it. Why did you want to explore that in this book?

I wanted to explore this because I just saw, especially in the social justice space, how well-meaning things will blow up really fast and then how things can turn just as easily. I thought that was a very interesting phenomenon. I wanted to explore that in terms of the more microcosts [to going viral.] Obviously this story is confined to her school, so I wanted to take this small world and then explore what would happen.

It is also interesting to see how Eliza and her mom (who is a Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant) view what happened very differently. Why did you want to include that divide between the mother and daughter in this book?

I wanted to include that dynamic because I think it’s realistic, especially in a family with that sort of divide culturally and generationally. It’s interesting because the mom in this book is in many ways a strong female role model. But she doesn’t have the language or interest really to talk about feminism in the way that Eliza is talking about feminism.

I think that’s drawn from my own experience talking to my family. They just come from a different place, and everything is filtered through both that lens and a socioeconomic one. I just wanted to show one example of what that might look like.

While what happened to Eliza was very public because it involved the school paper, a lot of teen girls reading this book might recognize the sexist messaging she is receiving in their own lives, whether it is during class discussions or in their own after-school activities. What is your advice for them as they realize they are being treated differently because they are girls?

I think the most important thing is to first figure out your comfort level and if you feel safe about speaking out. If you feel safe, then you should speak out. If you don’t, you should find an adult or a friend who can help you.

In terms of the things like we see in the book, which are basically microaggressions, I think that talking about them with friends and with teachers is also important. I think it’s so hard though because, honestly, even as an adult, when you’re at work or in a social setting, when people say things that are inappropriate or you are the one noticing things, it’s difficult to be the one who speaks up. It shouldn’t be the job of a teen girl to always speak up, but I would encourage her not to be afraid to ask for help.