My “nerdiness” is due to my older brother who had a ton of golden age Sci fi books that I would read (first being the new hope novelization). He now has three girls (two teens) so he has been out of the loop. He said he recently bought some new sci fi book and said it was woke garbage. I told him about what has happened to mainstream sci-fi/fantasy publishing and a brief overview of the sad puppies thing.
I told him to avoid any book that has won the Hugo, nebula, etc in the past few years because all it takes is that you need to be a woman who hates white men.
Anyway, he asked me if there are any videos or articles that breaks down what happened to sci-fi. Can y’all recommend any? Thanks.
Unless I'm misunderstanding you, you should probably say "solo" or "primary" female protagonist. Books with an active love interest or an ensemble cast that happens to have a singular woman in that set of multiple protagonists don't usually seem particularly more "woke" than the normal. The trio trope of two men and one woman as protagonists exists for a reason.
Modern books with a solo/primary female protag are pretty much a given to be woke as hell or a Mary-Sue fest, but you're right, I probably should have clarified. That being said, you have to watch out for ensemble casts, because even with the common "two guys, a girl, and a robot sidekick" setup, there's a less-than-zero chance these days (especially if it's a relatively new female author) that the guys will be simps/incompetent when it matters the most and it'll be the woman who has to step in and save them all. The Nu-Sci-Fi authors can't help themselves.