Did #MeToo go too far—or is that the wrong question?

In this episode of Transatlantic Bookmarks, Ksenija Popovic and Sue discuss Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, a provocative campus novel that asks what happens when allegations of sexual misconduct reshape not only one man’s career, but also the life and reputation of his wife.

The narrator’s husband, a university professor, is accused by former students of inappropriate relationships. She does not publicly condemn him, and students begin to question whether she should still be allowed to teach.

Should a professor lose her job because she remains married to a man accused of misconduct? Are students entitled to feel uncomfortable—or does this become guilt by association?

We talk about the achievements of the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment, power imbalances between professors and students, changing cultural standards, generational differences, safe spaces, public accountability, and the difficulty of judging past behaviour by today’s moral framework.

This is not an argument against #MeToo. It is a conversation about nuance: where accountability belongs, how cultural change happens, and whether movements lose public support when every difficult question is treated as moral failure.

Where do you draw the line between accountability and guilt by association? Tell us in the comments.

📚 BOOKS MENTIONED:
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• Vladimir by Julia May Jonas: https://amzn.to/4goD9f6

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🎙️ ABOUT TRANSATLANTIC BOOKMARKS
Hosted by European novelist Ksenija Popović and American engineer Sue Graham Johnston, Transatlantic Bookmarks is a weekly literary podcast that uses books as the starting point for conversations about culture, history, psychology, morality, politics, and the questions hiding between the lines.

New segments every Saturday, Monday, and Thursday.

👉🏻 CHAPTERS

00:00 Did Me Too Go Too Far?
04:16 The Issue with Wokeness
05:40 The Trap of Judging the Past from Today's Perspective
10:57 Challenging the Mainstream Narrative