I found the introduction of “Shadow Archives,” by Jean-Christophe Cloutier, to be extremely intriguing because it discusses the concept of ‘shadow books,’ which are works that are either forgotten, discarded, removed, or never published. Cloutier places special emphasis on the importance of these works and the preservation needed for them. On page 2, Cloutier writes, “the preservation of the removed is precisely the condition which genitor criticism depends: the alternative versions and abandoned drafts retroactively cast their shadow back upon the maimed books that survived. By disrupting textual stability, special collections further encourage “a willingness to recognize the unfinished” as a condition of the literary– not only what has been removed but also what the removed may one day inspire.” These shadow books are a crucial aspect of the literary world because they offer insight into unknown stories and allow people to gather more information and context surrounding the work. In this introduction, Cloutier discusses Richard Wright’s Black Boy, a book that had been heavily edited or had text removed. Years later, it was republished with notes from the author and a ‘restored text’. With this updated version, Black Boy has become a staple in African American literature. Imagine what lessons, ideas, and opinions could have been lost without that revised edition. Cloutier’s chapter provokes the question of what can be done about lost media and the importance of trying to preserve it. While it may not seem like much at the time of publishing, some works need to be processed with time. Richard Wright, along with countless other authors are recognized posthumously through their work and the resurfaced shadow books. The preservation of these shadow books bring more awareness to the author, publisher, and the ‘invisible labor’ that Cloutier mentions. in the article, Kevin Young states that he became a collector “to save what we didn’t even know needed saving.” This statement really stuck out to me since we live in a time where so many pieces of work are discarded or ignored. Sometimes there is just no time to view it. Despite that, it doesn’t lessen the work and becomes something worth saving. Often items are ignored when it comes to archives so it is important to be aware of what is saved and recorded while other material is lost or ignored. This circles back to the power of an archivist and collector. They are able to pick and choose what they want and exert power over what they deem worthy to be collected. Shadow books fight against this and prove that awareness is always shifting.