How Oprah’s Book Club pick ‘American Dirt’ went from industry darling to print pariah

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Should a story about a Mexican migrant be written by someone who is neither a Mexican nor an immigrant?

Here’s the dirt on the most controversial book of the year so far — and no, we’re not talking about John Bolton’s upcoming tome that has rattled the impeachment trial.

Our next book club selection is “American Dirt” by @jeaninecummins. It’s a heart-wrenching page-turner, and you won’t be able to put it down. #Americandirt is now an @oprahsbookclub selection. As a Mexican immigrant, who was undocumented, I can say with authority that this book is a harmful, stereotypical, damaging representation of our experiences. Please listen to us when we tell you, this book isn’t it.

Incredible way to kick off #BookExpo2019 last night with the @Flatironbooks party and a bookseller dinner in honor of AMERICAN DIRT. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. pic.twitter.com/c5gd7vx3bH Where Is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results https://t.co/XSiIlFHdRq pic.twitter.com/ED0gr4lT6V

The uproar against the novel led Flatiron Books to cancel the author tour on Thursday, with president and publisher Bob Miller citing “specific threats to booksellers and the author” in a press release that led them to believe there “exists real peril to their safety.”

 

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