The Associated Press, February 11, 2020: Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort
As debate rages around “American Dirt,” the bestselling novel criticized for its portrait of Mexican life and culture, publishers are pledging to change a historically White industry as critics question whether it can truly transform.
Diversity has been an issue in publishing for years, but perhaps never so urgently as in the past few weeks, when Mexican American authors and others have cited “American Dirt” as evidence of a publishing culture where White voices are valued above others. Critics say flaws in Jeanine Cummins’ narrative about a Mexican mother and son fleeing to the U.S. were overlooked by the book’s editorial and promotional team and the many writers and booksellers who were early advocates.
