When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel American Dirt for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialogue about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the U.S.
Instead, Winfrey ended up organizing a show that put the book, its author Jeanine Cummins and Winfrey herself on trial. After critics complained about the novel's portrayal of Latinos, she turned the forum into a debate about the marginalization of Latino voices, the lack of diversity in publishing and the question of who is best suited to tell a given story.
Just a few months ago, American Dirt was one of 2020's most welcome releases, described as a modern-day version of John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath.
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