What’s so controversial about ‘American Dirt’? | The Stream

“American Dirt”, written by Jeanine Cummins, tells the story of a middle class Mexican woman and her 8-year-old son who are suddenly forced to flee for the US border after a drug cartel murders their family. It has earned a coveted spot in Oprah Winfrey’s book club and garnered praise by the authors John Grisham and Stephen King, as well as Mexican American authors Sandra Cisneros and Erika Sanchez.

The newly published novel – written by an author who is neither Mexican nor a migrant – is now at the centre of a debate over who gets to tell the stories of historically marginalised people and the issues that can result from a lack of diversity in a white-dominated US publishing industry.

Cummins says the intent of the book was to humanise the US conversation around immigration. But, critics online say the book is rife with Mexican stereotypes and cultural misrepresentations.

In this episode, we’ll discuss reactions to the book and what the publishing industry should do to highlight the stories of underrepresented communities.

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In This Story: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host and businesswoman. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication for 25 years from 1986 to 2011.

Dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America’s first black multi-billionaire.

In 2008, she formed her own network, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

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