But here it is. The publisher, Flatiron Books, has cancelled
the rest of the book tour for Jeanine Cummins, the author of “American Dirt”
due to “specific threats to booksellers and the author.”
Bob Miller, the publisher, says the company was “surprised
by the anger that has emerged from members of the Latinx and publishing
communities.”
All this for a book that no less of a figure than celebrated Latina
author Sandra Cisneros crowed, “This book is not simply the great American
novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This
is the international story of our times.”
It turns out the Cummins herself has stepped in some pretty deep dirt herself, aka a “brownness” wish, and a claim to Latina heredity
that sounds squeamishly Elizabeth Warren-esque, in a lame attempt to appease
the surprising threat that emerged.
Which brings me to an observation from Hannah Giorgis of The
Atlantic, who, by my lights, did the best to boil down the takeaway, saying:
“Cummins’ responses have nonetheless underscored the
pernicious and widespread belief that won “American Dirt” fanfare in the first
place: that empathy exists for the benefit of the spectator, not the
afflicted.”
That said, it seems to me that every writer should use this cogent takeaway as a test, especially when she is writing about disadvantaged communities that
she doesn’t have firsthand knowledge about.
Next: Running for
Your Life: Urban Forestry is Not An Oxymoron
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