Oliver children’s book withdrawn from sale
Penguin Random House (PRH) UK has withdrawn Jamie Oliver’s children’s book Billy and the Epic Escape from sale in all countries where it holds rights, including Australia and the UK, after condemnation from First Nations communities, reports the Guardian.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC) called for the book to be recalled, with support from First Nations authors Anita Heiss and Cheryl Leavy. NATSIEC described Oliver’s book—with an Australian subplot—as ‘damaging’ and ‘disrespectful’, and had accused Oliver of contributing to the ‘erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences’.
According to the Guardian, Oliver’s picture book is set in England, ‘but takes a brief sojourn to Alice Springs, where the novel’s villain abducts a young First Nations girl living in foster care in an Indigenous community’.
Initially stating that he was ‘listening and reflecting and working closely with my publisher on next steps’, Oliver said in a second statement: ‘I am devastated to have caused offence and apologise wholeheartedly. It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue. Together with my publishers we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.’
PRH UK said in a statement that the publisher ‘takes responsibility for the consultation, or what we would call an authenticity read of the work’. It added: ‘It was our editorial oversight that this did not happen. It should have, and the author asked for one, and we apologise unreservedly.’
The publisher added: ‘PRH Australia was in no way involved in the content or publication of the book. As with many PRH titles, this one was distributed into Australia as part of our global PRH network.’
In a second statement, PRH UK said: ‘It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that and take decisive action. With that in mind, we have agreed with our author Jamie Oliver that we will be withdrawing the book from sale.’
In a statement, PRH Australia said the company ‘endorses the apology issued by PRH UK and Jamie Oliver, and can confirm Billy and the Epic Escape is currently being withdrawn from the market’.
PRH Australia added: ‘PRH Australia remains dedicated to our commitment to inclusivity and cultural sensitivity. Ensuring respectful and accurate representation of First Nations peoples is a top priority for us. Over many years, we have implemented significant measures to uphold this commitment, including comprehensive training for our editorial teams and other departments across the business, conducting appropriate sensitivity reads and collaborating closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’
Category: Local news
