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Penguin Random House, one of the world’s leading publishing houses, has halted the publication of a children’s book about Palestinian history and the Palestinian struggle just days before it was due to become available in bookstores.
Penguin Random House, one of the world’s leading publishing houses, has halted the publication of a children’s book about Palestinian history and the Palestinian struggle just days before it was due to become available in bookstores. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, disagreements arose between the Palestinian-American authors and the publisher over the portrayal of Palestinian history and Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks.
Random House Children’s Books, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, signed a publishing agreement with Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari in November 2024. The book, titled Displacement and the Palestinian American Story, was scheduled for release in September this year. Alana Hadid is a social activist involved in charitable initiatives, while Jenan Matari is an award-winning author. Alana Hadid is also the sister of renowned models Bella and Gigi Hadid. Written for children aged 10 to 13, the book explores Palestinian history, the Israeli occupation, resistance, and the experiences of Palestinians living around the world. It also includes accounts of displacement and forced migration within the authors’ own families.
The authors provided The Guardian with a manuscript of the book and excerpts from their email correspondence with the publisher. According to them, the main source of the dispute, which continued for several months, was the language used to describe Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks. The authors’ manuscript stated that people living under colonial domination have the right to resist. The publisher, however, wanted the authors to acknowledge that the October 7 attacks violated international law. According to the newspaper, an editor added the sentence, “These actions were violations of international law,” to the manuscript. Following this change, the authors decided to withdraw from the publication in early September. In her response on Instagram, Jenan Matari said that working with a major publishing house such as Penguin Random House had been a dream of hers. However, she did not want to fulfil that dream at the expense of her loyalty to her community.
She said it was important not to sacrifice one’s principles for personal success. She added that understanding the right of oppressed people to resist was essential to freeing oneself mentally from the effects of colonialism. She also stressed that she would not sacrifice her community’s interests for anyone’s convenience or for personal advancement. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Random House told The Guardian that the book had gone through the publisher’s standard publishing process. The spokesperson said the company respected the authors’ decision and remained committed to bringing Palestinian perspectives to young readers.
The development comes a day after reports emerged that the sale of books by Irish novelist Sally Rooney had been halted in the United Kingdom. Rooney had expressed her intention to use royalties from her books to financially support Palestine Action, an organisation that advocates for Palestine.
The British government banned the organization last year after designating it a terrorist organization. The ban has since been challenged in court. Rooney, who is best known for novels such as Normal People and Conversations with Friends, has been a supporter of Palestine Action. In a statement submitted as part of legal proceedings at the High Court in London challenging the ban, she said her decision could result in her books being withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom.
