Penguin Random House drops Palestinian writers’ book days before publication

A children’s book about Palestine was dropped by Penguin Random House days before its scheduled publication following an “editorial dispute” between the publisher and its Palestinian-American authors over the portrayal of Palestinian history, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

A children’s book about Palestine was dropped by Penguin Random House days before its scheduled publication following an “editorial dispute” between the publisher and its Palestinian-American authors over the portrayal of Palestinian history, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House, agreed to publish the book in November 2024 with Alana Hadid, a philanthropist, activist and sister of models Bella and Gigi Hadid, and Jenan Matari, an award-winning author. Displacement and the Palestinian American Story was scheduled for publication in September 2026.

Matari announced the dispute on Instagram, saying that working with Penguin Random House — one of the world’s largest publishers — had been the “ultimate dream”, but that she would not continue if doing so meant betraying her community.

“It is very simple to not sacrifice your morals for personal success. You simply choose who you want to be,” Matari wrote.

“Understanding an oppressed people’s legal right to resistance by any means necessary is central to decolonising one’s mind and understanding the chokehold that colonialism has on this world. And it is also our only shot at defeating it. We will never betray our own people for anyone’s comfort — and especially never for personal success,” she added.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DehicxJGv3G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&rpxt=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&srtk=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The book, aimed at readers aged 10 to 13, explores Palestinian history, Israeli occupation, resistance and the diaspora, drawing on the authors’ family histories of displacement.

Hadid and Matari, who provided The Guardian with a draft of the book and extracts from emails, said the dispute had continued for months over wording concerning the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Their version argued that people living under “colonial domination” had a “right to resist”, while Random House pressed them to acknowledge that the attacks violated international law.

According to The Guardian, an editor proposed the sentence: “These actions were a violation of international law.”

A Random House spokesperson told The Guardian that the process “followed our standard bookmaking procedures”. The spokesperson said the publisher respected the writers’ decision and remained “committed to bringing the Palestinian perspective to young readers”.

The dispute was reported a day after Irish novelist Sally Rooney and her publisher said her books would no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to donate royalties to Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned under British anti-terrorism law.

Rooney, whose novels include Normal People and Conversations with Friends, has been a vocal supporter of Palestine Action.