Jamie Oliver's book pulled from shelves over Indigenous Australian subplot
Jamie Oliver has had his new children's book pulled from shelves after a subplot about Indigenous Australians was deemed "disrespectful" and "damaging".
The celebrity chef and author released his second children’s book in May, titled Billy and the Epic Escape, in which the protagonist takes a brief detour from England to Alice Springs, where the villain of the story abducts a young Indigenous girl living in foster care in an Indigenous community.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Commission (NATSIEC) led the calls for the book to be withdrawn, accusing Oliver of perpetuating harmful stereotypes and “trivialising complex and painful histories”.
NATSIEC chief executive Sharon Davis told The Guardian that the book implied Indigenous families “are easily swayed by money and neglect the safety of their children”, adding, “[It] perpetuates a racist stereotype that has been used to justify child removals for over a century.”
“This portrayal is not only offensive but also reinforces damaging biases.”
Oliver, who is currently in Australia promoting his latest cookbook, said in a 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.”
Penguin Random House UK also released a statement on the book, conceding, “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.”
Both Oliver and Penguin Random House UK revealed that during the writing of the book, no consultation with Indigenous Australian individuals or organisations had taken place.
Indigenous children’s author Cheryl Leavy told The Guardian the decision to pull the book from shelves was the right one, saying, “It makes it possible for Penguin Random House to build relationships with First Nations communities and tell better stories.”
“It’s time now for Penguin Random House to work with First Nations advisers to put structural measures in place that prevent this from ever happening again.”
Image credits: Penguin Random House UK/Ken McKay/ITV