Jimmy Dore: Jimmy’s fill-in hosts Mischa Paullin and Chris Keene discuss Penguin Random House’s decision not to publish a children’s book about Palestinian history by Alana Hadid and Jennine Matari after disputes over editorial changes, particularly the publisher’s demand to explicitly characterize the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks as violations of international law.
The authors argue that the revisions misrepresented their account of Palestinian history, resistance, occupation, and displacement, and withdrew the manuscript rather than publish a version they could not support; they plan to release it through Palestinian-owned Interlink Books in 2027.
The hosts criticize what they see as unequal editorial scrutiny of Palestinian perspectives, debate whether the same demands would be imposed on books presenting Israel’s perspective, and emphasize that opposition to censorship does not require endorsing attacks on civilians. They also connect the dispute to broader controversies over restrictions on pro-Palestinian expression, arguing that attempts to suppress controversial books and political speech can instead attract attention to the censored message and intensify public debate.
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