Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been forced to pull his new fantasy novel “Billy and the Epic Escape” from shelves after it was widely criticized for stereotyping and misrepresenting Indigenous Australians.
Published earlier this year, the 400-page book centers on a young Aboriginal girl with mystical powers, living in foster care, who experiences abduction from her home in central Australia.
However, First Nations leaders have condemned the book as “offensive” and containing “language errors” that contribute to the “erasure, trivialization, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences.”
Oliver Apologizes: Book Withdrawn Worldwide
In a statement, Oliver said he was “devastated” to have caused hurt and that it was “never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue.” He and his publisher, Penguin Random House UK, have decided to withdraw the book from sale around the world. Despite Oliver’s request, the publisher acknowledged that an “editorial oversight” prevented proper consultation with Indigenous Australians during the book’s development.
Concerns Over Stereotyping And Cultural Appropriation
Indigenous leaders have raised key concerns about the Aboriginal girl character’s ability to read minds and communicate with animals and plants, arguing that this “Indigenous way” reduces “complex and diverse belief systems” to “magic.”
Sue-Anne Hunter, a Wurundjeri and Ngurai illum Wurrung woman who sits on a government commission into injustices against Indigenous people, said it was an “insensitive choice to include themes of child stealing” in the book, given the “painful, historical context of the Stolen Generations.” As part of assimilation policies, Australia forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families for decades.
Mixing Languages And Cultures
Anita Heiss, a Wiradyuri author and publisher, told the Guardian Australia that there is “no space in Australian publishing (or elsewhere) for our stories to be told through a colonial lens, by authors who have little if any connection to the people and place they are writing about.”
The book also drew criticism for mixing vocabulary from the Gamilaraay people of NSW and Queensland, which education expert Sharon Davis said showed a “complete disregard for the vast differences among First Nations languages, cultures, and practices.”
A ‘Deeply Concerning Example’
In a social media post, Sue-Anne Hunter said the book’s publication “represents a deeply concerning example of how Indigenous people continue to face misrepresentation and cultural appropriation in mainstream media.”
Oliver, who is currently in Australia promoting his newest cookbook, acknowledged the book’s failings and said he and his publishers had made the decision to pull it from shelves worldwide. “It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that,” Penguin Random House UK said in a statement.
The withdrawal of Oliver’s book comes amid growing calls for greater sensitivity and accuracy in the portrayal of Indigenous cultures, particularly in children’s literature and media. As Australia reckons with its history of discrimination and the lasting impacts of the Stolen Generations, this controversy serves as a stark reminder of the need for meaningful consultation and representation.
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