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“American Dirt” Publisher Agrees to Increase Latinx Representation Thanks to Dignidad Literaria Campaign

HeadlineFeb 04, 2020

In New York City, leaders of the Dignidad Literaria campaign — or “literary dignity” in English — are celebrating after the publisher Macmillan, which owns Flatiron Books, has agreed to expand Latinx representation in its staff and its publications. The movement formed in response to the controversial novel “American Dirt,” which critics say exploits and misrepresents Mexico and the experience of Mexican migrants and erases the experience of Central Americans. The author, Jeanine Cummins, who is not Mexican, received a seven-figure advance for the book, which was widely lauded by public figures including Oprah Winfrey. Flatiron was forced to cancel Cummins’s book tour over the mounting criticism. The campaign is also calling for an investigation into discriminatory practices in the publishing industry at large.

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