Palestinian American authors withdraw young-readers book from Penguin Random House over edits

Palestinian American authors Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari have withdrawn their young-readers book on Palestinian history from Penguin Random House. The withdrawal followed a dispute with the publisher over edits concerning Palestinian history. The Guardian and Anadolu Agency both reported the withdrawal.

According to The Guardian, the book was titled "Displacement and the Palestinian American Story". It would have been the eighth book in Random House's Race to the Truth series, a nonfiction collection for readers aged 10 to 13. The manuscript covered the history of Palestine, Israeli occupation, Palestinian resistance and the diaspora. It also included the authors' family histories of displacement.

Random House Children's Books, a division of Penguin Random House, signed the deal in November 2024, The Guardian reports. The authors submitted a first draft in July 2025. The book had been promoted for release in September 2026. The authors withdrew it in early September 2026, just before its scheduled release, after reaching an impasse. They gave The Guardian the draft manuscript and excerpts of their emails with Random House.

A co-creator of the series objected to how the book was treated and said she would not pursue future installments with the publisher, according to The Guardian. The reports do not name her.

What is disputed

The disagreements lasted months, The Guardian reports. They included a passage on the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks in southern Israel. The manuscript argued that people under "colonial domination" have the "right to resist". Random House urged the authors to include arguments that the attacks violated international law.

The authors say Random House introduced edits that sanitized and misrepresented their views. They say the edits came after they believed the book was finalized, and that a 7 October passage was edited without their knowledge. A Random House spokesperson said the process "followed our standard bookmaking procedures". The reports do not include the exact wording of the contested edits.

What each side says

The Guardian quoted Hadid as saying: "It became clear that Penguin was never actually going to allow us just to write the book we wanted to write." Matari was quoted as saying: "decolonial history is supposed to make you uncomfortable." The authors also say the book was sent to reviewers and opened for preorder in June 2026 before they had seen a final version. The reports do not include Random House's response to this claim.

The spokesperson said Random House ultimately supported the authors' decision to pull the book. "We remain committed to bringing the Palestinian perspective to young readers," the spokesperson said, according to The Guardian. The spokesperson added that other books on Palestine are forthcoming and that another Race to the Truth book remains on track for 2028.

The authors plan to publish the book with Interlink Books, which The Guardian describes as a Palestinian-owned US publisher. The reports do not include confirmation from Interlink Books or a release date.

Analysis

The case touches on a recurring question in publishing: how authors and publishers share control over contested historical topics, especially in books for children. Both sides describe the same process differently. The authors call it late and unilateral; the publisher calls it standard. Without the exact edits, readers cannot judge the substance directly. Detailed reporting so far comes mainly from one outlet, The Guardian, which relied partly on documents supplied by the authors. Possible next steps include publication through Interlink Books, further statements from Penguin Random House, or changes to the Race to the Truth series. None of these outcomes is confirmed.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.