Alana Hadid, the older sister of models Bella and Gigi Hadid, has withdrawn her children's book about Palestine before its scheduled September release. The book, co-authored with Jenan Matari, was set to explore the history of Palestine, the Israeli occupation, and the diaspora, including personal stories of family displacement. The project was initiated with a book deal from Penguin Random House in November 2024.
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The authors' decision to pull the book came after disagreements over content edits from the publisher, particularly regarding references to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. While Random House Children's Books stated that the editing followed standard procedures and supported the authors' choice to withdraw, Alana and Matari felt their work had been censored.
Titled 'Displacement and the Palestinian American Story,' the book was intended to be the eighth addition to Random House's 'Race to the Truth' series, which offers nonfiction accounts from marginalized groups aimed at children aged 10 to 13. Alana expressed frustration, stating that the publisher was unwilling to allow them to write the book they envisioned, emphasizing the importance of discussing difficult historical truths.
Matari also criticized the publisher for attempting to sanitize their narrative to avoid discomfort among certain communities. The authors faced lengthy negotiations with Random House regarding language related to the October attacks. Ultimately, they decided to withdraw the book in early September after failing to reach an agreement.
Matari, who has previously encountered challenges with book promotions due to her views on the Israel-Palestine conflict, described the situation as necessary to maintain the integrity of their message. The authors plan to publish the book with a Palestinian-owned U.S. publisher, Interlink Books.