Palestinian American authors Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari have decided to withdraw their upcoming children’s book about Palestinian history from Penguin Random House due to editorial disagreements related to the portrayal of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Details of the situation were published on Thursday, with the authors now planning to publish the book through another company in 2027.
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The book, titled Displacement and the Palestinian American Story, was set for a September release as part of Random House Children’s Books’ Race to the Truth series, aimed at readers aged 10 to 13. Hadid, who is known for being the sister of models Bella and Gigi Hadid, and Matari, an author and communications strategist, had finalized their publishing agreement in November 2024.
The dispute arose after editors added language indicating that the October 7 attacks by Hamas violated international law. The authors opposed this inclusion, arguing it conflicted with their narrative of Palestinian resistance and was made without their consent. Human Rights Watch has identified war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Hamas during these attacks, including the deliberate targeting of civilians.
Additionally, the publisher raised concerns regarding repeated references to Jewish identity in their discussions of armed Zionist groups during the 1948 war, a conflict resulting in the displacement of approximately 700,000 Palestinians.
Penguin Random House defended its editorial choices, stating that the changes were meant to provide clarity for younger audiences regarding sensitive historical topics. The publisher suggested adding a note from them and increasing the intended reader age. A spokesperson expressed respect for the authors' decision to withdraw and affirmed the company's commitment to publishing diverse Palestinian narratives.
The authors have since reached an agreement with Interlink Books, a Palestinian-owned American publisher, to release their book in 2027. Saira Rao, involved in the creation of the Race to the Truth series, announced she would no longer collaborate with Random House following this incident, even as the publisher plans to continue with another installment scheduled for 2028.