Publishers Against the People of the Book

Writing stars such as Saul Bellow and Philip Roth illuminated the postwar era, a veritable golden age for American Jewish authors. The People of the Book were storytellers for popular consumption, and publishers eagerly kept those stories coming. What was once a love affair between Jewish writers and the publishing industry, however, is looking more like estrangement in 2021. There was, for example, the case of April Powers, the black Jewish chief equity and inclusion officer for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Reacting to the spring's stateside surge of antisemitism that coincided with Israel's war against Hamas, Powers posted a statement opposing domestic antisemitism. After being criticized by one SCBWI member for "not including a comment about Islamophobia and Palestinian discrimination" and hung out to dry by the organization, Powers departed.