Jamie Oliver withdraws children's book after criticism from Indigeneous Australians
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pulled his new children’s book from shelves, saying he was “devastated” by the offense he caused following criticism that the book stereotyped Indigenous Australians.
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pulled his new children’s book from shelves, saying he was “devastated” by the offense he caused following criticism that the book stereotyped Indigenous Australians.
The book, “Billy and the Epic Escape,” was first published in May and drew outrage in Australia where Indigenous leaders described it as trivializing the community's history and diversity as well as perpetuating harmful stereotypes against them.
The book’s publisher Penguin Random House U.K. said it was withdrawing the book from sale.
“It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that and take decisive action,” the publisher said Monday in an emailed statement.
Oliver, who was in Australia promoting his cookbook Simply Jamie, also apologized in a statement.
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