Analysis: The 'American Dirt' apology tour goes streaming with emotional Oprah special
In Oprah Winfrey's new streaming special on the controversial novel "American Dirt," its author Jeanine Cummins sits calm and humble, taking every direct-hit question from Winfrey with visible discomfort but an air of composure that almost never breaks.
Three Latina co-panelists join her - Esther Cepeda, Reyna Grande and Julissa Arce - and the author breathes deep, seemingly measuring each word as she weathers the face-to-face criticism for her story about a middle-class bookseller in Mexico escaping with her son to the U.S. border. The book shot to the top of bestseller lists but faced intense backlash over what some termed stereotypical depictions of Mexico or for cultural appropriation, because Cummins is white.
In a black jacket and
