Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple Alice Walker has come under fire for recommending a book full of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in a Q&A with The New York Times Book Review, according to Tablet Magazine.
The New York Times profile, which focused on book habits, first asked Walker what books were currently on her nightstand. She included four books, one of which was And the Truth Shall Set You Free by David Icke. He is Britain’s most-known anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist, according to Tablet Magazine.
“In Icke’s books there is the whole of existence, on this planet and several others, to think about,” Walker said in the profile. “A curious person’s dream come true.”
Tablet, who was one of the first news outlets to call out the author’s recommendation, wrote about the book’s content. The magazine said the book suggests that the world’s oldest Jewish organization, B’nai Brith, was responsible for the slave trade and ran the Ku Klux Klan. Icke also falsely claimed in the book that Jewish people funded Adolf Hitler and doubted that the Holocaust happened.
Some people have criticized The New York Times for not providing an editor’s note detailing Icke’s background and the books content as well as for not pushing back on Walker’s book suggestion.
“We’re deeply disappointed that The New York Times Book Review would print author Alice Walker’s unqualified endorsement of a book by notorious British anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist David Icke,” said Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to The Huffington Post. “He has a long history of scapegoating Jews, and Times readers should be aware of this before considering his work.”
The New York Times is under fire for publishing an interview with author Alice Walker in which she recommends a book by a conspiracy-mongering anti-Semite. https://t.co/1skrY1e50V
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) December 17, 2018
But a New York Time’s spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that the publication stands by its decision to publish the interview.
“By the Books is an interview and portrait of a public person through the lens of books; it is not a list of recommendations from our editors. The subject’s answers are a reflection on that person’s personal tastes, opinions and judgments. As with any interview, the subject’s answers do not imply an endorsement by Times editors.”
The spokesperson continued: “Moreover, our editors do not offer background or weigh in on the books named in the By the Book column, whether the subject issues a positive or negative judgement on those books. Many people recommend books Times editors dislike, disdain or even abhor in the column.”
This is not the first time Walker has endorsed Icke. According to HuffPost, she “expressed appreciation” for his work on her personal website in 2013 and 2015. As of right now, Walker has not released a statement regarding the recent criticisms towards her recommendation.