Oprah's Book Club special premiere tackling the American Dirt controversy was messy and compelling

Variety

The two-part Apple TV+ special that brought together American Dirt author Jeanine Cummins -- whose controversial novel has been met with backlash for being hyped as the definitive story of the Mexican immigrant experience amid whitewashing accusations -- along with her editor, her publisher and three Latinx writers. "The result is a tangled knot of good intentions and tense confrontations that, despite her determination to do so, Winfrey doesn’t quite manage to unravel," says Caroline Framke. "The choice to drill down into the mess rather than gloss it over is an admirable and unsurprising instinct from Winfrey, whose groundbreaking talk show thrived on her bringing opposite sides of conflicts together in order to have a discussion out in the light." But as Framke points out, Oprah seemed to sympathize with Cummins over the three Latinx authors. She was also criticized for never including an author of Mexican descent in more than 20 years of her influential book club, and only a few Latinx authors, period. "Winfrey professes to 'love this question' and owns up to failing on this front, but her continued response makes for a rare bit of fumbling on her part," says Framke. "She admits to being shortsighted regarding Latinx authors, but insists that her book club selections have just come from recommendations by friends and co-workers, and that she’s always strived for a color-blind approach. But Winfrey shrugging that her hugely influential book club was just a passion project among friends and vague promises to be more aware in future sounds an awful lot like the publishing industry’s nebulous responses to charges of exclusion." Framke adds that when the Latinx authors "push back to that effect, Winfrey’s creeping exasperation peeks through, speaking louder than her planned statement. Dissecting and understanding imperfect responses was, however, Winfrey’s explicit goal for the hour. It might not have been an entirely satisfying exchange of perspectives, but it was far more enlightening (for better and for worse) than a blandly gushing one would have been."

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• The combination of new vs. old media was fascinating to watch: "On Friday, the condemnation of cancel culture collided with an older mode of responding to hot topics: the daytime talk show, a forum where hashing out differences was the show," says Lorraine Ali. "Reactive platforms like Twitter are today’s Jerry Springer and Kirkus Reviews rolled into one. Easy access allows thoughtful opinions, knee-jerk reproach and everything in between to tangle and inflame in the same space. Oprah’s style, on the other hand, is to mediate the argument in a controlled environment, with the goal of finding common ground. The combination of new vs. old media was fascinating to watch, and made for a refreshingly candid yet curated discussion about a complex topic that has been difficult to harness. Painful truths have been aired, amplified and distorted across social media. Now it was Oprah’s turn."
• Oprah deserves credit for making good on her promise of creating a space where both sides can interact