# @muybuenocooking on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B9W4IzSFhmd
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/15186910-muybuenocooking-instagram
- **Posted:** 2020-03-05T15:55:54.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Anna Yvette Marquez (@muybuenocooking) — https://gondola.cc/muybuenocooking

## Caption

Guess what guys?! I was invited to attend a live taping of Oprah’s Book Club to discuss the controversy behind the book, “American Dirt” and guess what? I froze! I had so many high hopes of sharing my thoughts and opinions but I became paralyzed with fear and nerves, so instead I sat there in awe of all the courageous people who did voice their opinions, ask questions, and shared their real migrant stories.

On the top of my list of goals for 2020 was to meet Oprah and I think I was overwhelmed of the reality that I was actually there, sitting in an audience where I could finally talk with her and my arm would not raise up to speak.

Have you read “American Dirt”? I invite you to stream the episode this Friday, March 6th on Apple TV.

If you were there for the live taping with Oprah, what would you have said about the book, author, or publishing industry?

Let’s pretend that I didn’t freeze and let’s pretend I was brave and shared my voice. This is what I would have said...Thank you Oprah for inviting Latinx folks like me to share our opinions and concerns about this book with the author and publisher.

As a mother, I was initially captivated by the thrilling novel. The story is about a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States. In general, it was a good book, but I cannot deny that it is sprinkled with Mexican stereotypes. But in all honesty, I was more annoyed that a non-Mexican author wrote a book about Mexican migrants. The author received a hefty seven-figure advance, a film deal, and sales have exceeded 200,000 copies.

As an author and a 2nd generation Mexican-American, I am even more inspired to write. I was in shock to hear that publishers have not noticed the lack of diversity of published authors. Why don’t publishers publish more books by Latino authors? 
Thank you Oprah for bringing all of us together to discuss this matter and so many topics that were needed to be discussed.

Most of all, thank you for sharing so many stories of real migrants. I could not hold back the tears. I can’t even imagine what they had to overcome and endure in order to hopefully find freedom and opportunity in the U.S.

#americandirt video by oprahsbookclub

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- **Likes:** 132
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- **Comments:** 52

## Tags

americandirt

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