Recently news has come out that a world-famous writer Gabrielle Zevin is surrounded by some controversies regarding the book she has written. that novel has been popular with readers for two years, consistently appearing on bestseller lists. currently, she was named one of the 100 best books of the 21st century by the New York Times. This book’s success has brought attention to Zevin, an author of Jewish and Korean descent with nine other books to her name. However, Zevin is now in the spotlight for a different reason: some in the literary world are calling her a “Zionist” and demanding a boycott of her books.
Zevin has never publicly shared her views on Israel, yet she has become the center of cultural debates surrounding Israel. The controversy intensified after the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 kidnappings.
The situation escalated further when a Chicago bookstore, City Lit, removed her book from its book club list. An assistant manager informed book club members via email, “It was brought to my attention that the author Gabrielle Zevin is a Zionist, and I am not comfortable having us reading something by her, especially knowing people would buy it from the store and she would receive monetary support from us,” the assistant manager wrote in the email. He continued, “If you want to read it, I’d encourage you to get it from the library and read it critically!”
Zevin’s background is a mix of diverse cultures. She grew up in Florida with her Korean mother and Jewish father before studying at Harvard University. Her literary career began in 2005 with two novels, and she has been writing steadily ever since. However, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is her most successful work. The novel’s protagonists, Sam and Sadie, are both of Jewish descent, mirroring Zevin’s own heritage. In a 2022 interview with the Harvard Crimson, she said, “Like Sam in the book, I am half Jewish and half Korean.” She described herself as being connected to “the religion of books,” reflecting her deep passion for literature.
Amidst these controversies, Zevin remains a significant figure in the literary world, with her books inspiring both admiration and debate.
