Susie O’Brien: Book outrage shows Naked Chef Jamie Oliver should stick to what he does best

It’s a good thing the Naked Chef’s latest children’s book has been withdrawn from sale after outrage about its stereotypical and incorrect portrayal of a young Indigenous girl.

Naked Chef Jamie Oliver should stick to what he does best. Cooking.

His latest children’s book has been withdrawn from sale after outrage about its stereotypical and incorrect portrayal of a young Indigenous girl. Good thing too.

The book, Billy and the Epic Escape, features an Indigenous girl, Ruby, who lives in foster care who is abducted by an evil woman. The woman wants to take the girl because she can communicate with plants and animals and Ruby goes with her because she promises to give her community money.

The sorry saga shows once again the folly of celebrities who have both children and fame and think this gives them the right to publish a children’s book.

From Meghan Markle to Keith Richards to Simon Cowell, the list of failed celebrity children’s authors is long and distinguished.

Jamie Oliver's book Billy and the Epic Escape has been withdrawn for sale.

What astounds me is not that Oliver’s 400-page book was written in the first place, but that no one at Penguin Random House thought to question its contents.

It’s almost unbelievable that not one person at this hugely successful publishing house questioned the novel’s subplot about Ruby.

The book has been on sale for around six months, but so far, no one has spoken up about its spurious accounts of Indigenous spirituality and history.

Not only does the character use Indigenous vocabulary from the wrong part of Australia, but Oliver did not consult with any Indigenous organisation or individual.

There’s nothing wrong with a privileged white male from the UK writing about disadvantaged Indigenous people from another country. But at the very least he should do so in consultation with Indigenous groups.

Jamie Oliver should stick to what he does best.

We’re in an era of heightened cultural awareness. It’s a time when Red Skin lollies have been renamed Red Rippers. When kids’ Halloween costumes are assessed for cultural appropriation. And when books from beloved authors like Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss are being rewritten to take out racist references.

So, there is no excuse whatsoever for this book to have been released in this form.

Oliver clearly didn’t know any better, but his publishers should. They have said they should have submitted the book to an “authenticity read”.

They’re right.

This is what happens when celebrities write books as part of a vanity side hustle. Publishers produce them, and people buy them, but not many people actually read them – especially before they are published.

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist