There’s a book out there called “A Birthday Cake For Washington,” that is supposed to portray the image of a black slave who is appreciative of being a slave. Not only that, but for a white slave owner known as our first president of the United States, George Washington.
The book was released by Scholastic publishing company on Jan. 5 but before sales could boom they realized—wait, this isn’t right!? According to Bossip the book was pulled from book stores this past Sunday.
The distasteful book is supposed to tell the story of the president’s slave Hercules and his daughter, Delia.
It starts off like this: “Oh, how George Washington loves his cake!” as the publisher describes it in the reading. “And, oh, how he depends on Hercules, his head chef, to make it for him. Hercules, a slave, takes great pride in baking the president’s cake. But this year there is one problem — they are out of sugar.”
The author of the book, Ramin Ganeshram and Illustrator Brantley-Newton, tried to make light of one of the most heartfelt times that were brutally brought back to the memories of African-Americans, but it just seems like nor the place or time, especially if you fail to tell the entire story. According to reviews from over 100 Amazon members who came across this book, they all were upset leaving only one-star for the book.
“While we have great respect for the integrity and scholarship of the author, illustrator and editor, we believe that, without more historical background on the evils of slavery than this book for younger children can provide, the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves and therefore should be withdrawn,” the publisher said to AP News.
Notes written after many reviews and backlash through social media came towards Ganeshram and Brantley Newton, they discussed how Hercules eventually escaped, but that was failed to be told in the actual book.
School Library Journal, a trade publication, called the book “highly problematic” and even Kirkus Reviews said it is “an incomplete, even dishonest treatment of slavery.”
I hate to say it, but at-least 12 reviews were positive on the book. Hopefully those people just judged the book by it’s cover.
TSR Intern: Charise W.
Instagram: @planet_reese
