“Problematic” is such a subjective word, isn’t it? If you’re liberal, you might find a conservative author problematic, and vice versa.

Rather than trying to cancel all the authors whose views we disagree with, I decided to make this list about authors who have allegedly and/or admittedly harmed innocent people and communities with their actions, books or words. For you, the potential consumer of these books, the core question is: If I buy or even read books written by these authors, am I potentially contributing to the victimization of innocent people and the degradation of communities?

Let’s start with the biggest names and go case by case.

Noam Chomsky, a Jeffrey Epstein Associate

In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Jeffrey Epstein had assisted in the transfer of $270,000 between Noam Chomsky’s accounts. Chomsky confirmed that this report was true.

According to 2025 Epstein file leaks, Chomsky had a glowing opinion of Epstein, the convicted pedophile sex trafficker billionaire who puppet mastered and funded powerful people across the world. The two were in regular contact until 2017, many years after Epstein pled guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. Chomsky has not commented on the 2025 leaks.

Once a positively regarded academic, Chomsky is the author of many popular political nonfiction books, including “Manufacturing Consent,” “How the World Works” and “On Palestine.” At the time of publishing this article, Chomsky is 97 years old. It is unlikely he will be able to write and publish more books before his passing.

After he passes, money from his books will likely go to his current wife, Valeria Wasserman, who is in her 60s. His children may inherit further access to his book-related assets as well, especially if Wasserman were to pass.

Chomsky has three children from his first wife:

• Aviva Chomsky, who is also an author and academic
• Diane Chomsky, a nonprofit funding coordinator and beneficiary of the Diane Chomsky Irrevocable Trust (mentioned and verified in this Chomsky paper)
• Harry Chomsky, a computer programmer who has been involved in the patents of technology-related inventions

Wasserman was also friends with Epstein. She is not trustworthy. I doubt she would use inheritance for the good of the world.

As for Chomsky’s children, it depends on whether you think their work and actions are having a net positive impact. We don’t know much about how they vote or what political causes they support. Aviva seems to be an advocate for immigrants, and Diane may send some of her inheritance to the nonprofits she has worked with.

Despite his revolutionary rhetoric, Chomsky was a hardcore Democrat. For decades, he came out in nearly every election to keep his followers in the two-party system. He accused Green Party voters of boosting Trump.

Because I am against the two-party system and have chosen to vote outside of it, I won’t be buying any of Chomsky’s books, unless we need a copy for review. Even in the case of a review copy, I’d see if we can obtain a viable used copy where the revenue would only go toward the bookstore. The news of his involvement with Epstein has vindicated my decision to not support or promote his work.

My bet is that all of Chomsky’s children are Democrats as well. If you support the Democratic Party and don’t mind the secondhand Epstein association, you should buy Chomsky’s books after his current wife passes or in the event that all of his wealth goes only to his children.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” Author Delia Owens, Accused of Involvement in Murder and Racist Behavior

Because Zambia doesn’t have a statute of limitations on murder, the Owens family is still wanted for questioning regarding the murder of an alleged poacher in 1995. The murder was caught on film and included in the 1996 documentary, “Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story.” The footage does not clearly show or indicate exactly which Owens family member murdered the victim. As many journalists have noted, the real life story is hauntingly similar to events in Owens’ novel.

In his 2022 report on the story, Atlantic Contributor Jeffrey Goldberg watched the documentary and wrote, “There is little in the video to suggest that the person killed was a poacher, and indeed, the ABC script refers to the victim as a ‘trespasser,’ though it is also unclear where this trespassing might have taken place.” The victim was “executed while lying collapsed on the ground after having already been shot.”

According to coverage from The BLACK Project, Mark Owens sent a fax that implied he and other family members had killed poachers even before the 1995 incident. In 1986 the government of Botswana kicked the Owens out of the country for criticizing conservation policies and allegedly threatening cattle.

The BLACK Project founder Brianna O’Reilly made several troubling claims about the Owens and “Where the Crawdads Sing”:

• The book “depicts the Black characters as barely able to string together an intelligible sentence”
• The book “uses horrible language, an unnecessarily large number of slurs, age old stereotypes”
• “The character of Mabel couldn’t be more of the Mammy stereotype”
• “Jumpin,’ the kindly father figure is pretty much just the Magical Negro stereotype”

If any of the Owens family members have the gall to participate in more vigilante anti-poaching attempts and harassment of African people, book money could fund their operational costs. Do you think they will try again? Delia Owens is old now, and the world is watching her family.

Neil Gaiman, Accused of Sexual Assault and Misconduct

At least nine women have accused Gaiman of “sexual misconduct.” Some of these accusers have been pressured into signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Gaiman has denied all accusations.

Scarlett Pavlovich, who worked for Gaiman and his ex-wife as a nanny, filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Gaiman. The author defended himself by producing text correspondence with the accuser that illustrates a consensual relationship. Pavlovich maintains she was a victim of assault. A Wisconsin judge dismissed her lawsuit, arguing that the case should be litigated in New Zealand where the alleged crimes occurred.

On January 14, 2025, Gaiman published a statement on his website. He continued to deny all abuse allegations, but he did admit to hurtful behavior. “I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret,” he wrote. “It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people’s.”

Nine accusations is a pretty high number. Gun to my head, if I had to declare guilty or not guilty, I’d say he probably assaulted at least one person. What’s your verdict?

If you think he’s guilty, I would stop buying his books. The more people buy his books, the more money he’ll have for legal defense.

‘American Dirt’ Author Jeanine Cummins, a Problem for the Hispanic Community?

In 2020, Flatiron Books published “American Dirt,” a novel about a mother and her son who illegally immigrate from Mexico to the U.S. The content of the characters and plot reveal that Cummins was ignorant to the realities of Mexican life. Thousands of Hispanic Americans roasted the novel online.

As a response to the novel’s wild commercial success, Los Angeles Times contributor Esmeralda Bermudez wrote an article titled “‘American Dirt’ is what happens when Latinos are shut out of the book industry.” Bermudez illustrated how the main character is unrealistic and offensive to real families who cross the border, and how the book is riddled with cheap Latino stereotypes.

According to NPR, Cummins had this response: “”I don’t know how to respond to this. … Not everyone has to love my book. I endeavored to be incredibly culturally sensitive, I did the work, I did five years of research. The whole intention in my heart when I wrote this book was to try to upend the stereotypes that I saw being very prevalent in our national dialogue. And I felt like there was room … for us to examine the humanity of the people involved.”

Cummins is white, but she has Puerto Rican ancestry. Her 2026 novel, “Speak to Me of Home,” has a plot that is also focused on Latinos. The narrative follows three generations of Puerto Rican women from Puerto Rico to the American Midwest. So far the book has received less complaints than its predecessor.

Do you think Cummins learned anything from the response to “American Dirt”? Has she done better with this next novel? When you support her, are you potentially contributing to the problem of white people writing books that demean the Hispanic community and shut Hispanic authors out of the publishing process?

I have no interest in buying “American Dirt,” but I’m curious to see what Hispanic readers think of “Speak to Me of Home.”

Nathan J. Robinson: A Problem for Real Socialists, and the Chomsky Connection

This case is more esoteric, so bear with me. I care deeply about the impact of words. When language is logical, average people benefit. When language is illogical, members of the ruling class tend to benefit.

Because political labels are powerful, I spend a lot of time scrutinizing them. I believe we should accept political labels based on actions, rather than accepting these labels at face value. If someone espouses a label based on a political ideology, they should have to earn that label by voting for — or at least supporting, if they can’t vote — the parties or candidates that champion their ideology. A true libertarian would vote for the Libertarian Party, not the Republican Party. Real socialists support and vote for socialist parties such as the Green Party.

Nathan J. Robinson calls himself a socialist. He is the author of “Why You Should Be a Socialist.” While touting this socialist brand, Robinson urges his readers to vote for anti-socialist, neoliberal candidates such as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Robinson’s impact is to keep American voters in the two-party system where significant, efficient advances in socialism are not possible. He claims to care about the children of Gaza, yet he tells his readers to vote for the leaders responsible for Gaza’s destruction.

Even after the media revealed Noam Chomsky’s financial connection to Jeffrey Epstein, Robinson co-authored a book with Chomsky. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be even two degrees connected to Jeffrey Epstein. If the news came out after I had begun working on the book, I would ask for my name to be removed.

I don’t identify as a socialist, yet I feel the need to criticize Robinson on behalf of real socialists. People like him tarnish an ideology that is supposed to be revolutionary, not complicit in our current system.

If you buy Robinson’s books, there’s a good chance he’ll use some of the revenue to support causes related to Chomsky, an Epstein associate. Better to spend your money on something else.

Which Authors Are a Net Negative on the World?

Instead of financially supporting problematic authors, let’s boycott them. Has an author materially harmed your community? Or do you think their actions and books have done more harm than good? If so, make your case, and we’ll consider adding their name to this list.

There are millions of authors who write well and happen to be decent people. Join us in highlighting them!