Captain Matthew Hanger, the book’s protagonist, is introduced to the reader at the scene of the massacre. Weary of war after “thirteen years of Indian fighting,” the character suggests his participation can be linked to the moment he “found his parents and baby sister murdered by a Comache war party.” In his narration, he implies that a chanting Lakota medicine man is “stirring up defiance” among other warriors. Though the main character acknowledges that he has participated in a massacre by the prologue’s end, it doesn’t shake the implication that the Lakota people were somewhat responsible for the horrific violence that transpired.
The Romance Writers of America reacted swiftly to the backlash, holding an emergency board meeting and announcing days later that it was rescinding the award.
“At Love’s Command,” a novel by Christian romance author Karen Witemeyer, has come under fire for romanticizing the killing of Indigenous people. Credit: From Bethany House
Bethany House, the Christian publishing house that published “At Love’s Command,” said it stood by Witemeyer and her work, though it was “saddened by the offense caused by the novel.”
“It was neither the author’s nor publisher’s wish to offend, but rather to recount this history for the tragedy it was,” Bethany House wrote in a statement to CNN. “That it was perpetuated by ordinary people like the characters in Witemeyer’s novel is a sobering aspect of that tragedy.”
However, it pushed back on assertions that the book endorsed the violent actions of its protagonist.
“The death toll, including noncombatant Lakota women and children, sickens him, and he identifies it as the massacre it is and begs God for forgiveness for what he’s done,” the statement continued. “The author makes it clear throughout the book that the protagonist deeply regrets his actions and spends the rest of his life trying to atone for the wrong that he did.”
The upheaval over “At Love’s Command” comes on the heels of a tumultuous two years for the romance writing and publishing industry. The Romance Writers of America was accused of racism, discrimination and a lack of diversity, and authors across the field began questioning their membership in the organization. Top leaders announced their resignations and the group ended up canceling last year’s annual RITA awards (rebranded this year as the VIVIAN awards).
This year’s awards came with “a new judging rubric aimed toward making decisions based on the quality of the work and limiting bias,” a process the Romance Writers of America said resulted in the most diverse class of award finalists in the organization’s history.
Some writers in the industry, however, say more work has to be done.