‘Color Purple’ author Alice Walker criticized for support of David Icke book

NEW YORK — Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Alice Walker and The New York Times are drawing fire after she praised an author who critics say expresses anti-Semitism and is a conspiracy theorist.

In an interview in Sunday’s “By The Book” column, the 74-year-old author of “The Color Purple” said David Icke’s 1995 book, “And The Truth Shall Set You Free,” is on her nightstand. She said “in Icke’s books there is the whole of existence, on this planet and several others, to think about.”

New York Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades says the column is not a list of recommendations from its editors, and “the subject’s answers are a reflection on that person’s personal tastes, opinions and judgments.”

Icke is a British author.

Walker declined comment through her publicist.