Millie Bobby Brown under fire over her debut novel Nineteen Steps; internet divided over culture of ghostwriting

Nineteen Steps recounts Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown's grandmother's experience of the 1943 Bethnal Green tube disaster.

Millie Bobby Brown reading her debut novel Nineteen Steps

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown's debut novel Nineteen Steps has sparked heated debates online. While the book is based on Millie's family history, she has not authored it. And many have taken offence to the fact that the cover of the book only features Millie's name. Many have slammed the young actress for not giving the credit where's due.

Nineteen Steps was actually ghostwritten by author Kathleen McGurl. The book recounts Millie's grandmother's experience of the 1943 Bethnal Green tube disaster. While Millie was not the first celebrity to use ghostwriters to publish a book or won't be the last, many have been lashing out at her on social media.

Millie Bobby Brown trolled over her debut novel

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Millie, however, stood apart from the other celebrities by disclosing the name of the actual author who helped her to write the book. She shared a picture of herself holding the novel with Kathleen McGurl on Instagram. "a HUGE thank you to my collaborator @kathleenmcgurl - I couldn’t have done this without you! #nineteensteps," she captioned the photo. The picture has drawn many comments, with people questioning the rationale behind not mentioning the actual writer on the cover. "You mean she wrote it for you and you’re taking the credit," wrote a user. "So u can become an author and not actually write it yourself these days … what’s the point ?," asked the other. "just use chatgpt next time," said the other.

Internet is divided over Millie Bobby Brown's book

However, not all comments were critical of Millie. Many have also expressed solidarity with the young talent, and appreciate her decision to publically acknowledge the original author. "Ghost writing is not new, and by sharing this post she is literally acknowledging the author, who’s name will also be in the book. The author will be very happy, and Millie supplied the whole story and all her families research. Everyone seriously needs to get off their high horse. Excellent work, Millie and Kathleen!," reasoned an Instagram user.

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Millie has also expressed interest in adapting Nineteen Steps to the screen.

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