On Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld—who, as defense secretary under George W. Bush, was a driving force behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—died. Major outlets wheeled out pre-written obituaries. The AP’s, by Robert Burns, bordered on hagiography. Its headline initially declared Rumsfeld “a cunning leader undermined by Iraq war”; that language was later changed to “cunning leader who oversaw a ruinous Iraq war,” but the opening paragraph still says that “try as he might,” Rumsfeld “could not outmaneuver the ruinous politics of the Iraq war,” as if he had been forced to play chess against a supercomputer. The Iraqi death toll from the war is not noted; the American death toll is—but not before Rumsfeld’s charitable work on behalf of veterans, his “accomplished” college wrestling career, and colleagues’ recollections of his smarts and patriotism. The first words of the article’s URL are “Chicago Bears,” a reference to the football team Rumsfeld supported as a kid. Because the AP is a wire service, the obituary was republished widely. Other prominent efforts were better, but did not adequately foreground the human cost of Rumsfeld’s military aggression: The New York Times addressed Iraq only after mentioning the records he broke as defense secretary (he was the youngest person in that post, under Gerald Ford, then the oldest, under Bush) and his reputation as a “combative infighter” who challenged “military orthodoxies.” The Washington Post described him as “controversial,” but... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-02 12:32:38 UTC ]
In his memoir “A Heart That Works,” the comedian and actor grapples with the pain of losing a child, and how to keep living. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-12 10:00:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I guess if you’re a publisher whose stated mission is to disrupt the publishing industry, you have to move fast and break things, no matter how ghoulish that makes you. Such is apparently the case for “hybrid publisher” Ballast Books (“More Than A Publisher, A Brand Builder”), who is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-11 16:17:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Esteemed Agent, I’m seeking representation for my [300,000-word rhyming memoir / novel-in-grocery-coupons / famous literary graves calendar**] which is a cross between [Maid and Green Eggs and Ham / a bag of Halloween candy and that novel-in-texts you just sold / an apple watch and a mortuary... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-11-11 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Our teeth tell stories about us, about the way that we have lived, about where we come from, about our habits, our health, and status.” Angelique Stevens muses on dentistry, poverty, and inequality. | Lit Hub Memoir In this week’s Life Advice for Book Lovers, Dorothea recommends books for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-10 11:30:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“I’d never read anything like it,” says the actor and director, whose memoir “All About Me!” is newly out in paperback. “It was hysterically funny and incredibly moving at the same time. It’s like Gogol stuck a pen in his heart, and it didn’t even go through his mind on its way to the page.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-10 10:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Greenlight welcomes poet and author Emma Bolden for a virtual evening celebrating her new book, The Tiger and the Cage. This exquisitely wrought debut memoir recounts Bolden’s lifelong struggle with chronic pain and endometriosis, while speaking more broadly to anyone who has been told “it’s all... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-10 09:52:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The online city guide and dining resource is partnering with Abrams on an Eater-branded series of cookbooks and city guides, which will release starting next year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The failure of a recent bid to merge two large publishing companies shines a light on a central issue of cultural powerDespite a rise in self-publishing, commercial publishers are still the main gatekeepers of what arrives on our bookshelves. As such, they have great cultural and – if a book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-04 18:25:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A memoir by a reporter who experienced incarceration and rehabilitation may be banned from Florida state prisons. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-04 10:39:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
How to bake black pepper snowballs… vengefully. | Lit Hub Food Costumes, plotting, mise-en-scène, monologues: Lyle Jeremy Rubin on how war becomes a (deadly) performance. | Lit Hub Memoir They lie to us, they weigh about as much as a hardback copy of Infinite Jest, and other fun facts... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-04 10:30:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Kai Bird sells a book about Roy Cohn to Scribner; Little, Brown Spark buys a posthumous memoir from Hannah Pick-Goslar; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Spare, which is released in January, has been heavily discounted by larger retailers, leaving smaller bookshops unable to competePrince Harry’s forthcoming memoir, Spare, is unlikely to be championed by independent bookshops because of how heavily it has been discounted by larger retailers,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-03 15:12:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“I got a copy of Edna O’ Brien’s ‘The Country Girls’ growing up, which hurried my puberty to a place where I thought differently about girls and women,” says the singer and frontman for U2, whose new memoir is “Surrender.” “I still do.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-03 09:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A play based on the writer’s memoir about the death of her husband, in its first New York revival, goes small to powerful effect. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-02 23:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Jeanna Kadlec's 'Heretic' combines scholarship with memoir to account for how American evangelism went astray — and how to take Christianity back. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-01 13:00:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Biden administration receives a clear victory, with the judge ruling the blockbuster merger would diminish competition in book publishing. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-01 00:51:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Actor Geena Davis’ memoir “Dying of Politeness” tells the story of how her movie roles gave her the confidence to move beyond extreme deference. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-10-28 18:56:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Peter Orner's 'Still No Word From You' melds memoir and criticism and, in the process, brings reading to life as a multi-sensory, communal experience. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-28 15:00:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Sussexes draw more ire than genocidal dictators – from people who struggle to articulate exactly what their problem isThe interior designer and social commentator Nicky Haslam has just released the latest annual version of his fabled tea towel, on which he lists some more of the things that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-28 12:28:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I wrote in my journal this morning. I am not going to disclose its contents to you here, on this page, on Beyoncé’s internet. What I write in my journal, its unfiltered stream of consciousness, is just for me. A memoir is not a journal. * Also this morning: I wrote up to the very […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-28 08:57:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this