Even if 'bossy' could be banned, there are far better ways to boost girls' self-esteem | Hadley Freeman

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Beyoncé want to ban the word 'bossy' as disparaging to women. It's a good start, but there's so much more to be done. Here are my top tipsThat growing numbers of girls suffer from issues of self-esteem during adolescence – ones that can be carried over into adulthood – is not up for debate. What is debatable is what should be done about this. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and author of the bestselling feminist-ish book Lean In, has come up with her own typically high-powered and certainly well-intentioned solution: to ban the word "bossy". "When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a 'leader'. Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded 'bossy'," she writes.It will come as a massive surprise to no one to learn that I was called bossy quite a lot as a kid, and still am (although I wouldn't have to be bossy if people would just bloody well do as I say). Yet it's never bothered me, mainly because I grew up idolising Miss Piggy and Lucy van Pelt from Peanuts, and never saw bossiness as anything other than a wholly commendable quality. But for those unacquainted with the mighty pig, Sandberg has made a video featuring herself, Condoleezza Rice, Beyoncé and others, arguing that the word "bossy" should be "banned" (in the self-censoring sense, one suspects, as opposed to the, you know, legal one) because it's a way of telling confident girls to shut up.Insults are often gendered – in adulthood at... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Girl on the Train derails The Boss for a ninth week at number one

The Girl on the Train (Black Swan) has chugged its way back into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 49,506 copies for £234,242. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiction and picture books look set to boost Christmas sales

Fiction and picture books are likely to take the lion’s share of sales over the Christmas period, although this year’s YA and teen offering is not as strong, according to a number of children’s booksellers. Florentyna Martin, children’s buyer at Waterstones, said younger fiction is particularly... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trapeze lands We Own the Sky for £1m in five-way auction

Trapeze has acquired "heartbreaking yet life-affirming" debut We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt in a five-way auction. Sam Eades, senior commissioning editor at Trapeze, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the debut, which was discovered on the slush pile by Juliet Mushens at UTA, for a figure... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Picador wins Dear Mrs Bird in seven-way auction

Picador has won a debut novel by A J Pearce, Dear Mrs Bird, after a "passionately-fought" seven-publisher auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Monthly E-Ranking: The Girl on the Train steams back into the top spot, but I See You has it in its sights

The Girl on the Train (Transworld) has once again chugged straight into the Monthly E-Book Sales Ranking number one spot for August—shifting 41,335 copies to usurp Jojo Moyes’ After You (Michael Joseph). The top three— the aforementioned two, along with After You’s predecessor Me Before You,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vying to Be the Next 'Gone Girl'

Bucking insider expectations, psychological suspense is still hot in the run-up to the 2016 Frankfort Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: 'Girl' Stays Atop the Throne

Paula Hawkins's 'The Girl on the Train' remains #1 on the iBooks Bestseller list, with the enhanced ebook edition of George R.R. Martin's 'A Game of Thrones' settling in at #2. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Niche Bookstores Find Their Way

After seeing their numbers decline dramatically, surviving specialty bookstores are finding new ways to thrive. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Industry Notes: PEN America on Banning Books in the USA

PEN America's new report asserts that 'diverse books' frequently are the first to be yanked when it comes to book challenges and 'soft censorship.' The post International Industry Notes: PEN America on Banning Books in the USA appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Save a Life—Support a Banned Book

Almost universally, books in America are challenged because they tackle difficult subjects, writes author I.W. Gregorio. "Police brutality. Coming out. Drug use. Issues of gender identity. Disability. Gun violence. Suicide." But books—particularly those that delve into tough topics, save lives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MJ wins 'fastest-selling debut' thriller in nine-way auction

Michael Joseph has won a new debut thriller, The Chalk Man by C J Tudor, in a nine-way publisher auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber bags 'major' Nietzsche biography after seven-way auction

Faber & Faber is to publish a "major" biography of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche by Sue Prideaux, after winning the title in a seven-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Girl on the Train lines up in first and second place

The Girl on the Train (Black Swan) has run away with both first and second place in the Official UK Top 50, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Texas Prisons Banned My Book About Texas Prisoners

Banned Book Week, which started on Sunday, reminds us that no one sets out to write a banned book. But as long as speech threatens those in power, censorship, even in a country that espouses one of the most expansive free-speech regimes in the world, remains inevitable. Given that book banning... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six Easy Ways to Do Good: PW Talks to Chris Marlow

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Latest Ukrainian Ban of Russian Book Imports Under Consideration

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banned Book Week Gets Diverse

Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read that shines a light on censorship of reading material in the United States, has begun. This year, the event focuses on diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cursed Child boosts Scholastic Corp revenues

Sales of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has given US-based Scholastic Corp a huge boost, as the company has today posted a first quarter revenue increase of 48%. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Great British Bake Off' boost for booksellers

As "The Great British Bake Off" marks its last series on the BBC, ending an era, The Bookseller's charts and data editor Kiera O'Brien takes a look at how much dough books related to the programme have made via Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audio download chart, August 2016: Girl on the Train steamrolls competition

A familiar face tops the audiobook list, while the new play script helps Harry Potter sweep seven of the top 20 chart places. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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