I was called aggressive for criticising passages in Kate Clanchy’s memoir. But the real problem lies deep in the overwhelmingly white world of publishingIt started with a tweet. Kate Clanchy, author of Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me posted on her Twitter account that a reviewer on Goodreads had “made up a racist quote and said it was in my book”. She urged her almost 40,000 followers to flag the review that claimed she had bigoted views on race, class and body image, and had used terms such as “chocolate-coloured skin” and “Jewish noses”. Prominent authors and columnists swooped in to offer support, decrying how Clanchy could possibly be subjected to such inhumane treatment – including the current president of the Society of Authors, Philip Pullman, who declared: “But of all the people and of all the books to have had this happen … It’s hard to stay optimistic about the human race sometimes.”However, it soon emerged that those terms were, in fact, in the book. Incredulous that antisemitic and anti-Black tropes could have made it into a book published as recently as 2019, I downloaded and read it. I recoiled as a Somali boy is described as having a “narrow skull”, while one Muslim girl is “very butch-looking … with a distinct moustache”, and another “looked brilliant because she has such a strong skull shape”, which sounds more like something a eugenicist might observe than a trusted teacher. There is a troubling exchange where Clanchy is baffled by a boy who,... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-08-13 13:51:20 UTC ]
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Leah McLaren, author of Where You End and I Begin. Find... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-27 08:51:24 UTC ]
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While we do not, under any circumstances, have to hand it to Skyhorse, publisher of Sandy Hook deniers, anti-vaxxers, January 6th conspiracy theorists, and Woody Allen—their brand is extremely consistent. To wit: they will be publishing another book by disgraced biographer Blake Bailey (they... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-26 20:31:25 UTC ]
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'Yoga' charts true-crime master Emmanuel Carrère's journey from intensive meditation to mental breakdown — but leaves out the divorce that derailed him. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-26 13:00:18 UTC ]
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At first, I wanted to call it Forty Love. My memoir, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, & Literature, is a deeply personal account of the unexpected plot twists in my own life highlighted by the books I was reading at the time. In my current career as publishing CEO at Zibby Books and host […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-22 08:51:36 UTC ]
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The Light We Carry, to be published in November, compiles the former first lady’s best strategies for surviving in the face of a ‘rising tide of bigotry and intolerance’A new book by former first lady Michelle Obama will offer readers “fresh stories and insightful reflections on change,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-07-21 14:08:29 UTC ]
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A memoir by the late Susan Fleming Marx, Harpo Marx's widow, finally comes to light 20 years after her death. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-21 13:39:48 UTC ]
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Chris Belcher’s searing memoir about her work as a professional dominatrix isn’t exactly a comfortable read. Not because of the subject, but because Pretty Baby asks more of the reader than many memoirs. Like the best art does, this book invites introspection and interrogation of both our own... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-07-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How language shapes emotion across cultures. | Lit Hub Science Baynard Woods reflects on how writing a book forced him to confront the many lies of whiteness. | Lit Hub Memoir How do you begin to write a novel about 6th-century Londinium, the “darkest corner of the Dark Ages”? | Lit Hub History... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-20 10:30:12 UTC ]
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Journalist and super fan Danyel Smith champions the role of Black women in pop music in “Shine Bright,” which combines memoir with music history. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-07-18 19:10:00 UTC ]
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Erika L. Sánchez's insightful memoir might not resonate with the easily offended. But those looking for an unfiltered, feel-good story will find it here. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Isaac Fitzgerald’s “Dirtbag, Massachusetts” is a memoir about male misbehavior and the struggle to make sense of oneself. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-07-16 09:00:11 UTC ]
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“I was still an English Learner, for crying out loud; how could I ever imagine working in the movie industry?” How rummaging through Oliver Stone’s home office allowed a young Rafael Agustín to dream big. | Lit Hub Memoir If “empathy towards other species and toward nature is the only way out of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-15 10:30:12 UTC ]
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Insiders say outgoing prime minister unlikely to write about personal life but book deal possible this autumnBoris Johnson could be paid more than £1m for his memoir, according to publishing insiders. But anyone expecting a kiss-and-tell may be disappointed, as industry professionals have said... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-07-15 10:12:09 UTC ]
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"Writing my memoir essentially gave me the confidence that I could write fiction." The post Surrounded by Choice: The Millions Interviews Sopan Deb appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-07-15 10:00:16 UTC ]
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HarperCollins wins a British crime thriller debut, Gallery takes on a memoir by a former Scientologist, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lindy Elkins-Tanton, lead scientist for NASA’s Psyche mission, describes challenges and successes in “A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman.” Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-07-14 20:06:29 UTC ]
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The 'Dirty Dancing' star discusses the upcoming sequel, her memoir and the Supreme Court's 'fundamentally wrong' abortion ruling. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-14 14:00:17 UTC ]
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When CJ Hauser published “The Crane Wife” in The Paris Review, an essay about repressing her needs in a relationship, calling off a wedding, and going to study whooping cranes on the Gulf Coast, it quickly became a viral hit. Three years later, her 17-piece memoir in essays of the same name... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-07-14 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How Josephine Baker transformed from dancer to spy. | Lit Hub History “Although they’d been dead for 30 years, I was writing their story in a taut, blow-by-blow replay as the noose of Jones’s madness pulled tighter and tighter.” Julia Scheeres on the harrowing experience of writing about the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-13 10:30:04 UTC ]
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Random House buys a memoir about alcoholism and family, and Irish novelist Joseph O’Connor sells a historical trilogy to Europa. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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