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 ]
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling tops a new list of children's favourite books which is dominated by titles that have been made into films. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After entering the library ebook market last April with a pilot, Simon & Schuster is expanding its program to more libraries, and adding OverDrive as a vendor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that the percentage of American adults who read an ebook in the past year has risen to 28 percent, up from 23 percent in 2012. Yet the tree book isn't dead yet, at least in the popularity sense, as the results show most ebook... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has shown that the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 5th annual Digital Book World conference opened with a look back over those five years and the vast changes in book publishing wrought by the transition to digital media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Los Angeles Times looks into the growing availability of Spanish-language ebooks and increasing confidence in the US Spanish-speaking market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW has compiled a list of the children's books and galleys being given away at this year's Winter Institute, along with the buzz about why specific authors are attending. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A comprehensive list of the writers to look for and galleys and finished books available at the ABA conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Hat Books, Indianapolis' only independent full-service general bookstore selling only new books, is temporarily closing while its owner looks for a new, smaller retail space. The 10-year-old bookstore will be closed for an undetermined length of time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emotional women's fiction, yet more psychological crime, talking-point business books and a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's On Such A Full Sea turns typography into a sculpture.It was only a matter of time: the first 3-D printed book cover has arrived. Published by Riverhead Books on Tuesday, a limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's novel On Such a Full Sea features a white slipcover... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2014, as in years past, it looks as if some of the best new releases will be coming from America's smaller publishers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The surging popularity of the Kindle and Nook allows publishers to offer Spanish-language books in the U.S. at far lower prices than for printed copies. For decades, finding Spanish-language books in the U.S. was like tilting at windmills. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#lower prices
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Although Time Inc. began publishing books that combined the resources of its Time and Life magazines in 1961, Time-Life Books (T-L Books) was not officially established until 1964. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic political testament, "Mein Kampf" is surging up electronic book best seller lists, even as sales of the printed version have been stagnant for years. Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic Yejin Choi says her algorithm can predict 'highly successful literature' with 84% accuracyAuthors, publishers and literary critics struggling to unlock the secrets of successful writing can breathe a sigh of relief, after a computer science professor has announced an algorithm that can... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month, Dan Kois, David Haglund, and Emily Bazelon discuss James McBride’s National Book Award winner for fiction, The Good Lord Bird. The novel makes a farcical cross-dressing comedy of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, paints Frederick Douglass as a drunken letch, and generally takes an... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The trailer for Gary Shteyngart's memoir 'Little Failure' features James Franco and Rashida Jones. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's annual post-Christmas survey of two dozen bookstores across the country didn't turn up any blockbusters on a level with last year's Hunger Games trilogy; instead, shoppers gravitated to a mix of children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeremy Dooley created a new book--and an original font--to tutor tots on typeface.They say necessity is the mother of invention, but new parenthood isn't bad for coming up with new ideas either. "After my son was born, I found that his very simple books started me thinking about a lot of basic... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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