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 ]
A trans author reflects on the fraught history of trans women’s memoir covers, and why she didn’t want her likeness on her own. Continue reading at Guernica
[ Guernica | 2020-03-10 12:00:35 UTC ]
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The film director’s book Apropos of Nothing was dropped by its US publisher after staff walkouts, but the French publisher says ‘Allen is not Roman Polanski’Woody Allen’s controversial memoir will still be published in France despite its US publisher dropping it, with his French publisher saying... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-09 14:57:23 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group is no longer publishing Woody Allen’s autobiography, returning all rights to the author a day after an estimated 75–100 employees walked out in protest. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-08 18:31:06 UTC ]
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Writer ‘uneasy’ over US publisher’s decision to drop director’s memoirAuthor Stephen King has hit out at publisher Hachette over its decision to drop publication of Woody Allen’s memoir after a protest from his son, the author Ronan Farrow, prompted a walkout of staff at the publishing group’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-08 08:10:29 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group has decided not to publish film director Woody Allen’s upcoming memoir, a day after employees at the company walked out in solidarity with Ronan Farrow. In a statement, Hachette... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2020-03-06 23:58:20 UTC ]
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Hachette won’t publish Woody Allen’s memoir ‘Apropos of Nothing,’ after a week of backlash. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-06 21:44:58 UTC ]
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On Friday, Woody Allen's publisher, Hachette Books Group, decided to cancel the planned release of his memoir Apropos of Nothing. The decision came after dozens employees staged a walkout in protest of the book's publication. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2020-03-06 20:54:52 UTC ]
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Ronan Farrow also said he would cut ties with Hachette Book Group over the decision to publish Apropos of Nothing. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2020-03-06 20:49:10 UTC ]
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On Friday, a day after a walkout, Hachette announced it will return all rights to the author. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-06 20:46:29 UTC ]
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In a statement, Hachette Book Group has announced that it has cancelled its publication of Woody Allen’s memoir, Apropos of Nothing, which was originally scheduled for release in April 2020. Hachette will return all rights to the author. “The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-06 20:10:39 UTC ]
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The publisher’s announcement that it will publish the filmmaker’s memoir has drawn criticism, this time from its own employees. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-05 22:53:21 UTC ]
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Today, employees at the Little, Brown and Company imprint of the Hachette Book Group have organized a walkout in protest of the company’s announcement that it will be moving forward with the publication of Woody Allen’s memoir, Apropos of Nothing. Allen’s memoir was purchased by Hachette’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-05 21:02:55 UTC ]
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HQ has acquired the first adult memoir from children’s author Anna Wilson, billed as a “searing” account of autism and ageing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-05 06:36:10 UTC ]
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The publication date moves to May for the controversial White House memoir of Donald Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton. The post Report: Simon & Schuster’s Date for John Bolton’s Book Is Now in May appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-04 15:00:09 UTC ]
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Seven Dials has acquired the "explosive" story an ordinary man who went to Syria as an international volunteer to fight alongside the Kurdish YPG against ISIS. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 14:20:59 UTC ]
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Mirror Books will publish new memoir about the only living sisters to have signed the Official Secrets Act during the Second World War. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 12:36:25 UTC ]
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William Collins has landed the “riveting and candid” memoir of Kim Darroch, Britain’s Ambassador to the US during Donald Trump’s White House reign. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 06:17:07 UTC ]
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Writer known for #MeToo investigations – whose sister says Allen abused her – suggests he can no longer work with HachetteRonan Farrow has distanced himself from the publisher of his latest book after the company announced plans to publish a memoir by his father, Woody Allen, saying the move... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-04 03:04:40 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman and Jackie Morris have donated to a £14,000 crowdfunding campaign for the New Welsh Review after the literary magazine saw its funding slashed by 20% last year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-03 23:24:10 UTC ]
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Dylan Farrow slammed Woody Allen's upcoming memoir, "Apropos of Nothing," calling it "deeply unsettling." She accused her adoptive father of sexual abuse in the 1990s. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-03 18:48:28 UTC ]
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