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 ]
Chatto & Windus has triumphed in a hotly-contested eight-way auction to publish an "extraordinarily brave" memoir about faith, loss and addiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 09:08:05 UTC ]
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Head of Zeus has picked up a memoir of Belfast by poet and writer Ciaran Carson, who passed away earlier this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 01:49:57 UTC ]
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Columnist, editor and author hailed as ‘fearless’, after her death at the age of 57Friends and colleagues have responded to the death of the journalist and author Deborah Orr with a flood of tributes, describing the longtime Guardian columnist as fearless, hilarious, and “a lioness in a world... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-21 15:54:16 UTC ]
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Complete with endorsements from Donald Trump and Judy Murray, the parody jacket turned up in a branch of FoylesThere are large acts of protest, such as the People’s Vote march that took place in London on Saturday. And then there are smaller ones, such as the work of the as yet unidentified... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-21 12:46:59 UTC ]
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Motherwell, the incisive memoir by Deborah Orr, unpicks the complexities of familial relationships. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-21 06:10:58 UTC ]
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In his memoir “Long Way Home,” Michael Douglas’s oldest son examines the “demented death wish” that drove him to drugs and crime, shining a light on his famous family along the way. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-10-19 09:00:12 UTC ]
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Chuck Schwab said his company will soon introduce fractional-stock trading and other services designed to appeal to younger clients. The founder and chairman of Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that introducing the new services is the next step after dropping... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-10-18 18:05:16 UTC ]
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The Blunt Instrument is an advice column for writers, written by Elisa Gabbert (specializing in nonfiction), John Cotter (specializing in fiction), and Ruoxi Chen (specializing in publishing). If you need tough advice for a writing problem, send your question to [email protected].... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-10-18 11:00:04 UTC ]
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HarperCollins imprint HQ will publish a "heartwrenching" post-Holocaust memoir from the mother of Jonathan Safran Foer, the story of which was the basis for his bestselling 2002 novel, Everything is Illuminated. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 20:21:07 UTC ]
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Oneworld has acquired the memoir of the woman who raised seven extraordinarily talented musical children, the Kanneh-Masons, exploring parenting, music education and the boundless potential of all children. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 16:07:07 UTC ]
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Indie publisher Saraband will publish Helen Moat’s memoir covering her 2000-mile cycle journey across Europe, in April 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 00:50:09 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman's The Secret Commonwealth (Penguin/David Fickling) has maintained its number one spot in the Amazon Charts' Most-Sold: Fiction top 20 for a second week, while the current UK Official Top 50 number one through Nielsen BookScan's TCM, Bill Bryson's The Body (Transworld), also held... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-15 17:51:08 UTC ]
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Fourth Estate will publish film director and documentary maker Sarah Aspinall’s memoir, following an auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-15 16:28:03 UTC ]
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Publisher HarperCollins says Back is first and only account ‘directly from’ US golferFresh from a startling career comeback after years of battling injuries, sex addiction and tabloids, Tiger Woods has announced a new memoir titled Back in which he promises to tell his “definitive story”.The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-15 15:31:34 UTC ]
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From behind-the-scenes stories of "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" to the pressures of balancing career and family, Julie Andrews talks candidly about the work involved in her amazing life and career. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-10-15 13:00:07 UTC ]
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Shredding allegedly took place in first week of December 2016Publisher American Media calls story ‘completely untrue’American Media and the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper shredded sensitive documents about Donald Trump shortly before the 2016 election, the reporter Ronan Farrow alleges in a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-15 11:52:41 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has landed world rights to golf legend Tiger Wood’s first ever memoir, entitled Back, promising the "definitive" story of his career, fall and comeback. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-14 21:07:47 UTC ]
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‘Catch and Kill’ follows a reporter’s noirish road to uncovering alleged sexual misconduct at NBC and in Hollywood. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-14 16:12:00 UTC ]
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The voice of an ordinary 14-year-old Polish girl comes through loud and clear 70 years later. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-10-14 08:55:34 UTC ]
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Little, Brown imprint Robinson has signed a memoir from "Supercop" Alistair Livingstone and Mick Dawson’s account of two veterans, one traumatised and one blind, in a pair of deals. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-14 03:01:08 UTC ]
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