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 ]
In this excerpt from her memoir “Home Work,” Andrews looks back at one of her most iconic scenes. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Anyone but the people: from voter suppression to foreign intervention, Rebecca Solnit on the Republican party’s attacks on democracy. | Lit Hub Politics When Stephen King is your father, the world is full of monsters: Joe Hill on standing in the shadow (and light) of his famous dad. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-12 11:30:14 UTC ]
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Doreen St. Félix writes on the memoir “Know My Name,” by Chanel Miller, known previously to the public as Emily Doe, through her victim statement in the Stanford rape case and the trial of Brock Turner. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2019-10-11 15:26:18 UTC ]
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Sam Lansky, author of the memoir The Gilded Razor and the West Coast Editor at TIME magazine, will publish a novel in June 2020. Here’s the cover! Lansky’s narrator, Sam, is a writer and recovering addict based in LA in his late 20’s who is on the verge of emotional collapse. He finds himself... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-11 14:00:51 UTC ]
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Adrienne Brodeur’s memoir is a riveting account of what it was like to be her mother’s secret-keeper. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-11 14:00:00 UTC ]
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The National Book Award finalist answers 10 questions about her debut memoir The Yellow House. The post Building The Yellow House: An Interview With National Book Award Finalist Sarah M. Broom by Cassandra Lipp appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-11 13:00:04 UTC ]
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In the fourth book by a “Queer Eye” star this year, the show’s grooming expert comes out as H.I.V. positive. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-10-11 09:00:01 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan has taken steps to ensure its global publication of Elton John’s long-awaited first memoir makes a big splash—and it’s been a colourful journey... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-11 00:46:32 UTC ]
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Katy Waldman writes on Saeed Jones’s new memoir, “How We Fight for Our Lives,” and its focus on Jones’s mother and his self-making. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2019-10-10 09:00:00 UTC ]
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The combative broadcaster’s memoir mixes engaging snapshots of his early career with some score-settling and a robust defence of his interviewing styleJohn Humphrys is the first to admit he doesn’t deal well with authority. He inherited it from his father, who refused to use the service entrance... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-10 06:30:10 UTC ]
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In another major pre-Frankfurt Book Fair sale, Marysue Rucci at Simon & Schuster paid a rumored seven figures for a memoir by playwright Sarah Ruhl called 'Smile.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In this post, Tanja Panjevic shares how to write a compelling memoir and stay sane in the process. In this post, she describes nine tips, including clarifying your scope, how to correct course as you go, and more. The post How to Write a Compelling Memoir (and Stay Sane in the Process) by Tanja... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-09 22:34:20 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman's The Secret Commonwealth (Penguin/David Fickling) has soared 15 places to top the Amazon Charts Most-Sold: Fiction chart, in the same week it sold 54,301 copies in hardback through Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-09 20:59:35 UTC ]
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Virago has signed lawyer Justine Cowan’s mix of family memoir and history of the Foundling Hospital – including the story of her own mother who grew up in its care. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-08 19:52:13 UTC ]
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Shauna M. Ahern, also known as Gluten-Free Girl, delivers a beautiful memoir about finding contentment. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-08 17:13:08 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has landed the "mesmerising" and "electrifying" medical memoir by GP Tom Templeton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-08 09:53:57 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman’s The Secret Commonwealth (Penguin/David Fickling) has knocked Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments (Chatto & Windus) from the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 54,301 copies in its first three days on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-08 06:04:30 UTC ]
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If you wanted to see a lot of photos of Rihanna, you could follow @badgalriri on Instagram OR you could buy this 504-page “visual autobiography.” (Think Kim Kardashian’s Selfish but probably way better.) Rihanna is a 15-pound doorstopper that features 1,050 photographs of the singer, following... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-07 19:36:56 UTC ]
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Granta Books has acquired a "moving and tender memoir", provisionally titled Let Us Speak of Okinawa, by Elizabeth Miki Brina. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-07 04:10:05 UTC ]
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Viking will publish a companion journal to former US First Lady Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir Becoming later this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-06 15:05:01 UTC ]
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