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 ]
Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage (PRH/David Fickling) has pulled off a second week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 45,015 copies for £546,248. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage (Penguin and David Fickling), the first title in his His Dark Materials “equel” The Book of Dust, has crashed into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage (PRH Children's/David Fickling Books) has been "worth the wait" and is "full of wonder" according to reviews. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds of fans turned out to the midnight events held around the country to celebrate the publication of the first in Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust trilogy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's acting children's editor Caroline Carpenter and children's news reporter Heloise Wood give their thoughts on Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman has revealed ill health delayed his writing of the much-anticipated La Belle Sauvage, released today (Thursday 19th October). He also said The Book of Dust trilogy was “darker” than His Dark Materials because he feels “more cynical and closer to despair” than he did 22 years ago. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You should not use the word love lightly. Love, about a person, means that every inch of them delights you, even the parts that also cause you pain or terror. It means you care about their flourishing; their way of seeing is dear to you; you want to stroke their hair and serve them cocoa; their... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As well as writing, Philip Pullman has been outspoken on a number of issues affecting fellow authors over the years. Here, we take a look at some of his best quotes. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman’s eagerly awaited La Belle Sauvage has reportedly reached Dutch readers a few weeks early after a publisher’s mix-up. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New books from Mary Berry, Dan Brown and Dawn French are out, as part of the mass launch that marks the start of the Christmas season – and there’s another 250 on the way. Here are 10 titles in the running for No 1More than 500 glossy new hardbacks are set to arrive on the shelves of the UK’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book trade is gearing up for one the biggest releases of the year for Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage with midnight openings, a “magical” event on the eve of publication and activity in several countries around the world. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones in Tottenham Court Road (TCR) is set to be “transformed into Lyra’s Oxford” the night before Philip Pullman’s first Book of Dust novel is published. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is getting a new look from Scholastic UK this October to mark the publication of La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Sheen will narrate the audio version of Philip Pullman’s first instalment of the Book of Dust trilogy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, Joanna Trollope, Lemn Sissay and Joanne Harris are throwing their weight behind a five day yoga challenge next week, organised by The Society of Authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman has called for a reintroduction of a minimum price for books to protect independent bookshops, calling them “the lantern bearers of civilisation”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent booksellers have slammed the heavy discounting of new hardback titles by larger retailers as “pretty close to chaos” and “enormously detrimental to authors” ahead of the release of Philip Pullman's first Book of Dust novel (Penguin Random House Children's and David Fickling Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman has revealed the storm-swept cover of La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman has confirmed he will name a character in his Book of Dust series Nur Huda el-Wahabi, after a young Grenfell Tower victim. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A campaign to name a character in the second part of Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust series after one of the Grenfell Tower fire’s young victims has helped raise more than £17,000 in just over 16 hours. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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