We need literature that wrestles with the evils of slavery while confronting its complexity – especially when it’s written for childrenA book called George Washington’s Birthday Cake has caused controversy for depicting a smiling black cook, in this case chef Hercules and his daughter, preparing cake in the kitchen for the president, who held in bondage hundreds of enslaved workers. It is unclear what kind of moment we are witnessing on the cover. Is it familial love, servile obedience, or, perhaps, a smile to hide the pain of being enslaved? Improving our understanding of the lives of slaves is key to answering those uncomfortable questions. The rationale which the illustrator, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, gave for the “happy slaves” imagery was that these enslaved folk, identified as “servants”, were proud and felt privileged to serve a man of such a great “stature”. In her plea for a middle ground, the author, Ramin Ganeshram, argued that not every enslaved person was in the middle of hell every single second, and therefore, smiling isn’t an unreasonable thing to suggest. I know Ganeshram, as do many in the black culinary scene. I have not dialogued with her about the book, nor have I had the opportunity to read it. Both the author and illustrator, are of color. On the surface, they are right on both counts. But why are we still uncomfortable, opposed and furious – even after the book has been pulled? Related: Scholastic pulls George Washington book over slave cake... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US crime writer James Patterson increases his donation to independent UK bookshops by £250,000. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A racy novel picking up attention at the London Book Fair has officially been set as the launch title of the new adult fiction imprint at Bonnier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist Bernardine Evaristo fears ‘return to the literary invisibility of the past’ as research finds attempts to encourage diversity have stalledBlack and Asian authors in the UK say they are being shoehorned by a publishing industry which is almost blindingly white into writing fiction that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Library Association's 2014 list of most banned books may be indicative of contemporary concerns. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hugo Award clowns aside, there's another literary scandal that we should actually be worried about. The post Hey, Book World: Sexism is Way Bigger Than the Hugos appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The two ‘spiritual brothers’ are to publish a series of dialogues on finding ‘real inner joyfulness’Shakespeare had it that “joy’s soul lies in the doing”, Mark Twain that “to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with”. Now two unlikely literary collaborators, the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With self-publishing now a popular part of the London Book Fair, PW checks in with Smashwords founder Mark Coker about what the future holds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers said the Olympia is a nice venue, but that didn't stop many from getting lost during the first few days of the London Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Powerful publishing personalities partied at HarperCollins' annual London Book Fair opening night party , exhibiting the influence the publisher still holds. The post HarperCollins Hosts Home House London Book Fair Opener appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At a London Book Fair discussion, moderator Audrey McCulloch (CEO, ALPSP) asked a pointed question: has open access publishing just made scholarly publishing more complicated? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What is holding back ebooks in Brazil? PublishNews Brazil's Carlo Carrenho looks at three surmountable hurdles, and a digital book market waiting to take off. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Springer has developed a new platform, Bookmetrix, to offer title and chapter level metrics across all of their books. Bookmetrix has been developed in partnership with Altmetric. The data captured on Bookmetrix is displayed on the book pages of Springer's content platform SpringerLink and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The two spiritual leaders will collaborate on the book to share their perspectives on joy and achieving a meaningful life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trajectory has partnered with Chinese mobile carrier Xiaomi to bring ebooks into the Chinese digital book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Already in over 1,000 libraries in the U.S. and Canada, users abroad will soon be able to use 3M to borrow library ebooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A group of publishing professionals from Riverhead, Graywolf, the National Book Foundation, and Coffee House Press, talked to AWP attendees about the promises and pitfalls of pursuing a career in publishing in a panel sponsored by PW. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPR License and agent Lucy Abrahams look at the Poland, one of Europe's dynamic developing book markets, one with huge potential but also many challenges. The post Poland’s Book Market Has Big Potential, Many Challenges appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDA's annual survey of literary publications found that book reviewing and literary coverage is still dominated by men. The post Women Buy Books, Men Review Them appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The seventh annual Publishing for Digital Minds Conference kicked off the London Book Fair, with the main exhibits officially opening on Tuesday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin again features on a list of books to have received the most complaints from library users. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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