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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Hodder is the big winner at this year’s Peters Book of the Year award, taking home book of the year for both the junior fiction and teen fiction categories. A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson and A Song For Ella Grey by David Almond, both published by Hodder, were announced as the Books of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rachel Held Evans offers astute reflections on faith; biologist Jerry Coyne argues that science has made religion obsolete. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I was surprised to discover how satisfying a two-person phone-text book club could be. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York indie press McPherson & Company is organizing nine concurrent author readings throughout the country, on May 23, to promote its forthcoming Father's Day-themed essay collection, 'Every Father’s Daughter.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this week's column, the concentration camp memoir from a French actress goes global; an Iranian punk rocker's posthumous novel draws buzz; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An Alabama family says Lee was working on another book based on true crime cases, while the state of Alabama says it recently closed an investigation about the author. Lee is publishing a new book, 'Go Set a Watchman,' later this year. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The loss of Image Books, Pope Francis's popularity with both liberals and conservatives, and the lack of high-profile female speakers were top subjects at L.A. Congress, the nation’s largest annual gathering of Roman Catholics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To mark the opening of the 'Insurgent' film, HarperCollins and Twitter are partnering to offer fans of Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy a discounted hardcover of the 'Insurgent' movie tie-in edition via Twitter links. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Louise O’Neill was yesterday (19th March) announced as the winner of the inaugural YA Book Prize. The Irish author was given the £2,000 award at a ceremony at Foyles’ flagship bookshop in Charing Cross, London, for her debut novel Only Ever Yours (Quercus), a dystopian, feminist satire on how... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The auction, which will be held May 26, supports ABFE’s defense of the free speech rights of kids. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Writing translated from other languages makes you see things differently,' says UK translator Daniel Hahn who will mine the Bologna Book Fair for gems. The post Why Reading Translated Kids’ Books Makes a Difference appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Testing first, remaining flexible, and hanging out on Twitter are all best practices for to online book marketing today, says Derrick Schultz of Atavist. The post 5 Tips for Online Book Marketing Today appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Japan's Rakuten, parent company of ebookseller Kobo, has purchased US ebook distributor OverDrive, likely blocking Kindle's further expansion into libraries. The post Rakuten Buys E-book Distributor OverDrive for $410 Million appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gallic Books has acquired a new novel by French writer Muriel Barbery, author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Sports Book Awards will have a headline sponsor for the first time this year, following a deal with luxury pen-maker Cross. Held on 3rd June at Lord's Cricket Ground, this year's awards will give out prizes for categories including autobiography of the year, biography of the year,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day titles continue to dominate the Official UK Top 50 with nine of the 10 titles published as part of the annual charity celebrations claiming positions within the Top 10 this week. The 10 ￡1 titles sold 224,433 combined copies in the seven days ending 14th March. This was down 34%... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has signed a book about an aspiring actress from mother and daughter writing duo Perdita and Honor Cargill. Waiting for Callback, aimed at readers aged 11+, is about Elektra, a young girl who is discovered by an acting agent. She dreams of Oscar glory but... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books are being included in the Sainsbury’s Nectar Rewards Double Up promotion for the first time. The popular promotion sees customers able to double points on their Nectar reward cards at the same time as get “massive” discounts on ebooks from Wednesday (18th March) for a period of two... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has pulled a recipe book by health blogger and author Belle Gibson after she failed to give sufficient information in response to a series of claims levelled at her. Gibson’s The Whole Pantry, based on an app she created following a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, was due to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The upcoming book by Pratchett, who died recently, will reportedly be titled 'The Shepherd's Crown' and center on a familiar character. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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