Racist Book Covers: An Update
Last month Justin Taylor posted about the Justine Larbalestier cover controversy. (Recap: Larbalestier is an Austrailian author who’s YA novel is about to be released in America by Bloomsbury. Despite having a dark skinned heroine, Bloomsbury was all “Black people on book covers make them not sell” and they put a white girl on the cover. Larbalestier posted on her blog something like “Can You Believe These Chumps?” Instant controversy.)
So now Bloomsbury has changed the cover, despite having sent the white girl galleys out. There’s the new cover with a slightly European-looking dark-skinned lady on the cover. Now when I think of Bloomsbury I will just imagine Justin Timberlake with cornrows, trying to rap or prove that when called upon to do so, some white people can dance.
Sunshine state
I was on the phone yesterday with Michael Greenberg, talking about some photo project thing, when it came up that he was in L.A. discussing the film rights to his most recent memoir, Hurry Down Sunshine. 
For those of you unfamiliar, it’s the story of his then 15-year-old daughter’s sudden and complete descent into utter madness during the summer of 1996. To me, Greenberg sounded understandably unsure as to whether he was comfortable with putting such a personal and emotionally ravaging experience up on the screen where, presumably, that adorable Abigail Breslin would play the cutest little crazy person America has ever seen. But hasn’t he had already let the cat out of the bag by writing the book? But he’d lose creative control if he signed the rights over to a movie studio. But he’d likely get a ton of money. In a similar situation, I’d like to think that I’d walk away, but I’m not sure that’s the right move. After all, I’d really love to have the flatscreen and signed Michael Vick Eagles jersey. Oh, and a butler. Actually, I’d probably hire Blake to be my butler, cause that’d be funny, right? Blake the Butler! Oh, and…
Hey, Blake! How’s Paris?
Hey, Blake! How’s Paris? How’s Dennis Cooper?
spentmostoftoday with him, walking aroundparis, et.
he is simply put, the shit.
idsay more but thiskeyboard blows big ass
Cool. Can I put this up on the Giant?
Suregive t a ring. Thi s keys got wores sincelasttime , fuk
(I’m actually not sure what Blake meant about the keyboard. This is what all my email from Blake looks like. This is pretty much what EVER reads like, too, isn’t it?)
Homemade Penguin Light Box
In the category of indie-news-as-sweet-as-white-shoes, Light Boxes by Shane Jones will be reprinted by Penguin in the Summer of 2010. According to Shane’s blog, there are also some original Publishing Genius copies that will be out soon through SPD. Get one before they’re all on EBay!
First Spike Jonze, and now Penguin. Major props to Shane for having his hard work and serious talent so richly rewarded. And kudos to Adam Robinson for knowing a good thing and helping that good thing go. Pretty exciting to imagine a bunch of new faces buried in the war against February. Honey and smoke!
Listen to a story today at noon
If you go here today at noon (EST, 25 minutes from right . . . now) you will be able to listen to The Signal, which is a really cool radio program hosted by my friend Aaron Henkin (an excellent poker player, great radio voice). On the program you will be able to hear my other friend Justin Sirois (terrible poker player, terrible radio voice, awesome writer) read from MLKNG SCKLS, his book about Iraq, as well as some other good literary thingses.
Michael Kimball Interviewed on NPR
Unless you’re weird, you probably already listened to Giant amigo Michael Kimball’s interview on NPR. It’s about his project, Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (On a Postcard), which, unless you’re weird, you’re probably already hip to, too.
I thought the interview was great, that what he said was about more than his project, and more than a criticism of Facebook culture — that we’re all promoting ourselves but no one cares — but it was about a profound sort of other-centeredness, about Story and the importance of getting to know the story of other people’s lives.
I’d say more but I gotta go read some Levinas. What did you think of the interview?
Oh, and check out this video of Blaster Al Ackerman reading for the 60 Writers movie Michael’s making with Luca Dipierro (I know, Sam linked to one yesterday but what the heck, my man was just interviewed on NPR).
Major Book Announcement : Scorch Atlas by Blake Butler pre-sale/firefight
Scorch Atlas (destroyed) by Blake Butler from featherproof books on Vimeo.
Master and commander/Brother Butler/Crier of The Good Lit/Partygirlin Eater of Babies/W.I.B. BLAKE BUTLER has announced that his novel in stories, Scorch Atlas, can now be pre-bought before it’s 9/9/09 release date — and for a 33%off, i.e. $10! — from the inimitable Featherproof Books. And not only can they be paid for, but you can secure a limited edition ‘destroyed’ copy, i.e. a book that’s been punished brutally by our beloved friend Blake, & his company. Or, you know, you can just get a plain old regularly clean version of the book too, if that’s what you’re into.
I have been more excited to subsume this set of words than any other set of words in ________.
Buy this book.
Yann Martel and The Holocaust as genre
You may have heard that Life of Pi author Yann Martel was given a rather huge contract for his next book. And that the book is being described as an allegory about the Holocaust with animals.
Seattle writer Matt Briggs, in a post on his blog, reacted with this:
It disturbs me that the Holocaust is or has become a genre, just as there is a British tea cozy mystery. Is this an inevitable progression, that a collective trauma becomes shtick? Is the pot boiler Western the equivalent reduction of the genocide of Native Americans?…Three million dollars seems like a lot of money to pay for anything besides a bridge or highway or something.
Intrigued, I asked Briggs to elaborate.