Tayari's Blog: Won't Ask, Can't Tell, Won't Say, Why Ask

Posted by TayariJones on September 24, 2007 08:30 AM
Filed under The Writing Life

As any writer with a new book will tell you-- it's a rare experience to be interviewed by someone who has actually read your book. I have been asked several times to prepare five or six questions for an interviewer to ask me. I've shown up at the studio with the questions printed up. The first couple of times, I was surprised by this, but my publicist convinced me that this was a good thing. After all, if I was the one writing the questions, I would know the best way to answer them to put the book in a good light. I never quite got comfortable with this.

There are a couple of stories in the blogosphere today that have put this subject on my mind again. The first concerns the Tyra Banks Show. Apparently, after reading the essay Violet Blue published in O Magazine, Miz Banks invited her to be on the show. Imagine Violet's Blue's surprize when she found out the producers of the show had written out her answers in advance! (The whole sordid tale, here.)

I know the above is just the Tyra show and we aren't expecting any deepness there, but still.

The second involves The Bat Segundo Show, my favorite podcast. The host, Ed Champion, really goes out of his way to (gasp) read the book and also to come up with really interesting and rigorous questions for the authors. (I've been on his show and he really cut to the chase.)

This week he interviewed Danica McKellar, the author of Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail. As you probably guess, this book is aimed at girls and thinks of itself as empowering. Any critic with the sense God gave a flea would ask her if this idea is actually all that progressive. (What the heck does math have to do with fingernails?? Aren't we reinforcing stereotypes here? And comparing a math test to a bikini wax?? For middle schoolers???) When Ed surprised her with a real question, a serious inquiry, she freaked out. Apparently, she came to the interview ready to quip from her press release.

The point of this retelling is that as writers, we should welcome challenging questions. If you cared enough about the subject to write a book on it, you would think you would be prepared to talk about it-- yes promote it-- but defend it as well.

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There are 1 comments on "Won't Ask, Can't Tell, Won't Say, Why Ask". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by minaj [TypeKey Profile Page]

I'm in a state of shock. I read Ed Champion's piece and the Wired interview and I am utterly horrified that someone would actually write such a book and PRETEND that it was to empower young women. This is a sensitive subject for me, because my undergraduate major was mathematics and my graduate degree is in physics. I loved math because it was beautiful and challenging, NOT because it would enable me to calculate the price of my designer handbag at 35% off! McKellar repeatedly states that things like horoscopes and lip gloss and shopping are the things that girls like. How insulting, to reduce all females to that level! I know that I'm no longer young and I raised my children in the "Free to be you and me" era, but what on earth happened?

September 24, 2007 08:00 PM

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