Tayari's Blog: Weekend Reading

Posted by TayariJones on October 6, 2007 07:06 AM
Filed under Travels & Rambles

A few links to go with your morning coffee:

  • Terry McMillan is still clashing with her ex-husband, Jonathan Plummer. With her permission, AALBC posted the email she sent to the co-writer and publishers of his new book, berating them for -among other things- peddling smut. What's really interesting about this is that she links it to the debate about "street literature." On her blog, Ms. McMillan goes into more detail. (I must say that it's clear that this is a little more more personal than a defense of meaningful literature, but at the same time, the smut factor is getting a little out of control in many of these so-called African-American publishing imprints.) Thx Eisa for the links.
  • At the risk of being petty and small, I reccommend that you go over to Plummer's amazon page. A couple of the reviews are really really funny. And the first chapter, it's so bad it's good.
  • Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel, The Kite Runner, has been made into a film. The movie was suppossed to be released in November but Paramount has had to push it back because of concerns about the welfare of the child actors and their families. The movie depicts the rape of a boy and there is fear that there will be retalliation against the cast members for being associated with this cultural taboo. The families will have to be relocated! Full story here.
  • Over at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick provides such a clever review of Clarence Thomas's new memoir, My Grandfather's Son.
    The real black/white problem Justice Thomas reveals is his own binary worldview. Everything is good or bad; everyone is either angel or devil. You might say the justice has produced the world's longest Santa Claus list: everything in America classified as either naughty or nice.



    Okay, that's it for this morning. Coffee awaits!

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    There are 3 comments on "Weekend Reading". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

    Comment #1, by carleen [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Is it just me or does anybody else think Terry might be better off just letting this thing die a quiet death?

    October 6, 2007 12:52 PM

    Comment #2, by Jackie [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Oh, thank you so much for giving me an afternoon chuckle! I read the first chapter on the Amazon site, and had to call somebody to share the laugh. No way am I buying this book, but I admit I will see how much I can read while standing up in Barnes and Noble (since they took the chairs away). I agree with Carleen in that Terry just needs to chill and let this thing die a natural death. she shouldn't continue to give it any validity by talking about it.

    I await her next book.

    October 6, 2007 03:41 PM

    Comment #3, by minaj [TypeKey Profile Page]

    I agree completely. Poor Terry - this is a waste of her energy and talent. No one can ever answer all of the rumors or force anyone else to behave decently. I do hope that his book falls quickly from public attention, that Terry can turn this colossal mess over to her lawyers, and that she can put her energy back into her writing. She deserves better.

    October 6, 2007 03:53 PM

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