Winston Churchill's writing secrets, the New York Times Book Review ignores a book on Israel, and an author shows how moral vigilantes on the right and left are harming U.S. publishing
just requested That book is dangerous from my library, thanks! also i’ve been reading Attack from Within by barbara mcquade, which i believe you had recommended in a past letter, it’s great and so poignant in these insane times!
Thanks a million for letting me know, Jamie. I wrote about a talk McQuade gave here that really struck me because both Republicans and Democrats seemed to enjoy it a lot. That’s rare in this redder-than-red town.
You might get even more out of some parts of “That Book Is Dangerous!” than I did because you have kids and I don’t, and so much of it is about the assaults on what they read. There’s a good section on a YA novel called “The Hate U Give,” which might be the most challenged book in America. I knew about all the fights over it but not what was in it until I read Szetela.
“That Book Is Dangerous!” has a good index, so you if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, even though it’s fairly short, you can look up books or authors like, say, “The Hate U Give” or “Dr. Seuss” or “Roald Dahl” and get a good, brief (and sometimes funny or sarcastic) sense of the battles.
Such an interesting post, beginning with Don Murray's “Writing problems are thinking problems." I used to tell my students about E.M. Foster's: "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"
just requested That book is dangerous from my library, thanks! also i’ve been reading Attack from Within by barbara mcquade, which i believe you had recommended in a past letter, it’s great and so poignant in these insane times!
Thanks a million for letting me know, Jamie. I wrote about a talk McQuade gave here that really struck me because both Republicans and Democrats seemed to enjoy it a lot. That’s rare in this redder-than-red town.
You might get even more out of some parts of “That Book Is Dangerous!” than I did because you have kids and I don’t, and so much of it is about the assaults on what they read. There’s a good section on a YA novel called “The Hate U Give,” which might be the most challenged book in America. I knew about all the fights over it but not what was in it until I read Szetela.
“That Book Is Dangerous!” has a good index, so you if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, even though it’s fairly short, you can look up books or authors like, say, “The Hate U Give” or “Dr. Seuss” or “Roald Dahl” and get a good, brief (and sometimes funny or sarcastic) sense of the battles.
oh interesting, i’ve read the hate u give, though it’s been awhile, i had no idea it was the most challenged book in america!
I heard it as "you write to figure out what you think." But not sure where I got it.
There are a lot of variations on that one, and they're all correct. So you can't go wrong, however you say it.
Fascinating about Churchill. I thought I coined the aphorism “writing is thinking,” but I guess I must have stolen it from him.
You're still right, though :).
Such an interesting post, beginning with Don Murray's “Writing problems are thinking problems." I used to tell my students about E.M. Foster's: "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"
Off to check out Szetela. Thanks for the rec.
Don loved that Forster quote, too! I first saw it in one of his handouts, and I'm sure he's quoted it in one of his books. Thanks for reading.