Jewel of Medina Update

So how is it going for The Jewel of Medina, the book that Random House decided not to publish after an obscure University of Texas instructor stirred up a controversy among her Muslim contacts? Well, it seems that the book is selling in decent numbers despite the reluctance of some bookstores to carry it (or place it where it can be readily found in their stores). The good news is that nothing has happened to any booksellers, to the publisher, or to the author despite the dire predictions by that self-important university teacher. That makes me wonder if Random House is regretting its decision to bail out under her pressure - or not?

According to the book's publisher, Beaufort Books, 3,000 copies have now been sold from the first printing of 50,000 books, 45,000 copies of which have been shipped.

3,000 copies sold is nothing to sneeze at and, hopefully, the author's book tour and word-of-mouth publicity will generate more sales. It would be encouraging to see this one on the best seller lists but that appears unlikely to happen at this point.

I can't believe that I still have not had my hands on a copy. I'm going to try again this afternoon to find one at the largest Barnes and Noble store in my area because I want to determine for myself whether the book is actually worth my time. Is it well-written historical fiction or is it junk? Would it have sold even 3,000 copies without the controversy contrived by someone who took offense to the book for reasons of her own? There's only one way to find out - I'm going to have to at least attempt to read this one at some point.