Barnes and Noble's "What It's Really Like to Be a Book Nerd"

Depending on who you are, this Barnes and Noble video is way over the top...or, not so much.  You decide.

Enjoy.

Post #2,539

On Having a Book Review Rejected by Amazon for Only God Knows What Reason

Amazon is a weird company.  Cut-throat and single-minded as any corporate villain out there, Amazon is not above gleefully driving its competitors out of business.  Too, the company continues to be criticized for its workplace conditions and overall attitude toward employees.  Many people have a love/hate relationship with the company that parallels the way most feel about Walmart. But despite all that, it has become the "go-to" place for people looking for user reviews of products they are considering for purchase.  Publishers, in particular, like to see their products reviewed on Amazon, and that's why I always post my book reviews to Amazon.

Every so often, one of my reviews is rejected until I "clean it up."  Amazon sends out a generic form letter via email when that happens and it's up to the reviewer to figure out what the "problem" is.  I remember once having a review rejected because I used a "profane" word.  Turns out that, though the word was actually part of the book title, it was not going to be accepted in the body of the review.  After about five edits and rejections, I finally figured that out.  Stupid as HELL (that would probably be enough to get this post rejected if it were a book review), Amazon, but I suppose that's what happens when some software program flags buzz-words for some human equally lacking in common sense to deal with.

Anyway, here's the review that was rejected this morning:

The New Orleans police department has long had the reputation of being one of the most corrupt in the United States.  If it is not actually the most corrupt department in the country, in the minds of most observers it is certainly always in the running for that title.  And in the wake of what happened on the Danziger Bridge six days after Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005, the NOPD proved that in their case public perception was fact because, sadly enough, the NOPD turned out to be a clear extension of the overall political corruption and ineptness that describes the history of New Orleans city government.

Hurricane Katrina struck a city without a clue.  Both New Orlean’s mayor and its police chief failed the city terribly by not having a solid plan in place for the aftermath of the hurricane.  In fact, as Ronnie Greene points out in Shots on the Bridge, those providing emergency services to the citizens of New Orleans after the storm were left largely on their own.  And this seems particularly true of a police department that failed to set up even a central meeting place/control point from which to coordinate its efforts to control crime during what turned out to be perhaps the most chaotic period in the city’s history.

The Danziger Bridge, only seven-tenths of a mile long, allows access between two New Orleans neighborhoods separated by the city’s Industrial Canal.  And going from one neighborhood to another is all that each of the victims of the police slaughter were doing on the morning they were unfortunate enough to cross paths with a bunch of adrenalin-fueled cops who completely misread the situation on the bridge.  The policemen believed that they were responding to a scene where an unknown number of snipers had shot at least one of their own.  They were anxious to get to the bridge before more policemen could be killed or injured – and when they got there they exited their vehicles with guns blazing.

Before the gunfire ended (and it did not end even when all the victims were helpless and on the ground), six people, traveling in opposite directions in two distinct groups, had been shot.  Two of them were dead: a middle-aged mentally challenged man who was chased off the bridge and killed while trying to understand what was happening around him, and a seventeen-year-old boy whose body was chewed up by the number of wounds it sustained.  One woman, whose arm was literally shot off, saw her daughter shot in the stomach and her husband suffer severe shrapnel-related head wounds.  All the victims were black and none of them had a weapon of any type on them.  Some of the cops were white; some were black.

Then the cover-up began, and the NOPD lived up to its embarrassing reputation as being one of the most corrupt police departments anywhere.  Read Ronnie Greene’s Shots on the Bridge for the rest of this tragic story – especially the way it was so consistently mishandled in the court system.  We can only hope that someone in the city of New Orleans learned something from the mistakes made in this case – and is now in a position to help ensure that nothing like this ever again happens there.

I know it's long and I don't expect you to read it again, but I am struggling to figure out why the Amazon Gods are frowning on me this time around.  Am I too opinionated about the NOPD (a truly inept and despicable police force...see I can't help myself, Amazon)?  I think the book backs up my opinion - and the rampant corruption of the NOPD is, in fact, the very subject of the book reviewed.

So...go to (insert profane word here), Amazon.  I don't need the frustration.  But one word of advice, Dear Amazon hypocrites: Perhaps you should clean up all the fake reviews you let slip through the system...they are obvious to the rest of us even if your stupid software program doesn't seem to get it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the form letter received from Amazon:

Thanks for submitting a customer review on Amazon. Your review could not be posted to the website in its current form. While we appreciate your time and comments, reviews must adhere to the following guidelines: http://www.amazon.com/review-guidelines We encourage you to revise your review and submit it again. A few common issues to keep in mind:

Shots on the Bridge ~Ronnie Greene  (13)

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it. Feedback on the seller or your shipment experience should be provided at www.amazon.com/feedback. We do not allow profane or obscene content. This applies to adult products too. Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively are considered spam. Please do not include URLs external to Amazon or personally identifiable content in your review. We welcome your honest opinion about products - positive or negative. We do not remove reviews because they are critical. We believe all helpful information can inform our customers’ buying decisions. If you have questions about the product or opinions that do not fit the review format, please feel free to use the Customer Discussions feature on the product page.

And this is part of what you get by clicking on their guidelines link:

What's not allowed
Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to share your opinions on products. While we appreciate your time and comments, we limit customer participation to one review per product and reserve the right to remove reviews that include any of the following: 

Objectionable material:
• Obscene or distasteful content 
• Profanity or spiteful remarks 
• Promotion of illegal or immoral conduct 

Promotional content:
• Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively 
• Sentiments by or on behalf of a person or company with a financial interest in the product or a directly competing product (including reviews by publishers, manufacturers, or third-party merchants selling the product) 
• Reviews written for any form of compensation other than a free copy of the product. This includes reviews that are a part of a paid publicity package 
• Solicitations for helpful votes 
• For more information on what we consider promotional content, please see our Frequently Asked Questions. 

Inappropriate content:
• Other people's material (this includes excessive quoting) 
• Phone numbers, postal mailing addresses, and URLs external to Amazon.com 
• Videos with watermarks 
• Comments on other reviews visible on the page (because page visibility is subject to change without notice) 
• Foreign language content (unless there is a clear connection to the product) 

Off-topic information:
• Feedback on the seller, your shipment experience or the packaging (you can do that at www.amazon.com/feedback and www.amazon.com/packaging) 
• Details about availability or alternative ordering and shipping information 
• Feedback about typos or inaccuracies in our catalog or product description (instead, use the feedback form at the bottom of the product page). 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps they consider the review to be "spiteful."  Am I missing something?  If you see something in the review that you believe got me flagged, please do let me know because I'm obviously missing it.

Post #2,538

Literary School Lockers in Biloxi Excite Students About Reading

A couple of Biloxi (Mississippi) schoolteachers decided to do something special for the students who will be frequenting Biloxi Junior High's eighth-grade hallway this school year.  The 189 lockers in that hallway, once described as "locker eyesores," have been transformed into colorful book spines - and the students are loving the idea.

The new look in Biloxi Junior High School's Eighth-Grade Hallway

According to ABC's Good Morning America:

“We’ve gotten exactly the response we wanted,” Williams, who is also the ELA Department chairwoman, told ABC News. “Students who never thought about reading are now asking questions.”

Echoed Butera: “Students are bragging about the books they’ve read. All of a sudden it’s this badge of honor to be able to say they’ve read these books in the hallway.

“All they want to know is where are these books and how do I get my hands on them,” she said.

So some creativity on the part of two caring teachers added to a lot of elbow grease and a little help from friends, sponsors, and volunteers, and suddenly a group of kids is more excited about books than they ever have been in their lives.

That's what I call a big win for everyone involved.  Thanks, ladies...and all who helped by painting lockers or picking up some of the costs incurred.  Great job by all.

(There are more great pictures on the ABC site I linked too up above.  The picture I've clipped here was provided to ABC by Elizabeth Williams, one of the two teachers who came up with this brilliant idea.)  The other teacher's name, by the way, is Stacy Butera.

Post #2,537

Photo Tour of First Home of Tennessee Williams (Columbus, Mississippi)

I very much enjoyed my visit to the first home of Tennessee Williams while driving through Mississippi last month.  The home, located in Columbus, was actually the home of the child's maternal grandfather, the Reverend Walter Dakin.  Reverend Dakin was an Episcopal priest and this house served as the church parsonage.  It has been restored and moved approximately three blocks to its current location where today it serves as both a Tennessee Williams museum and a welcome center.

The old parsonage as it looks today

This is a close-up of the historical marker outside the home.  Despite the sign's implication that Williams was born in the home, the nice lady who showed me around the house told me that he was actually born in a local hospital near the home.  (So who knows?)

Historical Marker Detail

As I recall, very little of the furniture, if any at all, actually belonged to the parsonage when Williams was a brief resident, but it is all of the period and includes some beautiful pieces.  These are several of the rooms in the old house:

My guide was particularly proud of this piece and played a small snippet of a song on it to demonstrate what great condition it is still in.

Pump Organ

And, finally, this wreath is framed for display in one of the downstairs rooms.  It was displayed on top of Tennessee Williams's coffin during his funeral ceremony.

Casket Wreath from Funeral of Tennessee Williams NYC 1983

Mississippi is filled with history on display, and much of it is of a literary nature.  So, my bookish friends, keep your eyes open as you cross the state on your way someplace else or back home.  There's a lot to see in Mississippi if you slow down a little and get off those damned interstate highways long enough.

(Just click on any of the images for a larger view of them)

Post #2,536

Come and Take It

As every Texan (and much of the rest of the world) already knows, Texas history is filled with true tales involving the bigger-than-life characters who played such prominent roles in gaining the territory its independence from Mexico.  And in the minds of most, none loom larger than the Alamo heroes William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett.  They are the stuff of legends.  That none of these men is actually from Texas is irrelevant; Texans have claimed them as their own ever since they died in the fight that would eventually lead to Texas independence.

Pair these real life heroes with a good storyteller like Landon Wallace and you have the makings of an unusual, and intriguing, piece of historical fiction.  Part history, part alternative history, part romance novel, part thriller, Come and Take It focuses on the only male survivor of the slaughter at the Alamo, a young slave owned by Colonel Travis whom everyone knew simply as Joe.  Just suppose, Wallace says, that young Joe was carrying something so valuable when he escaped Santa Anna's army that even today there are people willing to kill in order to get their hands on it.

And in 2013, starting with a direct descendent of Joe's, they do kill.  

Joe Travis, a 93-year-old World War II hero who still lives alone despite his fragile health, outsmarts his killers, however, and takes his secret to the grave with him.  Now it is up to Joe's grandson, a small-town Alabama football coach, to figure out what his grandfather has been hiding for so long – and why he was murdered.

Dawn at the Alamo by Henry McArdle

Nat Travis, with some vital help from his former sister-in-law, who is a respected (and beautiful) history professor, slowly pieces together enough information to tell him that somewhere out there is a lost Alamo treasure that has slipped right through history's cracks.  And he knows that the best way to avenge his grandfather's murder is to find that treasure, whatever it is, before the killers can get their hands on it.  But where is it?  Still buried on the grounds of the Alamo shrine, hidden away in some obscure location...or long ago found and spent by some lucky scavenger who stumbled across it?

Landon Wallace, via flashbacks from the present to the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, tells a plausible "what-if" story in Come and Take It that is both fun to read and a mini-lesson in real Texas history.  It delves, too, into the politics of modern day Alamo site management that might surprise some of Wallace's readers.  And in the middle of all of this, Wallace manages to tightly merge side plots involving small town football and a somewhat unusual romance into his story.  It is the side plots that give Wallace room to develop his characters beyond the cardboard cutouts they could have been and, despite the fact that the bad guys are sometimes stereotypically bad and the good guys stereotypically good, he largely succeeds in doing that. 

Come and Take It is a fun read that Alamo/Texas history buffs are likely to enjoy.

Post #2,535

Anne Rice Is Furious and She Should Be (So Should You Be)

In recent months, author Anne Rice has been a vocal critic of what she considers to be an attempt to censor, entirely in the name of political correctness, what is being published.  Based on my own observations over the last year or two, I think what is happening is more of an attempt to keep certain books from having any success in the marketplace than it is an attempt to keep them from being produced.  But, of course, that really does amount to the same thing in the long run because, in a period like this one during which publishers seem willing to take on less and less risk all the time,  books about topics that don't sell well are not likely ever to hit the shelves.  

Those of us who regularly submit book reviews to sites know how easy it would be to create multiple identities on those sites...identities we could then use to submit a dozen or so very negative or very positive reviews of the same title.  And if you take a look at Amazon, you will see bunches of books that have lots of five-star or one-star reviews that are about three sentences long and really don't say a thing that makes much sense.  So there is no doubt that it happens.

In this Guardian interview, Rice has this to say:

“There are forces at work in the book world that want to control fiction writing in terms of who ‘has a right’ to write about what,” Rice said. “Some even advocate the out and out censorship of older works using words we now deem wholly unacceptable. Some are critical of novels involving rape. Some argue that white novelists have no right to write about people of colour; and Christians should not write novels involving Jews or topics involving Jews.”

“I think all this is dangerous. I think we have to stand up for the freedom of fiction writers to write what they want to write, no matter how offensive it might be to someone else. We must stand up for fiction as a place where transgressive behaviour and ideas can be explored … internet campaigns to destroy authors accused of inappropriate subject matter or attitudes are dangerous to us all.”

I have, at times, felt that Ms. Rice was a little oversensitive about some of the online reviews she criticized.  But in this case, I have no doubt that she is onto something that is a real danger - and not just a danger to authors and publishers.  It is a danger to our very right to free speech.

The interview specifically addresses what is happening to a novel by Kate Breslin called  For Such a Time that:

imagines a relationship between a Jewish woman in a concentration camp and an SS Kommandant, and her eventual conversion to Christianity. Critics called it “deeply offensive and insensitive”, as well as “antisemitic, violent, and dangerous”, with the widespread online debate prompting the appearance of dozens of one-star reviews of the novel on Amazon.

I am willing to bet that very, very few of the bad reviews are coming from people who have actually read the novel.  Maybe none.

I never heard of the book or its author before today, so I certainly have not read For Such a Time.  And I'm not reviewing it in this piece; I am simply making readers aware of the abuse this author and novel appear to be suffering at the hands of literary bigots who have no interest in debating a point or a topic.  These people prefer to shut down completely those who do not walk the same political line they walk.  "Goons" is the nicest thing I can think to call them.

So please consider joining with me and defying the Goon Squads.  I plan to mention this book many times in many places, and I just might read it so that I can give it an honest review.  I am so damned sick of political correctness that I could spit...

Entire Interview Here

Post# 2,534