As if we didn’t already know Obama was the Reader-in-Chief, here’s further proof: recently, President Obama sent a fan letter to author Yann Martel. Galleycat reports:
Today novelist Yann Martel posted a piece of fan mail he received from President Barack Obama. The president wrote: “My daughter and I just finished reading Life of Pi [...]
One year after President Obama’s inauguration, everyone seems to have either criticism or advice for his administration–for pushing health care reform; for not yet passing health care reform; for not waving his magic wand to fix the economy, eradicate H1N1, and end both wars; for not leaping tall buildings in a single bound. But [...]
Politico.com is calling Obama “the next Oprah.” The president’s widely circulated summer reading list seems to have given every book on it a huge bump in sales, as indicated by these Amazon rankings (stats are via Politico) BEFORE = on Monday, before Obama’s list was released / AFTER = as of Wednesday):
- The Way Home [...]
I’m going to waive the whole “all fiction, all the time” rule and devote some space to poetry on FWR. Fiction writers benefit enormously from reading poetry, and many of us (yours truly included) tried our hand at–or continue to secretly aspire to–being poets.
At FWR, a number of our contributors and readers are poets (the [...]
Michiko Kakutani is thrilled (and aren’t we all!) that our new president is a bonafide, enthusiastic reader. Here’s to an era of empathetic, intelligent governance; all hail the book-loving chief!!
Much has been made of Mr. Obama’s eloquence — his ability to use words in his speeches to persuade and uplift and inspire. But his appreciation [...]
Thank you, Guardian! They published this on the eve of the election.
At least today, words can’t capture what this election day means to our country and to the entire world. We hosted a party, hollered and cheered with hoards of fellow Brooklynites in the streets till nearly dawn, yawped from the rooftops, hugged strangers, wept. It may be a few days before I come down from [...]
In case there’s a long line, bring some election-themed litereature; the Picador blog has a few suggestions, along with a lament that there aren’t more novels in this genre. To explain voting to the little ones, here’s a list of children’s books about elections.
Also check out Jon Meacham’s essay “How to Read Like a President,” [...]
Kathryn forwarded me this Washington Post piece by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Here’s an excerpt:
I prefer to discuss politics through my novels, but I am truly dismayed these days. Twice last week alone, speakers at McCain-Palin rallies have referred to Sen. Barack Obama, with unveiled scorn, as [...]
I still haven’t read one of her mysteries, but in 2005, Ayelet Waldman had me at hello with her infamous Modern Love essay — the one where she admits – blissfully – to loving her husband even more than her children. (Bonus: said husband is Michael Chabon.)
Now Waldman is channeling some of that passion [...]
