The Thursday Reader, 9.06
September 06, 2007
"Fighting Over Deck Chairs: Print vs. Online," at The Millions
"Little Australians need more than Harry Potter," at the Sydney Morning Herald
Five books editor Sam Tanenhaus (New York Times Book Review) thinks all reviewers should have in their libraries, at Critical Mass. (I hope Critical Mass will ask Julie Just this same question. It would be fun to hear what the NYTBR children's books editor thinks.)
Adam Gopnik eats local—in New York City, at The New Yorker
More problems of the "Shattered Glass" ilk for The New Republic, at Vanity Fair
Terry Teachout on Arthur Miller and artists' "dirty moral laundry," at About Last Night
Former Gawker writer regrets snark, endured harsh treatment from anonymous readers, at Women's Wear Daily (via Romenesko)
Booker Prize shortlist, at The Guardian
"Creating Readers: Part I," at Teacher Magazine (via The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Loved the Gopnik article! Seriously, I'm thinking it would be a BLAST to hunt down one of those weird chicken dealers. That's one of the funniest NYC stories I've heard.
Posted by: Laura (Pinot and Prose) | September 06, 2007 at 02:53 PM
Laura,
the place where he eventually got the chicken (the Muslim slaughterhouse) is mentioned in The Year of the Goat. Weird little synchronicity there...
Posted by: Susan | September 06, 2007 at 04:26 PM
How funny to see your mention of the Gopnick article. He is a parent at my school and spoke to the faculty today. (We always have an inspiration speaker right before the kids come back.) He is a wonderful speaker (I'd heard him before at the Lewis Carroll Society.) This was on cutting back on homework sort of (as he is very intellectual and philosophical). His sister wrote The Science in the Crib and has a new book out soon.
(I taught Luke and hope I get his little sister, Olivia in a couple of years>)
Posted by: Monica | September 06, 2007 at 06:16 PM
Everything's turning up Gopnik, eh? That piece is funny. I've always liked his writing.
Is your school cutting back on homework? I would love it if my son had none, but that's wishful thinking.
Posted by: Susan | September 06, 2007 at 07:26 PM
As if I needed another reason to love him! Now he's talking about cutting back on homework? Yes! I really don't think I could ever talk to him, though - I'd come off as the most inarticulate person ever. So I'll just admire him and his eloquent writing from afar... His sister has a new book coming or he does? And he writes his children very well - I'm sure Luke was wonderful to teach!
Posted by: Laura (Pinot and Prose) | September 07, 2007 at 09:41 AM
Cutting back? 4th is not a problem (we give almost nothing), but other grades are trying, sort of. It is hard being a top tier prep school with older kids begging for it as they think it helps with the college process.
Posted by: Monica | September 07, 2007 at 12:04 PM
Really? Wow. I feel like my 1st-grader had a hefty homework load in kindergarten. I was okay with the amount, but perhaps would have liked to have seen less - she had so little time to play. Nevertheless, we still got repeated letters from the teachers, telling the parents to STOP asking for more homework! The parents were demanding more!
Posted by: Laura (Pinot and Prose) | September 07, 2007 at 01:23 PM
Thanks for all the good articles. Chickens are funny.
Posted by: MotherReader | September 07, 2007 at 01:48 PM
Oh, gads. The parents want more homework? Sometimes the East Coast is too much for its own self, isn't it? Actually I shouldn't complain. Jr. doesn't have that much.
MR, you're welcome. I've always wanted to make a movie about chickens. Did I ever tell you that? I may have to call on your filmmaking expertise.
Posted by: Susan | September 07, 2007 at 02:53 PM