The shortlist for the 2017 Man Booker Prize has been announced. Not everyone is happy with it. At the Washington Post, Ron Charles thinks the list is “too American.” And at The Guardian, Claire Hynes wonders: “How many Man Bookers must writers of colour win before they’re accepted?”
Are Democrats nervous about Hillary Clinton’s widely publicized book tour? As some have suggested, What Happened doesn’t skimp on critiques of the party: “In the book, Clinton is less than flattering in her assessment of her primary election opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders. She even complains about decisions her old boss, President Barack Obama, made that she says hamstrung her during the primary season.”
How faithful is the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel It? According to Joshua Rothman, the movie is missing a crucial sense of strangeness. “It is a stranger novel than most people remember. The new film version, directed by Andy Muschietti, which premiered this week, is, by comparison, more wholesome and sane. It’s a likable but slight movie.”
Former Esquire editor Mark Warren has been named VP and executive editor of Little Random, an imprint of Random House. In his new role, Warren will “acquire and edit a wide range of nonfiction, with a focus on politics and history.”
“What would Alice Munro do?” wonders novelist Curtis Sittenfeld. “This is a question that, in all seriousness, I sometimes ask myself.”
Melville House Publishing has announced a new project that allows readers to send copies of one of its latest titles, A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment by Barbara Radnofsky, to all members of Congress. The book, according to the press release, is a “straightforward and non-partisan guide.” As an incentive, Melville House is lowering the book’s price to eight dollars, will handle shipping costs, and keep a list of which congresspeople have received a copy. “Melville House’s intention in this project is to ensure all 535 member of Congress have the knowledge they need for a potential impeachment, and to illuminate how important the issue of impeachment is to their constituents.”