Why do we care what other people are reading?

A few weeks ago I was in an independent bookstore in Austin, Texas and a local man asked the man behind the counter if he had read the book that our president, Barak Obama was currently reading. Why do we know or care what book Mr. Obama is reading? I tried to read this so called great book and thought it was unreadable. At first I thought, maybe I don’t get it, maybe I am missing something major metaphorically and should just abandon it now and guess what, I did. There are so many other books out there that grab my attention immediately and I cannot put them down, so why settle? I was relieved when the gentlemen in the book store had the same reaction I did and had the courage to voice their opinion. I was actually shocked knowing how liberal Austin supposedly is and being in an independent book store, I thought for sure this is going to be one of those moments when everyone jumps up and down holding hands praising Obama and how fabulous it is that he is reading this soon to be classic piece of literature. Boy, was I wrong. Overall, people still care what other people are reading, even if it happens to be a book that they themselves would never pick up. Happy reading!

White, Urban Appalachian Children

Other People's Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy

by Victoria Purcell-Gates

Book Seventeen
Review:
What type of people live in the Appalachian Mountains? Rednecks, poor white trailer park trash or just a lost group of people that no one really wants to talk about. These people are a community of illiterates who need to be educated in the U.S.A. and I think are severely over looked in our society. I never really knew what it meant when friends talked about volunteering and helping people in Appalachia or even where Appalachia was. If it wasn't for the Senator of South Carolina hitting the media recently, I still would be in the dark. This book is a case study that a college professor conducted on a mother and child who are from the Appalachian region trying to live in a more civilized city like society. The family struggles with whether or not they should stay in the modern world, illiterate and isolated or return to a world of comfort and family. The saddest part of this whole story in my opinion is that there are probably tons and tons of families in other parts of the U.S.A. that face the same issues, yet we have the best educational system in the world. How?

What is involved in the effective teaching of writing at the secondary and first-year undergraduate level?

Teaching Writing As Reflective Practice: Integrating Theories

by George Hillocks and Michael W. Smith

Book Sixteen
Review:

Although, I am not a first year teacher, the theory and practice ideas really pushed me to reflect on my own teaching of writing. Chock full of tips on how to conduct a writer’s workshop and ways to approach teaching the various modes of writing, this book is a great introduction for any teacher who is looking for validation and approval on why we do what we do when we attempt to teach writing to our students. Even though, this was a book I read for a graduate level class, I would still recommend it to anyone in the field of education or anyone who planning on going into the classroom.

"Many writing problems "are really courage problems".

The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear

by Ralph Keyes

Book Fifteen
Review:
A great book to read and re read whenever you are looking for inspiration or just a good old kick in the pants about writing. Some of the highlights are the famous author quotes and stories they told about their rituals that they had involving the writing process. This book is an excellent resource for a beginning student of writing or even a nice guide for an avid reader who appreciates the style and craft of writing.

Reality TV. Celebutantes. YouTube. Sex Tapes. Gossip Blogs. Drunk Driving. Tabloids. Drug Overdoses.

The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America

by Drew Pinsky and S. Mark Young

Book Fourteen
Review:
Dive into the world of celebrity narcissism with this page turner from the man who brought you “Celebrity Rehab”. If you are interested in the fall, and I mean nose dive of Brittany Spears, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Lindsey Lohan, then look no further. This is a great companion for the “People Magazine” lover in of all us. The best part is that Pinsky takes us beyond the rumors and breaks down scientifically why these celebrities act the way they do and how we as a society are just mere spectators in their train wreck of a life. An awesome read for a pool/beach day.

Laura van den Berg

Laura van den Berg's Story Collection Selected as B&N Discover Great Books Pick   July 23, 2009 - Ann Arbor, MI-Dzanc Books is excited to announce that Laura van den Berg's short story collection, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, has been selected by Barnes and Nobleto be a Discover Great Books pick for the Holiday season.  The collection is set tobe published by Dzanc in mid-October and both Laura and Dzanc are excited to have What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us continue to receive this sort of recognition.      The title story of Laura'scollection will appear in The Pushcart Prize XXXIV: Best of the Small Presses (November 2009, Pushcart Press).  Laura has also had another story from What The World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us included in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008 (2008, Houghton Mifflin), and yet another that will be in Best New American Voices 2010 (October 2009, Mariner Books).  As for Dzanc Books, Laura's selection continues the high regard their books have received lately, in particular their short story collections.  The Kansas City Star included 3 collections published by Dzanc or their imprints in their Top 10 Story Collections of 2008.  Two Dzanc collections also won medals in last year's IPPY Awards.   Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief had this to say about What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us:  "Laura van den Berg finds the tension between science and magic and walks it like a tightrope.  Any reader will be glad to have found it."   About Laura van den Berg   Laura van den Berg was raised in Florida and earned her MFA at Emerson College. She is the recipient of scholarships from the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers' Conferences, the 2009 Julia Peterkin Award, and the 2009-2010 Emerging Writer Lectureship at Gettysburg College. Her fiction has or will soon appear in One Story, Boston Review, Epoch, The Literary Review, American Short Fiction, StoryQuarterly, Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008, Best New American Voices 2010, and The Pushcart Prize XXIV: Best of the Small Presses, among other publications. The winner of the Dzanc Prize, Laura's first collection of stories, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, will be published by Dzanc Books in October 2009.   About Dzanc Books   Dzanc Books was created in 2006 to advance great writing and champion those writers who don't fit neatly into the marketing niches of for-profit presses. As a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, Dzanc Books not only publishes literary fiction, but works with literary journals, runs inexpensive online mentoring programs, and sponsors the Dzanc Prize which has a literary community service aspect to it.  Dzanc also fully committed to developing educational programs in schools. For more information on Dzanc Books and its mission, books, authors, awards, and programs, please visitwww.dzancbooks.org.