Philosophy
The less short of the short people wanted in the most desperate way to go to the National Book Fair this weekend in D.C. So, standing out in rain, we went to hear talks and readings by some of her favorite authors. We saw Kate DiCamillo who wrote The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. We saw Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson Series. Despite the weather, the place was packed.
What surprised me was the reception the authors got from the assembled pre-teen crowd -- equal parts boys and girls. I wouldn't say rock stars, but definitely ball players. They were heroes to these kids in the same way big league shortstops are to others. It made me happy. There is clearly a reading culture among at least a certain slice of kids today in which they inhabit the same imaginary worlds.
Part of it is driven by marketing, of course, but the fact is that there is a market for interesting, thoughtful, clever books above the Dr. Seuss level. And there are a bunch of very talented authors putting out good stuff. No doubt the Harry Potter phenomenon went a long way towards cementing this demographic in the mind of publishers, but the ramifications of it are what interest me. I wonder if, despite all the hand wringing about tweets and blogs, we will be seeing a resurgence in American letters in a generation or so.
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The shorter of the short people has been fascinated for the last couple years by the coverage of the little league world series on tv and to be honest, we've gotten into it, too. Indeed, I've been to gatherings recently where everyone knows the...
- Best Spoofs
My Fellow Comedists, Last weekend, we showed the kids Airplane!. Then, taking the kids into school on Tuesday, the classical music station played Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours, which, of course, gave rise to a rousing chorus of "Hello Mudder, Hello...
- Movie Better Than The Book?
At dinner last night, the less short of the short people claimed that while the Percy Jackson movie was significantly worse than the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was, in fact, better. The explanation, I hold, is that one is a children's...
- Zeitgeist, Harry Potter, And The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
I tend to do little pop culture analysis and criticism here. I wish I could cite some high-minded principle for it, but the truth is, I'm simply out of touch. I'm a late adopter, generally coming to the party long after the pop buffet is closed...
Philosophy
My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors
The less short of the short people wanted in the most desperate way to go to the National Book Fair this weekend in D.C. So, standing out in rain, we went to hear talks and readings by some of her favorite authors. We saw Kate DiCamillo who wrote The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. We saw Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson Series. Despite the weather, the place was packed.
What surprised me was the reception the authors got from the assembled pre-teen crowd -- equal parts boys and girls. I wouldn't say rock stars, but definitely ball players. They were heroes to these kids in the same way big league shortstops are to others. It made me happy. There is clearly a reading culture among at least a certain slice of kids today in which they inhabit the same imaginary worlds.
Part of it is driven by marketing, of course, but the fact is that there is a market for interesting, thoughtful, clever books above the Dr. Seuss level. And there are a bunch of very talented authors putting out good stuff. No doubt the Harry Potter phenomenon went a long way towards cementing this demographic in the mind of publishers, but the ramifications of it are what interest me. I wonder if, despite all the hand wringing about tweets and blogs, we will be seeing a resurgence in American letters in a generation or so.
- Autonomy, Individual Rights, And Chewing Tobacco
The new collective bargaining agreement between professional baseball players and the league has taken a small step towards limiting the presence of chewing tobacco in baseball. Players can still chew and spit during games, but they cannot carry it in...
- Little League World Series
The shorter of the short people has been fascinated for the last couple years by the coverage of the little league world series on tv and to be honest, we've gotten into it, too. Indeed, I've been to gatherings recently where everyone knows the...
- Best Spoofs
My Fellow Comedists, Last weekend, we showed the kids Airplane!. Then, taking the kids into school on Tuesday, the classical music station played Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours, which, of course, gave rise to a rousing chorus of "Hello Mudder, Hello...
- Movie Better Than The Book?
At dinner last night, the less short of the short people claimed that while the Percy Jackson movie was significantly worse than the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was, in fact, better. The explanation, I hold, is that one is a children's...
- Zeitgeist, Harry Potter, And The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
I tend to do little pop culture analysis and criticism here. I wish I could cite some high-minded principle for it, but the truth is, I'm simply out of touch. I'm a late adopter, generally coming to the party long after the pop buffet is closed...