Bart King's Blog, page 81
March 6, 2015
March 5, 2015
March 3, 2015
March 1, 2015
February 28, 2015
Well, if Loki commands it...
Via.KNEEL SOME OF THE BEST BOOKS ARE FOUND ON THE LOWER SHELVES
February 26, 2015
About 12?
"I'm sorry, sir, but you only have two items. Do you think that's 'about 12'?"
"No, but—"
"GET OUT."
February 24, 2015
Have you ever wanted a blanket for your face?
Yeah, me neither.
February 23, 2015
And the Oscar for "Set Design" goes to...
DIYDad make this VW Van bed for his daughter. Not only is this way cool, but it looks just like my favorite car. (Of course, I've only owned two cars, so it's not a huge competition!)
February 20, 2015
An Open Letter to Caroline Bologna
We all know the cliche—you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. Even so, a writer over at the Huffington Post named
Caroline Bologna
did exactly that to The Big Book of Girl Stuff and Boy Stuff. (If you follow either of the two links here, you can read her article.)I wrote my response to Ms. Bologna in the comment thread at the bottom of her Huffington Post piece. I also sent a message to her on Facebook. At this time, I have not heard back from her.
* * *Dear Caroline,
As the author of the books in question, I read your piece with interest.
It’s worth noting that the majority of authors (myself included) do not design book covers. Nor do we have final say over their appearance. These decisions are made inside the publisher’s marketing department. (For both Girl and Boy Stuff, a woman had the final say.)
However, it’s true that the questions posed on these covers do not perfectly capture the tone, contents, and messages of their respective books.
I should mention that I am a longtime middle-school teacher who loves working with kids. And what I want for ALL of my students and readers is for them to be empowered, educated, and entertained.
Regarding Girl Stuff, I asked 55 of my former female students (most of whom were in high school and college at the time) to help contribute to, edit and proofread every chapter in the book. The vast majority of my ideas for Girl Stuff came from interviews and correspondence with that brain trust—as well as from my five sisters.
As to the idea that science is somehow not addressed in Girl Stuff, if you had opened the book, you'd have seen it has a thirteen-page bibliography reflecting the broad overview of science, anthropology, psychology, etc., I researched to write it. Additionally, you may be interested in what the first edition's cover looks like under its dust jacket:
While this design element was included for fun, it reflects my deep and abiding sense of respect for the sciences...a respect that I made sure to invest into the book.
You begin your piece with “You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover…” Yet of course, that’s exactly what you have done here, Caroline. Without real knowledge of my books, you’ve found some “neat little boxes” for them of your own.
If you get a chance, check out a copy of these books from the library. You’ll find that BOTH have chapters on practical jokes—as well as gross stuff, humor, activities, sports, and other topics that have nothing to do with gender.
Sincerely,
Bart King
ADDENDUM: Since your piece posted, one-star reviews for Girl Stuff began appearing on Amazon. These "reviews" parrot your statements about the book's cover, and creatively expand upon them.
Of course, never having read the book, these writers have no familiarity with its contents.
So now I have to amend the cliche: you shouldn't judge a book by its cover—and you're certainly not supposed to REVIEW that book based on an article about its cover!
