The Fence: A Police Cover-Up Along Boston’s Racial Divide by Dick Lehr is a riveting expose on police brutality on one of their own men in 1995. White Boston Police officers mistook Michael Cox, a black plainclothes officer, as a suspect and shot him in the head and repeatedly kicked him while he was down, even though Cox had just been pursuing the real suspect over a fence. Following this incident was a blatant cover-up orchestrated by the BPD; in fact, news of Cox getting injured only appeared in The Boston Globe a full 10 days after the beating, and the information released was evasive and vague at best. Lehr shares an illuminating, fastidiously researched window into police loyalty and culture, the dynamics of race and politics, and the exceptionally long and hard journey to justice for one police officer.
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MONTREAL – A small Montreal publishing house appears to have struck a gold mine with the death of pop superstar Michael Jackson.
Transit Media Inc. will start the presses rolling Tuesday morning on what is expected to be a 354-page, hardcover biography of the freshly deceased entertainment icon.
About 50 pages are being added during a frantic rewrite by author Ian Halperin following Jackson’s death at his Los Angeles home last Thursday afternoon, Pierre Turgeon said Saturday.
Turgeon, who is the book’s publisher and president of Transit Media, said the book had been prepared in the run-up to Jackson’s series of 50 London concerts.
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Mezrich and wife. Can't go wrong with paisley...
Ben Mezrich, author of the colorfully embellished (to put it mildly) book about an MIT blackjack ring that “took Vegas for millions,” “Bringing Down the House,” continues his run of commercial success. His forthcoming book, “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal,” due out next month, has already attracted the interest of Hollywood. Aaron Sorkin, creator of “The West Wing,” has written a script and, according to Variety, Columbia Pictures is trying to recruit David Fincher, director of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” to direct. The picture is slated to be called “The Social Network.”
Last year, presented with evidence that certain happenings in “Bringing Down the House” were essentially made-up, Mezrich responded: “I took literary license to make it readable.” He also said, “The idea that the story is true is more important than being able to prove that it’s true.”
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If the first thing you do upon opening The New Yorker is flip to the back page to see the contenders for the week’s caption contest, then the editors at The New Yorker have a wonderful treat for you.
The Rejection Collection, volumes I and II contain 272 pages of cartoons drawn by New Yorker cartoonists that never made it into the print magazine. Some were too weird, non sequitur, or too risqué, but all are worth checking out. Both volumes make for great coffee table discussion starters, and are always good for a laugh.
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Maybe you have seen all the history books that have been coming out recently and maybe you thought – those look interesting buuutttt I don’t know if I can handle a history book right now. Well, with July 4th, Independence Day, right around the corner – why not pick up one that you have had your eye on to prepare for the holiday? As an added bonus, when you go to cookouts and fireworks you can impress people with your new found facts! There are plenty of good selections here at the bookstore but here are a few to get you inspired:
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Give Me Liberty by Naomi Wolf
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My favorite reporter, author and Emmy hoarder (26!!!) is hosting a mystery theater fundraiser tonight at Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton at 8 pm. Tickets are $25 and include hors d’oevres. Please call 244-0169 to reserve seats.
Hanlk Phillipi Ryan has written Prime Time, Face Time, and Air Time.
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BOSTON, MA.- Chip Kidd, the most celebrated book cover designer in the world, is contributing a poster design to the Boston Book Festival, which holds its inaugural event in Boston’s Copley Square on Oct. 24, 2009. His poster design will be unveiled at an event on Sept. 14, 2009 at the Boston Public Library, which will also serve as a fundraiser for the non-profit festival. The poster will be used to promote the festival, and collectible prints will be sold online at www.bostonbookfest.org and at the festival. More details about the unveiling event to follow.
Kidd, who has been called by USA Today “the closest thing to a graphic design rock star,” has designed covers for authors like Cormac McCarthy, John Updike, David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs and Michael Crichton, in his job as an associate art director for publishing giant Knopf.
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If you’re stuck in an undisclosed location for the summer instead of the beach, have no fear! Former Vice President Dick Cheney has signed a $2m deal with Simon & Schuster to publish his memoir, spanning his political career from the Ford to the Bush II administrations. The expected release date is spring 2011.
If you just can’t wait to read about the leader of the Galactic Empire, make sure to check out Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency, Barton Gellman’s brilliant account of Cheney’s expansive and influential role inside the Bush Administration. The paperback version will be released this August 25.
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The trailer for THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE was posted on Imdb.com yesterday. I’ve heard rumblings about it for what seemed like years, and I’m thrilled to set my eyes on it. It looks visually stunning, and I found myself sniffling after about three seconds. But such a happy sadness! I remember crying my eyes out as I read the novel, and look forward to crying my eyes out as I watch the movie, coming this August.
Click here to check it out yourself.
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The Boston Globe has picked the top 100 books about New England or written by local authors.
Rate the titles, mark “want to read” to add to your reading list, and see how you stack up against other readers here.
The top ten books on the list include: 10) The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins, 9.) Empire Falls by Richard Russo, 8.) The Autobiography of Malcom X, 7.) Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson, 6.) Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, 5.) A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, 4.) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, 3.) Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, 2.) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and 1.) Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.
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