The James Frey debacle didn’t do anything to stem the flow of memoirs – in fact, it may have made them even more popular, says the Wall Street Journal.
“Everyone has a story, whether it's a family of Dumpster-divers, a nun who had an affair with a priest, or a self-mutilating teenager. Now, however, there are more publishers willing to put out these personal histories as memoirs. In fact, all three of the aforementioned stories are in print, under the titles "Perishable: A Memoir," "The Scent of God: A Memoir," and "Bloodletting: A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm, & Survival."
"Memoirs have been strong sellers throughout this decade. But this year, publishers plan to put out twice as many as last year – there are likely to be as many as 40, according to Simba Information, a book-tracking company.”
Caitlin Flanagan, the New Yorker writer who seems to anger everyone with her pieces on domestic life, gets the star treatment this week. The Los Angeles Times ran as profile on her as did the LA Weekly. Flanagan’s book To Hell with All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife, has just been released. She was a guest blogger at Powell’s recently, as well.
By the way, Flanagan grew up in Berkeley. That explains a lot. Out of disorder comes the search for order.
The Tournament of Books is over. Ali Smith won for The Accidental. Read all about it here.
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