SCENES from A HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR Tour

Check out Antonino D'Ambrosio on Laura Flanders

"A Heartbeat and a Guitar is more than the story of a Johnny Cash album. It is the moving story, through song, of the epic story of Native Americans. To remember Ira Hayes is to learn the story behind the famous Iwo Jima photograph of Joe Rosenthal. This is a must read book for all who want to understand our true history."
--John Rothman, host of K60 Newstalk 810AM, San Francisco

As much about the present as about the past, HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR offers up an unknown cultural history of the the United States as told through Cash's little-known and most controversial record. It reveals a country struggling between decline and progression, turmoil and democratic change.

Catch Antonino at 3PM on 12/6 at a "Sundays at Sunny’s" reading at a beautiful old waterfront bar, Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Interview on socialistworker.org.

Read about "Greening with Envy" by Bonnie Tsui in The Atlantic

The Oregonian covers D'Ambrosio's A HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR

Check out Antonino's web site for the book here.

Booklist calls Peter Hessler's COUNTRY DRIVING "a fascinating and frequently surprising look at China"

Booklist calls Peter Hessler's COUNTRY DRIVING

Booklist
Review
December 1, 2009

"A fascinating and frequently surprising look at China from a very unusual perspective."

Antonino D'Ambrosio talks about A HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR on AlterNet (working link)

Read Peter Hessler on Meb Keflezighi's NY Marathon Win in the THE NEW YORKER

And then read his piece "Running to Beijing: The Making of a Long Distance Runner" from the August 11, 2008 issue.

Great Cover for next Spring's KABOOM: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War by Matt Gallagher (Da Capo - Lead Title)

Check out the original blog here

Peter Hessler's COUNTRY DRIVING gets a starred PW Review

About Peter's third book, to be published in the US and Canada by Harper next February, PW writes: "In his latest feat of penetrating social reportage, New Yorker writer Hessler (Oracle Bones) again proves himself America's keenest observer of the New China. Hessler investigates the country's lurch into modernity through three engrossing narratives. In an epic road trip following the Great Wall across northern China, he surveys dilapidated frontier outposts from the imperial past while barely surviving the advent of the nation's uniquely terrifying car culture. He probes the transformation of village life through the saga of a family of peasants trying to remake themselves as middle-class entrepreneurs. Finally, he explores China's frantic industrialization, embodied by the managers and workers at a fly-by-night bra-parts factory in a Special Economic Zone. Hessler has a sharp eye for contradictions, from the absurdities of Chinese drivers' education courses—low-speed obstacle courses are mandatory, while seat belts and turn signals are deemed optional—to the leveling of an entire mountain to make way for the Renli Environmental Protection Company. Better yet, he has a knack for finding the human-scale stories that make China's vast upheavals both comprehensible and moving. The result is a fascinating portrait of a society tearing off into the future with only the sketchiest of maps. (Feb.)"

Also, in the October 26th issue of THE NEW YORKER is Peter's "Letter from Lishui: Chinese Barbizon: A factory town's "art village." There's a wonderful slideshow of photographs by Peter and his friend Mark Leong on the magazine site here.

FRANKFURT: Berlin Verlag Features COUNTRY DRIVING by Peter Hessler as Lead Title

COUNTRY DRIVING is the lead display at Berlin Verlag's stand here in Frankfurt!

John Woods Reviews SOUL OF A PEOPLE by David Taylor on Peace Corps Worldwide

"... this book brings together the stories and history of arguably an important piece of our twentieth century cultural heritage along with insights into what life was like during the depression. For this reason alone, it is worth reading, but beyond that, any aspiring writer should appreciate that even for the great writers, things didn’t always come easily."

Read Bonnie Tsui's Article on Touring the Navaho Nation in the Observer (UK)

Bonnie Tsui Walks with Jennifer 8. Lee through Chinatown

View New York Chinatown Tour with Bonnie Tsui in a larger map

Great Q&A with Keith McNally from the Restaurant Girl

Favorite bit: "Despite the fact that 80% of the process is painful and torturous, ultimately there's something rather rewarding about putting a restaurant together. The look, the staff, the food, the organization. All in all, I really enjoy it. Besides, I'm not sure I could do anything else. " Back in January The Observer had a great piece, too.

Dayle Haddon Gets the Steve Treatment as a Most Beautiful Woman

There's also a wonderful profile on this page. She talks about her work in Darfur here:
.

Read Cullen Thomas's Interview with Nick Bonner on WorldHum

The author of BROTHER ONE CELL speaks to the founder of a North Korean tour provider.

AMERICAN CHINATOWN by Bonnie Tsui on The Book Bench / New Yorker

The New Yorker site presents a photo essay by Bonnie Tsui, author of AMERICAN CHINATOWN, just published by Free Press earlier this month.

AMERICAN CHINATOWN by Bonnie Tsui

We were thrilled to receive finished copies of this wonderful book from the publisher today.

It has garnered the following pre-pub quotes:

A wonderfully revealing and compassionate trip into the real lives of men and women who straddle the world's two great powers. The graceful travelogue is from a hidden world in our own backyards. Tsui plunges into Chinatowns that are, like China itself, reinventing themselves before our eyes, showing not only what it means to be Chinese in the world, but also the spirit of self-invention that made America great."
-- EVAN OSNOS, BEIJING CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORKER

"A fascinating and thoughtful look at a thoroughly American phenomenon."
-- GISH JEN, AUTHOR OF THE LOVE WIFE

"In this masterful work, Bonnie Tsui charts the fascinating history of America's Chinatowns. From geography to economics to linguistics, she presents a vibrant, intimate portrait of communities that have played a crucial role in shaping the American landscape. There are dozens of evocative, exhilarating, and touching stories here, from those of a beauty queen to a Vegas poker dealer in training. Candid, witty, and always engaging, Tsui is a wonderful guide for these many journeys."
-- SARA HOUGHTELING, AUTHOR OF PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

"Bonnie Tsui has written affectionately and astutely about a subject very close to my heart: Chinatown. In speaking with old-timers, the first generation to grow up in Chinatown, and the newest immigrants, she has captured the ways that five Chinatowns connect their inhabitants to culture, history, language, food, and to China itself -- even if they've never been there. She has looked beyond the colorful tourist facades to find unique neighborhoods that serve as home for some, refuges for others, and places of memory for all."
-- LISA SEE, AUTHOR OF SHANGHAI GIRLS AND SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

Bonnie's reading schedule is as follows:

August 11, 2009: Launch party! Slideshow, reading, and talk
7:30 pm, The Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco, CA; 415-863-8688

August 12, 2009: Interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation
12 pm Pacific, check here for broadcast schedule near you

August 15, 2009: Radio interview with Peter Greenberg Worldwide
Check here for broadcast schedule near you

August 19, 2009: Live interview at KALW in San Francisco
2 pm Pacific, New America Now, on NPR

August 19, 2009: Reading & talk *UPDATED LOCATION!
6 pm, Book Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA; 415-835-1020

August 25, 2009: Reading & talk
7:30 pm, Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA; 650-324-4321

August 27, 2009: Reading & talk
7:30 pm, Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave., Berkeley, CA; 510-704-8222

September 3, 2009: Reading & talk
7 pm, Books, Inc. in Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA; 415-776-1111

September 13, 2009: Reading & talk
2 pm, Chinatown YMCA, 273 Bowery St., New York, NY; 212-912-2460

September 14, 2009: Slideshow, reading & talk
6:30 pm, Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St., New York, NY; 212-619-4785

September 15, 2009: Reading & talk
7 pm, Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., New York, NY; 212-777-6028

September 29, 2009: Reading & talk
6 pm, A joint event by the Mechanics Institute and the Asia Society, 57 Post St.,

San Francisco, CA; 415-393-0114
November 7, 2009: Slideshow & talk

2 pm, San Francisco Public Library, Chinatown Branch, 1135 Powell St., San Francisco, CA; 415-355-2888
February 9, 2010: Slideshow & talk in honor of Lunar New Year

6 pm, Chinese Historical Society of America, 965 Clay St., San Francisco, CA; 415-391-1188
February 11, 2010: Discussion & lecture

6 pm, San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, Herb Caen Magazines & Newspapers Center, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA; 415-437-4844

February 23, 2010: Slideshow & lecture
10:30 am, City College of San Francisco, Downtown Campus Library,
88 Fourth St., San Francisco, CA; 415-267-6505

February 26, 2010: Friday evening lecture series at CUNY
6 pm, Asian American/Asian Research Institute, City University of New York,
25 West 43rd St., Rm. 1000, New York, NY; 212-869-0182

March 6, 2010: Signing & presentation as part of the Lantern Festival
in conjunction with “Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection” exhibit
Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, Los Angeles, CA; 213-485-8567

Yuval Taylor on WNYC's Soundcheck

Yuval Taylor, co-author of FAKING IT: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music, talks about the new wave of theatricality in music and why sometimes fake is what feels most real with Anne Powers.

The Book Studio Interviews David A. Taylor about SOUL OF A PEOPLE

The goal of The Book Studio, an online project of WETA in Washington, is to connect readers with authors through video interviews that provide the time and space for thoughtful discussions of themes and ideas. Among the authors who've stopped by the studio for interviews are Richard Russo, Alexander McCall Smith, Chris Bohjalian, Tracy Chevalier, Mary Gordon, Frank Warren, and Naomi Wolf.

Zak Pelaccio's UWS Fatty Crab Gets Two Stars

NY Times Gives 10 Downing 2 Stars

A HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR by Antonino D'Ambrosio On the Way

With a cover by Shepard Fairey, the designer of the Obama poster, A HEARTBEAT AND A GUITAR: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears (Nation Books) will feature never before published photos by the great rock photographer Jim Marshall (did the photos of Cash at Folsom Prison, the famous Jimi Hendrix portrait among a thousand other things--including included a never before see photo of Dylan at Newport in '63). There are plans for a big concert at Carnegie Hall for the book, with Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and others.

Rev. Billy to Challenge Bloomberg for NYC Mayor

SOUL OF A PEOPLE by David A. Taylor on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED 2/15/9

David speaks about his second book, published by John Wiley & Sons last month. Read an excerpt from the book on the NPR site.

GOODNIGHT BUSH by Erich Origen and Gan Golan at The Inauguration

At the Inauguration, documentary filmmaker Mark Smith filmed people reading Goodnight Bush out loud. Lines of people formed to join in this cathartic experience and cheer each other on.

That night, the Goodnight Bush Choir sang the text of the book set to four-part harmony. This video presents both events.

SOUL OF A PEOPLE by David Taylor Amazon Editor's Pick

David Taylor'ss fresh look at the Federal Writers Project and tie-in to the upcoming documentary SOUL OF A PEOPLE: WRITING AMERICA'S STORY will be an Amazon Editor's Pick for February.

Eric Maddox to appear on Weekend Today, December 13th

Just published by Harper to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the capture of Saddam Hussein, MISSION: BLACK LIST #1 is the untold, suspenseful story of how Saddam was found--the direct result of Maddox's interrogations, all done without the use of controversial or coercive techinques.

LA Times Op-Ed debates JUST HOW STUPID ARE?

...and concludes that the electorate as a whole may be wiser and more rational than any individual.

Rick Shenkman's JUST HOW STUPID ARE WE? featured in the Washington Post

Even on the eve of a historic election, we need to consider how we got here in the first place...

Erich Origen and Gan Golan's Introduce THE GOODNIGHT BUSH, A Post Dubya Cocktail

THE GOODNIGHT BUSH*

1 sugar cube
8 dashes bitters
2 twists of lemon
Champagne

Place sugar cube in a chilled champagne flute, splash with 8 dashes bitters (one for each year), fill the glass with bubbly, and squeeze in two twists of lemon (one for each term). Drink, savoring the sweet finish. The sugar comes at the end.

Today we have unlocked the doors of power. Tomorrow we'll bust them wide open and march through en masse. Tonight, though, let's take the opportunity to celebrate. And have a drink.

* Best enjoyed with a well-thumbed copy of the book Goodnight Bush.

Davin Seay is the Collaborationist...

Short Stack on WashingtonPost.com interviews Davin Seay about his work as a collaborator.

DJ DB Lists His Favorite Books about DJ Culture

What DB doesn't mention is his own book in development: a history of stickers tentatively titled STUCK UP PIECE OF CRAP!

Philadelphia Inquirer Raves about BOMBAY ANNA by Susan Morgan

Dayle Haddon in the Congo on CNN.com/World

Dayle Haddon describes her inspiring trip to the Congo in her role as a UNICEF Ambassador and campaign spokesperson for Raise Hope for Congo.

Since 1996, more than 200,000 women and girls have been raped and sexually assaulted in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rape is used as a weapon of war in the deadliest conflict since World War II. With violence and atrocities again on the rise, the Enough Project is kicking off a multi-year, multifaceted national campaign to protect and empower Congo´s women and girls. Read more about Raise Hope for Congo here.

NY Times Book Review reviews BOMBAY ANNA by Susan Morgan

Other attention this title has received:

"Anyone who thinks that the British experience in India was a long succession of polo, tea on the lawn, brave officers leading the charge against howling native hordes and similar conceits will be riveted by Morgan's portrait of the gritty Anglo-Indian underclass from which Anna sprang."—The Gazette

"A fascinating, scholarly work."—Library Journal

"Probing biography of a woman who did a lot more than whistle a happy tune. . . . Morgan paints a satisfying, multifaceted portrait. Engrossing retelling of an extraordinary life, correcting many popular misconceptions."—Kirkus Reviews
"Anna Leonowens has been a historical puzzle. Susan Morgan establishes a solid ground for our understanding of this intriguing writer who became famous in our time thanks to a Broadway musical. Her life and contributions as a writer, a humanist, and a 19th century feminist were far richer beyond being the 'I' with the King."—Thongchai Winichakul, author of Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation

"With extraordinary detective work, Susan Morgan uncovers the real tale of a brilliant and dynamic traveler who cut ties to her past history and fabricated the story of her life that has found its way into legend. In lovely and graceful prose, she uses this story to help us understand patterns of national and international life."—Allan M. Winkler, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America

"With sensitive writing and meticulous research, Bombay Anna offers the first comprehensive biography of Anna Leonowens, the 'I' in The King and I, which gave my father, Yul Brynner, his signature role. The details of her self-invention are only part of the revelation Susan Morgan provides; she also paints a masterful portrait of the Britain's Raj and its colonial hegemony in Southeast Asia. It is a fascinating read." —Prof. Rock Brynner, author of Yul: The Man Who Would Be King

Upcoming "Spoon River" Exhibition by Christa Parravani

A solo-exhibition of new photographs by Christa Parravani will be shown at Sara Tecchia Roma New York in November. The body of work, Spoon River, is inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology,” a collection of 244 poems told by the deceased residents of this fictional town describing the situations that led to their demise.

Parravani’s work is heavily influenced by Diane Arbus, who sought to uplift an often downtrodden and socially outcast troupe of characters through photography. Parravani’s work seeks a similar retribution as she is giving closure to each Spoon River denizen while investigating the psychology of death and trauma. Like Arbus, Parravani considers herself a straightforward pictorialist. She uses a 4x5 view camera and strongly avoids altering the works in any way. The photographs are taken near The MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH. Founded in 1907, it is the oldest artist colony in America and the two years that Parravani spent there ingrained in her a sense of natural proportions. Each image has an uncomfortable and uncanny quality, the visual language of which suggests an event beyond the borders of the photograph.

Each scene is carefully planned but photographed en plein air with the spontaneity and the attention to landscape and portraiture attributed to symbolist painters such as Jules Bastien-Lepage. In fact, the identity of each figure is accentuated by the presence of nature, either grand sweeping backdrops or claustrophobic close-ups of a forest interior. The landscape, behind each character, plays as important a role in the development of the photograph as does the back-story associated with each poem. To Parravani, the individual is a product of his or her environment, and thereby belongs, embossed for eternity, within it.

Alan Ehrenhalt praises JUST HOW STUPID ARE WE? in "In Search of Rational Voters" in Newsweek

Goodnight Bush Still on Seven Bestseller Lists

New York Times #8 (8th week!), Booksense #2, Denver Post #2, La Times #4, Northern Californian Independent Booksellers #2, SF Chronicle #4.

See it on Wikiality.

Marilyn Monroe in Vanity Fair

In the 25th Anniversary issue read agency friend Sam Kashner's cover story about client Mark Anderson's experience photographing a treasure trove of over 586 unseen artifacts, the contents of two personal filing cabinets. Unlocking the 45-Year-Old Marilyn Monroe Mystery: What Her Private Papers Reveal about Her Life and Death. More of Anderson's masterful photographs may be viewed on the magazine site.

"The Home Team" by Peter Hessler in The New Yorker, Sept. 15th

Read Peter Hessler's Letter from Beijing in this week's New Yorker, which describes how the Chinese experienced the Olympics. Details include a handbook entitled "What To Do if There's a Terrorist Attack in a Karaoke Parlor," ticket-holding television spectators, freebies, a chess game, raincoat reasonings, the girl in the water at The Golden Million, and taking big events in stride.

Rick Shenkman Writes about 5 Myths About Those Civic-Minded, Deeply Informed Voters

Erich Origen and Gan Golan's GOODNIGHT BUSH rules the bestseller lists

GOODNIGHT BUSH remains on the New York Times bestseller list at #6, Booksense #3, Boston Globe #9, Denver Post #5, Los Angeles Times #6, Northern California Independent Booksellers Association #2, San Francisco Chronicle #5, and Washington Post #8. The authors will be at the Democratic National Convention along with a choir who will send the book set to music.