ABA ceo Allison Hill sent a follow-up letter to members on Aug 5, explaining how recent incidents happened and detailing plans for the future. On the inclusion of the “anti-trans book” in the July white box mailing, the letter explains that up until now there has been no oversight into what is included in the boxes. While publishers do pay for white box inclusion, the ABA reports that they still lose money on it, which they “consider a service to members….” “Until now, no one has ever reviewed or screened the titles submitted by publishers. It has been a pay-to-play […]
Controversies
Hay Festival Founder Resigns After Investigation
Hay literary festival founder and director Peter Florence has resigned after the board upheld an independent investigation over an internal allegation of bullying. Florence was suspended in October, and the board will now be looking for a new director. In a statement, Florence criticized the process, saying: “I consider that my role had become untenable due to the conduct of the board and its insistence on holding a disciplinary hearing in my absence whilst I was off sick following a breakdown.” The organization said, “This decision followed a thorough and extensive process, which considered substantial supporting evidence. As the board […]
ABA Apologizes for Sending Paperback of Anti-Trans Book In July White Box
The American Booksellers Association received backlash online after including the paperback edition of Regnery’s Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters in the July White Box mailing, along with a promotional sales sheet. The book has been criticized as transphobic, and is the source of other controversies, including complaints from Amazon employees, two of whom resigned in protest over the company selling it. In a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday afternoon, the ABA wrote “An anti-trans book was included in our July mailing to members. This is a serious, violent incident that goes against ABA’s ends policies, values, and […]
UNC Press Responds to Chair Reappointment Controversy
The University of North Carolina Press released a statement yesterday following the refusal of the UNC System Board of Governors to reappoint the Press’s existing and renominated chair Eric Muller, who spoke out about the university’s handling of race and history. Vice chair of the UNC Press board Lisa Levenstein and director of UNC Press John Sherer write that many individuals and organizations have “rightfully voiced support for the reelection of Eric Muller,” who “served tirelessly and brilliantly as chair of the board during one of the most successful periods in the history of the Press.” While underscoring the Press’s […]
UNC Press Chair Denied Reappointment
Professor Eric Muller, chair of the University of North Carolina Press Board of Governors, announced on Twitter that the university’s board of governors has, in an unprecedented move, denied his reappointment to the board. Muller has served two five-year terms on the board, six of which as chairman. “I would hate to think it had something to do with my public commentary in recent years on matters of law, race, and history,” he wrote. “I would hate to think it had something to do with my focusing public attention on ways in which the law has ignored and harmed the […]
Controversies
In a piece about the recent controversy over an Anne Frank reference in Elin Hilderbrand’s Golden Girls, Slate notes that romance author Casey McQuiston was at the center of a similar situation this week, and laments that, “The silly idea that a fictional character’s statements reflect an author’s actual beliefs is spreading.” On June 6, a Twitter user complained about a line spoken by the fictional president of the US in McQuiston’s Red, White, & Royal Blue reading, “Well, my UN ambassador f—ed up his one job and said something idiotic about Israel, and now I have to call Netanyahu […]