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September 2015 Newsletter (view source)
Revision as of 11:40, 14 September 2015
, 11:40, 14 September 2015no edit summary
Well, they say summer is the silly season but so much has been happening since we last wrote! And so much of what has been happening has tied into the world of books in our thoughts. MPs, given a free vote, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-overwhelmingly-reject-plans-to-legalise-assisted-dying-for-people-with-terminal-illnesses-10496918.html rejected] an assisted dying bill. And that made us remember beloved Terry Pratchett, who so strongly [http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/feb/02/terry-pratchett-assisted-suicide-tribunal supported] the idea. We miss you, Terry.
We use the word "tragic" a great deal. Perhaps too much. Perhaps we've diluted its meaning. But that meaning sharpened again when we all saw photos of a tiny boy on a beach. Uncomfortable and painful that photo certainly was. Perhaps it was even exploitative to show it. But that photo was a game-changer; a catalyst for a change in opinion. And it inspired YA author Patrick Ness to start a [http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=PatrickNess fundraiser] for Save the Children in which he promised to match the donations of his followers up to £10,000. He got there in a couple of hours. Hours. Not days or weeks. Hours. And then other authors - too many to mention here - made their own matching pledges. And within a week, the author and reader community had raised £670,000.Yes, £670,000! It was something to behold. As was Patrick himself, live-tweeting and completely overcome. If we didn't love you too much before all this Patrick, we certainly do now.
What else? Oh, yes! A lovely juxtaposition here. New Zealand [http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/10/censorship-is-alive-in-new-zealand-i-should-know-my-book-was-banned banned] YA novel ''Into the River'' by Ted Dawe, after pressure from a Christian group. Here at Bookbag Towers, we got pretty cross about this. But then, Dav Pilkey, creator of ''Captain Underpants'', told his readers that Harold, one of his protagonists, would [http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/09/captain-underpants-sensational-saga-of-sir-stinks-a-lot-book-harold-marries-a-man-dav-pilkey grow up to be gay]. Dav didn't out Harold. He just told about his future, happy self, without comment in as matter-of-fact a way as you could imagine. Here at Bookbag Towers, we gave three cheers and several thumbs up about this.