Book news…

Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics (Praeger Publishers) received a “Recommended” rating in the April 2009 issue of CHOICE Reviews.

Noting that the book “places seeming conspiracies in the context of the histories of the social and political cultures that harbor them or invoke them as explanations of otherwise inexplicable events,” the title by Montserrat College of Art professor Gordon B. Arnold is suggested for undergraduate and general readers.

A widely consulted publication issued by the American Library Association, CHOICE is available at most academic libraries and many public libraries in the United States and Canada.

Reading notes…

It’s often lamented that reading is in the decline in modern America.  Although it’s difficult to say with certainty exactly how much this activity has diminished in recent years, even a quick scan across the cultural landscape makes it seem all too apparent.

It’s still true, as it has been for generations, that learning to read is one of the most emphasized and most remembered parts of a person’s early schooling experiences. But after the initial excitement and sense of pride that many children feel when they first learn to read, this early enthusiasm sometimes begins to drift away. This is one reason I think that writers who write for younger readers are so very important.

I’m happy to know one writer with a passion for works that will appeal to young readers.  Novelist Erin Dionne, whose engaging book Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies has just been released by Dial, recently answered a few questions about the art and craft of writing for young readers in an interview I prepared for the on-line  Bread and Circus magazine.

If you think writing for this age group is as important as I do, you might find it interesting.  You can find the entire interview  here.

–G.A.