How to use this Page

Okay Gail, but how about where Jenna says the book "about a 17-year-old single mother in Panama who is living with HIV--will end with a 'call to action.'"

She might start with calling her dad on his non-progressive, non-compassionate policies. Just a thought.

I don't think her family should be a factor in her writing. Mine isn't.

Should people never be able to take their own positions because of who they're related to?

Of course, just what is a "call to action" going to be in a book of this nature?

History is full of presidential children writing books (both children's books and adult books, fiction and non-fiction). Just a few include: The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (Amy Carter), Sharp Focus (Susan Ford), Julie Eisenhower's Cookbook for Children, the Capital Crimes Novels (Margaret Truman),A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children (Caroline Kennedy). Rather that prejudge because of who these authors are, let the marketplace decide if the books are good or not.

Yes, I find the prejudging on the basis of who the author is disturbing.

By the way, I suspect that many of the books civilguy listed disappeared into the void. But that's the fate of a big percentage of books no matter who wrote them. The fact that many of these people write bad or pointless books doesn't seem like a legitimate argument for prejudging them because many people write bad or pointless books. Can we prejudge all of them?

Thanks, Gail!

Gail, this is why I love you! Yep. Let's wait and see what the book is actually like.

And personally, I was a bit relieved that JB showed knowledge of kidlit by naming a couple of authors, instead of doing the whole "there are no good books out there" celeb thing.

The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (Amy Carter) Really? I have got to find a copy of this! What the heck is a snoogle-fleejer?

Gail, you sound like the voice of reason to me. It's easy to gang up on the Bush twins. They've given us some good ammunition in the past. But that was several years ago, and they have presumably both matured since then. There's certainly no public evidence to prove that Jenna is not a good writer. It is possible to be a well-known person and have some talent for writing. Let's see the book before we decide how good or bad it is. And though she may be slightly less than modest when she says she hopes her book will have the impact of Anne Frank's diary, why shouldn't she want that? Why bother writing a book if you don't want people to read it and be affected by it? And at least she named two books popular with the age group her book is for. It shows she knows something about her audience.

Yes, I suspect many writers hope to have the influence of writers they hold in high regard. It's just that most of us realize we'd better not say so.

I should point out that -- in the context of the original article -- Bush's comment was not that she admired Lowry and Frank, but that her book would be comparable to theirs (even if in some small way). That's a pretty big distinction. Just as we have to (grudgingly) accept that her celebrity (or notoriety, as the case may be) is what garnered her a book deal, she's going to have to work with the baggage of what that celebrity brings. And when a girl who's really only known for her partying lifestyle starts comparing herself to Anne Frank, then I say criticize away.

Should we reserve judgment on the writing itself? Probably -- though an ill-advised choice of words in a promotional interview does strike me as a fair indicator of her writing ability. Will I make such a judgment myself? Um... no. I doubt I'll even pick the book up. Because this announcement/interview has done nothing to counter my already-extant impression; if anything, it's reinforced it. And -- barring some stellar reviews turning my opinion around -- this one just ain't making the cut.

Kelly,

Is her father ghostwriting the book for her? Don't "misunderestimate" him!

What next? A children's book written by Dick Cheney on gun safety entitled IN YOUR FACE?

Hah! Too funny, Elaine.

Someone must be ghostwriting this book. As I understand it, you shouldn't "misunderestimate" Ms. Bush as well ;)

Apparently George Dubya has himself commented on the forthcoming book:

“Jenna’s book is destinised for bestsellerhood. Its reputation will swiftly oblitifry that of Frank Annie’s Diaries, and Lois Lowry’s matchstick cats and dogs. I move to instantenaciously squash any suggestions that this has been toastwritten. A single teenage mother living with hives has no time to eat toast.”

So funny, Nick. Classic.

I love the "call to action" part. Hey Jenna, how about you make the first call - to your father. You know, the one with all the strong programs for the underprivileged. Oh, wait...

This seems like an unnecessary bit of dialogue. What happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. If you've read the book, give some honest criticism, but why spend time denigrating someone?

While I appreciate your comments, Zee, you will notice I backed off if you read the post I posted yesterday AND the comments I left over at Gail Gauthier's Original Content.

My reactions are part of an ongoing dialogue about celebrity books. Whatever you want to say about Jenna Bush, she's never been recognized for her intellect or way with words.

I am mostly nice on this blog. I don't post negative reviews, nor do I ever go after a first-time author. I do reserve the right to think, however, that Jenna Bush got a book deal based on her name alone. Here's hoping she'll prove me wrong.