Liberal authors triumphant as US bookshelves lean left

[LynneSin]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/14/liberal_authors_triumphant_as_us_bookshelves_lean_left/

Liberal authors triumphant as US bookshelves lean left
Sales list bucks right-wing trend

By Peter S. Canellos and Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 9/14/2003

WASHINGTON -- In a sales surge that surprised politicians and booksellers alike, five liberal books will be among The New York Times's top 15 hard-cover nonfiction bestsellers on today's list, mounting what some sales specialists see as a left-wing assault on the conservatives' decade-long hold on popular culture.
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Until now, book publishing -- like talk radio and opinion magazines -- was dominated by right-wing political titles, including polemics by the leading radio and television pundits. The airwaves, bestseller lists, and the opinion press were widely viewed as links in a network that helped prompt investigations of President Clinton and assisted the elections of a Republican House, Senate, and presidency.

The extent of the conservative dominance of popular culture so alarmed Democrats that former vice president Al Gore, among others, proposed earlier this year creating a new television network to promote liberal causes.

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If they publish them we will buy!!!!

[Creideiki]

1. Not only will we buy them

We can actually READ them.

[WillyBrandt]

2. We think, therefore we are

It's funny when these ephiphanies happen. My sister lives in a small North Carolina town where folks wave Confederate flags, and the best they had for a social scene was a Wal-Mart and some redneck strip club.

Out of nowhere, an independent coffeeshop opens up--the first coffeeshop at all. Then, in a span of a few months, comes a bar, a Wiccan/Lesbian bookstore (yes), a bagel place, and a small art gallery. For city folks, that's nothing. For those suffering in Falwell land, it's manna.

The point it that lots of folks just don't realize that there are a TON of disenchanted liberals, Democrats, and moderates who breathe out the nose instead of the mouth. And, what's worse, they don't realize that there's money to be made off us suckers. But once they do, an avalanche falls into an untapped market, whether in BFE or on the bestseller list.

Two morals from this story:

(1) Buy liberal books.
(2) Vote Wesley K. Clark 2004!

[newyawker99]

19. WillyBrandt!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[VOX]

18. Bingo. And no bulk buying like the right-wing phony "best-sellers"

Big difference.

[sonias]

3. I'd have to agree that something is amiss, we are reading more left

Not only do we have this great selection of books to choose from but these popular author/writers are out promoting their books and web sites. Here's a good example just this past week and coming week for Austin, TX.

Friday 9/12 -Jim Hightower book signing at BookPeople (okay so he's homegrown but still he has a new book out)
Saturday 9/13 -Al Franken packs in about 800 people into Barnes & Nobles. Biggest crowd they had ever had for a book signing.
Tuesday 9/16 - Our own DU member William Rivers Pitt is in Texas and appearing in both Houston and Austin signing his book "The Greatest Sedition Is Silence: Four Years in America"
Friday 9/18- Alexander Cockburn speaks on "Can the Media Tell the Truth About Anything, Ever?" Cockburn, editor of the print and web publication Counterpunch (http://www.counterpunch.org)

So much to read so little time. By the way I have read both Al Franken's and Joe Conason's books and they were both great.

Sonia

[ignatius]

4. I know it's rather juvenile, but when I am in a bookstore

I always turn books by Coulter, Bush, Hannity,,etc over, backwards,or behind another book. It gives me a strange feling of satisfaction.

[bluedeminredstate]

7. I do too!!

It chaps my ass to no end to see Hannity, Coulter, O'Reilly and even Babs Olsen from the grave practically assaulting me the minute I walk into my Barnes and Noble. I had to search high and low for Sid Blumenthal's book when it first came out and was lucky to get the ONLY copy.
But if you want to find any ass-kissing book on the Chimp and his "unprecedented leadership" you have to look no further than the front display which still has Woodward's book front and center. Also, anything denigrating the Clintons is sure to make that front display as well.
Keep turning them over. Consider it your duty as a member of the loyal opposition! :)

P.S. I love your handle. Everytime I see you on the board "my valve is closing" pops into my head. This WH would have kept Ignatius's valve permanently sealed!!

[ignatius]

22. Hi there, I haven't seen you for a while. I was thinking about

another line Ignatius used in regards to what is happening in this country. The sale of the soul,how true in the land of Mickey dee's and Walmarts that has become.

Regards, ig

[LynneSin]

14. I do the same exact thing

I can't help it.

:shrug:

I was at Borders today buying some CD's (my local bookstore doesn't carry CD's) and I put a copy of Paul Begula's "Is our Children Learning" on top of Ann Coulter(+)'s book. On a stack of books from Dick Morris I placed a copy of "Blinded by the Right". And in front of a display of books about Bush I put a copy of "The Declaration of Independence".

It's childish, but I get amusement out of it.

[Seneca]

5. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=11206

But a good article, nonetheless. :-)

[dobak]

6. There are more coming out soon!

I work at a bookstore and have been following this surge in liberal books.

Check out the books that are coming out in the near future:

Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore

Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America by Molly Ivins

The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly

The Book on Bush: Truth and Consequences for Our Forty-Third President by Eric Alterman and Mark Green

The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception by David Corn (Washington Reporter for "The Nation"

Party of the People: A History of the Democrats by Jules Witcover

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom

Red, White & Liberal : How Left Is Right & Right Is Wrong by Alan Colmes


Also, look for books by Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and John Kerry due out within the next couple months.

[Eloriel]

8. Alan Colmes knows something about liberals

Wow. whodathunkit?

Great lookin' list. Thanks!

Eloriel

[Dr Fate]

13. Great list- thanks!

...

[WillyBrandt]

9. No Kick?

Hey, it was my first post here on DU after long lurking, and I get no kick? :(

[jbm]

10. welcome

to DU Willy!:hi:

[WillyBrandt]

12. Thank you

Thank you, thank you :)

[FDRrocks]

11. "Shut Up, and Sing" - Ingraham

You can substitute many things in that title all of which the right-wing and some corp. Dems want you to do.

Mainly, "Shut Up, and Work"

edit: [email protected] <--- Contact email.

My letter:

Every actor and other show business related personality has an opinion equal to yours.

To tell people to Shut Up, and do what is expected of them, is deplorable.

You should Shut Up, keep your opinion to yourself, and go get a non-opinion based job. How could you not agree? You champion the idea.

[LynneSin]

15. I saw that book, I bet she's slobbering over right-wing Celebrities

when the are on her size. She's probably getting a hard-on thinking that Arnold could be governor of California.

Again, this is right-wing tactics for publishing. They really believe that if they print it, it must be true regardless of the facts available to dispute otherwise. These right-wing ideologue writers are nothing more than the Squealers of the world preaching to the sheep on "Animal Farm".

[livin_indirt]

16. I've got my Hillary script and many of the others. It's a collective

thing, don't you know?

[MrPrax]

17. Couldn't Be Just the Left

The electronic media has been dominated by a conservatives and they have been unwilling to even acknowledge a lot of things that of real interest to people...

Left and Liberal books have been selling well for decades. It is just they never are listed by outfits like the NYTimes because they tend to be from independents and the 'smalls'

Interesting article about Chomper's 911 book--sold like hotcakes, but you would never know it
William Pitt's book sells well too apparantly
In Alterman's book he makes the point that a book can only have 30,000 in sales (mostly insitutional I presume) and still get on the NYTimes list

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14727

So it's good that people are searching out alternative views to the stalinist monolith of 'orders' and politically correct thoughts

[Iris]

21. not to mention that much fiction, and particularly Oprah's book choices,

are full of liberal ideas presented in a non-threatening way.

[dusty64]

20. Imagine what could

happen if a real news network were created, one that actually told the truth instead of extreme rightwing spin and lies.