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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
How Gaiman’s Publishers Are Responding to Sexual Assault Allegations
In yesterday’s installment, I wondered why publishing media has been relatively silent on the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman while many mainstream publications have had it as the top story in their books coverage all week. At Publishers Weekly, per an editor who reached out to me by email, the delay was caused by waiting on responses to their requests for comment from Gaiman’s publishers. In a piece published yesterday afternoon, PW reports confirmation that, as was reported in the New York Times on Tuesday, HarperCollins, Marvel, and W.W. Norton do not have future books planned with Gaiman.
As for who has yet to comment: Dark Horse Comics is reportedly working on a statement, per PW. Neither Gaiman’s literary agent, Merrilee Heifetz, nor his speaking agent, Steven Barclay, has commented. This is a sensitive issue that no doubt involves complex legal considerations, and yet, I can’t help but wonder why these folks apparently were not running scenarios, planning contingencies, and drafting statements in the six months since the allegations first broke.
From the Sidelines to the Bestseller List
After Philadelphia Eagles receiver AJ Brown was spotted reading Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy on the sidelines of last Sunday’s game, the self-help book shot to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. The self-help title, which Brown’s teammates call his “recipe,” offers “exercises, techniques, and tools” that purport to help readers “move beyond the pursuit of happiness to a life of purpose and fulfillment.” In a post on X, Brown shared a photo of passages he had highlighted, explaining that, “This game is 90% mental and 10% physical for me. I bring it to every game and I read it between each drive.” Brown is not the first NFL player to make headlines with his love of reading. In 2017, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck launched a book club that offered a children’s book (for “rookies”) and an adult read (for “veterans”) each month through mid-2020. We love to see a new reading role model enter the scene, especially as the literary world runs another cycle of hand-wringing over whether men’s reading habits are why everything is awful.
Sing Sing to Become First Movie Simultaneously Released in Theaters and Prisons
When Greg Kwedar’s film Sing Sing, based on John H. Richardson’s book The Sing Sing Follies, is re-released to theaters this Friday, January 17 in anticipation of Oscar season, it will also be released to 1,100 correctional facilities around the U.S. The story, based on real events, follows a group of incarcerated men who create a theater troupe while serving time at New York’s Sing Sing prison. Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield and is joined in the cast by several formerly incarcerated men who participated in the real theater arts program at Sing Sing. Most notable among them is Clarence Maclin, who gives an awards-worthy performance. It’s the kind of inspirational tale that can all too easily become cloying in the wrong hands, but Kwedar, Domingo, Maclin and their colleagues bring depth, complexity, and genuine warmth.