ask HN: seems to be down, sorry, off topic, I want to publish eBook/only, and have all revenues go to charity. not a lot of info on web, regarding this subject. One author who put a Link on the end of his eBook is all.
Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
51–60 of 87 posts
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#52I was incredibly excited to see this news upon seeing the headline in the New York Times, and surprised, because Harper Lee has been a recluse for almost her entire life since writing To Kill a Mockingbird, and has repeatedly insisted that she had no desire to publish another book ("I wouldn't go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again."[0])
After doing a bit of digging, however, I'm a bit concerned. Now, Lee is almost 90, and has suffered a stroke that seems to have had lasting effects. She filed a lawsuit in 2007 against the son-in-law of her former agent, claiming that he took advantage of her mental state during her recovery and duped her into assigning him the copyright to To Kill a Mockingbird[1]. For much of her adult life, her sister handled press relations and shielded Lee from these pressures. Her sister passed away three months ago, and suddenly this new book comes to light[2].
I really hope these suspicions are wrong, and that there's nothing shady at play here. I'm excited to read the book, but I can't help but be skeptical of the timing.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#After_To_Kill_a_Moc...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Lawsuit_to_regain_c...
[2] (I dislike linking to Gawker Media sites on principle, but Jezebel actually wrote a good post digging into the details of this - "Be Suspicious of the New Harper Lee Novel".)
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#53To Kill a Mockingbird perpetuates the idea that women make false rape accusations. We shouldn't celebrate such a hurtful topic.
Your post perpetuates the idea that some women don't make false rape accusations, which is demonstrably false.
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I expected it to annoy me, for some reason in this particular situation I love the fact that we're using very current terminology in the context of a 'classic' from the 60s. Perhaps because it 'anchors' the term and makes it seem more like a useful word to describe a phenomenon that has always existed, rather than annoying, very-specific jargon.
Maybe at the time they would be referred to as 'memories'.
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Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
True. But also because it's a sensitive and nuanced examination of the fucked-uppedness of US culture with regards to race. I certainly hope that isn't everlasting, but the book remains depressingly relevant.
That's an unfortunately narrow misreading. There are much more universal themes than that in the book.
There's nothing unfortunate about acknowledging the racial themes in To Kill A Mockingbird, and doing so doesn't diminish any of the other messages. It would be a shit book if it were only about one thing. One of the things it's about is race, unpleasant as it may be.
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Judging by Leviathan Wakes and the others from the expanse we are safe in the unfortunate case of "a jordan". It is written by his assistant and a friend of him. They are also the people that are his "hit by a bus" insurance. And I think that he will progress faster nowadays with the show. Not that I have high hopes for the series after book four and five.
I'm trying to understand why you brought Leviathan Wakes into this. One of the authors of The Expanse is GMMR's assistant, as I understand it, but I'm not clear how either GMMR would affect The Expanse or how The Expanse would affect Game of Thrones. I ask as a fan of The Expanse who has not jumped into GoT, and who wouldn't like to see The Expanse side-tracked because of it. Is there some piece of this relationship…
The other author of the Expanse is Daniel Abraham who is BFF with GRRM. And since the Expanse is an awesome series, they are more than capable of continuing his work in GoT if something nasty happens.
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apparently she was writing this novel first and incorporated flashbacks, which were so descriptive that someone (might've been her editor) strongly suggested she separate them into their own novel. I think it'll be great.
Yes, this "sequel" was apparently the original book she wrote before her book editor told her to focus on when Scout was a child (the flashbacks). And they just found the manuscript hidden in a box a few months ago apparently.
Yeah, am I the only one who's skeptical of the whole "hidden in a box" part? More like "hidden until we thought we could convince her to publish".
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#58I was incredibly excited to see this news upon seeing the headline in the New York Times, and surprised, because Harper Lee has been a recluse for almost her entire life since writing To Kill a Mockingbird , and has repeatedly insisted that she had no desire to publish another book ("I wouldn't go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said…
I'm certainly thinking of running the ebook through a statistical analysis to see if the patterns in the writing match. If they were both written in the same time period by the same author, they should be pretty similar.
I do hope there's nothing untoward going on here and that this book lives up to the legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but the possibility is at least worth examining.
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#59I think this will be a massive seller, though (depressingly) probably nothing in comparison to a new Harry Potter. I also think it'll be great.
Why hate harry Potter? it probably encouraged many more people to pick up a book, some of whom may never have read a book otherwise, and then they may have gone on to read classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird.
I agree. Harry Potter is a great "gateway drug".
Re: Harper Lee to publish Mockingbird 'sequel'
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's because it is a timeless tale about the goodness of people, of faith and charity and humanity. Those are everlasting values. My girlfriend reads the book at least once a year. She says it keeps her grounded and optimistic. I started doing the exercise last year and I have to say, she is right.
True. But also because it's a sensitive and nuanced examination of the fucked-uppedness of US culture with regards to race. I certainly hope that isn't everlasting, but the book remains depressingly relevant.
Unfortunately, fucked-up race relations is a universal theme for humanity.