The Fundamentalist Approach To Book Reviewing

This link came my way through several interemediary steps from Neil Gaiman's blog:

http://www.stephsbookreviews.com/html/Leah_s_Way/leah_s_way.html

Basically, what happens is that "Steph" reviews a "Christian" novel called _Leah's Way_ and pans it. One Sue Eccleston, who is somehow connected with the small press that put out the novel (Windstream Press), then entered into a correspondence with Steph that is worthy of the Hate Mailbag. It's entertaining reading, but it also is very revealing about what the right-wing thinks constitutes "professionalism." Here's a sampling:

"Hi, Okay, enough insults. But if you claim to be as professional as you are, you would at least volunteer to remove the negative review of Leah's Way from your website. And it did seem unfair to criticize Belther.com for the good work they do, reviewing almost 10,000 total books because of the passion of their reviewers. Neither of this mutual insulting benefits either of us, and we are still appreciative of the time you took to conduct the review. It seems only just that you would remove it. Do you know how hard it is for a small press to make it? It seems horribly unfair that we should be so harshly reviewed when the sole motivation of our publishing venture is because we love books and believe that society can benefit from more reading choices. Thanks.

Sue Eccleston
Windstream Publishing Company"

Steph replies that from her POV "professional" means giving an honest opinion and trying to really inform her readers, as opposed to helping publishers sell books. Eccleston never appears to grasp that, instead accusing Steph of being part of the Goebels-style propaganda machine that we "hate anything Christian liberals" are all running somehow despite the fact that the "hate anything *really* Christian neocons" currently control all three branches of government plus the mainstream media.

Yeesh,

The Plaid Adder

and a third brings the Bible, to read as the demonic spawn of Hell that manifests thru books, and which lead to that debilitating, liberalizing condition known as "book learnin'" is cast back to hell while their earthly vehicles, the books, are burned in the pile.

When I was in High School, (I was forced to go to a Baptist High School) they would bring in special 'revivalist' preachers to scare us and condemn rock and roll music. It would end up with 'alter calls' and in the final rally people would bring their rock albums and throw them in a pile which would be burned.

Looking back, that was very creepy and very fascist.

:wow:

because I want to make sure I avoid it.

Amazing stuff!

When approaching the daunting task of reviewing books, there are several Christian steps any God-fearing , Jesus-loving person should do.

1. Count the number of times Jesus, God, Christian and Republican are used in a positive light.

2. Check the background of the writer. Is he/she a Christian? Of what demonination. (Remember, right now, Catholics are not considered empty pegans. They support our Culture of Life. Their reckoning will come later.) How long have they been a Christian? When and how were they saved? Is their testimony included on the book jacket? DId the writer vote for our Great Leader, George W. Bush? If not, is it because they are not American or unable to vote?

3. Please also check the background of the publisher. We can not have any of our Christian books printed on the same prining presses or sharing the same ink with a book by a liberal American-hating commie socialist pig.

4. Is the book adaptable to use in a church? Is the content clear and readily assessable for the pastor to refer to while preaching the Word of the Lord.

5. Is there special discounts available to Christians who go to independent, fundamentalist, Bible-believing Republican chuches? This should be referred to so readers will know who the writing is for (and who we are not interested in acknowledging.)

6. What visions or phrophecies did you see while reading? Did GOd Himself speak to you through the words on the page?

7. What heathens does it warn us about? Who should we as good Christains and America-loving people be wary of out there? Who are the wolves amoung the Lord's sheep?

8. And finally, tell us your thoughts on Terri Schiavo and the activist judges who killed this disabled, God-fearing good woman.

did you ever think that you're wrong, and your a gen-x whiner? :P

keeps going up. First it's 30, then it's "100 or so." Honey, John Grisham doesn't get 100 Amazon.com reviews, it's unlikely _Leah's Way_ has generated that much comment.

Ah well,

The Plaid Adder

returned it for a refund, so those are considered "positive" reviews.

:)

Or maybe this is in the book of Psalms, perhaps?


"Hi, Did it ever occur to you that the other 100 or so positive reviews of Leah's Way are right and that you might be wrong? Or are you the typical Gen-X whiner who is completely self-absorbed and sees herself as always picked on, a perpetual victim? Look at yourself. You pride yourself on being a critical bitch, pampered, on a college scholarship that obviously led to nowheresville, you're a failure in life, you judge books not on their merit but on your own prejudicial beliefs, and like a typical liberal you are only tolerant of people who think like you do. Liberals are the most intolerant people on the planet, all the while "preaching" tolerance. Huh? You picked on Leah's Way solely because your biases predispose you to hate it. That's not a critic, that's a propaganda machine like Goebbels was under Hitler. The only good news is that people like you, and you specifically, don't matter. You're so inconsequential that it is like you simply don't exist. Don't bother responding. I won't bother reading your response, and you'll have your attention hoping nature's worst nightmare come true--you'll be ignored. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life. You should; you're the only one who cares about it or who will notice."

that freedom of speech doesn't guarantee them a platform. Or that differing opinions also fall under that umbrella. At least for now.

that may in part be due to the fat that I try very hard not to pan a book. Will find one good thing to say about it, at least. And if it is too awful for that, I just decline to do the review.

Of course, when I put up less than stellar reviews on Amazon, the authors and their friends are able to give my reviews bad ratings. So they have some small recourse. (As an author myself, I think I might be tempted to do the same. *g*)

but everytie I found a link, I received one of those http 404 unable to find messages.

I was going to let Ms. Suzie-Q know that "as a good Christian" her lack of control makes it hard to "spread the good news" when other Christians come across in an aggressively hateful manner. ANd that I would be praying for her.

Tee hee hee. I wouldn't pray for that lady if there was a gun to my head.

in PMA:

Windstream Publishing Co.
Address:
303 Windstream Pl.
Danville, CA 94526

Contact: Richard Botelho
Phone: 925/743-9251 / Fax: 925/743-9562
E-mail:
WWW: http://www.windstreampublishing.com

Number of titles in print:

Categories:

Distributors: Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Faithworks

No email address, and the homepage no longer seems to work. But feel free to write! I'm sure it will cheer him up to get mail.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder