We Interrupt this Blog . . . Katrina

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What was the first book you owned? I’m pretty sure mine was THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK, given to me on my third or fourth birthday, when my family was living in Alexandria, VA. Or — oh so politically incorrect — LITTLE BLACK SAMBO. I still own the latter, a battered, red-cloth cover on the outside, indefensible illustrations on the inside.

According to the listserv DOROTHYL, there’s been a call to send books to a Borders in Kirby, Texas, which will then distribute the books to those evacuated to Houston. (Not “refugees,” by the way. Victims. VICTIMS. Twice over because to be poor in the United States is arguably a form of victimhood. Never a choice, seldom the result of laziness or ineptitude. If you doubt this, read David Shipler’s amazing book on the working poor.)

Today, my household began gathering books to send. Hey, we always have a carton heading out. We buy more than we can ever keep and I let some go. I’ve never been prouder to be a mystery writer or to have so many mystery friends. After all, the people who have been displaced by Katrina need diversion more than anything.

But I decided it wasn’t enough to give away books I already planned to give away. I had to give away books that mattered to me. And, yes, that even includes some inscribed books. For example — ITTY BITTY LIES by Mary Kay Andrews, a dear friend. But she’d get it, I know. She’ll understand that I’m sending my copy of that precisely because it is precious to me — and because I believe it will, for a few hours, help to distract someone from the troubles weighing her (or him) down.

I wrestled with my collection of Linda Fairstein’s books, but decided to send some of those as well. A copy of THE SAMURAI’S DAUGHTER that I neglected to get Sujata to sign. An ARC of Jan Burke’s BLOODLINES. (Okay, I have hardcover back-up on that.) Simon Kernick’s two books about Dennis Milne, which I love, love, love. Ditto, Mark Billingham’s LIFELESS and John Connolly’s THE BLACK ANGEL.

In staring down my bookshelves in my office, I admitted to myself something I’ve always known: There is a calculated vanity to it all, that the array of hard and softcover books is meant to convey the impression that I am smart and eclectic in my reading. Otherwise, why hold onto a book like Roberta Smoodin’s THE WHITE HORSE CAFE, a book I’ll probably never re-read and that few know well enough to have an opinion of? Why not share Ann Patchett’s BEL CANTO, one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read?

I faltered in places. I could not give up any of my hardcover copies of Margaret Maron’s books, although I knew she would probably urge me to. (I did, however, find that I had SHOOTING AT LOONS in paperback, so that went.) Julie Smith’s ARC of PI ON A HOT TIN ROOF? I swallowed hard and put it in the box; I should buy a hardcover anyway, in solidarity with my friend who has been forced from the city she loves so much. The British edition of Linda Barnes’ SNAPSHOT was also hard to sacrifice, as it carries a world of memory. Purchased in Jamaica in 1992, it at once inspired and terrified me that my idea for a female PI novel was way too similar, derivative.

SAUL AND PATSY by Charles Baxter? If I’m honest, I only leave it on my shelves to show off; I rather disliked it. (I’ve been told to read his short stories.) Ditto, SATURDAY, which has serious third-act problems. Russell Banks’s THE SWEET HEREAFTER? No, but only because their hearts are already broken. WONDER BOYS? Sure, because it’s a trade paperback with Michael Douglas on the cover. It’s not like it’s my first edition of THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH.

We are what we read only to the extent that we keep the books in our heads, not on our shelves. The gaps on mine again will fill quickly. But before you get fooled into thinking I’m noble, know this: I couldn’t let go of my Jackie Susann books, although I know they would be seriously diverting.

Anyway, here’s the info from DOROTHYL.

Make sure that ALL OUT OF HOUSTON SHIPMENTS that are sent to the
> Kirby location are marked “OPERATION BOOKS FOR REFUGEES FROM
> KATRINA.”
> > Borders Books
> 3025 Kirby
> Houston, TX 77098
> Phone:713.524.0200

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10 thoughts on “We Interrupt this Blog . . . Katrina”

  1. My daughter and I have packed two large cartons full of paperbacks including a few children’s books. They will go to the post office tomorrow. She called the store first to make sure it was a legitimate plea. It is.

    Thanks for reminding us that there IS something we can do from far away. We have also sent a donation to the Humane Society to help the animals who have also lost their homes and their caregivers.

  3. another group is looking for ANYTHING from diapers, bottles, clothing, sneakers, toiletries, dolls toys, books and DVDs for children. I packed up my all time favorite movie The Princess Bride, I think that there is probably a little girl out there who needs a fairy tale more then me.

    I can’t imagine their dispair, and this makes me a little less helpless… thanks for the bookstore address!

  5. >>>>Not “refugees,” by the way. Victims. VICTIMS. Twice over because to be poor in the United States is arguably a form of victimhood. Never a choice, seldom the result of laziness or ineptitude.<<<<

    Paraphrased quote of the week, but accurate in every detail:

    “While the Senate plans to address Katrina’s aftermath as its first priority when it reconvenes, other issues remain on the agenda, including the repeal of the estate tax and cutbacks in Federal health programs for the poor.”

    No further comment necessary?

  7. Nance, you helped inspire us in part.

    Meanwhile, we’ve heard that while the big groups don’t want goods, small churches do. We’re going to be sending clothes, toys, etc. straight to them.

    And I’ll go back for “The Feast of Love.” He’s a lovely writer, but there was something . . . misshapen about “Saul and Patsy.”

  9. It should be noted that one of the bonuses of weeding out books is the books one gets lost in . . . I plucked Italo Calvino’s COSMICOMICS and INVISIBLE CITIES off the shelf yesterday and read a few pages.

    Reading, of course, is one of the greatest sense-memory exercises of all time. To read Calvino is, for me, to be 20 again and in thrall to the young man who introduced me to the books. (The same man later tried to recruit me into Hamsun’s camp, but that hasn’t happened. Yet.)

    I also wondered how a displaced New Orleanian would read THE PRINCE OF TIDES . . . Sexual assault is pretty horrible, even if one has the satisfaction

    S
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    of seeing one’s attacker eaten by a tiger
    E
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    But I’m not sure the tragedies of the Wingo family would move the heart of someone without a home or any possessions. Then again, maybe it would. It’s moot because I wasn’t allowed to give that one away. I also was forced to keep a Ludlum I sneaked in the pile (no knock on Ludlum, but the person who owns it NEVER re-reads, so what’s the point?)

    Tom Clancy’s THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, however, was allowed to go.

    I was stingiest with children’s books. A hardcover of THE SECRET GARDEN? Don’t even think about it, buster. THE GREAT BRAIN books? Put ‘em back. (I so loved the work of the author, Fitzgerald, that I read his memoir about his mother’s boarding house in Utah.) MRS. PIGGLE WIGGLE? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND? I’ve just found out that I’m going to be at an event with Hilary Knight, illustrator of those books and, much more famously, the Eloise books. And I can’t wait to ask if he’s ever pondered that the “magic” in the title of MRS. PIGGLE WIGGLE’S MAGIC is suspiciously close to mood-altering drugs.

    Also, I love the one where they starve the “tiny bite taker” to death. The homeopathic approach to anorexia? Never fear, when he discovers he’s too weak for a pony ride, he eats right up. Oh, and then there was the slow boy that they gave speed. Really, I wonder if any adults were paying attention back then.

    Much as I love Sendak, his one foray into Mrs. Piggle Wiggledom was simply not satisfactory. (MRS. PIGGLE WIGGLE’S FARM. See now why I’m so addled? My brain is holding onto that information in lieu of useful stuff.)

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