PA author gets fired from job because of book

James D. Macdonald

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...violated by this brick-length missive...

Brick-length? Hardly. At under 150 pages it's barely book-length.

It's by Publish America and no store in town wants to sell it

Or, possibly, is able to get it. Or, it could just be the discount status that's holding them back.

Per Ingram:

Total on hand: 0
Total on order: 7
Total on back order: 1
This week's demand: 0
Last week's demand: 20
Total sold this year: 47

=========
 

Christine N.

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Yes, it would -- does -- matter. Twelve to fifteen years ago, computers were just being introduced to the library and filters were not something that most people considered.

That's not what I mean, but I see your point. I mean whether she wrote about things that happened today or fifteen years ago, it was still unethical. And if it were years ago, now people are going to wonder what in the world she's seen and written about since, and who.

I think we were on two different wavelengths. :)
 

nerds

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and PA published or not, it certainly should give pause to non-fiction writers out there. I know it has me. Not that I would engage in the sort of writing she did, I don't mean that. But fiction is fiction, non is non, and one's book had better be what it's claimed to be.

I keep thinking of the James Herriot books, in which he was writing about his real world but cloaked the people and stories well enough that no injuries were incurred, at least so far as I know. Plus he had permissions from the principles of the books.

This lady probably could have spun a good small-town NOVEL out of things, assuming she has or had the skills for that. What a mess.
 

cethklein

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Per Ingram:

Total on hand: 0
Total on order: 7
Total on back order: 1
This week's demand: 0
Last week's demand: 20
Total sold this year: 47

=========

Wow, she's got herself a best-seller. Well, compared to other PA works anyway.
 

AnneMarble

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A blogger quotes the head of the Luddington Library extensively in this post. (The quotes come from a list serv. If it's a private list serv, the quotes probably should not have been used, depending on which expert you ask.)

This is better than a lot of the news coverage, which doesn't cover the reality behind the "free speech" issues. I got more information on this case from this message board thread than I did from the Chicago Tribune article. What does that say about those journalists?
:cry:

Sadly, many of the people who are blogging about it now are responding only to what they read in the recent articles. They're angry that she was fired for a "freedom of speech" issue. Some are giving their entries more detail than what they found in the article, but many aren't taking that next step to learn more about the real issues, about PublishAmerica, etc. :rolleyes: Luckily not all are fooled.

I know it's not possible for everyone who blogs about this to read the book, but could they at least, oh I don't know, use Google? :tongue
 

IceCreamEmpress

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I agree with all of the above, except for the library photo being the library's intellectual property. IF she took the photo herself (or received permission from the person who did) then it's a photo of the outside of a public building, which is perfectly legal! Anyone can take photos of public buildings (and even most private buildings, so long as you weren't trespassing or invading privacy when you took the photo).

Yes.

I was just assuming that she had taken the photo off the library's website, because it looks like the same one.

Anne Marble said:
A blogger quotes the head of the Luddington Library extensively in this post. (The quotes come from a list serv. If it's a private list serv, the quotes probably should not have been used, depending on which expert you ask.)

Oh, dear. She libeled people with MENTAL ILLNESSES?

Yeah, that would be grounds for firing in my book.
 

Christine N.

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After its publication we had people bring their concerns to us noting the chilling effect this could have if you thought that in using the library you might be a target of ridicule or scorn.

Which was exactly my point a few posts up. That alone, driving people away from the library, would be hurting their business. Who wouldn't fire an employee who was hurting their place of employment?
 

Pagey's_Girl

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Which was exactly my point a few posts up. That alone, driving people away from the library, would be hurting their business. Who wouldn't fire an employee who was hurting their place of employment?

Exactly. She made herself into a liability for her employer, and when you do that, you're toast.
 

kristie911

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Oh, dear. She libeled people with MENTAL ILLNESSES?

Yeah, that would be grounds for firing in my book.

I've talked to a couple of people who actually read the book and their opinion of the book was (and I'm quoting) "vicious, nasty and uncalled for."

I have not read it...nor will I.

There are a lot of people still crying freedom of speech around here...they're the ones that haven't read it.
 

Richard Martin

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I've talked to a couple of people who actually read the book and their opinion of the book was (and I'm quoting) "vicious, nasty and uncalled for."

I have not read it...nor will I.

There are a lot of people still crying freedom of speech around here...they're the ones that haven't read it.

It's good to know that everybody who hasn't read it isn't still crying freedom of speech around here.
 

Tsu Dho Nimh

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Apparently she also used her library-issued email account and the library's patron data and sent emails to patrons to promote the book. Also sent postcards to library patrons (presumably using the library's contact info for these people) and was cornering people to talk about her book during time when she was supposed to be working.

If I had done that at any of this at any employer, it's misuse of company facilities and I would expect to be fired. Those databases do not exist for your marketing purposes for your business,book, or even school fundraising effort.
 
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Eirin

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I really, really don't see how the Free Speach issue factors in. She was free to print her book, now she's equally free to face the repercussions.

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

I know, I know. Preaching to the choir an' all, but it's so frustrating when people equal speaking up on life-impacting arguments with the right to be protected from the consequences of saying every damn fool thing that enter their heads.
 

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Hi Everybody I am new to this site. Found you all by google after searching for "The Library Diaries."

I am really upset with this woman....in fact she is not even a Librarian, but rather worked at the Ludington Public Library...aka Mason County District Library.

She did an interview with a local TV station that is approximately two hours away within the last couple of days.

Here is the link:

Decide for yourself...She has the audacity to proclaim how screwed up people are with low IQ's, etc....but yet some of the stuff she stated in this interview is downright scary!

Here is the link...Decide for yourself!

http://www.wzzm13.com/red_player_1/default.aspx?aid=36529
 

DaveKuzminski

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Well, if you know any of the folks who are in her book, you might suggest to them that they take her and her publisher to court. Her publisher pulls in millions each year, or so they claim.
 

stormie

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Oh dear Lord. I'm listening to her speak. She's grouping the mentally ill with pediophiles. Wrong.

She's also getting herself into more trouble by saying she "had to write it for parents." Okay, and this was supposedly fiction? And she's hoping the book would get into the hands of someone with political clout. Right. Hopefully they'd laugh her out of their office.

And she continues to use the word "retarded" which hasn't been used for over thirty years.

She's saying mentally handicapped shouldn't have children. Then she's comparing "them" to pediophiles. OMG. This woman is really someone who is out to lunch.

She's saying that there's no big deal about talking about the mentally retarded and making fun of them. That they can't have a "decent life."

But she's really lumping all the people with any differing abilities as someone who should be kept from society.

(I'm writing this as I listen to the above poster's link. )

"The amount of low IQ people in this area (Ludington) is disproportionate." "Alcoholism" is a big part. Oh dear Lord. Hey, there are people who didn't drink, didn't do drugs, had a good home life, who have children who have any number of problems.

She says she doesn't have a health degree. "People don't listen." This (stupid) book should never have been published. It sets mental illness back to the dark ages.

I could go on with what she says that's totally out in left field. But why bother.

But then again, it's Publish America, which publishes anything.
 
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Christine N.

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Holy crap. That ranks right up there with the Tom Cruise Scientology video. Another 30 minutes that didn't make any sense.

Yeah, let's test your IQ, because you've made bad decisions. Um...there are plenty of very intelligent people with no common sense. In fact, I'd say MANY very high IQ people have both poor social skills AND poor common sense. It's kind of a quirk.

How does she KNOW that a lot of the residents have a low IQ? Has she personally given them an IQ test? Is she qualified to score such a test?

What an ass.
 

Gillhoughly

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I'd say MANY very high IQ people have both poor social skills AND poor common sense. It's kind of a quirk.

Reminds me of a story on Isaac Asimov, one of the smartest guys on the planet.

His car got a flat and in a bit of a state he phoned his brother asking, "What do I do?? What do I DO????"

His brother calmly pointed out that Dr. Asimov was a fully paid member of the AAA and could have as easily phoned them for help.

icon10.gif

 

Pagey's_Girl

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Reminds me of a story on Isaac Asimov, one of the smartest guys on the planet.

His car got a flat and in a bit of a state he phoned his brother asking, "What do I do?? What do I DO????"

His brother calmly pointed out that Dr. Asimov was a fully paid member of the AAA and could have as easily phoned them for help.

icon10.gif


Why does that remind me of every engineer I've ever worked with? Wonderful people all, but some of them were so smart that they'd sort of forgotten how to think. It made every workday an adventure...

But seriously, that woman is just....wrong....on so many levels.

ETA - I hope it doesn't sound like I'm insulting any of the engineer types I worked with. I miss those days, sometimes...
 
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stormie

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My adult nephew has an IQ of 160. He says he feels like he was born without the manual on life. He has either Asperger's or high functioning autism (the drs. aren't sure which). Guess where he hangs out? The library! He's the sweetest, gentlest, most intelligent person I've ever known. If you look at him, you'd think he was homeless yet he lives with his parents. He mutters to himself. He loses himself. Yep, got lost in a hospital once and I had to search for him at ten at night. His parents never drank, smoked, did drugs. It just happened.

How in the world can this woman make such demeaning statements on certain people in society and feel so self-righteous is beyond me.

Then again, she's published by Publish America. <Sigh>