Category : Books

Browsing the shelves of Foyles while in London this week, I was intrigued to see a couple of books by NYT bestselling author Andrew Shaffer: Hope Never Dies and Hope Rides Again. These political thrillers feature Barak Obama and Joe Biden as action heroes. Reviewers describe them as “escapist fantasy for liberals”, and “bromantic buddy-cop noir.” Prominently displayed cover-out, in the YA SFF section of Foyles. In London. Cool. I looked for a YA MAGA hat romance for balance, but didn’t find one. Probably sold out.

Now, Foyles is a fair sized bookshop (also an awesome one), but it’s hardly the Barnes & Nobel on Union Square. Shelf space is precious. So, how did these Obama Nation nostalgia pieces end up on this side of the pond? Could it be …

An article in the Advocate mentions an amusing skirmish in the TERF war embroiling author J.K. Rowling: a stand of Fantasy books in the Union Square Barnes & Nobel flagship store labeled ‘The Unproblematic Wizarding World’ in which the Harry Potter books are conspicuous for their absence.

My guess: it’s a gentle, mischievous poke by a staff member or three, well-meant and harmless. Might it even be bookish double entendre? After all, the same B&N store offers Harry Potter by the shelf-load; tables groan under the weight of those fat, magical tomes. And what should we infer from the absence of others, like The Wizard of Oz and Room on the Broom?

Twitter warriors on both sides wade in, of course, and howl for banning, blood, and vengeance.

What are B&N’s ‘unproblematic’ choices? Funny thing: it’s hard to find a book that isn’t problematic for someone. That shouldn’t surprise, in an era when Dr. Seuss is censored by the …