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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 16 december 2017

This combination photo shows popular books released in 2017, from left, “Grant,” a biography by Ron Chernow, released by Penguin Press, “On Tyranny: Twenty
Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” by Timothy Snyder, released by Tim Duggan Books, “Origin,” a novel by Dan Brown, released by Doubleday and “Obama: An
Intimate Portrait,” by Pete Souza, released by Little, Brown and Company.
Associated Press
Politics shaped the year in books in 2017

By HILLEL ITALIE online shopping has devas- as $5 million for an aide to etry, or at least since her to the stories that we tell
AP National Writer tated other physical retail- conceive his child, critics million-selling debut from ourselves about our past,
NEW YORK (AP) — For book ers. saw a literary parallel. A Mi- 2016, “milk and honey.” and there are still two com-
readers in 2017, the choice Publishing also was spared ami Herald headline read: For her second book, Kaur peting narratives about the
was often between imagin- the disruptions of Trump on “The strange case of sur- had planned on focusing causes and consequences
ing the worst, hoping for the Twitter. The president had rogacy, sexual harassment on “love and loss,” she told of the Civil War. The past is
best or escaping entirely. insults for movie stars (Meryl and The Handmaid’s Tale.” The Associated Press during prologue to everything that
The most widely read works Streep), Broadway shows a recent telephone inter- is happening today to the
of the year ranged from (“Hamilton”), CNN and his ON TYRANNY: Snyder’s view. But as she was work- point that the term ‘history’
Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyr- successor on “The Appren- best-seller began as a ing on the book in January, almost becomes a misno-
anny,” a guide to defend- tice” (Arnold Schwarzeneg- Facebook posting just after around the time of Trump’s mer. It is still alive and ac-
ing democracy, to Dan ger). But he seemed mostly Trump’s election and be- inauguration, she found tive all around us.”
Brown’s thriller “Origin” to unaware or uninterested in came a reference work for herself “stopped in her
the personal and political the wave of anti-Trump re- the anti-Trump resistance. tracks, completely.” THE HATE U GIVE: One of
verse of Rupi Kaur. Marga- leases. His rare comments In a recent email interview, “Suddenly I couldn’t write the year’s top young adult
ret Atwood’s “The Hand- about books were scorn Snyder said he was most love poems,” she said. “I novels was Angie Thomas’
maid’s Tale” and George for his defeated rival Hillary concerned about Trump’s found myself writing po- story of a black teen whose
Orwell’s “1984” were dys- Clinton and her best-seller attacks on the media and litical pieces and suddenly friend is shot and killed by a
topian tales from the past about the election, “What his threats against special this book went from two white police officer. In an
made newly relevant Happened,” and plugs for counsel Robert Mueller, chapters to five. “’milk and email to the AP, Thomas
as warnings of horrors to people he liked, such as whose ouster would be “a honey’ was like holding a said she was pleased that
come. Former White House “Fox & Friends” host Brian big step towards the end mirror to yourself, while ‘sun both black and non-black
photographer Pete Souza’s Kilmeade and his popular of the rule of law.” One and her flowers’ is turning readers had related to the
“Obama: An Intimate Por- history “Andrew Jackson antidote he recommends the mirror around.” book. “Books can give a
trait” was, for admirers of and the Miracle of New Or- in “On Tyranny”: “Get the refuge and they can also
Trump’s predecessor, a bit- leans.” screens out of your room GRANT: One of the year’s give clearer understand-
tersweet album of an ad- “We were very grateful,” and surround yourself with most anticipated nonfic- ing,” she said. “Books cre-
ministration out of office for said Kilmeade’s publisher, books.” tion works, Ron Chernow’s ate empathy by forcing us
less than a year but some- Adrian Zackheim of the “What cheers me is that Ulysses Grant biography to see things from someone
how from long ago. conservative imprint Sen- readers of ‘On Tyranny’ feel was about the victori- else’s perspective and feel
“The usual comment that tinel. “The sales trajectory less alone and take actions ous Civil War general and what they feel. I hope that,
I get from people who for the book has been up- in the world based on its once-disparaged presi- especially in these troubled
bought the book is that it ward and it’s very likely the lessons. My book is a way dent, now more respected times, more people pick up
made them laugh and it president’s support was a of organizing the chaos if only for his willingness to books about people who
made them weep,” Souza factor.” around us and finding ways use armed force to defend aren’t like them. In some
told The Associated Press Here are some of the year’s to sensibly influence it,” he blacks during Reconstruc- ways, it can be more infor-
during a recent interview. more timely, and timeless, told the AP. “But I think al- tion. Readers could turn to mative than the news.”q
The headlines were cha- releases: most any reading — away “Grant” for diversion or en-
otic, but the publishing from the Internet — helps us gagement, a 19th century
business remained stable, if THE HANDMAID’S TALE: keep our calm and gives us life made contemporary in
unexceptional. The recent Thanks to Trump’s election words and ideas that help 2017 as Confederate mon-
trend of slight increases and the popular adap- shield us from the daily bar- uments were taken down
in print sales — up around tation on Hulu, Atwood’s rage of bad news and help around the country.
2 percent over 2016, ac- novel from 1985 about a us find ways to communi- “Of course I had no idea
cording to NPD BookScan, pitiless, patriarchal society cate with one another in as I was working on ‘Grant’
which tracks around 85 per- was not only a best-seller, person.” that the Civil War would be
cent of the market — and but a touchstone. When a on the front page shortly
slowing e-book sales con- Republican congressman THE SUN AND HER FLOW- before publication,” Cher-
tinued, while the number from Arizona, Trent Franks, ERS: Kaur’s collection has now wrote in a recent
of independent bookstores resigned amid reports that sold some 400,000 copies, email to the AP. “In the last
was little changed even as he was offering as much numbers rarely seen for po- analysis, politics boils down