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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
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