Fuhrman reading from ‘Act of Murder’ Monday
Doing book publicity is a delicate art – of sorts.
Take Mark Fuhrman’s new book, “A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963” (HarperCollins, 240 pages, $25.95), from which he will read at Auntie’s Bookstore on Monday.
As evident by its title, the book is a look at the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Or, as the literary-review journal Kirkus Reviews calls it, “(a) fresh take … on the JFK assassination.”
That’s the quote as HarperCollins is using it in its ads for the book. The unabridged version adds a word: Fuhrman’s book is a “fresh, counterintuitive take on the JFK assassination.”
Either way, the Kirkus review is essentially neutral – though, adds the reviewer, “Watch for talk-show debates over this one – maybe involving Oliver Stone, whose 1991 film ‘JFK’ provides the antithesis of Fuhrman’s book.”
A quote from Publishers Weekly (courtesy of Amazon.com) is a bit more negative:
“Neither Warren Commission supporters nor conspiracy theorists are likely to be satisfied by this latest true crime effort by notorious ex-LAPD detective Fuhrman, who joins a long list of authors attempting to settle the controversies surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy once and for all. …
“This clunky, lightweight effort is unlikely to change many minds and does not begin to approach the careful, reasoned analysis of Gerald Posner’s ‘Case Closed,’ which also defended the first official inquiry’s lone gunman theory of the murder.”
Critics. What do they know? That’s the good thing about author appearances. You get to hear the writer make his (or her) own case.
Fuhrman will make his case at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Auntie’s, 402 W. Main Ave.
Running in front
Another notable author reading at Auntie’s has enjoyed a completely different kind of fame.
Patricia Nell Warren, a former Reader’s Digest editor who grew up in Montana in the late 1940s, is the author of several novels, the most famous being “The Front Runner.”
Warren, who will read from her book today at 11 a.m. at Auntie’s, wrote the novel, which was first published in 1974 after developing an interest in running – and actually competing in the 1969 Boston Marathon.
“The Front Runner” tells the story of a track coach who agrees to train a young runner for the 1976 Olympics.
Only thing is, the runner is openly gay. And the coach must then weigh his growing attraction to the young man with the fact that, should word get out, the resulting controversy would ruin any chance they have at making it to the Olympics.
“The Front Runner” has sold more than 10 million copies, has been translated into 10 languages and is being developed as a film.
Warren, by the way, was the grand marshal in Spokane’s 15th annual Pride Parade on Saturday.
Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.
Book talk
“ Auntie’s Morning Book Group (“Eating Heaven,” by Jennie Shortridge), 11 a.m. Tuesday, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington, (509) 838-0206.
“ Auntie’s Evening Book Group (“My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“ What Are You Reading This Summer?, general book discussion, noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Tinman Gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave., (509) 325-1500.
“ Valley Baha’i Readers Group (“God Speaks Again: An Introduction to the Baha’i Faith,” by Kenneth E. Bowers), 7 p.m. Wednesday, Valley Hastings, 15312 E. Sprague Ave., (509) 924-0667.
“ Hastings Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reading Group (“Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold!” by Terry Brooks), 7 p.m. Friday, Valley Hastings.
“ Summer Readers Club Party (“Olivia Forms a Band,” by Ian Falconer), 3 p.m. Saturday, Valley Hastings.
The reader board
“ Patricia Nell Warren (“Front Runner”), reading, 11 a.m. today, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“ Mark Fuhrman (“A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“ Murray Oxman (“The How to Easily Handle Difficult People Handbook: Everything Problem-People Don’t Want You to Know”), readings, 7 p.m. Monday, Borders, 9980 N. Newport Highway, (509) 466-2231; 7 p.m. Tuesday, Coeur d’Alene Borders, 450 W. Wilbur Ave, (208) 762-4497.
“ Sandra G. Lee (“Father, Forgive My Father”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
“ Jack Nisbet (“The Mapmaker’s Eye: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau: 1800-1812”), presentation, 7 p.m. Wednesday, North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Road, (509) 893-8350.
“ Frank Zafiro (“Under a Raging Moon”), signing, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Valley Hastings.
“ John Waite (“Serious Flyfishing with Survey Results”), signing, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Valley Hastings.