Comments on: Fish incredulous to actually yet again receive gift of bicycle

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:53:28 +0000

As for what Levi says, “we just want to feel included”–your invisible knapsack is showing.

By: Rachel Heston Davis

Rachel Heston Davis — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:51:07 +0000

Oh no! Not a book with GENDER FOCUS!

Really, I’m not sure what the big deal is. Lots of books are geared more toward one sex than the other.

If men are worried about being left out of this book, maybe a male author should write a companion to this book focused on boys. Simple enough. Seems like a better response than whining that you should have written this book differently.

Rachel Heston Davis
Up and Writing–www.rachelhestondavis.wordpress.com

By: Margaret

Margaret — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:00:22 +0000

Hear hear Lizzie! I just will not understand why people assume that white male is neutral, and anything that speaks directly to some other kind of experience is therefore limited and exclusionary. How many “Best of” lists contain books written almost exclusively by white men, about the concerns of white men? Who complains then? Certainly not the white men so affronted that in your own memoir of reading you chose to address, primarily, the books that you, first as a girl and later as a woman, loved with your whole heart.

You didn’t set out to write a reader’s advisory book here– if you had, there might be some cause for criticism. You set out to write about the books you’ve loved, and why you loved them, and you produced an incredible book.

I’m sorry you have to deal with all these white males’ solipsism. Everything has been about them for such a long time that I guess they are still adjusting.

By: MelissaW

MelissaW — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:20:23 +0000

Hmmm, and last time I checked you do put a number of personal observations in the book…and you just happen to be a girl….instead of whining about it perhaps one of the complaining dudes will write about what novels they loved as a teen boy. That’d put a cork in them.

By: Levi

Levi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:29:38 +0000

Lizzie, I think I do see your point of view about this better now that you’ve expressed it quite strongly (with a delicious line from Barney Frank, no less). Really, I think what Ed and Michael and I were all expressing was just a plaintive cry of “don’t forget us!”. We just want to feel included. It’s like when we were kids and our sisters were having great pajama parties in the next room but we couldn’t join in. No fair!

By: Maria Bustillos

Maria Bustillos — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:47:05 +0000

“UNNECESSARY gender focus.”

Holy frijole, I guess this means that GQ is going to have to shut down.

Staggering.

By: Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:19:19 +0000

Lizzie, Can I marry you when I grow up?

What you said. Times a million.