This from nytimes.com via Making Light. Love it.
(For those who don’t follow US politics, Mr Huckabee is a Republican presidential hopeful.)
“Who is your favorite author?” Aleya Deatsch, 7, of West Des Moines asked Mr. Huckabee in one of those posing-like-a-shopping-mall-Santa moments.
Mr. Huckabee paused, then said his favorite author was Dr Seuss.
In an interview afterward with the news media, Aleya said she was somewhat surprised. She thought the candidate would be reading at a higher level.
I guess she hasn’t yet been disallusioned by the scholarship of the average politician. The clincher, though, was in her follow up. Sort of: “If I can get this far, how come…?”
“My favorite author is C. S. Lewis,” she said.
Hm, posing-like-a-shopping-mall-Santa with little girls has just that edge of creepiness that would make me hesitate to vote him in, regardless of politics or reading level. :S
It reminded me of Dubya’s comment at some swank electioneering dinner (years ago) that his adversary had written a book, but he himself had read one. Or perhaps the emphasis should have been on the one, I forget…
I admit some of my favourite authors are still children’s authors (though I can say that without pausing to think).
[PS: disillusioned]
Actually, that whole politicians- kissing-babies thing creeps me out generally. And I’d like to think that the next President of the US of A, if s/he did number a children’s author among her/his favourites, could come up with someone a little more challenging than Dr Seuss!! *g*
The distant election is proving to be wonderfully insane entertainment though.
Hiya, I commented a while ago asking where I could find your books (the Isles of Glory) in Malaysia. Not sure if you remember me though…
I did get all your books, and finished them a few months ago. Not sure why I’m only bothering to post now, but here goes.
All in all, thank you for causing the sleepless nights spent reading your books. I loved them all. I stayed up all night to finish book three, and missed a class (and a quiz); it’s fine though, I got an A in the class anyway. 🙂
If I had to pick my favorite aspect of the trilogy, it would be the pace and breathlessness of it. Good writing holds my attention, but it’s a riveting plot that makes me stay up all night. 🙂 Again, thank you for writing the books, I loved them.
Time magazine ran an article some weeks back on ‘What Hillary Believes’ (or says she believes). I thought it might be more worthwhile to run an article entitled ‘What Hillary Did’ (or allegedly did – some of us remember) … but maybe they’ll leave that until the muck-raking stage of the campaigns. 😀
Interestingly, Time just voted Vladimir Putin as their Person of the Year, with China’s Hu Jintao as a runner up. Are they hedging their bets for the future…?
I must admit, politics bores me and American politics bores me even more. To know that we still have the best part of a year of TV advertising until they have come to the November elections fills me with horror.
About authors, C.S. Lewis did write other stuff besides the Narnia books. His trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra or Voyage to Venus and That Hideous Strength were great books (admittedly with religious overtones) but Hideous Strenght is one of my faves of all time. Maybe that’s what the young girl was referring to.
Gee, I hope not, Jo. That Hideous Strength is seriously scary in parts – the beheading scene, forex. I wouldn’t like to see a seven year old read it.
But won’t it be great if eventually she does read all of CS Lewis’s oeuvre and proceeds onwards to Tolkien and others, such as Glenda Larke!:-)
Yeah, must admit I think I will be heartily sick of the US elections too eventually, Jo – in spite of their in astonishment-inducing entertainment value.
Hisham – thank you so much. That comment came at a very opportune moment when I was feeling a bit down. Much appreciated.
Satima – ditto!