Laura Moriarty talks about The Chaperone

Today marks the publication of Laura Moriarty's The Chaperone (Riverhead). Copies have just arrived, and are now on display at Book Passage! Moriarty's new book is the USA Today #1 Hot Fiction Pick for the summer and an Indie Next List pick, as well as the #1 selection for "Best Book Coming Out This June" in O Magazine. Moriarty, who lives and teaches in Kansas, will be dropping by our store to sign books later this month. Order a copy here.

The Chaperone is a terrific, quietly powerful and captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.

Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise left Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. 

Cora has no idea what she’s in for: young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change both of their lives.

For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

Drawing on the rich history of the 1920s,1930s, and beyond – from the orphan trains to Prohibition, flappers, and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning movement for equal rights and new opportunities for women – Moriarty’s The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly everything, from fashion and values to hemlines and attitudes were changing, and what a profound difference it made for the real life Louise Brooks, the fictional Cora Carlisle, and others like them.

Recently, Moriarty answered a few questions about her new book for Book Passage staffer Thomas Gladysz, a big fan of both Louise Brooks and The Chaperone.

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How did you come to write The Chaperone? How did you come to discover the story of 15 year old Louise Brooks heading off to NY in 1922 with an older chaperone?

I was browsing in a bookstore, and I came across the book Flapper by Joshua Zeist. He has a chapter devoted to Louise, and I’d always thought she was compelling. I started reading about her early life, and right there in the bookstore, I learned about the trip with the chaperone. Given what I already knew about Louise – that she was smart, self-directed, and temperamental – I knew this chaperone must have had her work cut out for her.

What is it about their story that interests you?

I’m always interested in inter-generational tension, and 1922 strikes me as a time when just a twenty-year gap in ages could make such a difference between two people. If the chaperone was 36 in 1922, she would have come of age during a time of corsets and covered ankles. The flappers with their bared knees – and all the changing social mores that fashion represents – would have been hard to get used to. So the chaperone might have been challenged by any forward-thinking adolescent, let alone the already sophisticated Louise Brooks.

I was also intrigued by Louise’s complicated personality and story.  She was both smart and self-destructive, and I wondered about her sudden disappearance from Hollywood. One thing that impresses me about Louise is how authentic she was – she acted as she felt and she said what she thought. Hollywood wasn’t the right place for her.

Did writing The Chaperone involve much research? 

What were the challenges of writing about two historical figures - one of which we know a good deal about, the other obscure? I did a great deal of research for this book. Researching Louise was actually the easy part – I read her biographies and her autobiography, and I watched her films. I even looked at her old letters to see her handwriting. But I actually had to do more research for the chaperone, Cora, because even though she was invented, I wanted to make her a woman of her time, to make her someone who could have been thirty-six in 1922. But I really liked weaving Cora’s imagined life into the real facts of Louise’s.

Were you a fan of Louise Brooks? 

I knew who she was and I thought she was striking, but I wasn’t a fan until I started reading about her. I’m certainly a fan now.

When did you first encounter her? Is there anything you learned about Louise Brooks that surprised you?

I don’t remember when I first learned who she was. I know I tried to copy her haircut back in my twenties, and it completely didn’t work on me! But it wasn’t until that day in the bookstore that I started learning about her life.

As for surprises, there was an answer Louise gave to a question in her old age that I found really moving. LB fans will know, I think, what I’m alluding to, and I don’t want to ruin it for people who haven’t yet read her biography. But late in life, someone asked the hard and worn-down Louise if she’d ever really loved anyone, and her answer was pretty touching. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when she was interacting with this person, the one person she could admit she loved.

The Chaperone has been described as "the best kind of historical fiction, transporting you to another time and place, but even more importantly delivering a poignant story about people so real, you'll miss and remember them long after you close the book." That is a wow. What's next?

Thanks! I really have liked writing historical fiction, and my next novel will be historical as well. I’m just starting the research now . . .

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Book Passage customers and fans of Downton Abbey will be thrilled to learn that actress Elizabeth McGovern reads the audio version of The Chaperone, which is due out in July. (Follow the previous link to order a copy). McGovern has also optioned the movie rights - and yes, Cora (her character in Downton Abbey) could end up playing Cora. Want to see more? Check out this video interview with Laura Moriarty from USA Today.

Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend

One of the most popular books at Book Passage this Holiday season is Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend (Simon & Schuster, $26.99). It is the story of a dog – a very special dog, as those who attended Orlean's earlier Book Passage event were fascinated and delighted to find out.

Rin Tin Tin was the name given to a puppy found on a WWI battlefield that went on to star in more than twenty films. Extraordinarily popular in the 1920's, Rin Tin Tin was a major movie star, reportedly won an Academy Award, and helped save Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. The dog’s name was subsequently given to several related German Shepherds featured in later films, books, comics, and radio and television programs.

Orlean’s book traces the legacy of not only an entertainment icon, but also a cultural icon which helped shape the changing role of dogs in American society, including military service. In her book, Orlean puts it this way: “I knew I loved the narrative of Rin Tin Tin because it contained so many stories within it: it was a tale of lost families, and of identity, and also of the way we live with animals; it was a story of luck, both good and bad, and the half turns that life takes all the time. It was a story of war as well as a story of amusement. It was an account of how we create heroes and what we want from them. It laid out, through the story of Rin Tin Tin, the whole range of devotion – to ideas and to a companion – as well as the pure, half-magical devotion an animal can have to a person.”

The book also tells the story of the American soldier – one time Oakland resident Lee Duncan, and his special relationship with the orphaned pup whom he found and called Rinty and brought to world fame. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend is the poignant story of man’s love for man’s best friend. Recently, Susan Orlean took time to answer a few questions from Book Passage staffer & film buff Thomas Gladysz about her bestselling book.

Thomas Gladysz: In your book, you write about the Rin Tin Tin figure which sat on your grandfather’s desk which you admired as a youth. When and how did the idea of writing about Rin Rin Tin come to you as an adult and as a writer?

Susan Orlean: I hadn’t thought about Rin Tin Tin for decades. Then I was working on a story about animals in Hollywood for the New Yorker, and Rin Tin Tin’s name came up, as it inevitably does when you look into that particular subject. I was astonished by how powerful the memory was, and by how many memories rushed back the minute I was reminded of him. When I discovered that his story was far more complex than I had imagined – that he wasn’t merely a television character but in fact a real dog with a long and intricate history, I was fascinated – and immediately convinced that I had to write a book about him.

Thomas Gladysz: Rin Tin Tin was found as a puppy on a WWI battlefield. What was special about the relationship between Rin Tin Tin and the American soldier, Lee Duncan, who became the dog’s original owner & trainer?

Susan Orlean: The bond between devoted owners and dogs is universal. In the case of Lee and Rin Tin Tin, they were almost inseparable from the time they first came together, when the puppy was just a few days old. That gave them an extraordinary connection, as did Lee’s focus on training the dog and spending so much time with him. But there was something else – something that’s impossible to define, that made their connection so intense.

Thomas Gladysz: Lee Duncan was raised in an orphanage in Oakland, and visited there later in life with his famous canine. Does the Bay Area play a significant part in Lee Duncan’s life?

Susan Orlean: Lee’s years in Oakland molded him for life. He was only in the orphanage for four years, but they were formative ones, and even after his mother reclaimed him and took him back to southern California, he remained permanently fused to his memory of his days in Fred Finch. It was central to his character and his emotions. He visited Fred Finch many times throughout the remainder of his life, returning to Oakland as often as he could.

Thomas Gladysz: The early films which feature Rin Tin Tin – especially the silent films – are very entertaining. Rin Tin Tin himself had real charisma, and great athletic ability. Do you think Rinty was in any sense an actor?

Susan Orlean: Yes! He performs not just as a dog responding to commands but as if he had a sense of what he was trying to portray. I don’t think you can teach that; I think the dog had to have had a sense of being observed, of needing to put his heart into his behavior. Once you seen those early films, you can’t help but think he was an actor.

Thomas Gladysz: Your book takes readers through nearly 100 years of history and culture while examining the enduring appeal of Rin Tin Tin. Why do you think the dog, as a character and as a symbol, lasted so long? Could there be a Rin Tin Tin today?

Susan Orlean: Rin Tin Tin has lasted for several reasons. The people who were drawn into his life were unusually committed to the bigger idea of keeping his story alive, rather than what would have been easy — cash in and move on. And he connected with a need and desire the public has had to believe in a heroic character. Could we still feel that today? We’re in the post-heroic period these days, but we may be moving past that. The idea of a hero, of rising above circumstance, braving the risks, being selfless — those are eternal, and even if the last few decades of skepticism and disappointment have made it harder to believe in that, I think people will always want something to dream about. Maybe we’re ready to embrace Rin Tin Tin as that figure once again.

Thomas Gladysz: Finally, there have been many Rin Tin Tins. Do you have a favorite?

Susan Orlean: The dog who starred in the television series was the most beautiful of the Rin Tin Tins, and he was the dog I imprinted on as a kid, so that’s my favorite Rin Tin Tin to gaze at and pine for. But the first Rin Tin Tin is the most charismatic of them all, and his life was so amazing that it’s hard not to be awed by him. And he could jump over the moon.

Fans of Susan Orlean will be pleased to learn that the acclaimed writer has agreed to participate in the 21st annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, which will takes place August 9th through August 12th in Corte Madera. Watch this blog and the Book Passage website for details.

Some recommended film books published in 2011

There have been a number of excellent film books published in the course of the year. A number of them have looked back to classic Hollywood, and a number of them have been biographies, memories, or biographical or career studies. We've put together an annotated list of what we feel are some of the best films books from 2011. Each can be ordered through Book Passage.

Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in theGlamour Capital, 1928-1937, by Darrell Rooney and Mark A. Vieira (Angel City Press)

This is Jean Harlow like you've never seen her before. Rooney is one of the foremost collectors of Harlow memorabilia, and Vieira is one of the foremost authorities on classic Hollywood photography. (Vieira has a handful of other recommended pictorial books to his credit). They've joined forces in authoring this gorgeous pictorial which not only tells the story of the life and career of the famous platinum blonde but also features a remarkable assemblage of images, the majority of which are little known. Harlow is lovely in most every one; this equally appealing and elegant book is a fitting testimony to her legend.

Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in  the World, by Richard Rhodes (Doubleday)

What do actress Hedy Lamarr, avant-garde composer George Antheil, and your cell phone have in common? The answer is spread-spectrum radio, a revolutionary inven­tion based on the rapid switching of communications sig­nals among a spread of different frequencies. Without this technology, many of the devices we take for granted, such as cell phones, wouldn’t work. As it turns out, the idea of spread-spectrum was thought up & patented not by a computer engineer in recent years, but by a beautiful actress and an experimental composer during WWII. Their idea, then, was to create a jam-proof radio guidance system for torpedoes. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhodes tells their story.

John Huston: Courage and Art, by Jeffrey Meyers (Crown Archetype)

As much as anyone – and perhaps more, John Huston was a literary filmmaker; thirty-four of his thirty-seven films adapted important novels, stories or plays. In fact, Huston got his start as a journalist and short story writer before moving on to the movies and work as a screenwriter. Huston’s Oscar nominated success as a screenwriter led to his work as a director. He then made an auspicious debut with a film based on a novel, The Maltese Falcon (1941). Fittingly, Huston’s life story is recounted by a literary scholar in a fine new biography. Meyers’ briskly told biography of the writer, director, actor (Chinatown), and Hollywood bon vivant details one of the more colorful lives of the 20th century.

Luck and Circumstance: A Coming of Age in Hollywood, New York, and Points Beyond, by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Knopf)

Michael Lindsay-Hogg is a British director best known for his work on stage, on television - notably the much admired Brideshead Revisited, and for his concert films and music documentaries including The Beatles’ Let It Be and The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Lindsay-Hogg is also the son of Warner Bros. star and Academy Award nominee Geraldine Fitzgerald - Wuthering Heights (1939). His biological father, as is revealed in this beautifully written book, is none other than Orson Welles.

Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood, by Emily W. Leider (University of California Press)

Leider, the author of acclaimed biographies Rudolph Valentino and Mae West, has penned a thoroughly researched and stylishly written biography of an accomplished actress who was more than just her screen credits. Leider puts it this way in her introduction. “From day one Myrna Loy’s screen image has conjured mystery, a sense of something withheld, something intriguing because it seems unknowable. ‘Who is she?’ was a question posed in the first fan magazine article published about her, in 1925. This book attempts to fill in some of the gaps and to counter the relative neglect that has befallen her abundant legacy.” Leider accomplishes this and more in detailing the career of an actress whose career began in the silent era and lasted into the era of television.

Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark, by Brian Kellow (Viking)

For better or worse, and there are plenty on both sides of the fence still willing to argue their case, Pauline Kael (1919-2001) is the most influential film critic of the last 50 years. Not only did Kael influence a generation of critics - namely those we read today, she also affected the climate for filmmaking in America (according to Roger Ebert). Her witty, biting, and highly opinionated reviews - many of which were published in the New Yorker over the course of Kael's 20 year association with the magazine - also made her the most prominent film critic of her time. Kellow's new biography shows what made Kael tick - namely, her love of the movies. In reference to her film criticism, Kael once wrote "I'm frequently asked why I don't write my memoirs. I think I have." Also just out is a 750 page collection of Kael's criticism and essays, The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael (Library of America), edited by Sanford Schwartz. Consider it a companion book, and a kind of alternative biography.

Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood'sLegendary Director, by Marilyn Ann Moss  (University Press of Kentucky)

Along with Frank Capra and John Ford, Raoul Walsh (1887-1980) was one of Hollywood's early mavericks. Walsh's career spanned more than fifty years - from the silent era through the 1960's, and he helped create the American action adventure film. Whether directing a swashbuckler, a Western, a gangster film, a war epic, a drama or even a musical, there was often something of a romantic flair about Walsh's films - much of which has held up remarkably well. The Thief of Bagdad (1924), What Price Glory? (1926), Sadie Thompson (1928), The Roaring Twenties (1939), Dark Command (1940), They Died with Their Boots On (1941), High Sierra (1941), White Heat (1949) and The Naked and the Dead (1958) are all his work. Moss's thoroughly researched book is both exemplary and groundbreaking, as this is the first full-length biography of a dominant figure in the history of film.

Rin TinTin: The Life and the Legend, by Susan Orlean (Simon & Schuster)

Rin Tin Tin tells the story of the famous canine who went from an orphaned puppy found on a WWI battlefield in France to an extraordinarily popular Hollywood movie star (so much so he helped save Warner Bros. from bankruptcy and reportedly won an Academy Award) in the silent era to international icon and television star in the ensuing decades. Rin Tin Tin is also the poignant exploration of the bond between one man (the lonely American soldier who found Rinty) and one dog – as well as a history of 20th entertainment and the changing role of dogs in the American society. As such, this book strays from film history to cultural history - but is nevertheless a great read. In its review, The New York Times Book Review asked “Do dogs deserve biographies?” In Orlean’s hands, the answer is an affirmative “Bark.”

Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of HaroldLloyd, by John Bengtson (Santa Monica Press)

John Bengtson is an archeologist of the cinema. And his new book, the last in a trilogy-of-sorts, is a visual excavation of the past. Following books devoted to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, Silent Visions now explores the films of Harold Lloyd. Bengtson’s detailed examination and comparison of scene stills and screen captures with old maps, city directories, newspapers, photographs and dusty building records (and yes, Google maps too) reveals not only where Lloyd shot films in Los Angeles and New York, but also how those two great cities have changed in the meantime. “History is hidden in the background of films” is this way lawyer by day / film historian by night put it in a recent interview. Bengtson's new book is a brilliant then-and-now triumph. Silent Visions includes a foreword by 2010 Academy Award winning film historian Kevin Brownlow.

Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb, by Clifton Webb and David L. Smith (University Press of Mississippi)

The never finished autobiography of one of the top moneymakers at 20^th Century Fox, as completed by David L. Smith. Though his star has waned in the years since his death, Webb (1889-1966) knew pretty much everyone who was anyone during Hollywood’s golden age. This book makes for interesting reading, and includes a foreword by actor Robert Wagner.

Spencer Tracy: A Biography, by James Curtis (Knopf)

Since his death, Spencer Tracy has become one of the cinema’s most misunderstood figures and the subject of unsubstantiated claims, many of which center on the nature of his 26-year, extra-marital relationship with actress Katharine Hepburn. Which is a shame, because Tracy is still considered one of the finest actors in film history The sturdy, congenial everyman won back-to-back Oscars in 1937 and 1938, and in the course of his long career, was nominated for the Best Actor award a record nine times. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy among the ten greatest male stars. Spencer Tracy attempts to set the record straight regarding the stories and legends which have grown up around the actor. And that it does in a detailed and definitive manner. This impressive, 1,000 page book concludes with a frank appraisal of the bookshelf worth of recent biographies of Hepburn, many of which the author dismisses.

Thomas Ince: Hollywood's Independent Pioneer, by Brian Taves (University Press of Kentucky)

Ince turned an art form into a business. Progressing from actor to screenwriter and director, Ince revolutionized the industry by developing the role of the producer. In addition to building the first major Hollywood studio - dubbed "Inceville," this industry pioneer and "Father of the Western" had a hand in more than 800 films. Taves chronicles Ince's life from his early days on the stage to his sudden death at a time when he was about to join forces with William Randolph Hearst. Taves details Ince's impact on the Hollywood production system, his creation of the first American movies starring Asian performers, and his cinematic exploration of the status of women. Until now, Ince (1882-1924), one of the most influential and neglected of early moguls, had not been the subject of a biography. This authoritative work, scrupulously researched, offers considerable insight. 

This list was compiled by Book Passage employee Thomas Gladysz, an early film buff and the Director of the Louise Brooks Society, an internet-based archive and international fan club devoted to the legendary silent film star. He has contributed to books on the actress, organized exhibits, appeared on television and radio, and introduced Brooks' films around the world. Last year, he edited and wrote the introduction to the “Louise Brooks Edition” of Margarete Bohme’s The Diary of a Lost Girl.

Interview with Spencer Tracy Biographer James Curtis

From the time of his screen debut in 1930, Spencer Tracy was considered one of the finest actors in Hollywood. The sturdy, congenial everyman won back-to-back Oscars in 1937 and 1938, and in the course of his long career, was nominated for the Best Actor award a record nine times. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy among the ten greatest male stars in film history.

Adept at both drama and comedy, Tracy appeared in many popular and critically acclaimed films including The Power and the Glory (1933), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), Tortilla Flat (1942), The Old Man and the Sea (1953), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), and what would become his final work, the celebrated Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967). Tracy, then 67 years old and in failing health, died only 17 days after filming was completed on the then topical Stanley Kramer directed film.

Since his death, Tracy has become one of the cinema’s most maligned and even misunderstood figures, the subject of both lurid stories and unsubstantiated claims, many of which center on the nature of his 26-year relationship with actress Katharine Hepburn.

Last month, a major new biography of the legendary actor – the first in more than 40 years – was published. At more than 1,000 pages, Spencer Tracy: A Biography (Knopf, $39.95) attempts to set the record straight regarding the actor and the stories which have grown up around him. It does that in a rather detailed and definitive manner. This impressive book concludes with a frank appraisal of the bookshelf worth of recent biographies of Hepburn, many of which the author dismisses.

Spencer Tracy: A Biography is the work of James Curtis, one of America’s leading film biographers. Curtis is the author of W.C. Fields: A Biography (2003), which was named one of the Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times, as well as James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters (1998), and Between Flops (1982), a biography of Preston Sturges. Curtis also edited and wrote the introductions to Mae Clarke’s autobiography, Featured Player (1996), and John Weld’s long unfinished September Song: A Biography of Walter Huston (1998).

Curtis will be speaking about his new biography on Wednesday, November 16th at Book Passage in San Francisco's Ferry Building. Start time for this talk is 6 pm. Recently, Curtis answered a few questions about his new book, which has been described by film critic Leonard Maltin as “a scrupulously researched life story that is also well-written and completely absorbing … This is the book Spencer Tracy deserves.”

Thomas Gladysz: Your earlier work includes biographies of Preston Sturges, James Whale and W.C. Fields. How did you find your way to Spencer Tracy?

James Curtis: I think of these biographies as a suite of books looking at the same industry, at approximately the same time, from different angles. I’d done a writer, a director, and a comedian, so it was only natural to do an actor at some point. Tracy was always a personal favorite, and he really hadn’t been done since 1969, so the choice was easy. My wife had a business relationship with John Tracy Clinic, and it was through them that I was able to make contact with Susie Tracy, the daughter of Spencer and Louise Tracy.

Thomas Gladysz: Despite acclaim, back-to-back Academy Awards and an additional seven Oscar nominations, Tracy is not someone film historians or even film buffs talk about much these days. Do you feel his long, extra-marital affair with nine-time co-star Katherine Hepburn has overshadowed the telling of his life story?

James Curtis: I think so. Katharine Hepburn survived Tracy by 36 years, and there have been countless books about her. Because of all the misinformation out there about him, it was easy for the authors of these books to cast him in an unfavorable light. Here was possibly the greatest actor of his generation, and he had been reduced over time to the status of a supporting player in the Katharine Hepburn story.

Thomas Gladysz: Do you feel Tracy had a career defining film, or films? Which do you feel were his best works? Do you have a personal favorite?

James Curtis: Tracy made 70-plus films, so it’s difficult to single out just one as career-defining. I think what really put him over with the movie going public was the variety of roles he was given when he moved to M-G-M in 1935. In the space of a couple of years he played an innocent man deranged by mob violence in Fury (1936), the young priest in San Francisco (1936), a newspaper editor in the screwball comedy Libeled Lady (1936), a soldier turned criminal in They Have a Gun (1937), and the Portuguese fisherman in Captains Courageous (1937). That was quite a range to show for a top flight attraction at that time. The industry took notice with Academy Award nominations for San Francisco and Captains Courageous, and of course he won for the latter. And then he did Boys Town (1938) and won a second Oscar for his work as Father Flanagan.

Some of his best works were comedies – The Show-Off (1934), Libeled Lady, Woman of the Year (1942), Adam’s Rib (1949). He could do something as gut-wrenching as Fury and then play farce comedy with equal authority. Few actors could do that convincingly. That said, I’d have to say my personal favorite is Inherit the Wind (1960). He did a masterful job as Darrow, and the material is as important today as it was 50 years ago. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it.

Thomas Gladysz: You had access to Tracy’s papers. What were some of the surprising things you discovered about the man?

James Curtis: First, that his bouts with the bottle weren’t as frequent as I had been led (by previous books) to believe. And then there’s the depth of responsibility he felt – to his family, to his work, to an industry that didn’t always return the favor. In college he thought he’d study medicine, but quickly fell into acting. Later, when he was making steady money at Fox, he connected with an impoverished medical student and completely funded his education at McGill. Tracy felt that by going into the theatre he had left the world with one less doctor. This was his way of making up for that.

Thomas Gladysz: Your book doesn’t flinch when it comes to Tracy’s shortcomings, especially his drinking. The portrait on the cover (by Irving Penn) even suggests a conflicted personality, trapped by circumstance. Is that a fair assessment of the man?

James Curtis: Entrapment seems to have been a constant theme in his life. Circumstances compelled him to work as he did, just as his son’s deafness led his wife Louise to found John Tracy Clinic. There were aspects to his life that were larger than what a single human being could handle. Both Spencer and Louise Tracy were enormously gifted people who struggled to do their best with the cards dealt them. Neither was perfect, but there were aspects to both these people that bordered on genius. It’s not my job to be judgmental; rather I have aimed to illuminate their lives and what they did for others.

Thomas Gladysz: At more than 1,000 pages, your biography is larger than similar books. What was it about Tracy’s life and career that required such an expansive approach?

James Curtis: There were so many different threads to the story – Tracy’s technique as an actor, the alcoholism, the marriage, his Catholicism, the Hepburn relationship, the weird business of being a movie star. And then, of course, all the films and plays he did. My approach to a first draft is to use everything that might possibly make it into the final book, then to trim and shape the material. The manuscript was much longer; we cut a lot. But we came to a point where we had to decide what we were willing to lose; we realized we had cut a lot of the fat, and that we were now down to the muscle. That’s when my editor decided to let it run that extraordinary length – 878 pages of text. There are still a lot of things we could have removed that the reader would never have missed, but even if we cut it by half, it was still going to demand a great commitment on the part of the reader. So why not let it run its course? I’ve had people tell me that they would have been perfectly happy if the book ran 1,500 pages.

Our Fall author events in crossword puzzle form

Want a peek at our upcoming calendar of events? We’ve managed to fit just some of our many Fall happenings into this unique crossword puzzle, which was created by Book Passage staffer Thomas Gladysz. Try and solve the puzzle to find out which authors are coming to Book Passage during the months of September, October or November. Hint: most clues call for a person’s name, with only the surname necessary. The dates which follow each clue reveal when that author will be appearing at Book Passage. Linked dates take you to an event page on the Book Passage website.

Across Spanish speaker Isabel ______ (Sept 18 & Nov 6) that's "Quite Enough of Calvin _______" (Sept 17) one-half of YA author team with Dave Barry (Sept 27) authored "Cold Mountain" (Oct 26) he is either "at home" or on the road (Oct 24) local university, home to some off-site events have lunch with the author of "Practical Magic" (Oct 18) won Pulitzer Prize & loves comic books (Sept 22) authored new translation of "The Iliad" (Oct 18) SF Chronicle reporter Julian _____ (Sept 10) voice of Iron Chef America (Oct 11) she knows Mary Russell and Kate Martinelli (Sept 6) Booker Prize winning author of "The Line of Beauty" (Oct 29) she's on a diet for a small planet (Sept 6) his greater journey takes us to Paris (Oct 13) Booker Prize winning Irish author of "The Gathering" (Oct 12) plays hardball on TV (Nov 9) authored acclaimed debut novel "The Night Circus" (Sept 18)

Down this building is home to Book Passage events in The City local author is wise about Stamboul (Sept 27) professional writers from here meet 4th Sunday every month illustrates Fancy Nancy (Sept 21) returns as "The Good Daughter" (Nov 2) Irish writer knows whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (Sept 25) she's packing for Mars (Oct 18) James Beard Best Chef award winner Bradley ______ (Dec 3) new book is "The Language of Flowers" (Sept 22) acclaimed Marin poet Jane _______ (Sept 6) he really wants his kids to go to sleep (Oct 17) authored bestseller "The Kite Runner" (Sept 15) Washington D.C. crime fiction writer worked on "The Wire" (Sept 8) her Moroccan food was never better (Oct 20) his "Jumanji" and "Polar Express" are two among many (Nov 13) hails from Pacific Northwest where snow falls on cedars (Oct 30) once SF Chronicle book editor / now ZYZZYVA managing editor (Sept 26 husband of Bharati Mukerjee (Sept 9) Sri Lankan born Canadian novelist won Booker Prize (Oct 19) won Pulitzer for "Middlesex" (Oct 15) authored "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" (Oct 6) cheerleading coach on "Glee" (Sept 26) his wicked ways went to Broadway (Nov 11) movie director & city in Texas (Sept 30) English historical novelist writes of queens and Boleyn girls (Oct 27) ex-Berkeley genre bending author once was motherless in Brooklyn (Nov 21) writers from this coast meet monthly events coordinator, not East

Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms

Tonight at 7 pm, author Carmela Ciuraru will be in conversation with John McMurtrie (editor of the San Francisco Chronicle Book review) discussing Carmela's just released Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms. What's it all about? Look, listen, and learn.....

2011 Faculty Crossword Puzzle - Travel Writers & Photographers Conference

The 40 faculty for the 20th annual Book Passage Travel and Food Writing & Photography Conference (August 11-14, 2011) are a distinguished bunch. From bloggers to free-lancers, from staff writers to bestselling authors, these 40 represent just about every approach to feature writing and photography. Heck, we even have a movie star turned travel writer!

The complete conference faculty - including mini-bios and images - can be found at http://bookpassage.com/travel-food-photography-conference-faculty

Think you know all 40? Think you can find all 40? As this is in part a travel conference, we came up with a word search puzzle featuring the last names of all 40 faculty. First one to complete the puzzle wins a free trip around the world - just kidding.

Below are the names of the 40 faculty. Please note: only last names are included in the word search puzzle above.

Jim Benning
Georgeanne Brennan
Tim Cahill
Kimberley Cameron
Kaye Cloutman
Julia Cosgrove
Phil Cousineau
Robin Donovan
Juliana Gallin
David Farley
Don George
Liza Gershman
Larry Habegger
Catharine Hamm
Georgia Hesse
Spud Hilton
Robert Holmes
Roger Housden
Dianne Jacob
Elizabeth Kracht
Heidi Krahling
Shelley Lindgren
Michael David Lukas
Pam Mandel
Niko Mayer
Andrew McCarthy
Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Janis Cooke Newman
Jeff Pflueger
Lulu Del Rosario
Andy Ross
Peter Schaf
Cheryl Sterman Rule
Stuart Schwartz
Michael Shapiro
Amy Sherman
Danielle Svetcov
John Troia
Tina Vierra
Joanne Weir

Deborah Harkness :: A Discovery of Witches

Q: What's one of the hottest selling books at Book Passage ?

A: A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness.

On Wednesday, July 27th Deborah Harkness concludes her appearance tour for her bestselling fantasy novel, A Discovery of Witches, with a reading and booksigning at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California. It's an event not to missed - and really is the author's last event for the time being. Harkness, we are told, will spend the rest of the summer in Northern California doing what authors love to do - reading, writing and working on a new book.

In A Discovery of Witches ($28.95), Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. It is a book which has resonated with readers around the world - that's why we have received orders for signed copies from England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and that most distant kingdom, Walla Walla, Washington. Not to mention New Jersey.

This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the early novels of Anne Rice, but is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series - but with an extra serving of historical realism. Harkness' debut novel (but not her first book) is a richly inventive work about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. Here is the gist of it. . . .

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly comes upon a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; and so, after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks.

But - her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. The twist - here - is that Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries - and she is the only one who can break its spell.

Deborah Harkness is a professor of history (of science and medicine) at the University of Southern California. She has received Fullbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships.

Her most recent scholarly work is The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution. This 2007 book from Yale University Press was the Winner of the John Ben Snow Prize of the North American Conference of British Studies and the Pfizer Prize of the History of Science Society - and was co-winner of the Pacific Coast Conference of British Studies book prize, and was Highly Commended by the Longman’s / History Today Book of the Year Award. Harkness is also the author of John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature (Cambridge University Press, 1999).

And that's not all, Harkness also writes an award-winning wine blog called Good Wine Under $20.00. Be sure and check out this video. blogged by thomas gladysz

Most treasured book

For a short while now, the San Francisco Chronicle has been running a short feature in its book review called "Special edition: Most treasured book." Earlier contributors have included novelist Isabel Allende, actor Peter Coyote, science writer Mary Roach, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg and other mostly local luminaries.

Each contributor is given approximately 100 words to tell about their most treasured volume. Because of these constraints, it is a difficult assignment; however, because of its topic, it is also an easy assignment. This is the book we value the most, and we want to tell the world about it.

I recently had the honor of being asked to contribute. (The "I" in this case is Book Passage staffer Thomas Gladysz.) My most treasured book is Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris. First published by Knopf in 1989, it is the biography of a silent film star. I am sure you might recognize her image. She is something of an icon, and there have been other books both by and about her.

Because of the 100 word limit, it was difficult for me to express how much this book means to me, and how it "changed my life." My contribution appeared in the print version of the newspaper on Sunday, and showed up on-line today.blogged by thomas gladysz

I hope others read this outstanding biography. It is the best book I have ever read. It is the best book I ever will read. My piece can be found at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/08/RV731K43B3.DTL#ixzz1RuZPn6nK

Before Three Cups of Tea, there was .....

Before Greg Mortenson and Three Cups of Tea, before Margaret B. Jones and Love and Consequences, before James Frey and A Million Little Pieces, and even before Clifford Irving and his Autobiography of Howard Hughes, there was Margarete Böhme and The Diary of a Lost Girl. If you haven't heard of it, you're not alone.

Despite its present-day obscurity, The Diary of a Lost Girl has some claim to being the Mother of all modern literary hoaxes. Like the above mentioned titles, this now little known 1905 book was a contested bestseller in its day. One contemporary scholar has called it "Perhaps the most notorious and certainly the commercially most successful autobiographical narrative of the early twentieth century."

The Diary of a Lost Girl purportedly told the true-life story - in diary form - of a young woman named Thymian forced by both circumstance and society into a life of prostitution. The book went on to sell more than 1,200,000 copies - a remarkable number for the time. And also like the above mentioned titles, its authenticity came into question. Some thought it an outright hoax.

Today, The Diary of a Lost Girl is accepted as a work of fiction. But when it was first published, it was said to be the genuine diary of a young girl. Böhme claimed only to be its editor. As "the editor" states in her forward, she was given the manuscript and intended to rework it into a novel. But, on the advice of her publisher, she instead presented it to the world as an authentic diary.

The book's publication and rapid success quickly led to all manner of speculation as to its authorship - with readers, critics, and the press divided. To lend its story credence, some early editions of The Diary of a Lost Girl even depict manuscript pages said to be in Thymian's hand.

Both the author and her publisher, it should be noted, always maintained their account as to the origins of the diary. According to the forward of a 1988 German reissue, Böhme would forgo any claims as author as late as 1935 - a few years after the book had been driven out-of-print by conservative groups seeking to suppress it, and just a couple of year's before the author's death. Belief in its authenticity continued in some quarters for decades, even into the 1970's.

Why Mortenson did what he did has yet to be explained. Why Jones and Frey did what they did - passing off fiction as memoir - has been revealed. The motives of Clifford Irving and J.T. LeRoy and other hoaxers have come to light. But why Böhme presented her book as genuine isn't really known.

Some have suggested that the author, facing the double standard of the day, realized the personal and professional consequences she would suffer for having published a novel about the demimonde. Böhme, it should be noted, was then a struggling writer as well as a divorced woman and a single mother. There was nothing common about her.

Others have speculated that the book's claim to be an actual diary was a literary ploy to put over its provocative subject matter. Back then it wasn't considered acceptable for a woman to write about such things. At one point, Böhme herself was accused of being a prostitute - the thinking being how else could a woman have written or even edited such a book?

Certainly, The Diary of a Lost Girl is a knowing work. The literary critic Walter Benjamin, who wrote about it, described it as something like "A complete inventory of the sexual trade." In America, it was referenced in scholarly works on sexuality and criminal behavior.

In its 1907 review, the Manchester Guardian noted "It professes to be an authentic document, the actual diary of the woman it describes, unaltered save for the excision of some passages and the suppression of real names. There can be no doubt this is not the case. It is a careful narrative, directed toward a distinctly moral purpose. The psychology of it is arresting and unmistakably founded upon experience."

To the attentive reader - the force of its narrative, its detailed realism, its references to other literature of prostitution, and its psychological observations all betray a literary sophistication beyond that of a teenage girl.

Admittedly, there is a whiff of melodrama about the book; a newspaper in New Zealand once called it "The saddest of modern books." Ultimately, however, it is the book's subtle literary achievement which betrays its claim to be an authentic diary.

There have been many literary frauds and hoaxes over the years. Today, most of them have been forgotten. What makes The Diary of a Lost Girl stand out is its remarkable history, of which its contested origins are only the beginning. Dracula author Bram Stoker, for example, was said to be in favor of banning it. American novelist Henry Miller claimed it as one of his favorite books.

Within a few years of publication, The Diary of a Lost Girl had sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was translated into 14 languages. It was reviewed and discussed across Europe, and the book was said to have had some small influence on German social policy. Because of its popularity, there were even pirated versions in Poland and The Netherlands.

The book inspired a bestselling sequel (by Böhme in response to a flood of letters), a controversial stage play, a parody, lawsuits, two films, and sui generis - a score of imitators. There was also a film of the sequel, and even a French novelization of the 1929 German film made from the book. Because of it all - and in spite of it all, The Diary of a Lost Girl remained a steady seller for more than 25 years. It had a long run. The book was finally driven out-of-print in Germany at the beginning of the Nazi era.

Last year, after being out-of-print in English for more than 100 years, Book Passage staffer Thomas Gladysz brought this noteworthy book back into print. He added a few dozen images (of the author, of earlier editions, of scenes from the films), and wrote an introduction detailing the book's remarkable and contested history.

It is a good read. The Diary of a Lost Girl is available through Book Passage. To order a copy, just follow this link http://www.bookpassage.com/book/9780557508488

Sarah Vowell comes to Book Passage

Popular author and This American Life (NPR) contributor Sarah Vowell will be visiting Book Passage on Friday, April 1st at 1:00 pm. This very funny and very witty writer will be speaking about her new book, Unfamiliar Fishes (Riverhead, $25.95), an examination of Hawaii, the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn.

On Monday, Vowell was on The Daily Show with John Stewart. In this unedited, extended interview, Sarah Vowell looks back on the year that the United States became a world power for the first time. In the second part, she also tells a Saddam Hussein anecdote that involves a quilt. Take a look. Take a listen.

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Sarah Vowell Extended Interview Pt. 1
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Many think of 1776 as the defining year in American history, when we became a nation devoted to the pursuit of happiness through self-government. In Unfamiliar Fishes, Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as defining, when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, invaded first Cuba, and then the Philippines, and became an international superpower practically overnight.

Among the many and various developments in these newly acquired outposts, Vowell considers the Americanization of Hawaii the most intriguing. With her trademark smart-alecky insights and reporting, Vowell lights out to discover the off, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth state, and in so doing finds America, warts and all.

The Daily Show - Exclusive - Sarah Vowell Extended Interview Pt. 2
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Sarah Vowell has been a columnist for Salon, Time, and the San Francisco Weekly, and continues to write essays for the opinion page of The New York Times. Her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, Spin, Esquire, McSweeney's and GQ. A popular speaker, Vowell has made numerous appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In addition, she was the voice of teen superhero Violet Parr in Brad Bird’s Academy Award-winning The Incredibles, a Pixar Animation Studios film.

Sarah Vowell, the bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates, Assassination Vacation, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Take the Cannoli, and Radio On, will be speaking about her new book at Book Passage in Corte Madera on Friday, April 1st - no foolin'. Preferred seating to this special afternoon event is by book purchase. If you can't attend this event and would like a signed copy of Vowell's new hardback book, simply follow this link to place an order - and please note "signed copy" in the comments field.

Aloha.

April 9th is SUSIE BRIGHT Day at Book Passage

Saturday, April 9th is Susie Bright day at Book Passage in Corte Madera. If it ain't marked so on your calendar, it oughta be! At 4:30 pm, Susie will be teaching a class — "The Real Story: Closely-Held Secrets & Memoir Writing." And at 7:00 pm, Susie will be in conversation with Bay Area journalist David Gans discussing her new book, Big Sex Little Death: A Memoir (Seal Press, $24.95). These two back-to-back events are not to be missed.

Ever wondered why there’s no female voice as bold, erotic, unflinching, and revealing as Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, or Philip Roth? There is. And it belongs to the Bay Area writer and literary provocateur Susie Bright.

Her just published book, Big Sex Little Death, is a revealing and at-times intimate coming-of-age story. It's also an explosive memoir that’s pure Susie: bold, free-spirited, unpredictable — larger than life, yet utterly true to life. From fearful Irish Catholic Girl Scout to gun-toting teenage revolutionary to "The Avatar of American Erotica"(NY Times) — Bright’s life story is shaped as much by America’s sexual awakening as the national sexual landscape was altered by Bright herself.

Novelist Tom Perotta has said, "Susie Bright is a one-woman counterculture, a teenaged socialist revolutionary turned Reagan-era sexual freedom fighter. In this lively, bittersweet memoir, she recounts a life full of political and erotic adventures and betrayals, a life at once deeply subversive and totally American, defined as it is by the idea that people should be free to express and pursue their own visions of happiness, no matter how uncomfortable it makes the prigs and scolds among us."

The approach Susie Bright took to writing her memoir will be explored in "The Real Story: Closely-Held Secrets & Memoir Writing." A memoir reflects our intimate lives — the thrills, the losses, the secrets. Even small moments can tell a profound story. Memoir-writing is cathartic — as well as a revelation to edit and to market. Those who take the challenge we think will find unparalleled insight.

As your guide and editor, Susie Bright will start you on intimate writing exercises that point the way to what you’re digging for. She will show you how to write freely, edit ruthlessly, and be truly prepared to share a page with the world. Book Passage is offering a 10% discount on purchase of Big Sex Little Death with class registration.

"The best-named writer in America, Susie Bright has written a witty, wise, and enlightening memoir." — Erica Jong. Besides Big Sex Little Death, Susie Bright is the bestselling author and editor of 30+ books including such national bestsellers, Full Exposure and The Sexual State of the Union — as well as The Best American Erotica and Herotica series, which ushered in women’s erotic publishing. She also the host of Audible’s In Bed With Susie Bright, the beloved and longest running sex education show in the history of broadcasting. A progenitor of the sex-positive movement, Bright taught the first university course on pornography while appearing in films like Bound and The Celluloid Closet. She is also a regular contributor at Salon.com.blogged by thomas gladysz