Greetings, Accidental Army! I haven't written a new poem in a while, but that subject line is almost a poem in its own right. But we have only 12 days left until the official release of The Accidental Terrorist and a lot to talk about before then, so let's get to it.
Review
First, I'd like to bring a terrific new review to your attention. Elena Colás reviewed The Accidental Terrorist last week for Chicago Literati, and while I hope you'll head over there and read the whole thing, I wanted to call out one paragraph in particular that I was very glad to see:
I felt his portrayal of his younger self was somehow more compassionate than I've read in other coming of age memoirs. When I finished this book, I was reminded of Joan Didion's advice that we are "well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be." Shunn resists the temptation to paint himself as either naive or savvy, opting instead for the kind of even-handed description that had me wondering pretty far into the book whether the author was still a practicing Mormon. [full review by Elena Colás]
In a review filled with quotable pullouts, this one is probably my favorite, since it cuts to the heart of an effect I was consciously trying to achieve in the book.
Giveaway
I'm running another Accidental Terrorist giveaway at Goodreads! If you're a Goodreads member with a mailing address in the U.S. or Canada, it's easy as pie for you to enter for the chance to win one of ten advance reading copies.
The giveaway runs from now through November 8.
Reading
Chicago, I'll be appearing at the Tuesday Funk reading series next week—Tuesday, November 3, to be exact. The event takes place upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm.
Tuesday Funk is, of course, the series I used to co-host in Chicago, so this should be another fun homecoming. I'll be one of five guests on the program, and I'll be reading (big surprise!) from The Accidental Terrorist. Visit tuesdayfunk.org for all the details.
AMA
Please drop by Reddit on the evening of Thursday, November 5, when I'll be doing an AMA ("Ask Me Anything") in the r/mormon subreddit.
Please note that the posted time, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, is for the Mountain time zone, to accommodate that region's strong interest in the subject matter. But you can, of course, participate from anywhere! And ask me anything!
Eagle Eye Club
There are more exciting things in the works over the next couple of weeks, which I'll share with you as I can. But as my parting shot today, can you spot yours truly in the Dmitri Samarov illustration below?
