NationStates Jolt Archive

Permalink

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/01/scooter_libbys_novel.html



In literary style, Libby's guilt is an open-&-smut case

The last time I saw Scooter Libby, he was trying to persuade Maureen Dowd to join him in doing tequila shots at the celebstudded Bloomberg party after the 2003 White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

A few days later, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff sent me an inscribed copy of "The Apprentice," his 1996 novel of early 20th-century Japan. I never got past the second page.

Luckily, in the latest New Yorker, Lauren Collins summarizes the novel's sex scenes.

"The main female character, Yukiko, draws hair on the 'mound' of a little girl," Collins reports. "The brothers of a dead samurai have sex with his daughter."

Meanwhile, "certain passages can better be described as reminiscent of Penthouse Forum," Collins writes. "Other sex scenes are less conventional."

Collins quotes from the indicted aide's novel: "At age 10 the madam put the child in a cage with a bear trained to couple with young girls so the girls would be frigid and not fall in love with their patrons. They fed her through the bars and aroused the bear with a stick when it seemed to lose interest."

British Literary Review editor Nancy Sladek, who oversees a Bad Sex fiction writing contest, tells Collins: "That's a bit depraved, isn't it, this kind of thing about bears and young girls?" Never mind the passage concerning sex with a deer.

Speaking of Dowd, The New York Times pundit is the subject of Vanity Fair's December Proust Questionnaire: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? "My credit report." How would you like to die? "After my enemies." If you were to come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? "A crisp, perfectly salted French fry."

I guess this adds him to the "Lousy Depraved Sex Novel-Writing Republican" list along with Bill O'Reilly.

It must be a common trait of all bastards. I remember that Saddam wrote a 'romance' novel too. Not sure if any beastiality was in it though.

Permalink

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/01/scooter_libbys_novel.html





I guess this adds him to the "Lousy Depraved Sex Novel-Writing Republican" list along with Bill O'Reilly.

It must be a common trait of all bastards. I remember that Saddam wrote a 'romance' novel too. Not sure if any beastiality was in it though.

Why did I just get a mental image of Libby in prison, using his own book to teach a tear-filled fellow convict how to read?

Why did I just get a mental image of Libby in prison, using his own book to teach a tear-filled fellow convict how to read?
because you know he's just the kind of man who would do such a nice thing :)

i looked up the book on amazon.com and it seems to have gotten pretty good reviews when it came out. without an ax to grind no one seemed the least worried about that bear thing. go figure

i looked up the book on amazon.com and it seems to have gotten pretty good reviews when it came out. without an ax to grind no one seemed the least worried about that bear thing. go figure

Maybe because the 12 people who bought the book were into beastiality?

Maybe because the 12 people who bought the book were into beastiality?
if the reviews don't talk much about bestiality, it's not fair to say anyone who read it is into bestiality. Use some logic.

People write books about a lot of things, that doesn't mean that they find any of it pleasurable at all. Or did I miss the memo that Anne Rice was a Homosexual Vampire and that George Lucas was really an alien with no acting skills? Okay, so the George Lucas part wouldn't be too surprising, but the Anne Rice part holds up the argument, anyway.
Further, if that really is the way he filled out the survey, then I must say that the man is really quite amazing. If he doesn't watch it, he'll end up filed away in my Immoral Idol drawer.

if the reviews don't talk much about bestiality, it's not fair to say anyone who read it is into bestiality. Use some logic.

If you were into bestiality, would you post it on Amazon?

I don't know whether to be amused or not.

Has anyone else noticed all the people rating this have no idea what the hell Japan is like? Nine out of ten of them are going "I learned so much about Japan from this novel." Show of hands from everyone who thinks Libbey has ever even been to Japan.

If you were into bestiality, would you post it on Amazon?
Its the Interweb, people here have no shame. Trust me, they'd post about it, and probably walk the same self-righteous line about showing bear love to children through objectification, and about how a sense of brooding helplessness and will actually make them better people.

Maybe because the 12 people who bought the book were into beastiality?
lol

NO

i mean the professional reviewers.

lol

NO

i mean the professional reviewers.
You mean the people paid to talk crap?

lol

NO

i mean the professional reviewers.
Yeah, those newsies are all a bunch of freaks. You know it.

Why did I just get a mental image of Libby in prison, using his own book to teach a tear-filled fellow convict how to read?
With him an Martha Stewart roaming our prison system, I can garuntee you repeat offender rates will drop significantly.

With him an Martha Stewart roaming our prison system, I can garuntee you repeat offender rates will drop significantly.
They will be able to turn an erotic tale with a decorative flourish.

They will be able to turn an erotic tale with a decorative flourish.
It's a gooood thing

If you were into bestiality, would you post it on Amazon?
That's not my point.

If reviews don't talk about bestiality in the book, then bestiality can't be the reason people are buying it. They are either just interested or trust the good reviews. Predictably, most people buying the book will not be into bestiality. What explains the good reviews, excluding the notion that anyone who would read anything by Libby must be an idiot?

That's not my point.

If reviews don't talk about bestiality in the book, then bestiality can't be the reason people are buying it. They are either just interested or trust the good reviews. Predictably, most people buying the book will not be into bestiality. What explains the good reviews, excluding the notion that anyone who would read anything by Libby must be an idiot?
Unless they ignored the Amazon reveiws and bought the book based on rumours they heard of beastiality. Infact my point will be proven if sales go up in the next few days, after people read this thread and wander over to Amazon.

Unless they ignored the Amazon reveiws and bought the book based on rumours they heard of beastiality. Infact my point will be proven if sales go up in the next few days, after people read this thread and wander over to Amazon.
whatever makes you feel justified :)

whatever makes you feel justified :)
Hey, I've won arguements on thiner evidence...

Hey, I've won arguements on thiner evidence...
It doesn't count when the other guy's asleep

That's not my point.

If reviews don't talk about bestiality in the book, then bestiality can't be the reason people are buying it. They are either just interested or trust the good reviews. Predictably, most people buying the book will not be into bestiality. What explains the good reviews, excluding the notion that anyone who would read anything by Libby must be an idiot?

What explains the good reviews is that some of the reviewers are paid to slobber all over the book (a standard practice, not a Republican vs. Democrat issue,)

Also, some of the reviews aren't exactly glowing. There's a subtle...flavor to the Kirkus and Publishers Weekly reviews that isn't exactly complimentary...it sounds more like what a parent would say to their child when trying to be encouraging without exactly lying.

What explains the good reviews is that some of the reviewers are paid to slobber all over the book (a standard practice, not a Republican vs. Democrat issue,)

Also, some of the reviews aren't exactly glowing. There's a subtle...flavor to the Kirkus and Publishers Weekly reviews that isn't exactly complimentary...it sounds more like what a parent would say to their child when trying to be encouraging without exactly lying.
I really just mean the non-paid reviews :X