Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’ and 5 Other Unexpected Political Interpretations of Famous Books

By Jason Diamond on Jan 31, 2014 - Flavorwire

Saul Alinsky, the community organizer and author of the book Rules for Radicals, was born on this day in 1909. If you haven’t been involved in political activism, you might recognize Alinsky’s name from the 2008 presidential election, when he was cited over and over as an influence on Barack Obama. A year later, it was reported that leaders in the Tea Party had also started using Alinsky’s book for their own organizational needs. Probably not what the author had in mind. But Alinsky’s isn’t the only book that has been used for political purposes they may not have been intended to serve; here are five others that have been interpreted in ways that range from inspiring to horrifying. … Read More

Leah Vincent, Deborah Feldman, and Our Cultural Fascination With Orthodox Jewish Memoirs

By Jason Diamond on Jan 30, 2014  - Flavorwire

Memoirs are a minefield for everybody involved. In these post-James Frey times, authors often have to deflect accusations of fibbing or embellishing facts. Readers, meanwhile, risk learning that any given memoir could be penned by somebody who just isn’t a very good writer, and they’ve wasted hours trying and failing to pry open an oyster in hopes of finding a great big pearl. 
I enjoy a good memoir if done properly, but tend to be skeptical of them unless I’m familiar with the writer’s work or particularly interested in their story. Let’s face it: there are a whole lot of bad memoirs out there. … Read More