Street Lit in the NYT

Urban fiction, street lit, gangsta lit.  Whatever you want to call it (and I think we should all call it gangsta lit.  Say it with me now: GANGsta lit.  Oh yeah, you’re down.), it’s pretty hot even in our suburban library system. 

The New York Times thinks so too, and recently published a story on the topic–From the Streets to the Libraries–which has been making the rounds among librarians in the know. 

It’s an interesting article and gives some interesting perspective about the genre.  But one thing the article kind of skates over is the loss factor.  It’s mentioned briefly: “the library’s embrace has been great for business, since libraries buy multiple copies and reorder when they wear out or disappear.”  But that’s it.  And I think that’s a big concern for many libraries–especially in uncertain economic times when budgets may not allow for replacement.

For more, check out the always entertaining comments section.  (Apparently many readers are a little offended that libraries are still being described as “prim”!  Yeah!)  One commentor also posted a link to ringShout: A Place for Black Literature, which has a great list of contemporary black literature. 

So what are YOUR thoughts on gangsta lit?

Roman a Clefs

Roman a Clefs (or Novel with a Key) are novels describing real-life behind a façade of fiction.  (Thank you, Wikipedia for the excellent description!)   These novels can be deliciously trashy at their best, and fun reading even at their worst.  Two of the most popular of recent years were The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, about a woman working for a thinly fictionalized Vogue magazine and its editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, and The Nanny Diaries about nannying for the denizens of the Upper East Side. 

The publishing industry is particularly rich in these novels.  There’s Because She Can by Birdie Clark (based on notorious publisher Judith Regan), Falling Out of Fashion by Karen Yampolsky (an admiring portrayal of Jane Pratt), and Little Pink Slips by Sally Koslow (based on the fallout after Rosie O’Donnell took over McCall’s).    A particularly dishy and fun Hollywood roman a clef is The Twins of Tribeca by Rachel Pine.  This is hilarious reading for anyone interested in the movie industry as it provides a skewering look at the endlessly fascinating Weinstein brothers.  (Carol J.)

Confessions of a Children’s Librarian

I love the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  Yes, it’s teen vampire romance with a few werewolves thrown in for excitement, but the dialog is well written and the plot zooms along so fast, you waste 2 hours without even trying.  I read the first book in 3 days, the second book in 4, and the 3rd book in 2.  And I have two kids under age 4. 

It’s scary to admit loving something so trivial to one’s peers, but doesn’t everyone have at least one book or author they’re embarrassed to admit they like?  Don’t YOU?  (Ann W.)