The new (fictional) book from Curtis Sittenfeld, author of board school bible Prep, is American Wife, the thinly veiled retelling of Laura Bush's life that most gossip types would love to believe the White House is very concerned about. But when the book hits in September, it will be a blip on the media radar; Sittenfeld will be lucky to score a sit down on The Early Show. Her main character, Alice Blackwell, is a librarian whose husband Charlie finds himself manning the Oval Office. Blackwell learns her grandmother is a lesbian (this is taboo), kills her high school sweetheart at 16 (sort of like Laura did when she was involved in a fatal car accident), sleeps with his brother, finds herself in a family way, and aborts the fetus (this would anger pro-life types, like Laura Bush). And then there are the sex scenes, like the one of Bush — sorry, Charlie — finding himself between his wife's legs. Reading it makes us very uncomfortable, because we like our president unethical and stupid, not horny and giving of himself. CONTINUED »
With the pope safely out of sight, Bush administration liaisons Laura and Jenna are free to hit the 92nd Street Y to promote Read All About It!, a picturebook for kids that comes on the heels of Ana's Story, a non-fiction manuscript that was met with a collective thud by everyone except daytime TV. It's all a part of Laura's push for literacy, a cause that's also been met with a collective thud. [92Y]
Just as we predicted a mere three months (and three days) ago, Jenna Bush is officially engaged to her longtime flame, Henry Hager.
In order to commemorate this happy occasion, CNN does a long, sort-of boring story on the couple's announcement, relying heavily on this recycled photograph of First Lady Laura Bush picking her nose.
• Laura Bush and her daughter, Jenna to write a children's book; President George W. Bush to have trouble reading it.
• It's a sad day for Marie Claire.
• Feds are fighting uphill battle to deny you of your daily internet porn supplement.
• Take my Rodale, please!
• From the LA Times: "When the shrinkage of print editions is accompanied by shrinking coverage of world news, the world around us gets smaller and smaller until it contains little more than local scandals and the latest celebrity gossip." Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• Watch out, cable news. You know you're in trouble when even the internet geeks think you're "uncool."
Editorial Director
