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The Curious Incident of Irresponsible Fiction

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MrXxx
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07 Dec 2011, 1:13 pm

Trouble is, people WILL take is as accurate. The author of The Davinci Code made it plain as day the book was pure fiction, yet millions still take it seriously.


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Asp-Z
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07 Dec 2011, 1:15 pm

MrXxx wrote:
Trouble is, people WILL take is as accurate. The author of The Davinci Code made it plain as day the book was pure fiction, yet millions still take it seriously.


I know, fans of the Bible often have the same problem ;)

That's their problem, not the problem of fiction authors, though.



MrXxx
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07 Dec 2011, 3:22 pm

Drown all the worms you want. I'm not interested in bait.


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07 Dec 2011, 3:28 pm

can this thread please take a happier tone


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Jory
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07 Dec 2011, 3:34 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
That's their problem, not the problem of fiction authors, though.


I think the issue has less to do with how the author handles AS in the book and more to do with how he handles it outside the book. He wrote a character who was clearly meant to have AS, and it's a very inaccurate portrayal. As he correctly points out, the A word is never used in the book. Fine. But he allowed the A word to be used extensively in the advertising for the book and on the cover. He was writing "an Asperger's book" and he knew it. He knew that NT people were getting their misconceptions about AS from his book. When was he planning to finally speak up? He waited until enough people started to complain about it being an inaccurate and offensive portrayal of AS, and he tried to backpedal and claim that it was never supposed to be an accurate portrayal of Asperger's. And yet I'll bet you $50 that he won't lift a finger in the future to convince his publisher to stop using the A word on the cover and advertising it as a book about someone with Asperger's.



Asp-Z
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07 Dec 2011, 3:39 pm

Jory wrote:
Asp-Z wrote:
That's their problem, not the problem of fiction authors, though.


I think the issue has less to do with how the author handles AS in the book and more to do with how he handles it outside the book. He wrote a character who was clearly meant to have AS, and it's a very inaccurate portrayal. As he correctly points out, the A word is never used in the book. Fine. But he allowed the A word to be used extensively in the advertising for the book and on the cover. He was writing "an Asperger's book" and he knew it. He knew that NT people were getting their misconceptions about AS from his book. When was he planning to finally speak up? He waited until enough people started to complain about it being an inaccurate and offensive portrayal of AS, and he tried to backpedal and claim that it was never supposed to be an accurate portrayal of Asperger's. And yet I'll bet you $50 that he won't lift a finger in the future to convince his publisher to stop using the A word on the cover and advertising it as a book about someone with Asperger's.


From le Wiki:

Quote:
Haddon added that he "slightly regret[s]" that the term Asperger's syndrome appeared on the cover of his novel. More recently, in an interview with The Independent, however, he stated that he is "now thoroughly irritated" that this term appeared on the cover because people imagined that he was an expert on the subject and kept contacting and asking him to appear at lectures about autism.[4]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_curiou ... night_time

Seems to me like he's not too pleased with the matter himself.



MrXxx
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07 Dec 2011, 3:43 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
From le Wiki:

Quote:
Haddon added that he "slightly regret[s]" that the term Asperger's syndrome appeared on the cover of his novel. More recently, in an interview with The Independent, however, he stated that he is "now thoroughly irritated" that this term appeared on the cover because people imagined that he was an expert on the subject and kept contacting and asking him to appear at lectures about autism.[4]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_curiou ... night_time

Seems to me like he's not too pleased with the matter himself.


WELL then. Glad to hear that. :D Never occurred to me that he may not have been responsible for the cover etc. Marketers. :evil:


Still, damage done, but whatchagonnado? :shrug:


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Jory
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07 Dec 2011, 3:54 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
Seems to me like he's not too pleased with the matter himself.


Good. The next step is to tell his publisher to stop using the A word on the cover and in the advertising. Until he does that, his "irritation" is just PR spin to satisfy the people complaining about it.



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07 Dec 2011, 3:56 pm

Jory wrote:
Asp-Z wrote:
Seems to me like he's not too pleased with the matter himself.


Good. The next step is to tell his publisher to stop using the A word on the cover and in the advertising. Until he does that, his "irritation" is just PR spin to satisfy the people complaining about it.


The publisher is unlikely to listen considering that the fact Asperger's was used to market the book made it a fair bit popular than it otherwise would have been.



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07 Dec 2011, 7:40 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
Jory wrote:
Asp-Z wrote:
Seems to me like he's not too pleased with the matter himself.


Good. The next step is to tell his publisher to stop using the A word on the cover and in the advertising. Until he does that, his "irritation" is just PR spin to satisfy the people complaining about it.


The publisher is unlikely to listen considering that the fact Asperger's was used to market the book made it a fair bit popular than it otherwise would have been.
the book was pure s***. i read it for school. my whole class probably thinks i'm like that now. i have to admit his excuse sounds pretty dumb because he must have at least some control over his marketing campaign.



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08 Dec 2011, 3:13 pm

If it had been on Oprah's book list, we would be doomed!



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08 Dec 2011, 4:00 pm

shrox wrote:
If it had been on Oprah's book list, we would be doomed!
knowing how these things go it probably will be soon.



lau
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08 Dec 2011, 6:51 pm

The book is excellent.

Just because the central character does not have your flavour of autism, that's no reason to complain about it.


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08 Dec 2011, 6:51 pm

lau wrote:
The book is excellent.

Just because the central character does not have your flavour of autism, that's no reason to complain about it.


This.



MrXxx
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08 Dec 2011, 7:54 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
lau wrote:
The book is excellent.

Just because the central character does not have your flavour of autism, that's no reason to complain about it.


This.


Well, I haven't even read it, and that's probably an even better reason. 8)


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Ann2011
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08 Dec 2011, 8:01 pm

I liked Christopher and I liked the book. I didn't identify 100% with him, but I wouldn't expect to.