No ‘Christian version’ of Palin memoir after all Going Rogue, Sarah Palin’s forthcoming memoir that is already a bestseller before its November 17th release, will not be accompanied by a “Christian edition” as previously thought. In August, Vanity Fair reported that Palin’s memoir was “to be published … not only by HarperCollins but also in a special edition by Zondervan, the Bible-publishing house, that may include supplemental material on faith.” However, Zondervan publicity director Karen Campbell today told U. S. News & World Report that “Zondervan never planned on publishing a separate Christian edition of Going Rogue with supplemental material. From what I understand,” she said, “it was misreporting.”
Reported rape hits 20-year low Thanks to advances in DNA technology, the rate of reported rapes has hit a 20-year low. According to USA Today, the FBI estimates that 89,000 women reported being raped in 2008—29 women for every 100,000 people. That’s down from a high of 109,062 reported rapes in 1992, or 43 women for every 100,000 people. Scott Berkowitz, president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, a victims’ advocacy group, noted that new technology helps prosecutors put away many rapists after their first offense, preventing them from harming others. Additionally, he noted, the past 20 years have seen a shift in public awareness. “There is a much greater understanding that this is a crime,” he said, and women are now more likely to report a rape without fear of judgment or disbelief.
Memoir describes 15 abortions in 16 years Yesterday marked the release of Irene Vilar’s memoir Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict, which describes her 15 abortions in a span of 16 years. Other Press, a small publisher in New York, is publishing the book 51 other houses turned down. Publisher Judith Gurewich, who is also a practicing psychoanalyst, offered this interpretation:
I never saw this story as having much to do with abortion, except that it happened to be the target of her pathology or her neurosis. Her behaviour is very, very similar to anorexia or bulimia. It’s some kind of an addiction where she wants to impose her own rule on her own body. The fact that, of course, this involves a more complicated target makes it rather different.
Miscarriage announced on Twitter causes a stir An interesting side note in the abortion debate: Penelope Trunk, the chief executive of a blog called Brazen Careerist, has been at the center of much debate after posting on her Twitter account, “I’m in a board meeting. Having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there’s an [expletive] 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin.” Kathleen Parker at The Washington Post wrote a response highlighting the very real grief that many couples experience after a miscarriage.
Letterman accused of sexual harassment National Organization for Women (NOW) president Terry O’Neill issued a statement today calling out talk show host and comedian David Letterman for “setting the tone for his entire workplace … with sex” and noted that the controversy has “raised serious issues about the abuse of power leading to an inappropriate, if not hostile, workplace environment for women and employees.” Letterman offered an on-air apology to his wife and staff on Monday after allegations of sexual harassment amid news that he carried on affairs with several staffers.
