How to Fight for the Department of Education
Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One
You might think life as a standup comedian would be an odd choice for a person with severe dyslexia. For Phil Hanley, who was diagnosed with dyslexia before there were specialized curricula to support individuals with the disorder, comedy was a coping mechanism in an otherwise agonizing childhood. In his new memoir Spellbound, Hanley recounts his childhood—he was diagnosed at the age of 10 and wouldn’t learn to read until many years later—and the unconventional road (runway? He did a stint as a model.) that led him to be a person with a language-related disability whose career hinges on writing, reading, and oral delivery. Spellbound is among my most anticipated reads of the season, and this profile conducted as he was recording the audiobook edition only made me more eager to hear his whole story. Pro tip: the audiobook is included in Spotify Premium.
Why Facebook Wants to Squash That Tell-All Memoir
When I heard that Meta was suing Sarah Wynn-Williams, former global director of public policy and now-whistleblower, over her new book Careless People, I knew it had to be juicy. You don’t risk calling down the Streisand Effect on yourself unless the details are very bad, and friends, now that I’ve read the book, I can confirm they are very bad indeed. If you’re not sure you want to spend several hours making this face 👀 👀 👀, here’s a highlight reel of Wynn-Williams’s tales and Meta’s response. While the tech giant did succeed in forcing Wynn-Williams to temporarily halt promotion of the book, they haven’t done themselves any favors: Careless People sold 60,000 copies in its first week and is sitting at #2 on the Amazon charts as of this writing. May her efforts succeed.
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How to Oppose Abolishing the Department of Education
Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order today aimed at shuttering the Department of Education. Here’s what you need to know:
- Executive orders carry no legal weight by themselves and do not override federal laws.
- The Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, has already begun taking action to shrink and weaken the department, including a 50% reduction in staff, but actually closing a cabinet-level department requires an act of Congress.
- Republicans have introduced a bill (H.R. 899) to terminate the Department of Education. It’s been stuck in committee since January 31. (Need a refresher on how a bill becomes a law?)
- Even if they can get it passed in the House—which is an open question given the GOP’s effective 1-seat majority—approval by the Senate would require a supermajority (60 votes). This means that 7 Democrats would have to sign on. Highly unlikely.
- The best thing you can do is call your representatives in Congress and urge them to protect the Department of Education. 5 Calls has a terrific script. I know you’d rather send an email, but calls matter more. They just do.
- Go to town hall meetings, especially if you have Republican representatives. Remind them that they work for all of their constituents, not just the ones that agree with them.
- Find protests and activism opportunities near you.
- Remember that the best antidotes to political anxiety are information and action. Stop scrolling and go do something.
What We Love and Hate About Talking About Books Online
Traci Thomas, host of the beloved podcast The Stacks, joined me and Jeff O’Neal for a conversation about what we love and hate about talking about books online. Discourse! Algorithms! Community! Discovery!
