Comments on: My Thoughts on the Alice Hoffman Twitter Controversy

By: Reader#9

Reader#9 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:37:28 +0000

But you still have to agree this was a seriously classless thing to do, no matter how Hoffman attempts to justify her actions.

If you want to note anything about this incident, note that Ms. Silman has chosen not to respond at all.

By: sam

sam — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:06:22 +0000

All I can say is don’t believe everything you read. Ms Silman’s # is not unlisted. It comes up when you google her. The unlisted notation was added in this site [Gawker] to make the story seem worse.

By: Shelley P

Shelley P — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:49:03 +0000

I accept that creativity in all forms can bring a lot of eccentricity with it, and passion. For me, it depends on the individual circumstances and type of ‘transgression’. {As you’ve suggested, PCN, molestation or dog-ring fights would definitely put me off for life.}

By: SCRIPTPIMP

SCRIPTPIMP — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:15:45 +0000

Okay, got all the info, did the research and am now ready to comment….WTF???? Is Hoffman off her meds or what? That is some crazya** Sh**!! If I hadn’t read it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. However, I am now mildly curious and will probably pull a copy of The Story Sisters off the shelf and read the first chapter just to see if I can see the insanity in the pages she writes. SO, if it WAS a publicity stunt (which, I mean really?….Wouldn’t the reviewer have to be in on it as well? Otherwise there’s gotta be some kind of lawsuit in the making.) it kind of worked in a half-assed way.

By: popculturenerd

popculturenerd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:56:54 +0000

Yikes. I wouldn’t touch Mein Kampf.

Would you read a humor book by Alec Baldwin after hearing that tape of him verbally abusing his daughter?

By: popculturenerd

popculturenerd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:52:59 +0000

You’re right, Poncho. It depends on what the person did. Throwing a tantrum and calling names isn’t the same as, say, molesting a child or running a dog-fighting ring. I also think it depends on how big a fan I am of somebody and how great that person’s talent is. If J.K. Rowling started abusing waiters, I’d be disappointed but still first in line to read her next book.

By: popculturenerd

popculturenerd — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:43:08 +0000

Wow, Corey, I hadn’t even considered it might all be a publicity stunt. If so, I’d say it failed, at least with me, because I feel less inclined to pick up her book now. A mistake is one thing but I hate being manipulated.

By: Corey Wilde

Corey Wilde — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:13:30 +0000

Ms Hoffman didn’t display much grace, true, and giving out anyone’s unlisted number on a social network page is an obvious faux pas. She is right about one thing though: However qualified a critic Ms Silman may be, too much of the plot was given away in that review.

A writer has the right, maybe even the responsibility, to stand up for her work. One doesn’t do it by namecalling and posting telephone numbers and so on. But I’m so cynical. I believe Alice Hoffman is not a stupid woman. Would she do something like this to ramp up sales? You know the saying about all publicity being good publicity.

By: Poncho

Poncho — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:28:25 +0000

I don’t know, I think for me it really depends on what the actor/writer/whatever did, although I try to keep my oppinions on the persona apart from what I think of their work. But sometimes it’s like you wrote.

If I find an author to be dull as a person, I would think his work is as dull as himself. For example, one of my favorite writers, German Dehesa (he has a column in the Reforma newspaper), is just as sarcastic, intelligent and witty in real life, so you couldn’t expect less from his work.

And about their controversies, I think it depends on the degree of the controversy. As far as I’m informed, the thing with Bale is that he’s got a temper -terrible, and with possibly horrible consequences- but I’ve heard he’s apologized and tried to make ammends. His mistakes only make him human. The thing about Alice Hoffman, however, seems to me as verging on the limits of being a stalker, and she hasn’t really stopped harassing Silman.

You know? If I made someone angry, I’d rather be yelled at -or even hit-, and then recieve an apology or whatever, than be harassed and stalked and made my life impossible by him/her as a result.

I don’t really know. The fact that I try not to think about them makes MY life easier, you know? I don’t really care if Van Gogh was crazy enough to cut his own ear, I just enjoy his painting.

By: Reader#9

Reader#9 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:03:28 +0000

While I wouldn’t necessarily read Hitler’s Mein Kampf, I try to keep the personalities/public persona of authors out of the decision making process when it comes to choosing my next book to read. Although, I do get what you are saying completely.

I mean, the brain wants what it wants, right?