Delia Owens wanted for murder in Zambia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how this story hasn’t gotten more traction. I hated her book and thought it was racist claptrap. Now I know why.

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Agree. I hated that book.

that book was HORRIBLE. I forced myself to finish it since everyone said how great it was so I assumed I just hadn't got to the good part yet ... nope all bad. I don't understand how it's so well loved.

The same people who loved The Help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how this story hasn’t gotten more traction. I hated her book and thought it was racist claptrap. Now I know why.

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Agree. I hated that book.

that book was HORRIBLE. I forced myself to finish it since everyone said how great it was so I assumed I just hadn't got to the good part yet ... nope all bad. I don't understand how it's so well loved.

Same. How did this book get so much traction?

[Anonymous]

Good riddance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how this story hasn’t gotten more traction. I hated her book and thought it was racist claptrap. Now I know why.

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Agree. I hated that book.

that book was HORRIBLE. I forced myself to finish it since everyone said how great it was so I assumed I just hadn't got to the good part yet ... nope all bad. I don't understand how it's so well loved.

The same people who loved The Help.

I loved the book, but not the help. Uh oh, now what?

I, too, am surprised there wasn’t more of a fuss about her. Sketchy as hell.

[Anonymous]

Book was trite and dumb. No character development. Can’t believe it’s been this celebrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how this story hasn’t gotten more traction. I hated her book and thought it was racist claptrap. Now I know why.

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Agree. I hated that book.

that book was HORRIBLE. I forced myself to finish it since everyone said how great it was so I assumed I just hadn't got to the good part yet ... nope all bad. I don't understand how it's so well loved.

The same people who loved The Help.

I loved the book, but not the help. Uh oh, now what?

I, too, am surprised there wasn’t more of a fuss about her. Sketchy as hell.

I didn’t read the book, but loved the movie “The Help” and so did a lot of other people until Viola Davis spoke up about her regrets and perspective. You live and you learn.

[Anonymous]

Agree with you, OP! Why does the author of American Dirt get trashed but not Delia Owens?

I hated this book, but this is the first thread I’ve found with like mindeds- everyone seems to love the book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with you, OP! Why does the author of American Dirt get trashed but not Delia Owens?

I hated this book, but this is the first thread I’ve found with like mindeds- everyone seems to love the book.

Honest answer: American Dirt was far more problematic, racially, on its face. The racism was right there up front, while WtCS's racism was a bit more buried. It is a primarily a story about white people behaving badly, with badly drawn one-dimension Black characters thrown in for "authenticiity." But when you set the racism in WtCS alongside the white savior colonizer mentality on display in Owens' African adventures, it becomes more clearly a trend.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read the book yet, but I bought a copy at a library book sale for $1 because there was so much praise for it. The over the top praise is also the reason I haven't read it yet (assumed it was overhyped) and based on the comments here I was right. It's probably one of those books I'll try and not be able to finish, like Big Little Lies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with you, OP! Why does the author of American Dirt get trashed but not Delia Owens?

I hated this book, but this is the first thread I’ve found with like mindeds- everyone seems to love the book.

Honest answer: American Dirt was far more problematic, racially, on its face. The racism was right there up front, while WtCS's racism was a bit more buried. It is a primarily a story about white people behaving badly, with badly drawn one-dimension Black characters thrown in for "authenticiity." But when you set the racism in WtCS alongside the white savior colonizer mentality on display in Owens' African adventures, it becomes more clearly a trend.

+1

I listened to the audio book and actually stopped multiple times because it made me uncomfortable. I thought maybe I was just not getting something because it had so many good reviews. But then my book club read it and everyone disliked it. Once I read about the history in Zambia, the things I felt uncomfortable with in the book became even clearer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and I don’t think it matters whether the book is about the murders themselves. What matters is that she and her family behave like old school colonialists toward Zambians they supposedly work alongside. And that this same attitude is thinly veiled in her mega blockbuster with a movie about to make her even more money. How is no one bringing this story up on the eve of the movies release?

Anyone else convinced the movie will be a major flop? I loved the book.

I saw a preview for the film this weekend, and there's a really unfortunate clip of Reese Witherspoon saying that the book is great and all but it's such a thrill to make a movie because that way the story really comes alive.

TF? Movies are better than books?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and I don’t think it matters whether the book is about the murders themselves. What matters is that she and her family behave like old school colonialists toward Zambians they supposedly work alongside. And that this same attitude is thinly veiled in her mega blockbuster with a movie about to make her even more money. How is no one bringing this story up on the eve of the movies release?

Anyone else convinced the movie will be a major flop? I loved the book.

I think it has a chance because there are no other movies it will be competing against other than super heroes and cartoons and I doubt there is much of an audience overlap.

[Anonymous]

The book sucked and if they step foot in Zambia they are never coming back.

[Anonymous]

I saw the article before reading the book and decided to return it. Nope. Too many great books out there to give any of my time or money to Delia Owens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and I don’t think it matters whether the book is about the murders themselves. What matters is that she and her family behave like old school colonialists toward Zambians they supposedly work alongside. And that this same attitude is thinly veiled in her mega blockbuster with a movie about to make her even more money. How is no one bringing this story up on the eve of the movies release?

Anyone else convinced the movie will be a major flop? I loved the book.

I saw a preview for the film this weekend, and there's a really unfortunate clip of Reese Witherspoon saying that the book is great and all but it's such a thrill to make a movie because that way the story really comes alive.

TF? Movies are better than books?

Sometimes. I can think of several movies or shows that were better than the book. And vice versa.