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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Ocean Vuong Gets the Oprah Win
Oprah announced yesterday that Ocean Vuong’s new novel The Emperor of Gladness is her latest book club pick. She called the story of odd-couple friendship between a 19-year-old man facing a mental health crisis and an elderly woman with dementia “poetic literature” (no surprise there, Vuong is also an acclaimed poet), praising it as “some of the most beautiful writing I’ve experienced.” Already one of the most-anticipated new releases of the season, The Emperor of Gladness also earned one of the more inscrutable reviews I’ve seen from the NYT lately. A nod from Ms. Winfrey is an undeniable win, but I can’t help but wonder how it will land with the hipster crowd who propelled Vuong to Literary It-Boy status in 2019 on the release of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. This is one to watch.
Brooms Down, Fangs Out
Cynthia Erivo is set to play 23 roles in a new one-woman production of Dracula heading to London’s West End next year. I’m supposed to make a reference to Erivo’s blockbuster success in Wicked right here, but it’s her recent adventure playing identical quintuplets in the opening episode of the new season of Poker Face that really has me stoked for the possibilities. This will be Erivo’s first time on stage since her Tony Award-winning turn as Celie in The Color Purple ended in 2017. The new Dracula adaptation comes from the team behind Succession star Sarah Snook’s widely praised one-woman performance of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Walk the Walk
Edinburgh-based tour company Street Historians is replacing its popular Harry Potter tours with LGBTQ+ history walks for Pride Month in response to J.K. Rowling’s stance on trans rights. Founder Fraser Horn stated that, “There’s an increasing amount of negativity around the series which is making it much harder to conjure up affection.” He also emphasized tour providers’ responsibility to cultivate welcoming and inclusive environments for marginalized communities. Whether the Harry Potter tours will return after Pride remains to be determined, as the Street Historians “are having internal discussions.” Horn acknowledges feeling torn between the series’ legacy and Rowling’s harmful comments, noting that “There comes a point where it’s harder to justify.” That says it all. Here’s hoping this will become a permanent change.
Creating a Fantasy League for Books
What would a fantasy league for books even look like? Sharifah Williams and Professor Laura McGrath joined me and Jeff O’Neal to draw up rules, talk strategy, and draft teams of 2025 new releases on today’s episode of the Book Riot Podcast. It’s fun and chaotic, and yes, you can draft your own team.
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