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I was at my desk last week when I got a phone call from my publicist.
She told me, “We won’t be releasing this book until after it is banned in China,” referring to the “Chinese Democracy” book.
The album that was to be the title of my book about the Kurt Cobain biography had been released six months ago.
My phone started ringing immediately.
“I wanted to send you an envelope with this book,” one email read. “The fact is, you’ve been censored in China.”
What astonished me the most is that after “Blunt Force Trauma” had been banned from Chinese music stores, and then from party newspapers, you’d think Chinese people would have realized that I had lived in China for two years.
But they don’t. Here’s my real message to the people of China: Be more open.
I’m not saying that China should be like Switzerland, but if they think that their censorship is hurting sales — or trying to hurt my sales in China — they might want to read my book.
It is not the Chinese. It is westerners that are hurting Chinese culture.
After the New York Times ran a scathing review of “Red Dawn,” the latest book by Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, saying that it was just like “extremist propaganda” in China, seven well-known Chinese intellectuals wrote an open letter to the New York Times saying that it was insulting the authors in their human rights and Chinese literature. They said it shows contempt for the writers and “humanity” in China.
Perhaps the Chinese people could get together and tell the New York Times to not publish those books — something that could hurt their sales.
What about the Russian Federation and its championing of fake news? Isn’t that the same thing?
Maybe the Russian people could reach out to their readers and advertisers and tell the New York Times to stop promoting the fake news.
Are there enough Chinese and Russian subscribers or advertisers to make a difference?
I have no doubt that, as the daughter of a Swiss mother and an American father, I have a head start over the average Chinese woman when it comes to marketing. So here’s to expanding the limits of human freedoms.
I’m here for the ones who are always moaning that they have nothing to read.
And I want to make a splash in Texas.
I’m interested in expanding women’s voices. And women’s perspective.
I’m interested in getting into the Texas crowd, where they are eager to hear about how women can put their hands where their mouths are and dare to ask tough questions.
They might be appalled, I’m sure, by the violence that’s going on with Texas.
Yes, Texas, it’s okay. For me. After all, I’m a woman.
P.S. If you want to be part of this powerful movement and have your books blocked, check out my Facebook page, or DM me on Twitter. Or email me at [email protected].
I have a book on the way.