Elizabeth A. White has postedreview of Brambleman. Hers is the first cohesive, independent report of the book, and I’m happy to report that she read what I wrote. (For many writers and reviewers, this isn’t always the case.) In summing up, she writes: Like his first novel, Chain Gang Elementary, Jonathan Grant’s highly ambitious and engaging second novel, Brambleman, once again took me somewhere I wasn’t quite expecting. Though the book presents a tremendous amount of historical information about the events of 1912, by constructing the story around the premise Charlie is himself working on a text about the events – a book within the book – it all flows naturally. Indeed, as he did in Chain Gang Elementary Grant demonstrates once…

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George Zimmerman’s attorneys report that they’re off his case, saying they’ve lost contact with him. Zimmerman has set up a fundraising website to help pay his living expenses and attorneys’ fees. Yesterday, the special prosecutor in the case, Angela Corey, announced that she would not present the case of Trayvon Martin’s fatal shooting by Zimmerman to a grand jury. Instead, she will decide whether or not to prosecute. This decision effectively removes first-degree murder as a possible charge, since only a grand jury can make that finding under Florida law. Apparently, Zimmerman has been in contact with the special prosecutor–against his (former?) lawyers’ advice. Read more about Zimmerman’s website here.  

I just finished setting up a book giveaway for both Brambleman and Chain Gang Elementary at Library Thing. This link should work, at least for today, since it’s set to the most recent start date on the giveaways.  I’m giving away 5 paperback copies of Brambleman and a whole bunch (100) eBooks. I’m giving away 10 paperback copies of Chain Gang Elementary and 50 eBooks.  If you aren’t already a member of Library Thing, now’s a good time to join. In the meantime, you can download the book’s beginning and check it out.

Because it could happen here. By the way, a Georgia man who’s been arrested and charged with malice murder is claiming he should be set free under Georgia’s “stand your ground” law.  Police disagree. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A federal lawsuit was filed Monday asking that Georgia’s “stand your ground law” be struck down because it’s vague and could result in a disproportionate number of minorities being shot. Markel Hutchins said in his suit that Georgia’s law  does not specify what circumstances justify deadly force being used in cases of self defense. “It is not clear what actions would create ‘reasonable belief’ that deadly force is necessary,” said the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. “An individual seeking to stand…

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From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: About 10,000 homeless and hungry found food. Hundreds —  needing clothes, medical attention and things as simple as a shampoo and a haircut — found that, and more, Easter Sunday at the Georgia Dome. It was the 10th annual staging of the Hosea Feed the Hungry Easter Fest, carried out by hundreds of volunteers and led by Elisabeth Omilami, daughter of the late civil rights leader Hosea Williams, who four decades ago started a tradition of feeding the homeless on Thanksgiving Day. “If we had been able to get the word out better, maybe we would have had more people here, but this was a tremendous success,” said Omilami, who thanked the Coca-Cola Co. for helping underwrite the…

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A new Gallup poll shows that blacks and non-blacks take widely different views of the Trayvon Martin case: PRINCETON, NJ — Black Americans’ views differ dramatically from those of nonblacks regarding the circumstances involved in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26. Blacks are paying much closer attention to the news of the incident; overwhelmingly believe that George Zimmerman, the individual who shot Martin, is guilty of a crime; believe that racial bias was a major factor in the events leading up to the shooting; and believe that Zimmerman would already have been arrested had the victim been white, not black. Some interesting points: A large majority (721%) of black respondents believed George Zimmerman is “definitely guilty”…

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