Sideshow: Obama is a winner in book sales, too
Barack Obama is the hottest name in publishing. On the weekend after he became the country's first black president-elect, Obama's The Audacity of Hope and Dreams From My Father, which are already million-book sellers, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble's Web site.
Barack Obama
is the hottest name in publishing.
On the weekend after he became the country's first black president-elect, Obama's The Audacity of Hope and Dreams From My Father, which are already million-book sellers, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble's Web site.
Both hardcover and paperback editions of Audacity of Hope were out of stock yesterday on Amazon. Sales are up even in Arizona, home state of Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.
Demand also has surged for Change We Can Believe In, a collection of Obama's speeches and policy proposals that had been selling modestly; for Barack Obama in His Own Words; and for such works about him as Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope, a children's book by Nikki Grimes, and Obama's Challenge, Robert Kuttner's call for a sweeping, progressive economic agenda.
More good reads
Philip Hensher
's
The Northern Clemency
is a British novel that as of yesterday had yet to attract any customer reviews on Amazon.com. But the online retailer's staff reviewers have made it Amazon's book of the year.
"Its unpredictable and beautifully observed story of two families in Sheffield, England, reminded us of writers from Jonathan Franzen to Anne Tyler . . .," senior books editor Tom Nissley said in a statement.
Next on the list are Hurry Down Sunshine, Michael Greenberg's memoir about his daughter's mental illness; and Nixonland, Rick Perlstein's review of Richard Nixon's impact on American politics.
'Madagascar' roars
Families herded into movie theaters for another trek with stranded zoo animals, as the animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa led the weekend with a $63.5 million debut, according to studio estimates released yesterday.
The haul for the DreamWorks Animation comedy far surpassed the $47.2 million debut for Madagascar over Memorial Day weekend in 2005.
Premiering in second place with $19.3 million was the Universal Pictures comedy Role Models, starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd.
The weekend's other wide release, the Weinstein Co. music comedy Soul Men, opened weakly with $5.6 million, despite the lure of Samuel L. Jackson and his late costars, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, who died last summer.