Rush Limbaugh Wins Children's Book 'Author Of The Year' Award

William Haskins · May 15, 2014

Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh won the "Author of the Year Award" at the Children's Choice Book Awards for his book Rush Revere and The Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans, in which Rush Revere and a talking horse named Liberty travel back in time to visit the pilgrims. Although the book has never been a critical favorite — accused it of "disdain for even the most rudimentary standards of storytelling" — it has been an enormous commercial success. Four finalists for the award were chosen because of their places on bestseller lists, and the winner was chosen by children's votes. In response to concerns about the list of finalists announced in March, the prize organizers — Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader -– had released a delicately worded statement: This program has never been about CBC or ECAR endorsing finalists. It has always been about CBC and ECAR endorsing young readers and giving them a choice and a voice on a national scale." In , Limbaugh said, "I love America. I wish everybody did. I hope everybody will. It's one of the most fascinating stories in human history...and it's a delight and it's an opportunity to try to share that story with young people so they can grow and learn to love and appreciate the country in which they're growing up and will someday run and lead and inherit."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...wins-children-s-book-author-of-the-year-award

robjvargas · May 15, 2014

If a book sells, then it sells. And if an award is about it selling, then so be it.

William Haskins · May 15, 2014

Four finalists for the award were chosen because of their places on bestseller lists, and the winner was chosen by children's votes.

the award is about the children's choice, albeit from a list based on commercial success.

the question is really whether the children voted for the book of their own volition or were browbeaten into it by their tea-parents.

clintl · May 15, 2014

I bet there's nothing in there about the Pilgrims' War on Christmas.

William Haskins · May 15, 2014

it also neglects to tell how rush revere showed up at the first thanksgiving and pestered everyone by constantly whispering, "can you get me some vicoden?"

Torgo · May 15, 2014

*sigh*

Rush's book is worse than Glenn Beck's, and Glenn Beck's made me nostalgic for my last serious hangover.

Roxxsmom · May 15, 2014

William Haskins said:
it also neglects to tell how rush revere showed up at the first thanksgiving and pestered everyone by constantly whispering, "can you get me some vicoden?"

What, they don't have that here in the 17th century?

Oh, and he was probably saying, "What?" a lot too.

William Haskins · May 15, 2014

Cyia · May 15, 2014

Depending on their age, kids tend to vote on few factors.

1 - placement in line. Give a small child a list of random things and tell them to pick one. Most will pick the last thing they hear.

2 - appearance. Give a child a set of images and tell them to pick one. They'll pick the funniest or most colorful. Google shows the covers of his books to be fairly colorful and cartoonish.

Neither of these means the kid read the book, or had it read to them. It means they were handed a list and told to pick something from it.

Lyv · May 15, 2014

Rush campaigned pretty hard for this honor and had a link on his page to the voting page. As voting is closed, I can't verify what the procedure was, so I don't know if any old adult could just cast a vote for his book.

Has anyone actually looked at the book? At the artwork? I don't know what kids like, but having taken a peek on Amazon, I can't see it as terribly popular with children.

Roxxsmom · May 15, 2014

I'm wondering what those freedom-loving puritans did when they discovered he was riding a bewitched horse?

And speaking for my own childhood, any books with these kinds of illustrations would have been a big hit

emax100 · May 15, 2014

What we need are children's books written by Penn and Teller, Henry Rollins, Neal Boortz, Wil Wheaton,Dave Barry,Bill Cosby, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Then the kids could get life lessons they need to hear at the age when they especially need them.

Maxx · May 15, 2014

Roxxsmom said:
What, they don't have that here in the 17th century?

Oh, and he was probably saying, "What?" a lot too.

Finding books for children isn't easy, it seems. I saw the Rush book, but since my daughter at that point would only read about pirates or the Royal Navy, it really was a non-starter. She has now moved on to Dragons and killer whales after briefly being troubled by the defeat of the armada of 1588, which struck her as very unlikely given the Superior spanish beard styling as seen in some very nice illustrations with a certain amount of authenticity.

Given her preference for Roman Catholic haberdashery and such of the period in Question, if she had come across the time-traveling Rush, she would have referred him to the Inquisition and not the proper Brownian Authorities in Leyden, though it seems either set of religious examiners might have burned poor Rush and the horse he rode in on.

emax100 · May 15, 2014

Maxx said:
Finding books for children isn't easy, it seems. I saw the Rush book, but since my daughter at that point would only read about pirates or the Royal Navy, it really was a non-starter. She has now moved on to Dragons and killer whales after briefly being troubled by the defeat of the armada of 1588, which struck her as very unlikely given the Superior spanish beard styling as seen in some very nice illustrations with a certain amount of authenticity.

Given her preference for Roman Catholic haberdashery and such of the period in Question, if she had come across the time-traveling Rush, she would have referred him to the Inquisition and not the proper Brownian Authorities in Leyden, though it seems either set of religious examiners might have burned poor Rush and the horse he rode in on.

This is why children's books can be one of the hardest to write as well; children can be the most demanding, unforgiving and impatient audience you will ever find and so unfortunately, attempting to write a children's book can be the literary equivalent of getting in a boxing ring with a championship contender.

As far as Rush winning this award, well, meh, there's no proof of any undeerhanded tactics on Rush's part [this time ...] and so I don't see much than can be done if someone were to feel the need to protest this somehow.

Maxx · May 15, 2014

emax100 said:
This is why children's books can be one of the hardest to write as well; children can be the most demanding, unforgiving and impatient audience you will ever find and so unfortunately, attempting to write a children's book can be the literary equivalent of getting in a boxing ring with a championship contender.

As far as Rush winning this award, well, meh, there's no proof of any undeerhanded tactics on Rush's part [this time ...] and so I don't see much than can be done if someone were to feel the need to protest this somehow.

I don't feel any impulse to castigate Rush himself, poor dear, but I do think it is unlikely that your average child would pick such a book when stories featuring dragons or pirates or killer whales or Spanish Galleons or the Royal Navy are on hand.

Williebee · May 15, 2014

emax100 said:
What we need are children's books written by Penn and Teller, Henry Rollins, Neal Boortz, Wil Wheaton,Dave Barry,Bill Cosby, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Then the kids could get life lessons they need to hear at the age when they especially need them.

Yup. And this might just cause that to happen. If so? Yay Rush.

William Haskins · May 15, 2014

oh the burps i can burp, by neal boortz

robeiae · May 15, 2014

Torgo said:
*sigh*

Rush's book is worse than Glenn Beck's, and Glenn Beck's made me nostalgic for my last serious hangover.

I used to listen to Glenn Beck from time to time, mostly because I found him entertaining (this was years ago). I stopped almost entirely because he started pimping his book--The Christmas Sweater--almost non-stop on the show. It was crap radio.

Limbaugh has gone down the same road with this kids book. His show is no longer entertaining in the least because he brings up the book constantly.

I have no idea if it is good or bad. It could be great. But I don't want to hear about it nonstop on a talk radio show...

kuwisdelu · May 15, 2014

Ugh, oh, dear god, I was afraid of this.

This is an abomination of a book that reinforces anti-Indian stereotypes, white-washes early American history, and promotes manifest destiny.

Debbie Reese said:
The point is, Limbaugh's book is a factual misrepresentation of history that Limbaugh is donating to schools. How are teachers using it? I think we ought to know.

I will not be surprised if Limbaugh wins the contest when kids vote. They seem to like the horse. Some people seem to think it doesn't matter what kids read, as long as they read. Others, of course, agree with Limbaugh's political views and, no doubt, pass those views on to their children.

As CBC's open letter indicates, they will be revising their criteria. With Limbaugh on the short list for Author of the Year, their credibility is suddenly in question. I had concerns with CBC prior to this when I saw books that stereotype American Indians on CBC Diversity's bookshelf at Goodreads. Amongst those books is Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins, which is one of the best selling children's books of all time. It is fraught with problems in the ways that O'Dell presents his Native character. I asked that it be removed, but that could not be done. As some have said, what I call a stereotype, someone else views as a role model.

Perhaps Limbaugh's book will push CBC to think more critically about the distinctions between quality, viewpoint, and quantity--especially as census data points to the rapid change in majority/minority statistics and the country tries to recognize all of its citizens.

I don't even... Coming in the middle of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, this is a tragedy.

emax100 said:
As far as Rush winning this award, well, meh, there's no proof of any undeerhanded tactics on Rush's part [this time ...] and so I don't see much than can be done if someone were to feel the need to protest this somehow.

I don't know whether you would consider it underhanded or not, but he did stack the odds in his favor by buying 15,000 copies of his own book to donate to school libraries, something which presumably most children's authors cannot afford to do.

Roxxsmom · May 15, 2014

Too bad Liberty didn't turn out to be one of those fae horses from mythology--the ones that whisk you away to a magical land where a day ages you twenty years.

vsrenard · May 15, 2014

Good for him. Sucks to be the rest of us.

vsrenard · May 15, 2014

emax100 said:
What we need are children's books written by Penn and Teller, Henry Rollins, Neal Boortz, Wil Wheaton,Dave Barry,Bill Cosby, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Then the kids could get life lessons they need to hear at the age when they especially need them.

No, we don't. They might be very good at what they do for an adult audience (and that is also debatable) but writing for kids is a totally different bag.

kuwisdelu · May 15, 2014

vsrenard said:
Good for him. Sucks to be the rest of us.

Yes, it sucks to be the children who will believe his despicable misrepresentations of history and harmfully stereotypical portrayals of Native peoples.

TerzaRima · May 15, 2014

it also neglects to tell how rush revere showed up at the first thanksgiving and pestered everyone by constantly whispering, "can you get me some vicoden?"

Frog and Toad Go Burn One Down

Are You There, God? It's Me, Alimony

vsrenard · May 15, 2014

kuwisdelu said:
Yes, it sucks to be the children who will believe his despicable misrepresentations of history and harmfully stereotypical portrayals of Native peoples.

This is where I would say it's the parents' responsibility to review what their kids read, but then it is the adults who gave this moron the stage he has to spew his crap from.

Rush Limbaugh Wins Children's Book 'Author Of The Year' Award

poet

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Represent.

poet

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Beastly Fido

poet

Rewriting My Destiny

I meant to do that.

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Got the hang of it, here

Got the hang of it, here

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

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Touch and go

Revolutionize the World

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Watching the Whales

Watching the Whales

Revolutionize the World

Absinthe O'Malice

Watching the Whales