Episode 3: The Horror! The Horror! with David Hajdu, Mary Roach, Louis P. Masur and David Gilmour

About this episode

Four nonfiction writers put a fresh spin on the timeless and provocative issues of censorship, race, and sex.

Featured books by authors in this episode

The Ten-Cent Plague
David Hajdu
» Buy
Bonk
Mary Roach
» Buy
The Soiling Of Old Glory
Louis Masur
» Buy
The Film Club
David Gilmour
» Buy

Comments on this episode

Sue's picture

This is the third episode of

This is the third episode of Titlepage that I've watched, and it just gets better and better. I don't typically read a lot of non-fiction, other than memoirs, but all four authors were very interesting. I love the format, and the convenience of being able to watch it according to my own schedule (for me, that's usually while I eat lunch). Dan does a great job as host and interviewer. In this episode, I especially enjoyed the interaction between authors and more in-depth discussion toward the end. Thanks for a wonderful, thought-provoking show.

Kevin's picture

As the father of a teen, I

As the father of a teen, I must say that I don't always agree with what David G is doing with his son but I found The Film Club to be such a lovable book because of its honesty and charms.

BookShorts's picture

Kudo's to Titlepage, for

Kudo's to Titlepage, for bringing quality and conversation back to screen! And in the most sensible way - online - where discussion can flow as freely from audience to guest as the talk does between the folks on set. A big strength of the format is, I agree with the others here, the interaction between writers, especially as the programmers seem quite committed to "mixing it up," in the best possible way.

Am looking forward to the next episodes.

WmAnthony's picture

Big life questions can be

Big life questions can be raised through film, as Don Officer, suggests; sadly movies also provide the corresponding images and the answer to go along with these queries (images and solutions provided not created), helping to wilt the ability of young minds to deal with cognitive dissonance and assists only to atrophy the muscle of imagination. The Feelies, any one?

Don Officer's picture

I found your first

I found your first non-fiction conversation very interesting and provocative (in a good way). The lurking question about the unwholesome side of comic books and other aspects of the darker nature of popular culture bookmarks a particular point of notation. Are these authors just less afraid of censorship than most of their compatriots used to be or do they think we've all boarded a runaway train?

Please let me respond to some of the other postings. As a retired high school teacher, I can fully empathize with David Gilmour and his son. Much extraneous information, insidious pressure and plain vile nonsense is continuously shoveled at students every day - good intentions notwithstanding. It's insulting to suggest that most reasonably bright and sensitive kids won't easily compensate for time spent in a sanity saving sabattical. Furthermore, it's pure snobbery to imply the big life questions that constitute a real education aren't accesible via the movies.

David Gilmour introduced The Film Club last fall at the Ottawa International Writers Festival and you can see the podcast of that talk at: http://www.writersfestival.org/
I'm moderating the online disussion threads for the upcoming Festival session which you can reach through the same address. Incidentally, our opening reader on April 13 will be Samantha Power. You may recall how she managed to make American headlines a few news cycles ago (while still working for Barack Obama) by calling Hillary Clinton a monster. You can jump into that conversation anytime.

Nessa's picture

The best episode so far. I

The best episode so far. I understood (up to a point) who the writers were and why they wrote their books. They were articulate, human and deeply intelligent; with an experience of life. (I LOVE Louis Masur.) And the interaction was great.

BUT I'm back to my initial criticism: not enough time for in-depth discussion. Example: Watching the reaction of the men to the wonderful, brave Mary Roach was SO entertaining. What an opportunity. So much more could have been revealed. Dan said it himself, twice: "I wish we had more time." What is the time constraint, anyway? It's not commercial television. Is it?

I loved the writers. (And I'm not a non-fiction reader.) I wanted more time with them. Except Gilmour. He frightened me a bit and didn't seem to belong. I'm sure glad he wasn't MY father. Glib and dismissive of deeper analysis. And he's an ass for saying Citizen Kane is not a great film. It's no wonder he is not a respected critic.

And how could you NOT show a full-frame photograph of the cover of Louis Masur's book???? When that's what the discussion was about?

But, I love this, what you're doing. It makes me feel. And think.

Nessa

Alex Lane's picture

I think the episodes get

I think the episodes get especially interesting when the authors start to interact with one another, as you see how much they are engaged in their work. Great episode!

Mark Mishkin's picture

Dan: Best one so far. I

Dan:
Best one so far.
I thought the dynamic between the four authors was the high point.
-------(You were good too.)
Don't quit now!
This is the kind of stuff that has been so scarce in any medium and particularly the web.
Mark

Charles's picture

Love this episode !

Love this episode ! Titelpage is on a roll ! Am hooked ! Keep it going !

Lisa's picture

I think that David Gilmore

I think that David Gilmore should have kept his kid in school. Too bad if he was unhappy. Who likes high school?? I wonder if his son will now become the type of person that opts out of things when they become too difficult, or unpleasant.

WmAnthony's picture

Dan is one of the best

Dan is one of the best author-interviewers, but I think when you allow smart, mature, writers to engage in conversation the result is far more enriching and less stilted (given that while interviewing one author, the author has to sit there blankly).
To be frank, I don't find any of these titles to be of much interest, but the conversation these writers engaged in was interesting. I am a little suspicious of Gilmour's exercise, here, and find the lack of literature in his son's ersatz high school education a little sad. Film is not literature, as surely literature is not film. Sigh. I guess I'm a fuddy-duddy.

amcorrea's picture

Best episode yet. Keep up

Best episode yet. Keep up the great work!

Kevin Longrie's picture

Great stuff once again,

Great stuff once again, Titlepage. Gilmore's book sounds great.

Anonymous's picture

Love the idea that David

Love the idea that David Gilmour chose to write a book -- when he raised his son on movies. Why not a movie, Mr.Gilmour?

Kathaleen's picture

I find this web site

I find this web site improving with each episode

KeiraSoleore's picture

What a powerful, powerful

What a powerful, powerful episode. When I first read the lead-in to the episode, I wasn't sure how the four authors writing on such diverse topics would come together to talk about them. But kudos to the authors and the interviewer for making it work so well.

David Gilmore: Hats off for making three movies a week work on the best parenting solution to the issues at hand.