What should we ask Jonathan Franzen?Dearest readers,
How’s your reading coming along on Jonathan Franzen’s novel Freedom, this month’s Umbra Book Club pick?
Whether you’ve finished the book, are partway through, or haven’t even picked it up, we need your help: Grist is going to be interviewing Franzen this week. What should we ask him?
Do you want to know why a big-time author chose to make environmental issues central in his latest novel? What eco-catastrophes keep him up at night? Whether he’s as worried about birds and overpopulation as his main character Walter? How green the snacks are in Oprah’s green room? (Franzen, whose book has also been picked for Oprah’s book club, taped an appearance on The Oprah Show last week; it’s scheduled to air on Monday, Dec. 6.)
Share any and all questions in the comments below, and then watch next week to see if your question makes the cut. We plan to post video and text highlights from the interview next week.
And if you haven’t finished (or even started) the book, there’s still time to do it before the whole world is talking about it next week. On Black Friday — or what I prefer to call Buy Nothing Day — stay out of the malls and read yourself into a blissful stupor. Or get the audio version and listen while you transform your turkey or Tofurky leftovers into scrumptious gumbo.
Happy reading, everyone. Looking forward to diving into a great Umbra Book Club discussion next week!
Bookishly,
Umbra
