Texas Book Festival

Barak Obama was keynote speaker Saturday morning (didn't see him except as he walked to the book-signing tent--getting a big hand from the people in line along the way).  

We saw Douglas Brinkley Saturday talking about his book on Katrina The Great Deluge (get the book, read the book, be the book--it's very good) on a panel with other Katrina authors including Ivor van Heerden (The Storm: What Went Wrong During Hurricane Katrina), a Louisiana scientist who minced no words (question from the audience: "I went back to my house and everything smells chemically.  Are there abatement programs or studies being done?"  Van Heerden: "No.").  None of these guys is a fan of Ray Nagin.  

Next on Saturday we saw Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower) talking about what led up to 9/11.  He spoke mostly about his sources: he was grateful to talk to a lot of people very much involved with violent Islamists, who gave him good information, but he was also horrified by them.  

Sunday was the most fun seminar (these were short talks: 45 minutes): Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein (Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency).  The room was full of furious people speaking straight to the point (None of this shit: "I have a question.  Well, first I have a comment, and then I have a question.  My comment is, and it's a two-part comment..."  Oh god almighty that drives me up the fucking wall.).  Question of the day: "How could an incompetent businessman have become so powerful?"  (No good answer possible.)  

The honorary hostess of the Texas Book Festival is Laura Bush.  She might have thought twice about kicking this thing off eleven years ago if she'd known what a lefty gathering it was to become.

Texas Book Festival