TUD in the Daily Beast!
Media website The Daily Beast is running a story on The Unlikely Disciple (which officially comes out on Thursday!), focused on the reactions to the book from Liberty chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. It’s a great article, and I’m glad Chancellor Falwell recognized that the book was “fair,” but I’m intrigued by what he told Daily Beast writer Jo Piazza about Liberty’s official policy vis à vis stocking the book:
“Barnes & Noble operates the campus bookstore. I am sure students will be able to order the book, but I am unsure whether they will stock it.”
Here’s what intrigues me: I’ve been hearing from Liberty students all week who say that not only is the bookstore “unsure” about stocking it, they’ve actually been forbidden from doing so by Chancellor Falwell.
So which is it? Is the management of Liberty’s campus bookstore freely choosing not to stock any copies? Or has The Unlikely Disciple been officially banned from campus?
UPDATE: I’ve been talking with Liberty administrators since the Daily Beast article went up (including Chancellor Falwell himself), and while it’s true that the campus bookstore is not currently stocking the book, and that the bookstore’s initial refusal to stock originated in the Chancellor’s office, I’ve been assured that it was a communication snafu rather than a deliberate banning. The book’s fate now rests in the hands of a bookstore advisory committee – consisting of faculty members appointed by the Chancellor – who will decide whether or not Liberty students should have access to the book through their campus store.
More details as I hear them…
Not quite. 2 copies have been ordered from the Library. And the bookstore is contracted out B&N; even if LU banned it from the campus bookstore there is still a regular B&N right behind campus….
— Jan
March 23, 2009, 11:51 am
*ordered FOR the library…
— Jan
March 23, 2009, 11:51 am
Hey, so I attend Liberty University and I, for one, am looking forward to your book. Whether the bookstore on campus carries it or not, I’m going to get myself a copy. It looks very interesting, and all the reviews have piqued my interest. However, I have to say that the first person who alerted me to your book was my GNED professor earlier tonight. I don’t know if that was his intention, but I wrote down the title anyway to find out more about the book. Good luck!
— Alexandra
March 23, 2009, 10:36 pm