Bronx Angel: Politics By Another Method

This is the title of the book I reviewed in my column, Indy-Pendant, today. Before continuing on with this post please go read that review: Indy-Pendant.

Now, there seems to be some ill feelings about the review I gave from the writer. Not because of my opinion on the merit of the book, but rather for a miscommunication either on his part or mine.

I am making this post to clear that issue up for any of you who happen to read it and feel the same way he did.

Dan's perception of what I stated at the end of the review was that either I hated the book and only said nice things because I happen to know the guy, or that I wasn't man enough to state my true feelings about it.

Now I have re-read my comments and I read them twice when I first wrote it, and I honestly don't see where that comes from.

The thing is after reading the book I noticed some minor flaws with the story-telling and the art. I, at first, feared that those minor points would overshadow the review and make it sound more negative than I intended.

Since I had said from day one that my column would be low on the negativity I felt I needed to preface the review with my stance on the column and how it works today.

As I wrote the review I really started thinking about the story and how much it impacted me, and that resulted in a very positive review with very little negative points throughout.

I ended the review and the column stating my reasons for the preface, and that after having read back the review I realized it wasn't overshadowed by the negative points I brought up, and so the preface wasn't really necessary.

Maybe I could have worded it differently, or maybe upon realizing the preface and closing were unnecessary I could have omitted them. In the end I thought it made the column well-rounded, so I left it.

I still don't see how anyone could get the impression that I hated the book and was just sucking up to the writer?

For the record, I will never blow smoke just to please someone. I am honest to a fault, and for that reason some people don't like me. My mother an I are frowned up in our family because we speak the truth when noone else will. My Nana was like that, God rest her soul, and she was a wonderful woman.

Now I do tend to use a bit more finesse and I'm not outright rude like some people I know. But I am honest if I'm anything, and it deeply offends me that someone would accuse me of shooting bull in my column or elsewhere.

So Dan, I've apologized in private, now I apologize in public, if I offended you in any way, or you perceived it as such I'm sorry. It was not my intention, nor do I believe it's accurate. But none the less, I am sorry.

In closing, if anyone reads the column and feels I gave off the impression Dan got please let me know via the blog, email, a messageboard, a letter, a dixie cup tied to a string, or whatever so I can fix it. Thanks.

B-Out