Cambodian Grrrl thanks!

[anne!]

Hello friends!

A quick note to thank you for your enthusiastic response to Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh ! I was honored to partner with Mara Shalhoup, the City of Chicago, and the Cambodian Association of Illinois on the release party in September. Since then, all the events and the reviews have been amazing:

“The best travel book I’ve read this year.” —USA Today

“Moving, hilarious, and unbelievable in the way that only true stories are.” —Portland Mercury

“Moore’s unfeigned candor, along with an inventive, almost giddy narrative voice that becomes more and more like the voices of her teenage dorm mates, leaves scarce room for readers to indulge their cynicism. Moore hits the mark on just about every topic [revealing a] skill at distilling complicated ideas through a language barrier with a veteran artist’s acute irreverence … With its slender binding and intimate voice, Cambodian Grrrl … risks more, and reveals more, than plenty of those longer books that are practically branded as “serious literature” (you know the ones). Its emotional and intellectual honesty remind us what storytelling is for.” —Truthout

“Quite enjoyable … I would highly recommend Cambodian Grrrl.” –Gender Across Borders

“This premise can’t help but raise red flags: a white woman traveling to a Third World country — on a Fulbright, no less — intent on bestowing her knowledge on an unenlightened population. It’s a blueprint for the benevolent colonialism that is the hallmark of modern US history. Yet the peculiarity of Moore, a former editor of Punk Planet, bringing her riot grrrl ethos to Cambodia … works. … Cambodian Grrrl exposes — whether it was Moore’s intention or not — how corporate control of the media in the US is continuous with the logic of profitability which creates exploitative conditions in Cambodia [and] attains the modest yet important success of making personal narratives and experience matter to critiques of history and globalization.” —Hyphen Magazine

“This book is neither about Cambodia nor self-publishing. Rather it is about love. … Somehow [the author] is able to discuss issues of democracy, freedom of speech, the global garment market, slave labor, rape, mass murder and a litany of other tough subjects and leave me smiling. That left me with hope that all we really do need is love.” —Viva La Feminista

“A quirky, brisk, and piercingly honest recitation of one woman’s experience in a post-conflict society overseas.” —The Rumpus

Book clubs and schools have used the Cambodian Grrrl Reader's Guide to prompt discussion, and from now until the end of the month,

Cantankerous Titles is offering a special deal: if you review Cambodian Grrrl on Amazon, they'll send you any of their other titles. For free. If you're so inclined, would you write up your thoughts?

I'm back to Tbilisi next week to show Garment Work at the Georgia State Silk Museum, as a part of Artisterium, and then I'll start planning more US events in the Spring. Get in touch if you want to arrange a lecture at your university.

Look forward to seeing you soon, in Tbilisi or elsewhere!

Your pal,

Anne Elizabeth Moore