Bestselling author Ayelet Waldman treated Twitter to a public snit after her most recent novel, Love and Treasure, was not included in The New York Times' influential Most Notable Books list for 2014. Waldman, incensed at the exclusion of her book, tweeted at length about her disappointment and anger about the book not being deemed worthy of inclusion:
I am really not dealing well with having failed to make the @nytimes notable book list. Love & Treasure is a fucking great novel IISSM.
— Ayelet Waldman (@ayeletw) December 2, 2014
It's just so fucking demoralizing. You pour your heart into your work, you get awesome reviews, and then someone decides it's not "notable."
— Ayelet Waldman (@ayeletw) December 2, 2014
Waldman pointed out that her book had received a more favorable review in The New York Times than other (unnamed) books included in the list of notables, and went on to openly wonder why she should bother publishing a novel instead of simply keeping a journal, given such a lack of recognition.
Though Waldman eventually tweeted that there were "real problems in the world" and that she planned to "do something good for someone else" instead of complain, her following tweets entreated followers to pre-order her book's upcoming paperback edition. She pledged to make a donation -- of $1 -- for each pre-order. Waldman tweeted that her donation would go to "scholarmatch.com," presumably referring to ScholarMatch.org, a college scholarship assistance nonprofit founded by Dave Eggers.
Many in the literary community responded with some measure of derision or measured criticism to Waldman's rant. Some suggested these disappointments are typically best expressed in private, while others gleefully riffed on the perceived self-absorption and entitlement in her tweets:
Ayelet Waldman incensed that all #tbt photographs aren't of her book. "No back has been thrown even CLOSE to the quality of mine."
— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) December 4, 2014
Waldman did not retreat in the face of mockery, tweeting that her rant was "honest" and that her pledge to donate was only positive:
Anyone expecting embarrassment or regret from Waldman would have to be unfamiliar with her history of stoking public controversy. Waldman, who is married to acclaimed author Michael Chabon, sparked a national firestorm with a 2005 Modern Love column in The New York Times in which she claimed she loved her husband more than their children. She did not back down after the ensuing backlash, and 10 years later she reiterated that she had no regrets about the essay.
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