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Friday October 27, 2017 vol. CXLI no. 94
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Grisham talks about new book partially set at U. By Isabel Ting contributor
Bestselling American author John Grisham joined University English professor Maria DiBattista on Wednesday, Oct. 26 to discuss his new book, “Camino Island,” and his development as a writer. Best known for his legal thrillers, Grisham is also an attorney, philanthropist, politician, and social activist. Grisham’s newest work is partially set in Firestone Library and the book begins with a gang of thieves stealing five rare manuscripts written by F. Scott Fitzgerald Class of 1917 from the University’s collection. Readers of the novel then follow the escapades of Bruce Cable, a black-market bookstore owner on Camino Island, and Mercer Mann, a young novelist who investigates Cable’s illegal dealings. Grisham admitted that the descriptions of Firestone are intentionally inaccurate, adding that he had never set foot on campus before this week. While it would have been better to walk through the library once before describing it in his novel, Grisham jokingly noted that “only a handful of people will know the truth, and the other five million will never know.” Before the book was published on June 6, Grisham addressed a letter to University President Christopher Eisgruber ‘83. “I’d really hate to blindside Princeton,” Grisham said, grinning boyishly, “so, I thought, let me write a nice letter to the President [Eisgruber] and say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, but this [book] is coming, and you can’t stop it.’” He further joked that the University wouldn’t be able to sue him because he didn’t write anything defamatory. University Librarian Anne Jarvis said that she and her team enjoyed the book and invited Grisham to campus despite the Firestone inaccuracies. During the talk, Grisham recalled the moment he received the invitation. “I thought it was very classic,” he said. “You folks must have a
sense of humor after all.” Grisham also good-naturedly described the moment when he went to look at the Fitzgerald manuscripts in person. Despite the fact that the security guards were all alertly watching him, the moment was very touching and one he never dreamed would occur. During the talk, Grisham also explained how he became inspired to write the novel. While driving down I-95 to Florida with his wife, he overheard an NPR segment bemoaning the rise of rare manuscript thefts. He had originally intended for his wife to write the novel’s female lead, while he took charge of the male lead. However, in an anecdote which elicited spirited laughter from the audience, by the trip’s end his wife remarked that this was out of the question – she wouldn’t even write a postcard with him. Grisham drew inspiration for the manuscript heist he describes in his novel from his own collection of 20th century first-edition books. He owns 75 manuscripts and has collected works by Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Faulkner throughout the past 25 years. He noted that while Faulkner’s handwritten manuscript was neat and had neither rewrites nor notes in the margins, Fitzgerald’s manuscript had entire pages which were crossed out. The prolific author has written over thirty books in total, beginning with “A Time to Kill” in 1988. With nearly thirty years of writing experience, Grisham has compiled some ‘unoriginal’ rules that have contributed to his success. First, he must always know the endings of his novel before he writes the first scene. According to Grisham, a tedious and extensive outline ensures a more cohesive novel. “Writers are known for getting stuck with a great idea and just racing through the first 100 pages and running out of gas, and thinking to themselves, ‘I’ve done this for a year, and I don’t know what to do now,’” See GRISHAM page 2
COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM
John Grisham spoke in Richardson Auditorium on Wednesday about his development as a writer.
In Opinion
Columnist Samuel Aftel reflects on living in the moment and Guest Contributor Princeton Politics Librarian Jeremy Darrington responds to John Ort’s concerns over internet privacy. PAGE 4
TOWN TOPICS
LINH NGUYEN :: CONTRIBUTOR
Lewinsky is a high-profile advocate for anti-cyberbullying efforts and was invited to speak at the school as part of a bullying awareness campaign.
Lewinsky denounces online bullying at Day School By Linh Nguyen contributor
On Oct. 26, the Princeton Day School Theater put on its first show of “Girls Like That,” a play by Evan Placey that explores the complex gender dynamics in modern adolescence. After the play, activist Monica Lewinsky hosted a talkback with the audience to discuss her own experiences with cyberbullying. The play depicts a schoolgirl named Scarlett and her struggle to navigate her high school’s social scene after an unnamed individual texts a nude photograph of her to all her classmates. Instead of protecting Scarlett, her class-
mates pelt her with sexual epithets, while they treat a boy whose naked picture is also circulated with leniency and even admiration. The storyline emphasizes how the supposedly strong bond between the thirteen schoolgirls, who attended school together from the age of five until graduation, degrades into bullying and shaming. The play was shown at Princeton Day School, to a packed audience that filled McAneny Theater’s 135 seats. Director Stan Cahill created an immersive experience with audience members sitting on the stage and actors weaving in and out of the
U . A F FA I R S
audience during dance sequences. Nate Jones, who played one of the boys in “Girls Like That,” emphasized the importance of the play’s message. “This show is so important for not only our Princeton Day School community, but for high school culture all across the world,” Jones wrote in a text. “It is provocative, jolting, even uncomfortable, and it stimulates a conversation that is so often ignored.” Max Miller, the actor playing Scarlett’s main tormentor, discussed having to deal with such an emotionally taxing role and how it affected him as an individual. See LEWINSKY page 2
TOWN TOPICS
Pre-frosh manipulate Santander orientation assignments Bank was By Mallory Williamson and Regina Lankenau contributors
During the summer, members of the Class of 2021 filled out orientation surveys designed to place them in one of three programs: Outdoor Action, Community Action, or Dialogue and Difference in Action. Some incoming students answered the survey questions in a way that would allow them to match with the program of their choice, thereby playing the system. Students filled out two surveys: the first on the Your Path to Princeton orientation website and the second sent in an email to students in July. The first survey, which assessed students’ willingness to skip showers and sleep in tents, was utilized to separate students better suited for OA from students better suited for CA or DDA. For example, a question might show three sliding scales where participants had a total of 100 points to assign to sleeping indoors, sleeping in a cabin, and sleeping outdoors according to their preference. The second survey was more detailed than the first, helping to place students in specific trips within the broader orientation programs. Many students who were already familiar with the intricacies of each trip utilized the survey to ensure placement into the program of their choice.
“I definitely tried to make it so that I was assigned to OA,” said Kavya Chaturvedi ’21. “I tried to make it so that I was assigned to a specific backpacking trip because I knew that I wanted to go backpacking and I didn’t want to go kayaking or canoeing or biking or anything.” “I knew that I didn’t want to be in the outdoors for a week,” explained Ana Sofia Abufele ’21 about her conscious decision to target her answers toward CA rather than OA. “I genuinely don’t like the outdoors so I was being honest in choosing things that were more CA than OA.” Other freshmen reported similar concerns at the prospect of sleeping outdoors for four consecutive nights. “I knew I didn’t want to be sleeping in the woods for a week and I wanted to help people so I chose specific characteristics that went with CA,” German Arrocha ’21 noted. Attempts to target survey responses to a particular program did not always work; many students expressed disappointment when their orientation assignment failed to match up with what they had hoped to receive. Upon being notified of their respective placements, many students in various Class of 2021 GroupMe chats expressed a mix of joy and disappointment with their trip assignments. Orientation Programs Coordinator Lexy Parrill did not respond to requests for comment.
Today on Campus 6 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey will take on Harvard at 6 p.m. at Hobey Baker Rink.
robbed By Jacob Gerrish contributor
The Princeton Department of Public Safety issued an email warning to the University community regarding an unarmed bank robbery in Princeton on Oct. 26. The Princeton Police Department reported that the bank robbery occurred at 4:27 p.m. A man walked into Santander Bank at 188 Nassau Street, handing the bank teller a note demanding cash. The suspect received an undetermined amount of cash and walked toward Park Place after leaving the bank. The Princeton Police Department announced that the suspect appeared to be a black male, about 6 feet tall. The suspect wore a green hoodie with three white buttons at the neck, faded blue jeans, and a lime green baseball cap. He did not brandish a weapon at the scene. The Department of Public Safety declined to comment on the bank robbery because it took place off See ROBBERY page 2
WEATHER
ON CAMPUS
HIGH
64˚
LOW
45˚
Sunny. chance of rain:
10 percent