Advertisement

Calendar Letters: Life-changing books

Share

I wept as I read Rigoberto Gonzalez’s moving essay about the importance of books as he was growing up [“The Power of the Printed Word,” Feb. 19]. The library was my salvation during a challenging childhood as well — I found books that guided me to a career in the arts (including the screenplay of “The Apartment” by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond) and how to navigate being gay (“The Sorcerer of Bolinas Reef” by Charles Reich). Those books changed my life. And then synchronistically, over on the opinion page, Dana Gioia was explaining why we should not eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. Right on.

Nancy Beverly

Sherman Oaks

Respectfulness honors Beyoncé

Regarding the letter from Paul Feinsinger in Calendar Feedback [Feb. 19]. Maybe you didn’t see or may have forgotten some key details when Kanye West burst on stage during the presentation to Taylor Swift during the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009. What Mr. West did was rude. If he wasn’t happy with the decision on the outcome, he knows how to complain via social media — he didn’t have to disrupt the presentation. When Adele stated that Beyoncé deserved the album of the year Grammy, she made that statement. She did not have the moment tarnished by someone upset about who won. She still had her moment in the spotlight, and deserved.

Advertisement

Carol Rice

Laguna Niguel

::

Adele won an award and said that Beyoncé deserved it. Kayne West snatched the mic away from the person who won an award and said the same thing. Do you not see any difference

Richard Meyer

Sierra Madre

Inappropriate cartoon humor

Regarding “Argyle Sweater” cartoon by Scott Hilburn [Feb. 16]. The cartoon was a play on the words “Texas School Book Depository” and it showed Lee Harvey Oswald being about to get a “Texas School Book Suppository.” This cartoon is in extremely poor taste, and it certainly is not funny. I am very disappointed that editors thought it was humorous.

Linda G. Keetch

Pismo Beach

Perspectives on news conference

Beautifully written article about the president’s press conference [“For Pure Absurdity, No Beating This Trump Show,” Feb. 18]. I watched the whole sorry thing and was aghast at how totally unqualified he keeps proving himself to be for the position he is in.

You, and the other members of America’s press community, have got your jobs cut out for you. It seems almost impossible, at this point, to get anything of truth and/or substance out of this man.

Advertisement

The press is not the enemy of the American people, nor even of Donald Trump (though he would disagree).

Again, thanks for a job well done. I’m saving your column just to see how things might change in the months or years ahead. Then again, he may not have enough of these so-called press conferences to make a meaningful comparison.

Judy Reinsma

Santa Clarita

::

After watching that crazy art performance with Donald Trump I became convinced that this will be a future off-Broadway production — performed verbatim, with possible musical interludes by the reporters and Cabinet officials. Great theater of the absurd. Heartbreaking though that this is our reality and this is our president.

Alex Downs

Long Beach

::

Your article today made me laugh out loud. Coverage just as the president predicted! I loved his presser. Laughed and cheered all the way through it. I loved watching him run circles around the spoiled, self-important, crybaby so-called press. Good for President Trump!

Sandra Wilson

Venice

::

Are you kidding me? The criticism and negative reporting of Trump has been relentless since he was elected. Nonstop hysteria. And do you honestly think that everything the media writes about him and his administration the public believes

While he may not be “presidential,” Trump has a right to give his side of his administration and what he thinks. The media is the one that is more often absurd when it comes to reporting on Trump. Full-out hysteria.

Advertisement

Anita Roglich

Santa Monica

::

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lorraine Ali’s humorous but terrifying article about what a freak show of Trump being Trump can be. It was no accident that he put on his more than one-hour performance for the media — hurling insults, flinging lies and reveling in self-love — his way of diverting public attention from a dysfunctional administration.

Phyllis Landis

Oceanside

Advertisement