Amy Goodman's book tour draws noontime crowd

It's hard to fill a bookstore at noon on a weekday, but that's exactly what happened at Skylight Books in Los Feliz today when Amy Goodman appeared to talk about her new book, "Breaking the Sound Barrier." By 11:45 a.m., all the seats were filled, decent standing room was taken and people were queuing up behind high bookshelves -- even if they couldn't see, they could listen.

Listening is what they're used to doing with Goodman, a longtime left-wing radio host. In Los Angeles, her show Democracy Now!, now in its 13th year, airs on KPFK-FM (90.7).

Out on the street, a leafletter concerned with changes at the radio station loudly attempted to intercede with Goodman's fans. Some stayed to listen, others hurried into the bookstore. But it seemed fitting; a strong political voice like Goodman's isn't doing its job if it isn't attached to some controversy.

Goodman's book tour will take her to Pasadena tonight and continue through early December. While she's making lots of stops and traveling far, she won't be crossing book tour paths with that other strong-opinioned woman, Sarah Palin. Although that would be some crowd.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: The Skylight Books audience. Credit: Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[Bernie Eisenberg]

Well, actually there were at least a half dozen folks outside during the event, all of us supporters of Amy Goodman and members of a coalition of non-supporters of the massive grid changes at KPFK. These changes reduce what little local news and community based programs that were on air to begin with. The changes are an insult to the Spanish speaking working class in LA. The daily news is now mostly piped down from KPFA in Berkeley! And the Spanish language news has been moved from its early morning slot, where workers can hear it as they prepare for their workday, to a slot after 10pm when these folks are asleep! Strip programming is being instituted, with an eye towards nationalizing certain favored "personalities." There are other obscenities in this new grid. Please go to takebackkpfk.org for more information and for date and time of a protest at KPFK studios.