On her newly reluanched site, novelist Kathryn Stockett is building a Google Map with the names and locations of her readers around the country.
It’s an intriguing use of Google Maps–we imagine that many novelists (and readers) would love to actually see each other on a map. The Help is an especially interesting case study, tracking the physical spread of a popular book club book across the country. What do you think?
Here’s more from the author: “It has been an incredible ride since I started writing The Help in September 2001. After more than sixty rejections from agents, I am still surprised to see The Help on a shelf in a bookstore. And when readers share with me their personal connection to The Help, I am proud and humbled by their stories. Often, I am asked how I learned about the civil rights era and conducted my research. I always smile and shrug and say, I’m still learning from readers, every day.”