Spector's Kid Seems as Crazy as Spector

New book alleges that Wladyslaw Szpilman worked with Nazis

(NEWSER) - Wladyslaw Szpilman, the real-life Polish pianist whose memoir inspired Roman Polanski’s award-winning film The Pianist, actually collaborated with the Gestapo, according to a new book. Entitled Accused: Wiera Gran, the book quotes the private notes of Wiera Gran, a deceased Polish singer who once claimed that Szpilman “formed a gang to kill me.” Gran refers to Szpilman as a “Gestapo man,” and says he worked as a Jewish policeman who helped resettle Warsaw’s Jews, the Guardian reports. More»

'The Decider' focuses on moments where he stepped up

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush hasn't written a memoir, exactly. Instead he's been working "almost every day," his publisher, Crown, says, on Decision Points, which offers “gripping, never-before-heard details” on the biggest decisions of Bush's life, from the day he quit drinking to 9/11. An industry source tells the AP that W. has already finished a draft of the book, which is scheduled to be released November 9, exactly a week after the 2010 election. More»

Hustler publisher will delve into affairs of state

(NEWSER) - Porn king Larry Flynt is turning to a slightly more academic topic: presidents. Well, the sex lives of presidents, to be exact. The Hustler publisher is writing One Nation Under Sex, an “academically sourced” history of White House seductions. Gawker got a look at the proposal, and it includes important historical info like “George Washington was a famous swordsman in more ways than one” and “How did this president from Pennsylvania become so proslavery? In two words: Gay Love.” More»

Nick Hornby, Judy Blume, and more weigh in

(NEWSER) - What was the best book of the year? Salon asked Nick Hornby, Junot Diaz, Curtis Sittenfeld, and other people with better literary credentials than ours what they enjoyed in 2009. Their responses are in the photo gallery. More»

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's book is already a sensation, and she hasn't even appeared on Oprah's couch yet. No question it will sell, but what other purposes might it serve for the self-styled rogue Republican, Andy Barr wonders in Politico . Herewith, his benchmarks to measure the book tour and media frenzy:

• Build her base: Shunning the big cities, and even the early-primary states, Palin is heading straight for Palin Country—places like Fort Wayne, Ind., and Birmingham, Ala.—to reconnect with supporters and nurture their "their powerful emotional connection to her."