the nine who like you will tell one

My experience has been that the old adage from sales very much relates to current ratings and reviews of books. For every ten customers, the nine who like your product will likely tell one person each whereas the one person who dislikes your goods or services may well tell ten people. For ratings and reviews, readers often react in a similar manner although online visibility can lead to far more distortion than word of mouth. It is not only for this reason that I am grateful for last week's five-star review.

Cyrus among the socialists

is enjoying the irony of being called "Kundera" by the socialists (typo in review, not at top) https://t.co/vTmTdHTDhL

— Alex Kudera (@kudera) March 23, 2016

In fact, the review is also incorrect in that the word "union" does appear in the novel. It's in a section where Cyrus Duffleman remembers learning from a picketing restaurant worker that a unionized hotel bartender had been earning significantly more per hour to pour drinks than he'd been earning to teach college classes. The recollection doesn't quench Duffy's thirst.

two new reviews

Here are two new reviews of Fight for Your Long Day. Both writers have experience teaching college-level classes, but they are about 1000 miles away from each other, three decades apart by age, and have led radically different lives thus far. (For example, one knows tenure whereas the other knows Philadelphia.) Here's a quote I found to be highly relevant:

"Indeed, this middling nature reflects Duffy’s life as a whole. He exists purely in the middle, unable to move upward, terrified of sliding down."

OK. Here: http://freedomfromthings.com/post/2458438021/book-review-fight-for-your-long-day-by-alex-kudera

and the more recent "Steve" review at goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8612461-fight-for-your-long-day

And yes, "Muriel" on goodreads is the author's mother, but please don't hold that against her.