Lawsuit Against ‘Three Cups of Tea’ Author Dismissed
A civil lawsuit brought by four readers of Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea” against the author was dismissed by a federal judge last week, calling claims “flimsy and speculative,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The validity of claims in “Three Cups of Tea” was famously brought into question by television news program “60 Minutes” last April. The report dissected claims Mortensen made of his experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan, seemingly proving numerous falsehoods within his supposed work of nonfiction. It also called into question the financial practices of the author’s charity organization, Central Asia Institute.
In response to the ruling, Mortenson told the AP, “At times, facing so much was overwhelming and devastating, however, my attorneys always offered steadfast encouragement to stay positive and keep the high ground, even when subjected to false allegations, vicious name-calling and slander.”
Former supporter Jon Krakauer, who was featured on the “60 Minutes” report and accused Mortenson of lying, reacted on his blog Byliner, saying, “The dismissal of this suit is a significant development. Mortenson is now free to speak publicly without fear of legal repercussions. He has promised that when this moment arrived he would answer questions from donors and the media, and fully explain his actions. Many of us are very much looking forward to hearing what he has to say.”
Bethenny Frankel Releases Fiction Novel
Best-selling author, reality television star, and founder of the Skinnygirl brand released her first work of fiction, “Skinnydipping.” Frankel told ivillage.com, “(Working on the novel) has been the best experience. This is the most fun I’ve had writing so far, maybe in my whole career.”
The Hollywood Reporter touted the book saying, “Skinnydipping is a totally fun, dishy read, especially for fans of reality TV. Clearly, Frankel has drawn inspiration from her own life to construct the plot of the novel and half the fun is trying to figure which characters and events might be drawn from her real life and which are entirely made up.” Poised to enjoy yet another success, Frankel mentioned sequels in her recent interview with New York’s Daily News.
‘Great Gatsby’ Mansion Sells on Long Island
The Kings Point estate at the tip of Great Neck, N.Y., long said to be the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s West Egg mansion in “The Great Gatsby,” sold to an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed price, The Miami Herald reports. Known as the Brickman estate, the mansion was designed by A. J. Davis and built in the early 1850s, according to the news outlet. “The grounds have 60,000 square feet of gardens including a koi pond, a pool, a terrace and rolling lawns that surround the property.”
Microsoft Inks E-Book Deal With Barnes & Noble
In answer to the enormous success of Amazon and Apple in the digital book world, Microsoft and Barnes & Noble entered into an agreement last week “to form a new entity designed to give both companies additional muscle in the fast-growing digital reader market,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Andrew Lees, president of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Division, said in his announcement, “We think we have a lot more to add than just being the platform provider.” According to The Wall Street Journal, “that could include stuff like providing the content storage behind the Nook, creating digital instruction books and managing the transaction when readers buy a book.”
Compiled by Barbara Danza, Epoch Times Staff
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