Broadway Play Explores: Should Some Books Never Get Published?

 

The revival of Other Desert Cities on Broadway is filled with a great cast and terrific writing. But this is not intended to be a theatre review, though the verdict is for you to go see it! No, what I want to focus on is the premise of the show: Who has the right to publish a memoir and what obligations does the writer have to those he or she writes about?  

The play is about a troubled woman who is writing a memoir that views her powerhouse political parents as monsters who are responsible for her brother’s suicide. The parents ask her to refrain from publishing the story, saying she does not have all of the facts, and to release it only after they pass away.  

Lots of relatable family strife seems authentic on stage and attendees begin weighing will it get published? Should it be buried until after the parents are dead?  

So, as the tension of child vs parent builds up, another element comes into play: Who knows the truth? Do all truths need to see the light of day? Who has a right or an obligation to tell it?  

The ramifications of publishing a book are clear here. The book, if published now, will destroy lives and break the family apart. What could be done to set the record straight without hurting others?  

You need to see the play to gain a resolution to the story, but the question lingers to all memoirists: What obligation do you have to your subjects — and how do you acknowledge their side of the truth?   

Almost all memoirs are one-sided, based on one’s own memories, impressions, and interpretations of selected events. This does not mean all autobiographies get everything wrong. There still can be a lot of truth to them, but they are incomplete perspectives of reality. One cannot live and observe that life simultaneously. One cannot know what others were feeling or thinking all the time when they interacted with you.   

Other Desert Cities makes it clear that we all have the right to share our truths, but to remain aware that we may not always get it right and that we do have an obligation to consider the ramifications of our words on the lives of others.

 

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Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 11 million page views. With over 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum