It’s another topic that fits under “Advice you Probably don’t need” and “on being an author” – I might have to make that its own category if this keeps happening. I’ve got a thing worth saying, but (for reasons I hope become clear) I’m going to have to be a little vague. Bear with me, and please don’t contact me demanding to know the author or dedicatee in question (again, for reasons I hope become clear). Last night, I pulled a book from my “to read” stash and, though I usually don’t pay strict attention to the dedication page, that happened to be where I opened it to. The author had dedicated the book to a contemporary (and, as it turns out, controversial) politician. I had wanted to read the book but found myself selecting another for myriad complex reasons. Not because of the controversial, contemporary politician… but because I thought the dedication itself was short-sighted, ill-advised, and a plain dumb thing to have done.