Covertly and with no acknowledgment of the error regarding Medgar Evers in the hard cover version of the novel, Kathryn Stockett’s publisher has finally corrected this line:
“. . . Afraid they’ll be beaten like Louvenia’s grandson, or, hell, bludgeoned in their front yard like Medgar Evers.”
Medgar Evers error on Pg 277 of Hard cover edition
Error on Evers in the Paperback version of The Help
The latest edition of The Help now reads, at least according to this poster (pay no mind to the typo “beated” it should read “beaten”):
Poster reveals Evers error corrected in her book
I can’t say which formats were corrected because the poster who wrote the post didn’t say. My guess is the Kindle or ebook editions and the paperback version, since they were released later.
So is this finally the end of it?
Oh HELL NAW.
Now that they’ve altered the text without offering any explanation (an apology to readers was out of the question, I’m sure) I’m still going to keep bringing it up.
The assumption that he was “shot to death” is a bit misleading, since it was publicly reported that Evers was still fighting for life in the hospital and didn’t die at the scene. Just like John F. Kennedy wasn’t immediately pronounced dead and doctors were trying to save his life after his shooting. I’m aware many would say why even quibble over it, that the change has finally been made, and remember what’s more important here is that Evers was never “bludgeoned” to death.
Yes, I totally agree. But still . . .
It shows just how little the publisher thought of addressing the error. And of course there was no chance the copies with the error still intact would get pulled off shelves. That would be highly embarrassing, and also cost far too much money.
The easiest thing to do was to just ignore it, until later editions were scheduled to be printed for ebook downloading and in paperback. And I’m fairly certain forthcoming hard covers will have the error fixed.
Just so long as their coveted reader base didn’t complain, then I guess it was all about pretending it didn’t exist or matter. Until it did.
In truth, some readers may have skimmed over the section that I’ve been complaining about for over a year. In 2010 a reader who lives in the UK was kind enough to answer my inquiry on whether her copy also contained the error:
Amazon UK poster admitting error in her book
So even the hard copies released later overseas contained the error.
And I’ve been informed that the hard copy version with the error intact was still being sold in the U. S. as of five months ago. I also wonder if any of the audio versions contain the error.
I understand that snafu’s happen and the wrong text can make its way into the best of novels, even those with major publishers.
Only. . .
With the publisher simply ignoring it, as if the error meant nothing, well that’s just part of the problem.
Because there’s more to this story.
Like how Kathryn Stockett repeats that Evers was “bludgeoned in his front yard” in not one, not two, but THREE known audio interviews (which are available for download and still on the web).
It won’t be so easy to edit or ignore those, especially with one of the interviews on the Barnes and Noble website.
Which brings up a number of troubling questions.
Stockett rode a wave of goodwill because she was from the south, is a talented writer and spoke lovingly of her former maid, which equated to credibility in the minds of many. The novel became a bestseller even with the controversy over the depiction of her black characters.
But was Evers shocking murder even part of the original manuscript?
A simple google search would have given the author an accurate answer on how Evers died. Yet Stockett couldn’t recall her own research or text which describes both Aibileen and Minny’s terrified and anguished reaction to his shooting, instead repeating that Evers was “bludgeoned.”
Stockett is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and Medgar Evers is not only a local hero, but a historic figure in the fight for freedom and equality. Evers was a civil rights icon, a man who died fighting for what he believed in.
Statue in remembrance of civil rights icon Medgar Evers
Then how could Stockett get it so wrong, especially when her responses sound rehearsed?
And did the interviewers even realize the author had made a mistake?
And no, these interviews weren’t back to back on the same day.
For the links to the audio interviews and excerpts where Stockett verbally repeats the error in the hard cover version of the novel, click here:
Hugh Von Der Tann
February 12, 2013
First, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. It’s been very informative. You’ve obviously spent a large amount of time on it.
However, it is not by any means unusual for a publisher to silently correct a mistake in a published work, if there even is a correction – they will often just wait until the printing of the next edition to release a corrected text. When it is considered cost-effective, or if the mistake has been widely publicized in the media or through legal action, a publisher might issue a “recall”, in which any hardcovers containing the error are sent back. If the edition in question is paperback, they will issue a “strip” recall, in which the books are simply thrown away, with only the front covers being sent back to the publisher. Obviously, “strip” recalls are much more common than hardcover recalls, because the monetary losses are much smaller.
Sometimes the publishers will distribute “erratum/corrigendum” slips to booksellers, on which the error, the page number on which it appears, and the correction are printed. BUT it is then up to the shop’s employees to insert a slip into each copy in stock. Needless to say, many erratum slips never find their way into a book – they are often just thrown away by some lazy bookstore clerk. All of the above are generally done without any form of publicity.
A public apology or notice of correction is very, very rare; corrections are generally only publicized if the book in question is a current, non-fiction work with some bearing on a current event or personaliy, or if there is a threat of legal action. Some publishers release erratum notices to a magazine called “Publisher’s Weekly”, but that publication isn’t widely read by the lay community, so most casual readers don’t see them. Some publishers also release notices on their own websites.
I sincerely doubt that there was any motive in what you refer to as a “covert” correction; it is actually standard procedure in the publishing industry, regardless of genre or subject matter.