academics

In Jim Ruland’s twisty and mordantly funny novel “Mightier Than the Sword,” four academics toiling in the English department at a tiny college in Flagstaff, Ariz., fall way off the tenure track by committing heists. Beset by a college culture that venerates football and disparages the liberal arts, Ruland’s working class strivers are barely scraping by, and vent their frustration by striking at the very heart and soul of a rah-rah student body that venerates jocks and can’t distinguish Billy Collins from Phil Collins.

Ruland is also an acclaimed nonfiction writer; his book “Corporate Rock Sucks” is the definitive history of L.A.’s great punk record label SST. I recently talked to Ruland about Flagstaff, fiction and football.

✍️ Author Chat

What is it about heist stories? They have eternal appeal, it seems.

The idea of people getting away with something is always appealing, right? There’s a mixture of motives, and many of the stories have characters that you don’t expect to be involved in such a thing, which is the case in my novel.

It’s even more engaging for the reader when it’s poor lovable saps trying to pull off something big.

In my book, the main characters aren’t even very good writers. I didn’t want this to be the kind of story where their exceptional literary gifts make them master criminals. These are working-class teachers who are victims of the class struggle, and they are being exploited by the university. They have this pretense of respectability, but they are treated poorly.

Your novel takes place at a fictional college in Flagstaff, Ariz. You taught at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, right?

I did teach for three years in Flagstaff — two years as a teaching assistant, and one year full time, because how could I turn down the allure of a low five-figure salary?

Author Jim Ruland

(Edward Colver)

In the novel, the school is all about sports culture. The administration pumps all their money into the football team, while the English department languishes.

The book is set in 1993, and that was the beginning of the growth of creative writing classes at colleges. And it was a big money maker for a while in the ‘90s until the growth stalled, and all of that stopped. The idea of a heist at a football game was that it was the next step up from robbing a bookstore. I like unusual settings for big heists, like Steven Soderbergh’s film “Lucky Logan” where the characters rip off a racetrack. Or [Stanley] Kubrick’s “The Killing,” which is also a racetrack theft that I allude to in the book. I’m not so much trying to critique football other than make the obvious swipes at it. It’s more like: Here’s this venue where you’re going to have a lot of money and people who are enthusiastic about violence.

Your novel is an ensemble piece, shifting between four major characters. How is that for you?

I really love that aspect of it. It’s almost cinematic. You can get someone in trouble and then move to the next point of view, then some time passes and you can go back.

You tend to toggle between fiction and nonfiction. Does one inform the other, or are they different muscles?

I think they help each other. When I run into something in fiction that I don’t know, I’m more apt to just push forward, instead of getting lost in a research hole, which can happen in nonfiction. I’ll just dig in and know I can figure out the answer later.

It’s definitely a case of the grass being greener. When I’m in the middle of a fictional story, I’m like, “Man, it would be really easy just to write what actually happened here.” And then when I’m working on a nonfiction book and hit a snag, I think, “I’d really love to make something up right here.”

What crime novels do you admire?

The Richard Stark novels by Donald Westlake. I loved those and reread them all before writing my book.

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

📰 The Week(s) in Books

(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; book jacket from Knopf)

Lawrence Wright, one of America’s greatest investigative journalists, turns his forensic eye to the death penalty in the U.S. in his new book, “Redemption.” Yet according to Julia M. Klein, Wright’s book makes for a baggy read. “Wright sometimes loses the thread, indulging in digressions that detract from his study of transformation and redemption,” she writes.

Anna Holmes, founder of influential feminist website Jezebel, has written a slim, potent book called “The Power of No,” about the power of a woman’s right of refusal in the public and private spheres. “I don’t purport to be good at it,” she tells Meredith Maran. “But I’m more cognizant now of wanting to say it, at least.”

A scant four years after publishing her Pulitzer Prize-winning stunner “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver has returned with “Partita,” a love story about musicians that is also “a meditation on how a composition is different each time a musician plays it,” according to Heather Scott Partington.

Finally, Catapult Books, a beloved local indie publisher with a national reputation, is being sold, reports Emily St. Martin.

📖 Bookstore Faves

Annabelle’s Book Club L.A.

(Felicia Lasala)

Annabelle’s Book Club L.A., the brainchild of Annabelle Chang, is decked out like a birthday cake at a “sweet 16” party, all bright pastels and a beribboned book display shaped like a flowing Victorian dress. The store’s inventory is primarily geared to young readers, the inventory subdivided by categories like “Riveting” and “Intoxicating.” Annabelle’s location on a busy stretch of Studio City’s Ventura Boulevard has made it one of L.A.’s most Instagrammable bookstores. In an email exchange, Chang tells us what’s selling at her store.

What prompted you to open the store?

I’ve always been an avid reader, and during the pandemic, I received so many requests for book recommendations that I decided to start an Instagram account and blog to share some of my favorite books. In early 2022, I also started selling books at pop-up events like the L.A. Times Festival of Books. After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response, I started to think about creating a store where my curation would be more permanent. As I researched bookstores in L.A. and across the country, I realized that there weren’t any Y.A.-focused ones, and I wanted to fill that gap in the market.

Romance and Romantasy are the hottest genres in publishing. Why do you think that is so?

I think romance has always been popular because love, connection and the desire to be understood are fundamental to the human experience. Women’s stories, especially those focused on their desires, have historically been dismissed as unserious, but romance has always had a huge, loyal readership. Now, the publishing industry recognizes that these books aren’t just culturally relevant, they’re commercially successful.

As for romantasy, I think BookTok has been a huge catalyst. TikTok really gave users a way to share their enthusiasm for these books and find a community of like-minded readers. What might once have felt like a niche interest has become a total cultural phenomenon.

Who are your customers?

Our store is young adult-focused, but we truly aim to have something for everyone. I’m thrilled that our customers are readers of all ages, whether it is kids who are just beginning to discover their love of reading, teenagers coming by with their friends after school, or adults shopping for their book clubs.

What’s selling right now?

“Hollywood Ending” by John Green, “Threshing Day” by Rebecca Yarros and “Exit Party” by Emily St. John Mandel.

Everyone seems to be writing off books, yet it seems that those obituaries are highly premature. Why will books continue to prevail in a digital world?

In a digital world, teenagers and young adults are gravitating toward physical media and the genuine connection it offers more than ever. Every day, teenagers visit Annabelle’s Book Club L.A. to browse new titles with their friends, attend our author events or simply unplug from their phones and read in our book nook. It’s also been so exciting to see the resurgence of independent bookstores in L.A. and beyond. It’s a true testament to the unmatched power of storytelling to bring us together, especially in a digital world.

Annabelle’s Book Club L.A. is located at 12200 Ventura Blvd., Studio City