The Reviews Are in on Times Book Festival

There was never any doubt.

Mike Truebba wanted to hear author Dean Koontz speak at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday, and he did what any true book lover would do: Rising at 6 a.m., he left his Palmdale home, drove 55 miles to UCLA and grabbed the first place in line at Haines Hall.

“No way I was going to miss this,” said Truebba, 34, a genial fellow who records cartoon soundtracks. “I knew the crowds would be huge, and I felt this was too important to miss. For Los Angeles, this is something that’s way overdue.”

It was 8:30 a.m., two hours before Koontz was scheduled to speak to an overflow crowd--one of many at the two-day event that drew an estimated 75,000--and Truebba’s comments reflected a prevailing view: The festival filled a need. It was about literacy, and it was about time.

On a sunny spring weekend, Los Angeles dispelled the myth once and for all that book culture here is either endangered or marginal. People like Truebba and thousands more who lined up to hear authors speak--sometimes waiting three or four hours--were testimonial to a genuine hunger in Southern California for the book world and its rich cultural rewards.

“This is truly the best thing that’s happened to Los Angeles in a long time,” said literary agent Sandra Dijkstra, a member of the event’s authors committee. “It was so tremendously affirming for the city, and for the sense that culture is alive and well here. A lot of New York publishers were skeptical that this kind of event would succeed, and they were proven 100% wrong.”

The evidence was everywhere.

“I just don’t know where to begin. . . . There are so many great kids’ events,” said Peter Rico, standing with his wife, Mae, and their two children while he read the day’s schedule of activities. As he spoke, a long line of kids and parents waited for a glimpse of Spider-Man.

“You have a real family sense here, and that’s what makes it special,” the Montebello resident added. “We’re going to check out the whole festival, but we’re here mainly to look for some positive, nonviolent reading materials for our kids. And I bet we’ll find them.”

There was a niche for every need. By noon on both days, the festival looked like a mob scene; thousands milled around booths offering books ranging from spiritualism and sorcery to titles on African American, Latino, Asian, Jewish and other ethnic groups. It was difficult to move around the grounds, given the crush of people, but that kept smiles on the faces of book merchants, some of whom had come to do business at the Los Angeles event from many miles away.

“For me, this has been a real success,” said Chuck Bellisino, publisher and author of “The Encyclopedia of Sauces for Your Pasta.” Pulling additional copies out of boxes, the Sacramento entrepreneur sold 51 copies on Saturday and 70 on Sunday, making it the best festival he’s ever experienced. Business was better than at comparable events in San Francisco and Seattle, he added, because they usually drew about 20,000 each day, compared to 35,000-plus in Los Angeles.

There were glitches, to be sure: Many people who expected to attend panels and then get an author’s signature were disappointed because the lengthy lines for both events forced them to choose. Some of the rooms were not large enough, and there were protracted waits for a parking tram.

Event organizers apologized to those who were turned away from various panels and promised that larger lecture halls will be booked next year; in addition, all panels will be audiotaped, and, if possible, high-demand events will be videotaped and some panels will be televised in nearby rooms.

*

It’s difficult to resist comparisons with other book fairs, given the size and diversity of this one. For years, one of America’s premier book festivals has been New York Is Book Country, a citywide event that--like the Festival of Books--includes author panels, publishers booths, public readings and other activities. The September event turns several blocks of Fifth Avenue into a Sunday mall, drawing large, enthusiastic crowds.

In key respects, however, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has set a new standard:

At UCLA, there were 78 scheduled events over two days; the New York gathering has generally featured 45 to 50 events. Virtually all of the author panels in Los Angeles included best-selling names such as Amy Tan, Judith Krantz, Joseph Wambaugh, Ray Bradbury, A. Scott Berg, E. Lynn Harris and Abigail Van Buren--and admission was free. By contrast, the New York event annually features a brunch and a tea with big-name writers, and admission to these blue-chip events ranges from $48 to $100. Perhaps most important, the New York event is scattered over a wide area of the city, while the Los Angeles event was centralized.

Beyond numbers, the range and quality of the author panels impressed many. Michelle Miller, an insurance brokerage firm employee from Westchester, vigilantly guarded her spot in the Koontz line while latecomers straggled to the end. She was trying to schedule a day’s worth of events, yet found it hard to choose.

“It’s not easy, but I’ll figure it out,” Miller said with a laugh. “And you know what impresses me the most? There are teenagers here. I mean, this is a nice sunny day, and they could be at the beach, seeing a movie or playing computer games. And they’re here.”

Just ask Sue Rainier, a 17-year-old from Los Angeles who was wandering through the festival grounds with her pals. For her, there was never any doubt that she’d attend the UCLA event, but she didn’t know if she’d actually get into a panel that included TV comedian Dennis Miller. The line was long and Rainier had, in fact, arrived too late for a seat. So she did what any book lover would do--she watched the forum through an open window, like many others.

“Amazing!” she said, when it was over. “This was lots better than TV.”

*

It would be impossible to provide an overview of the panels. But herewith is a random sample:

* In the forum with Miller--which also included comedy writer Garry Marshall and comedian Margo Kaufman--moderator and book editor Rob Weisbach noted caustically that Miller once described his meteoric career by saying: “I like to do what I like to do.”

Miller shot the crowd a sheepish glance: “I was stoned. Really.”

* Before a packed room, moderator and journalist Linda Deutsch asked Southern California crime writer Joseph Wambaugh how he would have told the story of the O.J. Simpson case as a novel.

“I’ve actually thought about that,” he answered. “In the very first chapter, I’d have Robert Shapiro driving drunk down a highway, where he’d be overtaken by the same cops who encountered Rodney King. They’d take out their batons and beat the hell out of him.”

* How, asked book critic Digby Diehl, does Judith Krantz get the inspiration for her varied characters? Simple, answered Krantz: “I choose the name first and the hair color second.”

* In a sometimes rowdy panel, former House Speaker Jim Wright of Texas lamented the lack of civility in contemporary American politics, blasting the prevalence of negative TV campaign ads. That brought a quick retort from Victor Navasky, editor of the Nation:

“I think there’s a time for incivility. Negative ads are bad when they focus on someone’s personal life, but for me, coming from New York, it is inconceivable that somebody could run against Sen. Al D’Amato without revealing exactly what he stands for.”

* In a panel on multicultural manners, author Norine Dresser remembered the time a foreign student in an English class asked her the meaning of the American idiom “to feel her up.”

“I thought, my God, am I really going to get into a discussion of sex? And then the student said impatiently: ‘You know, when you go to a gas station and say, ‘feel her up.’ ”

The crowd applauded, yet the biggest hand came when festival author committee member Paula Woods told the audience: “Welcome to the first--but not the last--Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.”

Amen to that, whispered an elderly woman in the audience, as her friends nodded.

Was there ever any doubt?