Dear Mr. Gaiman, I recently read your book Good Omens (co-writing with Terry Pratchett), then my Mom was all hysterical, “What the hell are you doing?” she’s trying to throw the book out for a countless times. What should I do, if I may ask you? Thx.

neil-gaiman:

I’d suggest putting the book somewhere your mother won’t throw it out, or lending it to a friend. 

You could try talking to your mother about why she wants to throw out a funny book, one that won many awards, is highly praised, and will be a TV series in 2018. But probably the kinds of mothers who are determined to throw books out don’t really want to discuss that.

You could also try and persuade your mother to read it. It’s hard to talk about a book only one of you has read, after all.

I remember my parents, who are catholic, wouldn’t let me watch Monty Python’s Life of Brian.  I bought it on VHS, but when my mother found it she threw it out.  So I bought it again, argued with them by saying things like ‘God must have a sense of humour or why else would Panda’s exist’ and eventually persuaded my parents to watch it with me.  And it was fine.

Of course it could be they just saw how determined I was and gave up trying to stop me watching a comedy film.  So maybe the moral is that pig-headedness always triumphs in the end.