I have honestly been taken aback by the reluctance of many folks to read The Skies Belong to Us while traveling. Time and again, I’ve heard from people who refuse to bring the book on planes, for fear of freaking out their seatmates—or, more important, those meddlesome TSA screeners.
I’m sympathetic to these concerns, but also saddened by them. Simply reading a book of American history should never be an act that arouses suspicions. I would now like to stress that important point by offering y’all a delicious inducement to read The Skies as you transit from one city to the next.
To promote the book, the missus and I designed and printed 100 sets of skyjacker trading cards. There are now just 20 left, and I want to give these limited-edition gems away to brave souls who read The Skies while aloft—or, at the very least, in airports. How do you claim this scintillating prize? There are three easy ways:
1) Tweet a photo of yourself reading The Skies on an airplane or in an airport, along with either the hashtag #TheSkies or my handle (@brendankoerner). I will then reach out to get your mailing address.
2) Tag both yourself and me (+brendankoerner) in a Facebook photo of yourself reading the book on an airplane or in an airport.
3) Send me the relevant photo via email (brendan AT microkhan DOT com).
Yes, you can snap yourself reading the digital version. I’ll trust you to do the right thing and actually download the book, rather than just hold up a sample chapter for the camera. I believe in the innate goodness of our species.
minderbender // Jul 1, 2013 at 3:10 pm
The fact that the author of this blog still believes in the innate goodness of our species is . . . uplifting, I guess, albeit a little shocking.
James Arnall // Jul 7, 2013 at 12:27 am
Damnit — I read TSBTU on a plane, the day it was released. My wife rolled her eyes, but I was just excited to read it. I’m flying again in a few days. Can I take a picture then?
Brendan I. Koerner // Jul 7, 2013 at 9:07 am
@James Arnall: Yep, absolutely! Still several packs left over. Glad to hear you risked marital discord to dive into THE SKIES.
Jan Karlsson // Jul 11, 2013 at 9:08 am
Unfortunately, I’m very afraid of flying, but I just finished reading your book, and after having promoted it restlessly to real and facebook friends I now got a few of them reading it, and loving it, just as much as I did.
If that is worth something, this high school teacher in English on a small island off the Finnish coast would be quite grateful to get his hands on a card set.
/Best,
Jan Karlsson, Mariehamn, The Alands Island, Finland
Brendan I. Koerner // Jul 11, 2013 at 12:11 pm
@Jan Karlsson: That is impressive–thank you for evangelizing among your Scandinavian brethren. I’m going to drop you an email and see if we can coordinate something.
Gramsci // Aug 8, 2013 at 9:36 pm
Just got my copy today. It’s an honor and a pleasure to read after seeing MK posts over the last few years that hinted at the work to come.
Brendan I. Koerner // Aug 9, 2013 at 8:56 am
@Gramsci: Awesome, thanks so much for taking the plunge. Ping me when you’re done–would love to hear your take.
A Giveaway to Celebrate the Skies Paperback | Microkhan by Brendan I. Koerner // Jun 18, 2014 at 11:13 am
[…] I’ve decided to offer some limited-edition goodies to the faithful: signed copies of my skyjacker trading cards, of which there are only a few complete sets […]