Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Goodreads and the Other Priya

So, somewhere out there there is an author who must really not like me.

One of the perks of having an unusual name--a name that you have to initially repeat three times and then subtly drop into conversation in order to remind people as you know they cannot remember it--is that you get a gmail account with your name on it. Nope.  Did not happen.

And yet people really close to me, family included, send email to priyaparmar@gmail and this is not me.  Whoever that Priya is, she has received attached documents up to 600 pages (my book included as well as my doctorate), emails about the dentist, the beach, the Honda, the birthday party, the bonfire at the beach, my friend Tora's haircut, the centipede in my brother's room, a broken toe and every other type of email that you really do not want other people to see.  I do not blame my family and friends for doing it as I have done it myself.  The funny thing about email?  You cannot get it back.

There is also an author called Priya Parmar.  She teaches at Brooklyn College and writes books about troubled urban youth.  I have a horrible creeping suspicion that the Priya of the gmail and the Priya of the youth in revolt are the same Priya.  In which case that Priya must really not like me as Goodreads has now conflated our profiles.  I am listed as having written four books--three with ferocious looking teenagers on the covers and one with Nell in a lovely Restoration dress.  I have also been rated with three stars on a book that no one has read yet.

I love Goodreads!  I love the very fact that Goodreads exists let alone the wonderful Seussian book smorgasbord feast that it actually is.  And yet this morning I had to write them a tiny note asking if they could disentangle the dual Priyas.   I felt terrible!

13 comments:

  1. Oh how shocking, I would have thought that with such a unique name you have, noone else would be called EXACTLY the same! Seems you have a name doppelganger.. How awkward about the e-mails, it must be awful to know someone could read through your personal correspondence.. ugh..

    Off to Goodreads to see if you are now THE Priya Parmar I'm looking for ;-)

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  2. Back to tell you: yep! Your two profiles/books ahve been separated since! :-)

    ps: and I love this pink photo of you, you look lovely and so happy :-D

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  3. stella, wow that was fast! off to see it! thanks stella, you are so sweet!

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  4. stella! you friended me on goodreads! my first one! thank you!

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  5. Hope the other Priya returns your doctorate and book emails :) What a conundrum!

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  6. i have written her an email apologizing but heard nothing back!

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  7. I certainly do hope you get all of your personal information back from the other one! Sounds like a mess, but thank goodness Goodreads fixed it up!

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  8. That sounds so frustrating, but I'm glad you got it straightened out! I hope you recover all your emails broken toes and all.

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  9. I have a very unusual name too and I am always annoyed when my standard username (first initial, last name) is already taken at websites. I double-checked on Goodreads (I'm a librarian there) and it looks like you've been all fixed up!

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  10. Ok I have found you on Goodreads and hope you will find me, same user name as always. By the way you need to update your profile there as it says website coming soon.
    As for the emails, well very odd have you tried contacting this other Priya Parmar?

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  11. what a great story - i think i have run across her somehow, in looking for your book! i recall a teacher in NY, something urban and gritty... ! glad you have been separated at last! and i hope she can laugh about this, as you can!

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  12. It's odd that she has not responded - might you try Brooklyn College? In your case, it really is surprising to find another person with your identical moniker, but it's always vaguely unsettling - I was almost affronted when the DVD store told me they had two of me!!

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