Junot Diaz Packed B&N, but Rumors of a Riot Are Greatly Exaggerated

Twitter: @BarbotRobot

I had so much goddamn fun at the Junot Diaz reading at the Union Square Barnes & Noble last night. Truth be told, I almost didn’t get upstairs – Diaz’s ability to command a crowd notwithstanding, he still had one hell of a crowd to command. The fourth floor of the B&N was jam-packed, full to capacity – there was a standby line downstairs, and a police officer posted at the elevator to direct traffic. I mean, from where I was standing, this was the crowd in front of me:

…and this was the crowd behind me…

A big crowd, to be sure. Imagine my surprise, though, when I went on Twitter this morning to see what people were saying about this amazing literary experience – not to geek out too hard, but Junot Diaz is one of the most engaging speakers I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing – only to find out that I was apparently in the middle of a riot.

I don’t want to put too fine a point on it, so I’ll just say this: the last time this particular B&N filled its fourth floor to capacity was when Tina Fey released her book. I guarantee you the crowd that turned out for her wasn’t accused of nearly rioting.

UPDATE: Here’s the link to the Colorlines article in question: “Junot Diaz Nearly Causes a Riot at New York City Book Signing.”