Off topic (again): A Million Little Examples of Inaccuracy
People have been attacking James Frey – whom Oprah’s Book Club (which, remember, for our purposes here, is an award unto itself) made a gazillioinaire – for making up his alleged memoir, “A Million Little Pieces,� as he went along. But, being the crack investigative reporter that I am, I’ve been scouring the New York Times non-fiction best-seller lists, and have discovered a number of books that have played fast and loose with the facts. And I’m, as they said in “Casablanca,� shocked, I tell you, shocked. (Full disclosure: That’s a grievously inaccurate replication of that line.) Herewith, ostensibly nonfiction books that get it all wrong:
"Are Men Necessary?", by Maureen Dowd: She doesn't define her terms: Is it "necessary (adj.): that cannot be dispensed with; essential; indispensable" or "necessary (Dial.): a privy or toilet"?
“The Year of Magical Thinking,� by Joan Didion: Her thinking really isn’t all that magical.
“Marley & Me,� by John Grogan: Marley wasn’t a lovably rebellious dog. He was a lazy gerbil who wouldn’t come out of his wheel.
“The Truth (With Jokes),� by Al Franken: There are no jokes in the book.
“The World is Flat,� by Thomas Friedman: Actually, it’s round.
“Tuesdays with Morrie,� by Mitch Albom: On some weeks, Mitch visited him on Thursdays because the Pistons had a home game.
"Our Endangered Values," by Jimmy Carter. Values? What values?
“The Tipping Point,� by Malcolm Gladwell: Things don’t change because of a decisive, fateful moment in the Zeitgeist, mainly because things don’t change, period.
“Magical Thinking,� by Augusten Burroughs: See Joan Didion, above. If they both cook up the same essential title, how magical can their thinking be?
“Chronicles: Volume I,� by Bob Dylan: Turns out he’s not really a singer. Or a harmonica player.
“Nickel and Dimed,� by Barbara Ehrenreich: Rather than living paycheck-to-paycheck on minimum wage, she spent her evenings partying with Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski.
“Me Talk Pretty One Day,� by David Sedaris: He actually never learned to talk pretty. However, his book “Naked� is pretty accurate.
“How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must),� by Ann Coulter: If you’re an Ann-Coulter-style conservative, you don’t have to. In fact, it’s recommended that you don’t. In fact, is “talking� really one of your skills?
“My Friend Leonard,� by James Frey: James Frey no longer has any friends. Nor should he.
Feel free to add more of your own.
