Yesterday morning, I sent Brian an email about today's discussion. He hasn't replied and his blog says he's out of town, so I'll go ahead and start talking a little about Will Ferguson's Happiness
Over the course of the last month, I mentioned Happiness in several posts because I found it to be a fun, fast read. Sure, it wasn't a work of literary genius by a master author. In order to be truly well read, though, I believe you need to step away from "The Greats" every once in a while to provide yourself with perspective. If you read nothing but Joyce or Tolstoy, for example, can you really know how great they are without having points of comparison? Does commercial fiction serve a purpose besides its entertainment value?
Of the hundreds of TBRs sitting on every flat surface in my home, the overwhelming majority are tragedies and dramas. I tend toward books with oddly twisting plots and hyper-dysfunctional characters who are barely able to function in "normal" society. For me, Happiness was a departure from the usual fare and it reminded me of the importance of occasionally putting aside seriousness since there isn't anything wrong with having a laugh. Do you tend to read more tragedies or comedies? If you strongly prefer one over the other, how often do you step outside your comfort zone?
Happiness, no doubt, is a comedic satire of the publishing industry. I found it funny, but satire? More than once, I wondered if Ferguson and I had worked at the same publishing company. We made fun of obnoxiously bad writing from the slush pile. Our editors thought they knew everything. We repackaged successful books and beat them into the ground along the lines of the "Chicken Broth" series in Happiness. What did you think of the satire? Based on what you know about the publishing industry, did Ferguson's characterization seem absurd?
In the story, What I Learned on the Mountain by Tupak Soiree is a self-help book that really works and helps its readers do everything from quitting smoking to having incredible sex. Although my life is far from perfect, I have read very few self-help books. About a year ago, I read a book about honesty because an acquaintance said it helped him get over his hangups and improved the way he interacted with others. I thought it was a piece of crap. [Honest.] As I read it, I realized that I'd be a pretty boring person without all of my eccentricities, so I specifically avoided its advice. Do you ever read self-help books? Has one ever helped you? Do you recommend them to others?
