This weekend, while dealing with tendonitis in my left knee, I found myself on the couch watching Brainiac. I had never seen the show before, but it struck me as a ligthweight version of Mythbusters. One of the assertions that the Brainiac cast validated was that paper can only be folded in half seven or eight times. I had heard this when I was younger, but always wondered what would happen with longer strips of really thin paper. Despite Brainiac’s confirmation that the upper limit was eight, I found that a high-school student, Britney Gallivan, had folded a paper in half 12 times in January 2002. And that wailing sound? A fact-checker losing his/her job.
It certainly doesn’t stop with political patronage. George C. Deutsch didn’t even graduate from college, but managed to land a job where he could effectively stifle one of the world’s top climate scientists. Scary.
Random House made a savvy move today, offering readers who purchased the book directly a refund on A Million Little Pieces. The publisher takes the high road without actually having to worry about paying back too many people. After all, how many times have bought a book directly from the publisher?
I’m curious if they will offer refunds for Frey’s second book as questions regarding its veracity have certainly come into play. I’m still waiting for the class action suit….
What are the odds of two literary frauds being exposed in one day? Not good. From this day forward, I think the public will read tales of drug-addled, debauched youth with a raised eyebrow. That’s bad news for all of you drug-addled, debauched kids who dream of memoir-driver literary stardom. Sigh….
Well, suffice it to say that JT Leroy may not have a penis after all. (Gawker made yesterday Fake Writer Day. I can’t wait to see whom we celebrate next year!)