Mental Floss

One of my moderately obscurish newsstand addictions is the magazine Mental Floss.  It’s bit of a mash-up of the Book of Lists, Jeopardy, and the old Spy magazine, full of light and chatty articles about highbrow topics. For example, a recent article discussed the relationship between Chippendale (the Revolutionary Era furniture maker), Chip & Dale (the mischievous chipmunks), and Chippendales (the “nightclub”). After a half hour with Mental Floss, you’d be uber-prepared for cocktail party chatting.

An article in the March/April 2009 issue struck my eye, “The 25 Most Influential Books of the Past 25 Years.” The introductory blurb states, “This list isn’t about story arcs or beautiful prose; it’s about books with spine. Whether they’ve saved lives or gotten people killed, predicted America’s future or uncovered it’s past, these 25 books have all had real-world impact.”

There is obviously no dearth of list-type articles out there in magazine-land. Any end-of-year wrap-up issue worth it’s salt will have at least a few of them. List articles run the gamut from US News and World Report’s Best Colleges list to fluffy items in Entertainment Weekly like “The Top 50: Best Movie Tearjerkers Ever” (December 4, 2008). I love list articles because they’re perfect for making you feel superior to some know-nothing editor. They thought the Way We Were was only the 29th most tear-jerking movie? Well, bring on the hankies, because it’s #1 in my book.

I had my snark-mobile all gassed up before I dug into the Mental Floss book list, but I actually found it quite thought-provoking. The list included both fiction and non-fiction, a nice genre-bending twist that acknowledges that both fantasy and reality have the power to change the world. There were obvious choices: #7 The Satanic Verses, a tome that incited riots and death threats. And less obvious choices: #24 Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, the guide that made grammar important again. All in all, a nutritious and well-balanced meal.

However, not being one to leave well-enough alone, I know that any arbitrary list leaves open the opportunity for the reader to point out a Sin of Omission (see my previous post). Of course there were more than 25 highly influential books in the past 25 years. (At least that’s what I’m hoping.) But pointing out which omission will make a strong enough impact to get a letter published, there’s my challenge.

I came up with three choices:

-    Deep End of the Ocean, Jacquelyn Michard, 1996
-    The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, 2008
-    What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, 1984

The Deep End of the Ocean was the first Oprah Book Club choice. I am the firmest of believers in the miracle of Oprah. We all know that she and her book club did more to stave off the demise of the book publishing industry than a mega-store’s worth of Tom Clancys and Steven Kings. Well, except that Oprah might be given a run for her money by Mental Floss’s #16 pick: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1998 (duh). It seems they already have the book-saves-the-publishing-industry angle covered already.

If I were to a letter about The Last Lecture it would be something about the power of an individual to make the world a better place. But I’m not going to write that letter because I must confess that I have not read The Last Lecture. I have purchased it, twice. It sits on my nightstand mocking me. I should read it, I know. It’s inspirational. I’ll be moved. I’ll laugh. I’ll cry. But, frankly, I’m scared that I’ll only cry and won’t laugh and I’m not sure if that’s something I can handle. Last month, there was a plaque installed near the Tea Cup ride at Disney World as a memorial to Pausch. The plaque reads, “Be good at something; it makes you valuable … Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.” A memorial at Disney World? See, I’m crying and I’m not going to be able to stop. I just can’t go that route.

So here’s the letter I sent to Mental Floss today:

I loved Rosemary Ahern’s List of The 25 Most Influential Books; many surprising and yet surprisingly insightful choices. If you were going to make it a list of the 26 Most Influential Books, I’d suggest you add “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” This best-selling pregnancy guide has taught an entire generation of women how to take care of their babies, as well as themselves, without the paternalistic overtones of Dr. Spock. It’s not a stretch to say that the groundbreaking big-sister-telling-it-like-it-is vibe of “What to Expect” paved the way for women to be more honest and open in their friendships. It’s only a short hop from “What to Expect” to “Sex in the City”. (Though biologically it should have been the other way around.)

And though I’m not putting this in the letter, I also think it’s only a short hop from What to Expect to the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. It’s all advice from one Mom to another.