One Person's Treasure...

I recently became aware that an author I used to be friendly with -- and thought I "knew" -- had written a "tell-all" e-book, thinly disguised as fiction, about a certain debacle of old that caused a lot of people a lot of grief. I bought it, not to put money in the author's pocket but to -- finally -- find out the truth of what happened. Now I know some of it, I guess.

After finishing the thing, I was left, first and foremost, astonished and appalled at the level of the author's delusion. You just expect modern people to be savvy and intelligent and have a modicum of insight. You expect it even more when that person lays claim to being a professional writer. This person's naïveté and gullibility -- which went on for years -- is just beyond belief. Worse, the depths of depravity of this person's good buddy as revealed in the "tell-all" was shocking and sickening.

Of course, it wasn't a "tell-all." Conspicuously missing was the author's own role in a lot of Internet skullduggery, done purely for reasons of jealousy and revenge, that went on which hurt a lot of people for no constructive reason. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that the author failed to 'fess up. Had the author told the complete, unvarnished truth rather than gloss over the author's own egregious conduct, perhaps a few more copies would sell. And this is an author who knows all about stats and numbers, too. Maybe next time. Probably not. If I ever wondered whether I was "normal," I don't any more. Let me tell you, the bath I took after reading that sordid mess was absolutely necessary.

You guys have a terrific Thursday. I have to have a judge's opinion interpreted and drafted into a decree in time for court at 2:00 o'clock. Whoopee!