I read a lot of stuff like this out of general curiosity & because they're typically quick & easy reads. Sometimes I discover ones I think are also great books (like Richard Preston's The Hot Zone), but this wasn't one. 1. Amazing how influential one person can be. 2. The Friedman twins (Eppie aka Ann Landers, and Popo aka Dear Abby) were born and lived in wealthy, influential circles, so it's not that much of a coincidence that they both became extremely successful. 3. "Friendly, uninhibited" Eppie would pepper everyone she met with questions, and her genuine interest led to being generally loved and confided in. Wish I could be like that! 4. Funniest bit: Eppie's dad did not believe that her future husband was Jewish. "Say something in Yiddish!" he demanded. "I vanna go for a valk" said the suitor.
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
that's funny - good Hilary, thanks!
2 - Bob A. Booey
That "Yiddish joke" was horrible. Rick Kogan's a fairly boring writer as well.
That is all.
3 - Eric Olsen
The humor wasn't in "the joke," it was situational humor where someone was put in a position where the best they could come up with was really lame. The lameness is why it's funny.