Better a good editor should be your friend. It is a shame that this book is spoiled by bad editing. What could have been. There are countless improper usages of quotation marks; there are open quotes at the beginning of a paragraph and then no closing quotes at the end. Worst of all, there are thirteen incidents (that I counted, I gave up after three hundred pages) or stories/text repeated two, and even three times. Some parts were repeated verbatim.
Six of the chapters were originally parts of a series for the New York Post written in 1960 by the author. A large percentage of the book is derived from interviews with Steve Blauner, Darin’s manager. There seems to be little editing of the interviews, there are parts where no dates are given for events, and it seems to read like “then this happened, then this, etc.”
Like I said it is a shame about the editing, as there is some worthwhile material in this book, revealing of the life of the Bronx belter. Some moving stories are here. They just could have been put in a more readable, concise format.
This book is published by Author House. Research on the company's website revealed this firm to be a self-publishing, or vanity press. Their website boasted about their editing which was available to authors, but if they did any on this book they were stealing from Mr. Aronowitz.
Article comments
1 - NancyGail
Have you read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves?
2 - DrPat
I KNOW JUST WHAT YOU MEAN! Sorry for shouting, but I just finished a book I had waited for with bated breath, only to have the experience spoiled (in part) by bad proof-reading and worse grammar-checking.
It's frustrating, isn't it? Like sorting through garbage to find the quarter you know dropped into it, sooner or later you ask yourself, "Do I really need a quarter this badly?"
3 - Neal
I plan on reading ESLs, I just checked on Amazon for the details on the book. I'll check my local library.
Yes, it is annoying, spoiling a good read. You find yourself asking, "Who is talking"? Especially with quotes within quotes.
4 - Neal
Should that be "Who is talking?"? Maybe, but one or two mistakes can be forgiven, not countless ones.
5 - Temple Stark
I just had friend- well an acquaintance really - have a bad experience with authorhouse - the book came back ugly. They did agree to do them again however.
I think they may work with what yo give them and do very little editign of their own. My friend's problem wasn't with the grammar etc but with the binding.
And I'll be reviewing two of his books here shortly
Can you tell us a little bit more about the good Neal? Thanks.
6 - Neal
The book gives some insight into Darin's strong desire to make it due to his concern over his heart condition which was caused by a childhood case of rheumatic fever. He was never supposed to live past a certain age, but he did, still dying early at the age of 37. There are a lot of anecdotal stories, but some are hard to believe.
His sudden about face in his musical direction after the death of Robert Kennedy is revealed. Bobby went "hippy" for want a better term. He dropped the tux and put on denims and changed some of his material, writing protest songs. He would eventually return to the crooner role though.
Like I said there is some good stuff, but you have to sift through a lot of material that could have been left out.
Was I being too harsh on Mr. Aronowitz? Probably, but I have certain expectations about a book. Maybe if it was just a Kinko's manuscript I wouldn't have expected that much. But if you're putting an ISBN and a publisher's name, and a soft cover on something I believe certain standards are expected.
I urge every blogcritic reader to buy the book. Judge for yourself. Any promotion of the legend of Bobby Darin is all right with me. He was a one-of-a -kind.
7 - Temple Stark
Be harsh man, if it's effed up.
I was just curious whether there was ANY reason why I should buy.
Are there pictures, too? :-)
8 - Marty Thau
I haven't read this book but did know Aronowitz from back in the 60s when he was an important music writer and confidant to people like John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Phil Spector, and Dylan. Everything he ever wrote was the real thing. Instead of picking apart the missing p's an q's how about concentrating on Al's insights and perceptions. The guy is one of the best music writers ever and in a league with people like Nick Tosches, Christgau, and the late Lester Bangs.
9 - Temple Stark
Well that's good to know Marty - that the guy knows from what he speaks. But if a reader can't tell that from all the distractions, as Neal says, well then that's all wasted.
I know I would be horribly distracted if I saw all that Neal describes.
10 - Neal
There are some small B&W pictures at the beginning of some chapters.
I was just glancing through the book and came across this quote, the first sentence of Chapter 31: "You might've discerned by now that this is not a through and well-researched biography of Bobby Darin."
He goes on to say, "Despite the scorn that editors have shown me-and the scorn for them expressed by me in return-I consider myself to be practicing journalism as an art rather than as a profession. I write not to get paid-and I certainly have never been paid very much for my writing, and especially not since I was banned from print in 1972-but I write because writing is my art. It's what I do. I consider myself to be the same as a portrait painter or a photographer who picks his subjects and asks them to sit for him. Only I photography or paint portraits of the people who sit for me with words."
And as we all know art is just a matter of taste.
11 - Eric Berlin
Crazy that with the ultra competitive publishing business, etc. that a book can be let out the door with such glaring blemishes.
12 - Jim P
with all of it's faults, Al's Darin book is worth picking up..it's conversational tone and rough edges add to it's "charm"...
R.I.P. Al Aronowitz, who just passed away Monday August 1 2005.