Many beginning writers have heard the phrase “write as if your parents were dead” from their creative-writing teacher. It refers to the writer not being afraid to reveal himself through imagery, language, and subject matter. An author misunderstands and takes the advice literally, so every story becomes about her parents being dead. Her first short story, “Autumn Days Are Fleeting,” features the lines, “I miss Mom. Why did you take her from me, God?” which then progresses into entire stories like “Telling Children About Grandparents” where a young child named Alison is told four times that she won’t meet them because “they are either dead or unknown.”
Some short pieces like “Unpublished Sequels to Famous Science-Fiction” and “Holden Caulfield Gives The Commencement Speech To A High School” are amusing, but don’t work when the original subject matter isn’t known. However, others can be deciphered and enjoyed. The humor of “Possible Titles For Sue Grafton Novels After She Runs Out Of Letters” is entertaining not just to mystery readers. Anyone who spends time with computers should get a chuckle out of / Is for Slash and F1 for Help. “IKEA Product or Lord of the Rings Character?” is a good game. Sure, Frodo is easy, but who is the Tolkein creation between Molger and Galdor?
Some stories fall flat, but they are the exception. I could name them, but writers and editors by nature are a pretty vindictive group. There’s no need to upset them and take a chance of getting a piece I submit to McSweeney’s spiked out of bitterness.
The Joke Book of Book Jokes provides many laughs and will allow its owner a feeling of smug superiority over those who don’t get the jokes. What more do you need for $12.95?
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