ypsi~dixit

Oct 7 AA event:

Mitch Albom: Liberty Borders. This fiction writer, a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press, reads from For One More Day, his latest novel about an unlikable protagonist who gets an undeserved chance of redemption. Also, signing. Noon, Borders, 612 Liberty. Free. 668-7652.

I know, I know...don't be too hard on him.
I guess it wouldn't matter to me if he were merely a poor writer. It's the sneaking suspicion I have that he is cynically grinding out novels using the redemption formula because he knows they'll sell.

I could be wrong.
At any rate.

I thought Albom's early columns for the Freep were pretty good - the Slate author's snarky comments notwithstanding. Since then, the quality of his writing and the size of his ego have moved in opposite directions.

That is a good comment as usual; I agree.

Tom is right. Albom's ego is huge. Considering some of his crass remarks on his radio show, you're right on the money about his motives, Laura. I don't mind listening to, or reading, someone who's actually been through the School of Hard Knocks and learned something, but Albom has been an observer all his life, not a participant. I do not get the feeling he has internalized these "lessons" he tries to impart.

In all fairness, in Albom's defense I have to say that there was one time when I had to ask him something about an appearance of his in AA. I called him and he called me right back, during a break in his radio show.

You could say that that promptness was motivated by self-interest in publicizing the event, but I appreciated his taking the time to call a nobody with a question.