I decided to take a different approach to this weekend’s Saturday Read. Usually, I try to recommend my readers a great book. But this week, I’m looking to use a book to make a point.

“I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” is a controversial memoir by Tucker Max. If you read this website as religiously as I do, you know all about our feelings on this guy. If you are a newcomer and or live under a rock somewhere and have never heard of Max, here is his life:

Average guy.
Started a website.
Sleeps with women.
Posts his stories about the horrible things he does to said women.
Published this book and then turned it into a movie.
Guys laugh. Girls laugh.

Now, let me just say this as my disclaimer: I DO NOT AGREE WITH TUCKER MAX. I don’t think that any of the things that he does to women are right and, if they happened to me, I’m sure I would have some psychological damage. However, I have a hard time believing the truth in all of his stories (as 10% of a biography or memoir can be embellished). If you’ve read the book, you know the ridiculous things I’m talking about. And, yes, assuming that his stories are somehow exaggerated does make me feel a bit less guilty while laughing at them.

But, my point… Read More »

A couple months ago, I read the book “Beautiful Boy” by David Sheff, which chronicles the author’s experiences as a father of a drug addict. Because his son, Nic, was known for his writing (even publishing a piece in Newsweek while still in high school!), his father’s publishers were interested in him writing about his own journey. In “Tweak,” Nic chronicles his experience from his point of view.

Having read “Beautiful Boy,” I can say that “Tweak” not only complements “Beautiful Boy,” but also provides an alternative route to the same ending. “Tweak” is aimed at a younger generation. And even though it is basically an addict discussing his horrible experiences with drugs, Sheff never preaches or seems pretentious. He remembers who his audience is; young, hip and liable to experiment.

Nic has wild adventures, rivaling hardcore experiences in books like “A Million Little Pieces” (only, you know, they are real).  From running with gang members in San Francisco, to shacking up with an old classmate in his parents’ summer estate, he’s not kidding around. He doesn’t shy away from the gritty reality of drug abuse, even though he has relapsed several times and doesn’t believe he’s completely over his addiction. It’s interesting because even though he realizes how horrible his addiction is, he admits that he can often not stop. This book portrays the reality and helplessness of addiction wonderfully and really paints addiction as a disease. Read More »

If you don’t know who the Red Hot Chili Peppers are, I just want to know what rock you’ve been living under for the past twenty-five or so years. They are one of the biggest rock bands in the world, recording seven fantastic albums including the 2006 “Stadium Arcadium,” which won 6 Grammys. Since this band has such a long history, an autobiography of the main singer is bound to be a super interesting and full of scandal.

And Anthony Kiedis does not disappoint.

Anthony’s autobiography begins right at the beginning: his birth in 1962. He chronicles his experiences as a child that lead to his excessive party lifestyle as an adult, many of which are with his father, Blackie, a drug dealer. He discusses all of his relationships and diligently reports on the formation of the original Red Hot Chili Peppers.

At some points the book becomes slightly redundant: drug abuse, rehab, clean, repeat. But that was his life and although this repetitiveness takes away from the severity of the issue of drug abuse, the stories that go along with this vicious cycle are amazing and can only be those of a rock-star.

And they stay with you. Even though I read this about 5 years ago, certain anecdotes have never left me and I still find myself thinking of them. Read More »

Along with books, another obsession of mine is music. I have what one would call “eclectic” taste, in that I like absolutely EVERYTHING. You’re equally as likely to hear me rapping along to Biggie Smalls, belting out a classic from Fleetwood Mac or humming a tune from some little-known indie band about to blow up.

So clearly, I love music biographies.

If you read my list of 5 modern must-reads, you’ll know I encourage everyone to read rockstar biographies. I really love getting inside the brain and life of my favorite musicians; it totally changes the way I see them and gives me a glimpse into their life as a real person.

When I found “I’m With the Band” in the music section of my local bookstore I figured it would be another typical memoir from the music world, but I soon realized it wasn’t your typical music biography.

Pamela Des Barres was a groupie. Not just any groupie – a super groupie. She had flings or relationships with Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Moon and even Don Johnson (yes, Miami Vice Don Johnson) and was Frank Zappa’s babysitter! Needless to say, she had an “in” in the music world. Read More »

[We all get bogged down with the required reading lists handed to us by our over-zealous professors. When we aren't laying in bed with a textbook and 3 highlighters, we are resting our eyes (and brains) with a little TV. No one wants to read any more than they have to.

Not so fast, girls. I am here to show you some books that are totes worth reading when the 347 pages of History/English/Psych reading are finished. Books that will make you laugh, cry, and change the way you think. Good books (which I know is hard to believe when you think of the stuff assigned for class). Stick with me and you will spend a lot less time watching Real World reruns, and a lot more time enjoying books again.]

Chelsea Handler is quite a character. She’s a TV host, stand-up comidienne and author. And if you’ve never heard of her it’s about time that you had.

“Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.” is considered a memoir. More accurately, it’s a collection of some of the most hilarious stories from Chelsea’s life, almost like a sneak peek into her diary. But let me warn you, these are not your average diary entries.

A far cry from “Dear Diary, today I met the most wonderful boy,” or “We had tuna casserole for dinner,” each one of Chelsea’s stories is utterly and completely hilarious. I mean, this is a book you do not want to read in public, because you will find yourself laughing out loud and that always gets looks. Not to mention the fact that people will ask what you are laughing at and you’ll have to explain a sitution involving Chelsea breaking out of prison. Read More »

As you’re lounging by the pool, at the beach or even outside, summer reading can be one of the most relaxing activities in the warm weather. Engrossing yourself in some great chick lit novel can help ease your mind while you work on your rays. Here are some great reads:

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand. This is beach reading at its finest; three women – one sick with cancer, one just fired after having an affair with her student and one whose husband cheated, all move to the Hamptons for the summer. Juicy, juicy.

The Other Boleyn Girl. Before you see the movie (or if you haven’t already), read this book about the tragic love affair that will suck you in and make you unable to leave the page.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. This book chronicles best friends in love with the same man and how an unexpected romance changes everyones lives for the better. The best part: there’s a sequel! Read More »

The stinky, fly ridden pile o’ publishing house shame continues to grow as another “remarkable” memoir is exposed as being a big fat fake. Last week it came out that Misha Defonseca’s Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years was in fact written by a woman named Monique De Wael and was, in actuality, a total, ghostwritten, lie.

This week, it was revealed that Margaret B. Jones, a half-white, half-Indian orphan who grew up amongst gangbangers other unsavories in South Central LA was actually Sherman Oaks-bred white woman Margaret Seltzer (known to friends as Peggy) and her critically acclaimed “memoir” Love and Consequences was completely fabricated.

She claims, naturally, that many of the stories in her “memoir” came from her experience working with real, live gangsters (how scary!) in Los Angeles.

In an interview with the New York Times, Ms. Seltzer (which conjures to mind the whitest of white bottled waters) claims, tearfully, “I was in a position where at one point people said you should speak for us because nobody else is going to let us in to talk. Maybe it’s an ego thing — I don’t know. I just felt that there was good that I could do and there was no other way that someone would listen to it.” Read More »

According to CNN.com, a woman named Misha Defonseca recently admitted that she fabricated nearly all the content from a “memoir” she wrote of her childhood as a Jew during the Holocaust.

The book, Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years, claims that the author spent four years as a child wandering the European wilderness and being raised by wolves.

Would you believe that? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

The author, who has further admitted that her name is not actually Misha Defonseca but Monique De Wael, said that the book was “not actually reality, but my reality.”

I’m going to refrain from making fun of her because it’s clear that the woman needs professional help, but the point is that there’s no excuse for even disturbed people to make up stories about their lives and then market them as “memoirs.” Read More »