The Best Selling ‘Worst Book’ Ever Written
The Best Selling ‘Worst Book’ Ever Written
When it comes to books, what we consider 'great' or 'worst' is highly subjective. Many so-called 'worst books' have surprised everyone with their incredible sales and dedicated fan base. Let's explore some of these fascinating literary oddities.
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff: An Overly Alliterative Nightmare
Among the most notoriously bad books is Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, co-written by Sean Penn. Penn's novel, a mix of satire, dark humor, and mystery, has barely a positive review.
Despite the criticisms, Penn managed to write a sequel, which speaks to the peculiar workings of the publishing world. Interestingly, even Salman Rushdie, a renowned author, enjoyed it, providing further fodder for the debate on quality and taste.
Life in the Fast Lane: A Painful Ride
Life in the Fast Lane: The Johnson Guide to Cars, compiled by Boris Johnson, is not just a bad book; it's a collection of racist and sexist content. Critics, particularly car enthusiasts, have lambasted the book, with one website claiming he is 'the world’s worst car journalist.'
Beyond the factual errors and cultural insensitivity, Johnson's selection of content is widely criticized, making it an uncomfortable read for many fans of the former Mayor of London.
Uncle Tom's Cabin: A Tale of Sympathy and Inefficacy
W.E.B. Du Bois famously referred to Uncle Tom's Cabin as 'American Uncle Tomming Made Art.' Despite its intention to portray slaves sympathetically, the book's historical significance and popular impact are undeniable. Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel outsold all other books at the time—except religious texts like the Bible and the Koran—a fact that continued to resonate in the 19th century.
The novel was a major driver for the abolitionist movement. Stowe's depiction of Tom as Christ-like, stoically bearing unbearable cruelty, succeeded in garnering sympathy in the North and Britain. However, by modern literary standards, the novel is considered melodramatic and overly sentimental.
Despite its shortcomings, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a testament to how a book can have a profound impact on society and history. It arguably helped end the American Civil War and changed the global perception of American slavery.
In conclusion, while these books might not meet the contemporary standards of literary excellence, they offer valuable insights into human nature, cultural attitudes, and the enduring power of storytelling. Whether they are the best-selling 'worst books' ever written is a matter of debate, but one thing is clear: they all have something to say.