Stories from a Moron

February 7, 2005
This author's name must strike terror in the souls of editors across the country: after all, his hobby is writing purposefully mediocre stories and submitting them to the wrong magazines. When an editor tells Broth that his material isn't suitable, Broth peppers his original story with mentions of whatever the magazine's focus happens to be, bolds and underlines them, and sends the piece back. As one editor writes to Broth, "I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry...you just wasted your money and my time." It's pretty funny at first, and we laugh along with the bemused Fencers' Quarterly editor. But what about the painfully earnest group at the helm of an Amish magazine and the countless busy editors of very specific publications (Rug Hooking, I Love Cats Magazine, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) who are being asked to read such inanities? Most editors try to give Broth some kind of guidance the first time he sends them his inappropriateoccasionally sordid, often boringstories. Soon it seems as if we're watching Broth thumb his nose at people trying to help him, and eventually we must wonder what else he might have been able to accomplish with the amount of effort he put into confusing and frustrating editors. He might have improved his writing, for example. But for a book of onenote gags, this does offer some good laughs.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2004
A poor man's John Updike (albeit less prolific) wrapped in the sardonic cloak of " Seinfeld" creator Larry David (and how fitting it is that Jerry Seinfeld provides the introduction), Broth presents a set of stories bracketed by reprinted rejection letters from irate editors, and no wonder. Broth chose to submit to magazines wholly ill suited for his work. For instance, he sends "New Clothesline"--a spry look at neighborly relations regarding dirty clothes being hung between windows--to " Fencers Quarterly Magazine." In response, the editor in chief writes, "Sorry . . . we publish material related to the sport of fencing." So Broth submits a rewrite that includes only a very brief mention of fencing and several inserted pictures from the magazine. Naturally, the editor is furious. Broth launches similar attacks on a dozen other inappropriate magazines, and the ensuing dialogues with editors are riotously funny. Given the harsh realities of the publishing world, this book should be mandatory reading for every graduate writing and publishing course.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)