The Big Book of Losers

It's a goal to collect all of the volumes that make up The Big Book Of collection from Factoid Books. Unfortunately, this one won't be added to my collection. But it wasn't because of quality or a dislike for the material. Quite the opposite, I found the source material so engrossing, that there are a couple of subjects that I would love to read further about.

For example, the Gatti Gang from Italy. A mismatched group of mostly middle aged bunglers who couldn't do anything right and after several years of trying, when they finally robbed a bank, they only took in enough lira, that it equaled and $25 American dollars.

1997's The Big Book of Losers is full of people who just couldn't get ahead. There's the group of 5 singing sisters who's voices were so bad, only 3 people showed for their reunion show. There's the innovative music producer who snapped under the pressure of a massive infringement lawsuit, killing his neighbor and ultimately himself, only in death to win the verdict and a slew of royalties. There's also some very famous names, like George Custer, 30-day President William Henry Harrison and many more.

Don't think this book is just about people who failed. There's a bunch of inventions, forms of entertainment and other concepts that went bust and ended up in this book. The most famous example being perhaps the Edsel from Ford, a car so hated, only one of the 100,000 that were sold was ever reported stolen. Did you know that Stephen King's Carrie was adapted into a musical? Plus if you think you're having a rough first day at work, take a gander at how things went on the inaugural day of the US Postal Service's Air Mail program!

As you can see, I really enjoyed this book. So why don't I keep it! It's because there's a misprint! A big one and not something that I think would be considered collectible. There is a roughly 30 page segment where the previous 30 pages are included once again. Called an 'erratum', it's a rare production error and yet I have encountered such boo-boos in at least 2 other books with this error and countless comics. Am I am loser when it comes to finding these?

Thankfully I only paid 75 cents for the book. While I don't think it would be ethical for me to try and pass this off on someone else by trying to resell at a used bookstore, I do not have any qualms counting this as having read it. It's not my fault the book is missing a section. It just would be wrong to try and sell it as complete to someone else. To the free shelf it goes and on my wish list it remains.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Poorcraft: The Funnybook Fundamentals of Living Well on Less (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Today more than ever, people need help making ends meet. Inflation, rising gas prices and the war in Ukraine are taking a toll on all our wallets. C. Spike Trotman takes it upon herself to help those with financial constraints with this graphic novel full of money saving tips. Along with whimsically cartoony artist Diana Nock (The Intrepid Girlbot), Trotman presents a method called Poorcraft. But it's really an amalgamation of a bunch of economical philosophies and techniques.

My wife and I partook in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University seminar a few years back. Trotman's advice on how to pay for a car and to reduce debt using the 'snowball' effect of paying off the smaller dues first and then applying that money to the next larger bill, is something I learned from Ramsey.

In this book, Trotman uses the character of Penny and her faithful dog, Nickel to help their pal Mil out of a sticky financial situation. From finding affordable housing to the use of transportation, cutting corners on grocery, clothes and entertainment and how to navigate the tricky paradox that is called higher education, just about any lifetime situation is covered in this book.

Not everything in this book is practical for everyone. Penny's use of a bicycle along with a bus to get around everywhere isn't really feasible for somebody who lives in a rural area. But a bunch of the tips in this book are universally helpful.

Ryan Estrada, one of the reviewers on the back cover suggests that Poorcraft replace Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go! as the essential work to give high school graduates. I'd almost agree with this assessment. Only, I think rising Juniors should get this book in order to avoid the traps of for-profit universities, un-repayable student loans and how to utilize affordable community colleges in order to meet the core class standards. Some of my pupils seek me out with help looking at culinary schools and I think the resources listed in this book will assist with that.

I'm thinking of hanging on to this book as a resource for the high school culinary classes I teach. There's a lot of great tips for cooking on a budget without resorting to just ramen noodles! That's a major concern in my students- being able to cook for themselves after high school. Our unit on the cooking of authentic ramen was a big hit with my upperclassmen. My level 1 students can't wait to do it this coming school year!

C. Spike Trotman has two other books in the Poorcraft series. One is about travelling on a budget. But it's her budget cookbook that I'm looking to add to my collection of texts useful for teaching culinary. I learned a lot from this book and I think my student will too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #29 (With Chapter Titles) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.