Synopses & Reviews
< p=""> Americans' failures are as spectacular as their successes: bridges that collapse; flying cars that crash; sports promotions run amok; deodorant that nearly destroyed the earth; and even failures that failed to happen <> < p=""> Veteran journalists Martin J. Smith and Patrick J. Kiger select twenty miscues, goofs, complications, and failures that shaped modern America and reveal the life lessons these gaffes teach, including: <> < ul=""> < li=""> Accentuate the Positive: How Thomas Edison Invented Trash Talk < i=""> < li=""> Understand the Market: The 1967 Monkees& #150; Jimi Hendrix Concert Tour < i=""> < li=""> Desperation Is the Cradle of Bad Ideas: Cleveland Indians' Ten-Cent Beer Night < i=""> < li=""> Sweat the Details: The Sixty-Story John Hancock Guillotine< i=""> < l=""> < p=""> Enriched by handy clip-'n'-save Recipes for Disaster, < i=""> Oops<> proves that when it comes to failure, truth is stranger than fiction <>
Review
“Oops is a hilarious look at human ingenuity gone horribly wrong.” Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, the New York Times
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“A terrific read.” Richard Lederer, author of A Man of My Words
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“. . .as informative as it is entertaining.” Publishers Weekly
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“Oops is a shockingly funny, fascinating, and intelligent book that the reader cant put down. Its a magnificent discovery.” Lynne Cox, New York Times bestselling author of Swimming to Antarctica
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“Informative, entertaining, and. . .educational” Los Angeles Times
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“Life is full of bad ideas, and Oops explores the best of the worst.” Sacramento Bee
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“A playful look at 20 gargantuan gaffes in American history” Daily Breeze
Synopsis
Americans' failures are as spectacular as their successes: bridges that collapse; flying cars that crash; sports promotions run amok; deodorant that nearly destroyed the earth; and even failures that failed to happen!
Veteran journalists Martin J. Smith and Patrick J. Kiger select twenty miscues, goofs, complications, and failures that shaped modern America and reveal the life lessons these gaffes teach, including:
- Accentuate the Positive: How Thomas Edison Invented Trash Talk
- Understand the Market: The 1967 Monkees-Jimi Hendrix Concert Tour
- Desperation Is the Cradle of Bad Ideas: Cleveland Indians' Ten-Cent Beer Night
- Sweat the Details: The Sixty-Story John Hancock Guillotine
Enriched by handy clip-'n'-save "Recipes for Disaster," Oops proves that when it comes to failure, truth is stranger than fiction!
Synopsis
In a fascinating cultural history, two veteran journalists explore twenty dramatic failures, goofs, miscues, and complications that have shaped modern-day America, from technological disasters to sports promotions run amok, and reveals the important life lessons we can learn from such calamities. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.
About the Author
Martin J. Smith is an award-winning journalist and magazine editor. He is a senior editor at the
Los Angeles Times Magazine and lives with his family in southern California.
Patrick J. Kiger is a journalist whose articles have appeared in GQ, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and other publications. He lives near Washington, D.C.