So the other day’s post on odd book titles made me wonder which book I’ve read has had the worst title. And considering that I’m still unpacking my library, I’m sure there is a lurker out there that I have totally forgotten about. But the one that comes to mind … it’s no lesbian horses but still pretty bad.
And the vote for worst title ever is also maybe a vote for the worst book ever (and I’ve read some bad books). I bumped into Straight is the Way (by Joel French, 1979) when I was maybe twelve. And yes, it is exactly about what you think it is about. And if I was confused by the title and the content when I read it, I have to remember that I was twelve. And Mennonite. In rural Iowa.
It would be a couple of years yet before our PBS station showed Tales of the City after which suddenly the whole freaking book made a lot more sense (If I had been allowed to watch Dynasty, I would have probably figured it out sooner). But let me tell you, for a twelve-year-old rural Mennonite girl, straight was simply the opposite of crooked rather than the opposite of bent. (Get it? Bent? Straight? Oh, never mind).
So anyhoo, I remember being confused because he was telling these stories that just kind of ended abruptly; I remember being frustrated that the book was clearly trying to give me some message without actually telling me anything at all; and I clearly remember thinking that there was nothing believable about him falling in love with a girl at the end, even if he did find God.
So in some ways, it is a perfect title. It doesn’t even try to be subtle. If you don’t get the double-meaning of the title, then the book itself will make little sense to you. But if you do get it? Well, buyer beware. So perfect and still really, really awful.
What’s your vote for worst title ever?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Alkelda // Aug 19, 2008 at 10:19 am
Those titles are pretty bad. I was trying to think of the worst title ever, but all that came up in my mind was the most misleading title. When I was 11, I picked up a used-book at the MCC sale called Just Like Ice Cream. It was about teen pregnancy. The story was formulaic, and I was incredulous that the main character could fall for her boyfriend’s argument that they should have sex because, “Hey, what if you had waited until you were an adult to try ice-cream?” Gah.
2 urbanmenno // Aug 19, 2008 at 7:15 pm
You know what’s sad? I think I read that book. In fact, I’m positive I’ve read it. Because that line sounds freakishly familiar to me.
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