The scandal surrounding the pop history tome Last Train from Hiroshima continues to spread.*The author claims his book has a problem with just a single source; HuffPo digs deeper and finds problems with the man (who among other things claims to be a defrocked PhD).
Not only has the publisher ceased sale of the book, but in its issued statement, pointed towards an authorial coverup: "Unfortunately, Mr. Pellegrino was not able to answer the additional questions that have arisen about his book to our satisfaction."
The readers of this blog routinely subject their fare to "very detailed scrutiny." I don't see experienced Civil War readers being bamboozled by authors relying on single or made-up sources. On the other hand, that general reading public that gobbles up so much of the effluvia issued by talespinners, that reading public seems to need some kind of publishing FDA to protect them from reading impurities. And so, from HuffPo: "Holt publicist Nicole Dewey declined to comment on whether Last Train had been fact-checked."
That last sentence is worth a hundred posts. Maybe, I'll write one, for as the wise man says, "The journey of 100 posts begins with ..." Meanwhile take a look at the relevant Amazon comments. Eighteen five star ratings and eighteen one-star ratings. The one-star ratings seem news driven, while the five stars seem enjoyment related.
A five star rater: "... nothing is more real than this book." Or less real. Doesn't matter, really.
Another: "A big warning; the power of Pellegrino's pen will leave indelible impressions in your mind." Wrong warning!
A four star rater: "As a reader this novel is very intriguing." Fiction, nonfiction, at the end of the day, they're all books.
Sorry to get quippy; the spirit of infotainment seized me.
*HNN has yet to take note of it; as deeply committed to political punditry as they are, these doings must appear trivial compared to health care, stimulus spending, and other such "historical" topics.
