Books like Happiness

4.5 starsAs much as I enjoy quirky satire, few books have consistently made me laugh--and think--like Will Ferguson's 2001 unexpected (albeit a wee bit dated) delight Happiness(TM), a book that hilariously yet poignantly eviscerates Americans' consumerist bent and the pursuit of happiness at any cost. He focuses his sights on the publishing world: specifically the Random Houses and HarperCollinses and Simon & Schusters responsible for churning out Self-Help books (everything from fad diet rehashes and "Chicken Soup for the Soul" inspirational claptrap, to monster megahit spiritual awakening screeds disguised as novels like James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy.)This "apocalyptic" tale (so deemed in the introduction, a stretch for sure) is seen through the eyes of Edwin de Valu, a scrawny, sarcastic, vile turd (who cheats on his wife and kicks the family cat every opportunity he can) and low-level Panderic Press editor of their Self-Help catalogue. After the author of Panderic's biggest seller, the "Mr. Ethics" series, is convicted of triple homicide, Edwin is tasked with culling the slush pile for "The Next Big Thing" to replace their fallen-from-grace money machine. After weeks of fruitless slush pile-culling, a mammoth 1,000-page uneditable manuscript plops in called "What I Learned on the Mountain" by a Bangladeshi guru named Tupak Soiree. Though it seems like a comprehensive Asian mishmash of every single Self-Help book published to date, Edwin (under the gun to get something published or risk losing his job) gets the behemoth printed and distributed. And, amazingly, with no publicity or marketing effort, the book explodes in popularity. almost attaining a religious fervor with its readers. The book becomes so popular, with multiple millions of happy adherents, that a wave of non-consumption sweeps the country: First the tobacco and alcohol industries crumble, then fast food empires follow suit, then its just a matter of time before everything comes screeching to a halt. An economic standstill (yet with a populace filled with Happiness(TM))Yeah, super far-fetched, I know, but you're not likely to confuse this satire for anything deep and meaningful. Yet, among the guffaws, there's just enough truth sprinkled throughout to give one pause: No, a Self-Help book isn't going to bring the country to its knees, but it's creepy fun imagining the scenario Ferguson (firmly tongue-in-cheek) lays out. And, if nothing else, this book is a hilarious alternative to fellow Canadian Margaret Atwood's clunky, similarly-themed dystopian novel, The Heart Goes Last. My sense of humor is a bit twisted, but you know, I'll gladly chortle my way through Ferguson's wry Happiness(TM) than endure Atwood's shlocky Possibilibots any day.