Friday, July 17, 2009

Our Favorite Book Title, Part 18

So many to choose from this time. But we eventually settled on The Teeth May Smile But the Heart Does Not Forget--Murder and Memory in Uganda, an unusual mix of chilling and poetic. But we also liked Tear Down This Myth--How the Reagan Legacy Has Distorted Our Politics and Haunts Our Future and Go Ask Your Father--One Man's Obsession With Finding His Origins Through DNA Testing. All of them accomplish what good book titles (and headlines) tend to do: make you stop and take notice. So which is your favorite? You can review earlier offerings in this series here.

13 Comments:

At 10:38 AM, Blogger Britta said...

The Rice title reminds me of another: The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East by Neil McFarquar

 
At 10:40 AM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Ooh, that's a good one, Britta. Funny: I know that writer, but haven't yet heard of the book. Thanks for cluing me in.

 
At 10:46 AM, Blogger Britta said...

It came across my desk as a preview copy so probably hasn't gotten much publicity yet.

 
At 10:49 AM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

I see. That means it's not yet in bookstores. That would explain it.

 
At 12:55 PM, Blogger Jim Murdoch said...

These titles are all too long for me. I prefer titles that are short and to the point. I'll give you three examples: They (Kay Dick), One (David Karp) and We (Yevgeny Zamyatin). In every case it was the title that made me pick up the book although the cover for They is a fine example of the perfect combination of title and artwork. All three books deal with identities, specifically the relationship of the individual to the state.

 
At 2:03 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

That's interesting, Jim. And I can't help noting an internal paradox: while you like your book titles short, you also happen to be one of the longest-form bloggers I read.

 
At 3:08 PM, Blogger Jim Murdoch said...

Then you will find the post I have coming up entitled 'Say what you have to say and get off the page' quite amusing.

BTW I do write very short poetry.

 
At 3:09 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

I'll look forward to reading that, Jim.

 
At 8:00 AM, Anonymous Donna said...

Funny book titles catch my eye. I guess that's because I'm always seeing the humorous side of everything. A couple of ones I liked:

"What's the Worst that Could Happen?" by Donald Westlake.

"The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things," by Carolyn Macklen.

 
At 8:43 AM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

That earth & butt title is a true classic. I'd have surely flagged that one if I had seen it. Thanks for adding yours, Donna. Have you read both those books?

 
At 9:00 AM, Anonymous Donna said...

I probably read the Westlake. Not the other.

 
At 12:00 PM, Anonymous Jane Levesque said...

How about this song title: "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand"?
(Primitive Radio Gods, 1996) Had to look it up. I could only recall the first six words of the title.

 
At 5:08 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Good for you for venturing out beyond book titles, Jane. The real subject here is just good titles.

 

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