Straight (book) Pimpin'

So I was driving home from work a couple of months back, listening to NPR. Our local station periodically runs a book review segment that I find mostly annoying. On this day, however, the lady reviewed Mr. Undesireable by Scott Carpenter. From that 2 minute segment, I was convinced that this would be the best book I would read in 2005. I was not disappointed.

Carpenter tells the story of Lenny Kapowski, a "dirt poor, foul mouthed, porn addicted, binge drinking malcontent" turned lottery winning millionaire. Lenny was treated like crap by a lot of people in his life and now he has the ways and means to get even. So if retribution and rooting for the underdog are to your liking, I urge you to get this book immediately. It is mean-spirited, filthy, crude, blasphemous, and utterly hilarious. If there is any justice in this world, Scott Carpenter will be famous.

But the truly great thing about this book is the subtle lesson it teaches: Treat people well because one day, Lenny Kapowski may move next door.