Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America

by Martin J. Smith, Patrick J. Kiger

In a fascinating cultural history, two veteran journalists explore twenty dramatic failures, goofs, miscues, and complications that have shaped modern-day America, from technological disasters to sports promotions run amok, and reveals the important life lessons we can learn from such calamities. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Business, Humor, Essays, American History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Author Martin J. Smith was editor-in-chief of the monthly Orange Coast magazine from 2007 to 2016, and a former senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine. He wrote three crime novels, "Time Release," "Shadow Image," and the Edgar Award-nominated "Straw Men," before turning his writing energy to nonfiction books, including "Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America," "Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions and Lore That Shaped Modern America" (both with co-author Patrick J. Kiger), and "The Wild Duck Chase," upon which the award-winning documentary film "The Million Dollar Duck" is based. Diversion Books published his fourth series novel, "The Disappeared Girl," in March 2014, and released his first stand-alone suspense-thriller, "Combustion," in September 2016. Globe Pequot published his collection of journalistic essays about the people, places, and peculiarities of the American Southwest, "Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee," on Nov. 1, 2017. His latest nonfiction book is "Going to Trinidad: A Doctor, a Colorado Town, and Stories from an Unlikely Gender Crossroads," which Bower House and Tantor Media will publish in April 2021. Smith lives in Granby, Colorado.

Reviews

[Paul Whitla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderately interesting book that looks at various events in the history of the United States that in retrospect turned out to be massive mistakes. The authors claim to draw out lessons from each of these, but that part of the book is woefully underdeveloped and seems to be restricted to the chapter titles such as ‘persistence can outweigh talent: the screeching diva’.

Some of the twenty stories are interesting in their own right. Some of the more memorable include Edison’s promotion of DC current, the XFL, the Jimi Hendrix/Monkees tour, Clippy, 10 cent beer night and the collapse of galloping gertie. However, there is really very little to bring the stories together. One assumes that this is the kind of book intended to be read in ‘the smallest room in the house’. Really this is nothing more than a collection of stories of varying interest looking at cock-ups, marketing and scientific, in the history of America.

[Reynaldo Ted II (Trewaldo) Peñas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great storytelling but most of the fiascos written here give more weight to style of humor writing rather than being factual.

[A. Bowdoin Van Riper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Situated somewhere between feature-story journalism and popular history, this book provides exactly what its subtitle promises: Twenty case studies of things – career moves, inventions, marketing strategies – that seemed like good ideas in theory, but went horribly wrong in practice. The authors are journalists, and their dedication to getting the facts and presenting them clearly shows on every page. The case studies are models of clarity, organization, and the open acknowledgement – both in the text and in the bibliography – of sources. The ones dealing with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse and the window-shedding John Hancock Building in Boston are the best short, non-technical introductions to those subjects I’ve ever read.

The quality of the research and the writing extends to the more offbeat case studies that could, in less careful hands, have descended into smirk and snark. Many books recount how Thomas Edison staged the public electrocution of an elephant. Smith and Kiger provide the context you never knew was missing: the history of other elephant executions. Many music fans of a certain age know that, for a brief time in 1967, rising guitar god Jimi Hendrix opened for the pre-fab pop group The Monkees. Smith and Kiger tell the other 99% of the story, providing a serious and plausible answer to the inevitable question: “What were they thinking?” Marketing debacles now remembered (if at all) only as punch lines – the 1955 Dodge LaFemme, the paper dress, Smell-o-Vision – get the same full and careful treatment.

If the book has a flaw, it’s that the authors’ scrupulous research and crisp writing clash with their (or their publisher’s) determination to make the book “wacky” and light-hearted. The intentional “misprinting” of the cover image and the small, boxed inset at the end of each chapter distilling the case study into a literal “recipe” for disaster are artifacts of that determination – and they fall as flat as Richard Nixon’s 1968 attempt connect with young voters by appearing on Laugh In. If you’re interested enough in the subject matter to be reading this review, you’ll find the book fascinating. Just be aware that you’re in for a very strange read.

[Kitty Stimson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fascinating book, much of which I never knew or heard about. Even though I was 'alive', in school, news didn't travel like now. This book is 'short', and there's no 'story' per se. It's actually a list with explanations on the 20…see subtitle above. Like cars that didn't make it, stupid ideas by well-known businessmen or inventors before they hit the one that DID make it. Bridges that were built by professionals and failed. etc. FUNNY and makes everyone feel better about their own comparative Little failures next to these guys. Course, women were in the background, home with the kids, then. So they WERE all men. That too is covered here a little. Not politically so much as day to day life of 'yesteryear's' were; as it was. It Did bring back a lot of memories...getting into my upper elementary school and high school years, young newly-wed years...but fun for everyone. A possible eye opener for the younger set that say, "I just don't understand where mom's coming from, or grandma."

[Tippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Thomas Edison electrocuting an elephant, Thomas Midgley Jr. inventing Chlorofluorocarbons and adding lead to gas, the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, introduction of kudzu, Florence Foster Jenkins as "the screeching Diva," the Dodge La Femme, with the title "pandering will get you nowhere," Smell-O-Vision, the paper dress, the Jimi Hendrix-Monkees concert tour, the Cleveland Indians' 10 cent beer night-why the minimum drinking age is 21, John Hancock Tower and 500 pound falling windows, leisure suits, Clippy, Y2K scare and XFL. Skipped a few, but for the most part, these stories were hilarious, and these authors are hilarious! They have a fantastic writing style.

My favorite quote: "it appears to be a trait of human nature to take repeated success as confirmation that everything has been done correctly."

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascoes That Shaped America by Martin J. Smith (Collins 2006) (973.0) is an interesting collection of stories about bad ideas adopted (at least for a time) by American culture. For instance, a Chinese plant named kudzu was widely praised by the US Government in the early 1900's as a cure-all for U.S. farm erosion. As is clear now, kudzu is one of the worst non-native plants ever set loose upon our shore, for it has no natural enemies in the U.S. to keep it in check! Other screw-ups highlighted here include the brief heavyweight boxing reign of Leon Spinks, the Cleveland Indians ten-cent beer night riot, the pairing of Jimi Hendrix and the Monkees on a concert tour, leisure suits, and many more. It seemed like a good idea at the time.....My rating: 7/10, finished 3/12/14.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining vignettes highlighting various fails from America's past. Surprising facts like Jimi Hendrix's first (and least successful) foray into the American rock scene was as The Monkee's opening act and infamous events like 10-Cent Beer Night are at home alongside poor Thomas Midgley Jr, who inadvertently brought on the Earth's destruction not once, but twice. Full of sly (but not cruel) humor and well-researched, this book is right at home alongside Freakanomics and Malcolm Gladwell.

[Ken Lewin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a collection of relatively interesting narratives whose storytelling never really transcends the story that's being told, and ultimately ends up making the content forgettable. It was a thought I had when picking the book up at the thrift store that "I could probably find the same info online" but I tried it out anyway. Guess that's an example of our changing information gathering paradigms - I would have loved this book when I was 13.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun but not-too-serious look at mostly 20th-century Pop-Culture flops and "life lessons" based on them. The life lessons are thin and mostly tongue-in-cheek, but the short recaps of 20 fiascoes such as flying cars, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, and Leon Spinks move quickly and provide their share of amusement and illumination of seldom-seen corners of history and technology.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, humanity, we are occasionally this stupid. And its funny. There are documented cases in this book of people who are otherwise brilliant doing the dumbest things; read it, and flip the mental coin between hysterical laughter and weeping.

[David R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is entertaining if a bit uneven. The eponymous fiascoes are largely in the form of product malfunctions (ClipIt, La Femme, etc.) and all purport to give solid life lessons (e.g. "sweat the details", I assume, to businesspeople. Well, maybe. It's a lot of fun all the same.

[Kaethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

all over the place, not unlike a popcorn explosion. I'm afraid it never really came together for me.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent pop-culture "history" book - not about the life lessons (which are pretty much confined to the chapter titles) but does tell some interesting stories from American history.

[Xavier Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book full of short anecdotes of history, most of which I've heard before, but was still very entertaining. I'd recommend it for anyone that likes historical curiosities and trivia.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative read.

[Alexis S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat you have to finish your book before you get this