How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life

[kaledrina]

I thought I was past the Kaavya Viswanathan scandal, I really did. Then my first year of college ended, and I started back up at work (the public library) and saw Opal on the shelf. I couldn't help myself - I had to read the book and see the plagiarism for myself.

Now I've gotten all anti-Kaavya fired up again, and have decided to make a thread to discuss.

Being a wikipedia addict, I can't not give this link, so please excuse me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaavya_viswanathan

[themanwho]

I bought two copies of this book, and then sold them on eBay for twice what I paid for them.

I have no complaints.

-M

[kaledrina]

That worked out well. Congrats.

[Robert K S]

kaledrina--did you enjoy the book?

[Ken Jennings]

Incidentally, that Slate piece on photographic memory that I linked to a couple days ago was written as a riff on Viswanathan's ridiculous claims that she was just a poor victim of her own out-of-control photographic memory.

[kaledrina]

kaledrina--did you enjoy the book?

I did, actually. It fit well in my "read only book that is inane and dumb and will not better my life a month" decision. I, of course, only decided to read it because of the mad, mad plagiarism. My favorite thing about the book was her father, honestly. He was hysterical.

I have to admit, though, she did do quite a good job with her plagiarizing.

Incidentally, that Slate piece on photographic memory that I linked to a couple days ago was written as a riff on Viswanathan's ridiculous claims that she was just a poor victim of her own out-of-control photographic memory.

She is. It's not her fault, really.