Can a Typo RUIN The Meaning of Life?

My wife gave me a sweet little book for Valentine’s Day…”The Blue Day Book” by Bradley Trevor Greive http://www.epinions.com/content_130580385412 . Impressed by the simple little pick-me-up, I thought I’d check out some of Greive’s other little square books. The first one I came across was “The Meaning of Life.” I thought, “I’ve always wondered about that…” and picked it up.

The book is just larger than a CD case, and is filled with black-and-white photographs of animals…everything from frogs to penguins to deer to bears to fish…all to illustrate the prose that Greive uses to explore the Meaning of Life. He kicks the book off with a warning that it may be easier to go back to “Gilligan’s Island” reruns than to continue reading…there will be uncomfortable questions, and the answers may or may not be in the book…but of course you just bought the book, so you’ll keep reading on.

Greive asks questions with the help of the black-and-white pictures:

“Why are we so impressed with objects and achievements of immense scale, when it is actually the tiny little things that, when put together, make big things possible?”

“Why do we try to create our own little worlds so we have the illusion of being completely in control of our entire existence, when we know with absolute certainty that we are not?”

“Why do we go on and on about individuality being the very essence of who we are, and then accept a degrading level of conformity in virtually every aspect of our lives?”

“Why do children believe in fairies, but ‘grown-ups’ don’t?”

Greive asks these and other questions…but doesn’t answer them. He uses them as a door to open our minds to what he’s going to tell us next. His philosophy of the meaning of life is about love. LOVE. Not romantic love necessarily, but about a love of yourself, life, and finding what you love to do in life. There are people who are rich and miserable, and poor and happy…and it’s better to be happy.

Somewhere between the picture of the cat lapping up the vodka, the can of worms, the hippo farting in the bathtub, and the walrus embarrassed that “I did it on the first date,” Greive finds a depth that manages to be both silly and universally acceptable. Which means it’s not controversial, not religious, doesn’t detract from anything…and I’m not sure it builds me up either. And then…just when I thought I’d stop reading…it picks up a bit. A winking goat tells us he has a few hints for us that will get us on the right track. And you should always trust a winking goat.

“You must discover it for yourself.”

“You won’t find it on television.”

“Ask yourself the tough questions.”

…Greive oversimplifies, but still finds some depth. His goal is to help us find OUR meaning of life; and for me the method rings true. I followed a similar course four years ago when I decided to become a schoolteacher, and this has meant some struggle, but I’ve been happier going back to school and getting those degrees and working with children than I would have in the business world.

It was on page 120 of the 121-page book that I saw it. The typo. Under a cute picture of a monkey (okay, a chimpanzee) we read:

“You know something else? If you just listen to your heart and use YOU’RE head, you’ll never be wrong.” “YOU’RE?” “YOU’RE???” What the—how could they—the—what happened? In the same sentence, Greive used “your” correctly, and then four words later, uses “you’re” as a possessive? What the—how could they—the—what happened? How on earth does such a pretty little book, full of sweetness and light and animal threesomes end up with a typo on the second to the last frigging page?

I know there are people reading this right now who are saying I should just let it go. But I’m betting there are even more of you budding writers who are as irritated as I am (if not more so) that a book goes to press with such an egregious error. I know my spelling and grammar aren’t perfect, and goodness knows I need some editing, but PLEASE proofread your books, people! This must have been read dozens of times before it went to press, and I read “use you’re head???” Sheesh.

Anyway. I’m more irritated writing about it than I was reading it.

Bottom line—this is a cute little book. If you feel like you’ve lost your mooring in life, if you’re approaching a life change, or if you know someone graduating from college or high school that’s entering the big wide world AND THEY DON’T MIND A TYPO, this can be a cute book for them. As it is, I’m dropping it down to three stars so I can still recommend it. Hopefully they correct that typo in future editions. Because part of the Meaning of Life is Good Spelling.

God help us.