I Watched a Wild Hog Eat My Baby

I got I Watched a Wild Hog Eat My Baby: A Colorful History of Tabloids and Their Cultural Impact by Bill Sloan because of its provocative cover. I was also interested in the subject matter. Ever since I was a kid, I've been curious about how tabloids are able to print ridiculous headlines and obvious lies about famous people.

This book has a little information about how tabloids are made, but the bulk of the book recounts the history of tabloids from the eyes of someone who works in the tabloid business. The history stuff would have been interesting if it encompassed only 2-3 chapters instead of 90% of the book. Honestly, who really cares about the history of tabloids? It would be like reading about the history of soap operas - what's the point? Granted, there is some drama in tabloid history, and a few interesting tales and a lengthy appearance by Rupurt Murdoch (who got his start in the tabloid business, which makes sense given Fox News's lack of journalistic integrity). I would have loved to know more about the inside of the tabloid writing process. 2-3 chapters' worth of the book gives some of its secrets, and that stuff is pretty neat, but nothing all that unexpected.

Overall, while being disappointing, it still was a well-writing and fairly compelling book.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

18 books, 75 days...at this rate I'll read 87 books.