I hate getting books for Christmas in general because I’m such a mood reader, and I’ve plastered a fake smile on my face many a time and repeated internally ‘Its the thought that counts.’ as I unwrap a book I will not read.
But the worst one by far, given to me by my own Mother , who I know loves me, when I was fourteen years old! was >!Men are from Mars Women are from Venus.!< I am sitting there horrified thinking what is she trying to tell me? As my sisters are flat on the floor laughing to the point of puking. We eventually came to the conclusion she just saw an attractive cover on a bestseller table and grabbed it. Love to know your terrible gift stories.
The only time I read a work by him was that one time I found the first three instalments of his Rush Revere series in a thriftstore. Well, I didn’t know anything about this dude when I bought it, considering that he’s not that popular in Germany compared to the US, but well…
I should’ve guessed that somethings odd with him when the foreword of the first book openly talks about that it will show kids how great american exceptionalism is. IIRC, it also had a weirdly naive outlook on US history, always stressed that the country is the land of the free but kept looking over all the bigotry. Oh, I think the last one I read was also weirdly pro-war/pro-army, because one of the main characters had to come to terms with the fact that is father is a soldier or something?
Whatever, I probably wouldn’t have bought the set if I knew more about him before.