The World's Worst Alphabet Book, How A 'Trivial' College Class From the 1970s Impacts Hollywood Today, And A Gravedigger Becomes Famous: Why Straying From The Herd Is Always A Great Strategy

The 3-Word Quote: “Evade The Expected”

1.

You may own a few alphabet books if you have very young children.

You hope those books will help your kids quickly learn their ABCs and move on to reading later.

Alphabet books have existed in some form for hundreds of years. Even centuries ago, people worried about kids learning their letters.

For years, alphabet books have often relied on alliteration to help kids recall those letters.

Lines like 'A is for Apple' and 'B is for Banana' were typical.

In the 1940s, publishers started marketing alphabet books, and today, you can create an entire library solely stocked with ABC books on the shelves.

Those books followed a traditional formula until Dr. Seuss wrote an alphabet book in the 1960s. He added some much-needed creativity and originality to his book.

And since then, alphabet books have become its own genre and more of an art form, covering scores of topics.

An Elvis fan? There's an alphabet book for that.

Love hip-hop? Buy the Hip Hop Legends Alphabet Book - can you say 'C is for Chuck D of Public Enemy'?

There's a Chicago Cubs ABC book and a newly released A-Z book covering the Friends TV show.

And, of course, a Taylor Swift alphabet book can help turn your children into Swifties - and teach them their letters.

Lots of topics, lots of rhymes, and lots of alliteration covering scores of topics.

But new A-Z books are still published every year.

But how do authors get their ABC books to stand out in such a crowded field?

Well, if you're Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter, you write what's known as 'the world's worst alphabet book.'

But the decision to write the worst book ever and what the authors actually did is something all writers and creators can learn from.

2.

The name Michael Uslan is probably not familiar to you.

In the 1970s, Uslan earned his bachelor's, master's, and law degree from Indiana University.

He has since returned to IU dozens of times to teach classes, give speeches, and deliver talks to potential students.

He is a particularly proud alumnus of IU, claiming, "I owe this university a tremendous amount. They always catered to the needs of one geeky, unique individual."

'Geeky and unique.'

Those two words perfectly describe Uslan and led him to create a unique college class and impact Hollywood.

You see, Indiana University in the 1970s allowed any student to pitch a class to a board - and if the class didn't exist and the board approved it, the student could start it.

Think Shark Tank for college classes.

So, Uslan decided to pitch a class to the board about something he was passionate about.

Uslan was obsessed with the topic, perfected his pitch, and presented it to the board.

After hearing Uslan's presentation, the board wasn't impressed.

They were skeptical. They didn't believe the class had merit and decided to reject it.

They thought the class was trivial.

However, before the dean ushered Uslan out of the office, Uslan made a final plea for his class.

And one comparison ultimately convinced the dean to approve this trivial class.

And this 1970s 'trivial' class at Indiana University changed Uslan's life. It dramatically impacted the types of movies that are made in Hollywood today.

3.

Clifton Pollard was a gravedigger.

He was a World War II veteran who spent three decades digging graves.

He made $3.01 an hour at his job.

He was a quiet man who led a quiet life.

He and his career would have gone unnoticed by most, except he was the focus of a newspaper column in 1963.

It was a column that brought Pollard notoriety, and it's a column studied in journalism classes even today.

But the gravedigger and the column can still teach us something - even if you're not a journalist.

The Takeaway:

So what do the world's worst alphabet book, a 1970s trivial college class, and a column about a gravedigger from fifty years ago all have in common?

All are examples of people following their instincts - even when others doubted their decisions and direction.

In other words, these are examples of people zigging when others zagged.

Let me explain.

There are hundreds of alphabet books.

Most now focus on specific topics or themes.

So when Raj Haldar was watching a friend's child play with alphabet flashcards, he got an idea.

The flashcards, like most alphabet books, were themed.

Each card had a different letter, and each letter was represented by a food that started with that letter.

Again, lines like 'A is for Apple' and 'B is for Banana.'

But when his friend's child came to the letter Q, Haldar laughed as the child tried to read the card.

The Q card said, 'Q is for Quinoa.'

Haldar said, 'We were laughing about how phonetically it sounded weird.'

'Plus, I didn't have quinoa until I was, like, 25.'

And an idea was born.

Haldar wondered, 'What if an entire alphabet (book) hinged on silent letters,'

Most other alphabet books described people, historical events, sports teams, or even traits (Left-handed Legends Alphabet Book, for example).

But Haldar couldn't get the line 'Q is for Quinoa' out of his head.

He found it especially funny.

So he created a book where all the lines were ridiculous and silly.

In fact, he decided to create an alphabet book where the key letter would be represented by a word where the critical letter was silent.

Some thought it was odd.

But that was the point.

An ABC book that used silent letters was funny, he thought.

So, he followed his instincts.

He zigged when others zagged.

And his book P is for Pterodactyl was born.

The book's actual subtitle is 'The World's Worst Alphabet Book.'

But the book isn't the 'worst' - it's hilarious and playful.

It's entirely original.

With lines like 'C is for Czar', ' D is for Djibouti' and 'M is for Mnemonic,' it's a romp through the silent letter world.

But before it was published, some didn't get it.

But he sent his manuscript to sourcebooks.

Editorial director Kelly Barrales-Saylor recalls "giggling at my desk the entire time I was reading the proposal."

The first run of P is for Pterodactyl was 10,000 copies - and they sold out on the first day.

The book became a New York Times bestseller and has sold hundreds of thousands.

An ABC book with silent letters? Many thought it was strange.

But Haldar followed his gut and thought that a silent letter-themed ABC book was a good idea.

Turns out he was right.

***

So what about the 'trivial' class that Michael Uslan proposed at Indiana University in the 1970s?

And how does that class from almost fifty years ago impact movies today?

Well, the self-described 'geek' had one obsession.

His passion was comic books.

Michael Uslan had always read them, collected them, and been fascinated by them.

But when he approached a dean at Indiana University to create a comic book class for college credit, he was almost laughed out of the room.

But after his pitch, and just at the moment of rejection, Uslan compared Superman's origin story to the origin story of Moses in the Old Testament.

Uslan described how people can learn and analyze the real world through comics.

And the dean was convinced.

So, in the 1970s, the world's first college class for credit that took a serious look at comics was created.

It was titled The Comic Book in Society.

But Uslan was more than just an expert in comic books.

He was an expert in marketing, too.

Because to generate buzz for his new comic class, Uslan called a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis.

But he didn't call to spot the benefits of the class.

He called the reporter to complain about the comic class.

He pretended to be an angry citizen who was enraged that IU was offering a class on comic books.

What a waste of resources, he told the reporter.

What a silly and trivial topic for a serious academic institution to devote time to, he suggested.

Uslan was trying to get the reporter to write a critical article about his own class - and it worked.

Uslan's complaints about his own class led to the article.

The article led to national attention and debate.

In fact, a few weeks later, the world's comic icon, Stan Lee, called Uslan and congratulated him on his class.

Later, DC Comics called and offered Uslan an internship.

And as Uslan continued his path promoting comics, he eventually had an opportunity to buy the film rights to Batman.

So, over just a few years, a college-aged comic geek went from begging to start a comic book class to owning all the film rights to the Batman character.

And this is why Michael Uslan is listed as an 'Executive Producer on every film related to Batman- live or animated.'

From films like Joker and The Lego Movie - anything related to Batman, Uslan is a producer.

And because many of those early Batman movies were box office gold, sequels were made.

And because those sequels were successful, other superhero movies were made as Hollywood began to realize films based on comics were often blockbusters.

While you can't give Uslan total credit for this film genre, the superhero film genre owes much to a 1970s Indiana University class started by a comic book 'geek.'

And all this because Uslan decided to pitch a different type of class.

Other IU students pitched slightly more traditional classes, but Uslan leaned into his passion.

He wanted to teach about comics.

He did in the 1970s and still does today.

He zigged when others zagged.

***

So how does a gravedigger connect to an alphabet book author and a Batman producer?

Most wouldn't know Clifton Pollard, the gravedigger's name if it weren't for one particular grave he dug.

You see, he worked for Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

And in 1963, tragedy struck the county.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

And Clifton Pollard was President Kennedy's gravedigger.

People were in mourning, the country was in shock, and journalists scrambled to cover the event and make sense of it for readers.

Most journalists summarized the tragic events; they wrote about Kennedy's impact on the country.

There were many newspapers, and many journalists wrote many stories - most were very similar.

But one journalist wondered what he would write and wondered how his words would be any different from any other writer.

But Jimmy Breslin was not like many other journalists at the time.

He was well-known, a native New Yorker, and was an often controversial columnist.

He wrote about everyday people; he took pride in being a voice for the 'common man.'

So when President Kennedy was killed, Breslin didn't do what other journalists did.

He didn't write what other journalists wrote.

Breslin decided to tell the story from a singularly unique perspective.

He decided to seek out the person who would dig the President's grave.

And he found Clifton Pollard.

And Breslin told Pollard's story.

Breslin interviewed someone no one else thought to interview - the gravedigger.

When all other journalists ran one way, Breslin ran the opposite way.

When they zigged, he zagged.

And the column he wrote about Clifton Pollard was widely read and widely praised.

And it was so unique that the column is still often studied in journalism classes today.

The gravedigger writing is Breslin's most famous column.

Interestingly enough, President Kennedy's body had to be moved to install The Eternal Flame, and a second grave had to be dug.

Pollard dug that grave, too.

And where is the career gravedigger buried?

Remember, Pollard was a World War II veteran, so he was buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Just a few hundred yards from President Kennedy.

Like the author of an alphabet book and a Batman producer, Jimmy Breslin knew when to head in the opposite direction of others.

It's a skill and a risk. But often, following an unusual path can lead to uncommon opportunities.

There’s a lot more space when you stray from the herd.

Sometimes, you have to zig when everyone else zags.

3 things before you go:

1. Read: Here is Jimmy Breslin’s famous column about President Kennedy / Clifton Pollard

2. Listen: Noah Cyrus, Young & Sad; slightly haunting 3 minutes; great song

3. Watch: You could probably be entertained by listening to Mathew McConaughey read the phone book; here’s a graduation speech / motivational talk he delivered - just a bit longer than 3 minutes

You made it to the end. Thanks for being a reader!

-Jeff