Thanks to two freshmen from the University of Chicago, anyone who has ever had to read the classics can now do so painlessly.
Using novels and plays ranging from classics like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet" to newer literature like Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" and Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code," Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin created "Twitterature," a hilarious book condensing classics into 20 tweets -- or 2,800 -- characters or less.
We have all been forced to read through the frustrating writings of "The Sound and the Fury" and "The Odyssey," wondering what they are trying to tell us. "Twitterature" covers all of the basics of the play or story while adding humor and a sense of realism. It's like giving Hamlet a Twitter account and iPhone and saying: "Please tweet me what you're really trying to say. Please."
And the book doesn't just cover classic literature. It also features "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles and the entire "Harry Potter" series.
For Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," the authors use just one sarcastic tweet to sum up the book: "For Twitterature of 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac, please see 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac."
A glossary with all the definitions of Twitter slang terms and acronyms allows even parents and grandparents to read this book. It's easy to follow, and if any of the books are familiar, this will bring out the laughs and giggles.
Though it's meant to be an easy and fun read, some of the stories don't live up to their source material's full potential. Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is one of the great works of literature covered in "Twitterature," but the Twitter version leaves the reader wondering: "What just happened?"
All in all, this is definitely a great book to read if you're tired of trying to understand anything Thomas Pynchon writes or if you want to unwind from a busy week and need a light book to read.
Grade: A-
