This books shows how crazy society could be if everything was governed by political correctness. When reading it I thought it would make a great comedy sketch. I got tired of the characters after a while and didn't care what happened to them by the end. ( )

When I first picked up The Alphabet Challenge, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into. There were a lot of characters. Some of them had long names. The story made me a little uncomfortable and I was having trouble grasping it, but then something clicked and I never wanted to put it down. The Alphabet Challenge fast-forwards to New York City in 2061, a time of illogical politically-correctness and social welfare. It begins with Howell Toland trying to capitalize on the growing popularity of “minority” groups by creating the ABChallenge, an organization that claims to be aiding those who have been alphabetically challenged and discriminated against due to the positioning of their name in the alphabet (namely, from the letter ‘N’ to ‘Z’). This entrepreneurial risk begins as a means to end with the end being Howell never going second-class again, however he soon finds its not as simple as conning a lot of people and running off with their money to Australia. We see the formation of his group and the growth of his popularity, while also telling the intertwining stories of those aiding him, such as Lil, the former televised homemaker extraordinaire that got locked up for her insanely long flowers and Loveridge Weatherstonehaugh, the wanna-be acclaimed filmmaker just looking for her big break.

On the opposition is PeopleCare, a non-profit organization that manages most, if not all, of the “minority groups”, such as the Just Plain Stoopid People or People with Different Moral and Ethical Values. The founder, Mac, is on a warpath to take down Howell and gain control of the ABChallenge group. Mac is also steadfastly working on passing the Care Amendment, which would mandate everyone to care and respect everyone else in the name of equality and anti-discrimination.

2061 is a world filled with laws that mandate everything, from the exact formula for a banana split to a specially sanctioned place for smokers to go. It’s acidly funny but also leaves you with a vague sense of nausea when you’re done reading from the sheer truth of all the hysteria. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but it simply adds to the inanity rather than detract from the reading experience. While The Alphabet Challenge is definitely a heightened version of our current reality, it’s unnervingly possible that we could find ourselves in this very position in 50 years. And yet, you still can’t help but laugh out loud about it. ( )

The Alphabet Challenge
by Olga Gardner Galvin
ENC Press, 2003

I received this free ebook from ENC Press on Librarything's Member Giveaway

Some people in the future talk about the discrimination resulting from the first letter of the last name; the best is when the last name starts from A to N, between M to Z there are the Pariah. The ABChallenge group try to create disorder in this alphabetical order.

It takes a lot to understand this book, because the narrative style is full of dialogues. Lot of people talking. It's hard to follow this characters.

Some reader could drop this book after some pages, usually I read the book until the last page (or letter, even it's a Z) hoping for revival.
The Alphabet Challenge has been an hard challenge to finish it and so I founded the AABRRTUAB (All About Book Reader's Right To Understand A Book).

Gardner Galvin tells the story of Occam's razor: between different problem's solutions cut with a razor the complicated ones and take the easiest. Maybe this could be the theme of the next Gardner Galvin's book.

Another clue about this book is the theme of the satire: the author attacks something of which disapproves (here the alphabetical order and the need to establish bodies of people to defend some right) using irony and wits.

A final quote: 'Nobody has the correct answers all the time.' p. 80 ( )

I was a bit wary when I first started reading The Alphabet Challenge, as my past experiences with books written by individuals who also own, or have founded/co-founded, the publisher have been very miserable times.

My wariness abated, though, and I was treated to a story, quirky though it may be.

It is the future, but not too distant, and the US government has bent over backwards to ensure that everybody gets an equal shake at things. If you're different in some way, you belong to a certain group. People who are handicapped are "Differently Abled." People who lack intellect have "Alternate Wisdom." So on, so forth. And each and every person is to be treated exactly like everyone else, which is why handicapped parking spaces match non-handicapped parking spaces, and all buildings and rooms must be equipped for people of any non-standard state, or else face a discrimination shake-down by the wonderful, caring people at PeopleCare.

In this dystopian future, a man, Howell, after several get-rich-quick schemes are thwarted by PeopleCare, discovers that the way PeopleCare allocates its government grants is by alphabetical order, so as to not discriminate against anybody, due to race, religion, creed, or ability to file forms on time. Howell starts an organization, called The Alphabet Challenge (ABChallenge), and this group of alphabetically inferior people fight for their rights to be treated with the same respect and consideration as those whose last names begin with the letters A-M.

PeopleCare, of course, doesn't like this, as it's an organization outside of its control, and they don't like Howell for encouraging the members of the ABChallenge to actually stand up for themselves and get what they deserve.

So, it's a battle between fast-talking Howell and the powers that be at PeopleCare, in a story that is at times hilarious, and at other times too true to be funny.

Nevertheless, you'll enjoy this dystopia, as long as it never comes true! ( )

I got this book through the members giveaway programm, actually it was posted by the Editor ENC press.

I read many of the different reviews and agree: you can either love or hate this book. Myself? I'm among the lovers. I must say I finally found something fresh and amusing, a different way to picture our fragmented old and boring society.

The reading is simple and fast, the characters are not deeply described but the big picture made me laugh: it was sooo familiar, and ironic, and crazy and true.

I do not want to take a side in the politics involved, but I can say it is a good book.

Mrs.Gardner, when can we read your next one? ( )