Sh*t Rough Drafts: Pop Culture's Favorite Books, Movies, and TV Shows as They Might Have Been

by Paul Laudiero

Sh*t Rough Drafts collects imagined misguided early drafts of classic books, screenplays, and contemporary literature, creating visions of alternate works that would exist had the authors not come to their senses. What if F. Scott Fitzgerald had gone with the title The Coolest Gatsby? How would The Hunger Games change if Peeta were armed only with blueberry muffins? If the Man of Steel's S stood for Sexyman? MacBeth, Moby Dick, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility, The Lord of the Rings, and many more are each presented as if they were the actual typed or handwritten pages by the authors themselves, revealing the funny and frightful works they might have been with a little less capable judgment.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Books About Books, Film, Comedy

197 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Tinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me tell you folks, this is an underrated gem and I‘m so fucking glad I found it!

The title here is program, just a collection of what could shitty first drafts of famous books, movie and TV shows and it’s freakin‘ hilarious.

Ever wondered what would have happened if Rose really flew off the Titanic? What The Grapes of Wrath could have been called? Or the "original“ reaction of the Three Musketeers meeting D'Artagnan? Well, that’s the book for you.

It shamelessly makes fun of all the great classics and doesn’t shy away from making some seriously good points regarding some more controversial topics (J.K and diversity anyone? Kevin is actually a psychopath? Well...).

I‘m priding myself now with getting almost all the references. There were only a few that went over my head, because I haven’t read the books or seen the movies, but not as many as I thought. That either means I need to leave my house or often or that I managed an A+ Pop Culture Education. Your choice.

This is exactly my kind of humor. I guess you have to be a little bit of a literature or writing in general, nerd to really enjoy this (hello degree in Literature, I knew you come in handy) but this writing is the greatest thing there is for me, I‘m good.

It’s one of those books that really deserve more recognition, because it’s not only funny, but also very clever.

I am sad it’s over, but really glad I experienced it. I for one, can only recommend it.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a funny and very fast read (you can read the whole thing, cover-to-cover in well under an hour). Split into three sections - the classics, contemporary literature and film and television - Laudiero offers snippets of funny, scrawled rough drafts of iconic books, movies and shows that are sure to make you giggle out loud. I’m not convinced that this is the best format, though - apparently this is a print version of a popular website and I think that while this format may introduce some readers to the website (I was unfamiliar with the site until seeing this title), it’s still rather limited because it’s such a brief book. The print quality is high, though, with the handwriting easy to read.

I guess it would make a funny add-on as a gift to the book or movie-lover, or maybe as a bathroom book, but it isn’t really funny enough to be read over and over again. And now that I know about the website, I will probably periodically check it out for a guaranteed giggle or two.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of sh** rough drafts before so was surprised at the content. This is a quick fun read of alterations of famous novels, movies and TV shows. An example is "Good morning Mr. Sense! Said Mr. Sensibility." The page then goes on to make a quip, ha, ha, moment. The blurbs are cute but rarely laugh out loud hilarious. Still, I enjoyed reading it and subscribing to the website. Another Internet sensation!

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's not kid ourselves: this is a toilet book.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it also is what it is. Literary jokes meant to make creative types feel better about themselves for not banging a masterpiece right off the bat and make them more comfortable with the ruthlessness of the editing process. Some of the jokes are great, but most of them aren't. I felt like an idiot reading this on the subway and I'm sure it wasn't meant to be read like this either, but I wanted something to last me the entire week before starting my travel books.

Buy it. Put it on top of the tank and make your guests laugh. They'll forget about it when they walk through the door, but who fucking cares?

[Bridget LaMonica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a blazingly quick read, doable in a single day if you're so inclined.

It's definitely an entertaining look at a sort of self-deprecating form of fan fiction -- in the sense that it pokes sometimes well deserved fun at popular literature, movies and children's books by writing alternate takes on famous scenes.

Each entry is a page or less, so you can imagine how quick a read this is. Some jokes are quite funny, while others are more predictable.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of work went into this book. But I didn't find it humorous. It's a quick read and the cover pretty much gives you the entire book. Most reviewers here seem to enjoy this book so I'd say that if you find the cover clever, fun, or amusing, then you may also enjoy the book. I did not.

Nevertheless, I appreciate the thought behind the gift.

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hysterical and often times clever. Even movies and books I'm not as familiar with had something for me to laugh at, making it an easily accessible book for every audience. The only thing I have a problem with on this book is that it's not nearly long enough. It only takes an hour or so to read, I want more!

[Phoenix Satterfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is unique and incredibly humorous, weather these rough drafts are real or not. In the book, there were rough drafts for Harry Potter and The Great Gatsby. I have never read either of those two (sorry), but the edits and original ideas still made me laugh, and made me wonder how these stories wold have gone without being edited.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not a huge read. :-) Mostly amusing with about a dozen laugh out loud moments. Well worth the $1.50 price tag (it was 50% off the discounted price of $3...bargain baby!). Recommended as a light "bathroom reader" type book.

[David M. Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these might have improved popularity

Pretty good but Stephen Colbert's"first Drafts" Bit are noticeably better not familiar with a some of the subjects though., movies I haven't seen and books I haven't read.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jokes get old pretty fast. Bought because it was cheap and being sold as REAL first drafts that were bad, before being retooled to success. Not terrible, but not great.

[Wayne's · Rating 5 out of 5]

good fun, some laugh aloud moments.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed at more of these than I thought I would. Highly amusing.

[Duane Prejean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny book.

[Hung · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Kinda lowbrow humour. I had a few chuckles, but not enough LOL.

[Will Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This piece is hilarious! We see well known works as they could have been, from the classic literature to modern film. If you need something to just cheer you up, this is something to read.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun 15 minute read! Some of the texts weren’t really funny, but some made me laugh out loud.

[Robin Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny

[Dachokie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever, but No Gut-Buster ...

This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free advance copy of the book.

Every once in a while it is nice to take a detour from "serious" reading and pick up something light and witty ... this is one of those books.

S*** ROUGH DRAFTS is interesting in that the author provides a graphical collection of thought-provoking, tongue-in-cheek first draft snippets from the authors/screenwriters of classic books and movies (including modern "classics"). The book is essentially a collection of "what if" scenarios depicting some of the ideas "considered" in the development of the final product (for example, Dickens' mulling the idea of using "it was so-so" in lieu of "The best of times ... worst of times" as an intro for "A Tale of Two Cities"). The entries are brief and presented as being actual rough draft snippets on scraps of paper and movie scripts (even napkins) with jots and scribbles that appear to come from the author's own hand or the red pen of an editor.

I felt the premise of the book to be quite clever, but found its humor to be a mixed bag. First of all, the reader has to be somewhat familiar with the books and movies to understand the digs provided by the rough drafts. Some of the humor is subtle and pun-like (for example, "Sixty-Nine" Shades of Grey" being considered for the eventual "Fifty Shades of Grey" title) and some of the humor is over-the-head (for me, anything related to "Harry Potter"). While the sheer number of drafts guarantees there is a little something for everyone, it would be fair to say the book's overall enjoyment factor is directly proportional to the reader's knowledge of the books/movies being mocked.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I'm kind of torn over this book. While some selections were absolutely hilarious, there were also some that fell fairly flat at times. Perhaps it's because my expectations were slightly high, but I think that this is ultimately the best example of something that is far funnier in its original format on a website. (I'll admit that I hadn't heard of this until I selected this book via Vine.)

I think that overall the best selections were perhaps the ones from the more modern books and films, partially because the humor tended to feel a bit more natural. Some of the funniest selections were the ones where the jokes tended to reflect on how the book or movie/show glossed over reality a little too much- the best example of which was a Home Alone sketch where Kevin's traps are a little *too* effective in stopping the Wet Bandits. It's not that there aren't ones in the classic fiction section that aren't funny, it's just that most of them tend to rely on the idea that they're the complete opposite of what people did in that day and time, or that it was just a little different. Those just tended to try a little too hard and just came across as "meh". When you have a stream of them in a row that are just "meh", they lose their impact.

This will be something that I'd recommend as a gag gift to a new grad or to a writer, but offhand this is mostly something I'd recommend as a library read or as something that you purchase and pass along to friends. It was OK, but it wasn't fantastic. It's enough to where I'll likely visit the website and see what it has to offer, but overall it's something I'd very much recommend checking out in the bookstore first.

(ARC provided by Amazon Vine)

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginary misguided first drafts of classic and modern books and screenplays abound in S*** Rough Drafts by Paul Laudiero. In this clever and funny collection, readers browse through made up versions of well-known scenes. Laudiero has put together a great collection for lovers of writing. I think my favorite was the "Titanic" one, but there were many close seconds.

Though the title is a bit vulgar, there is only one entry inside the book that would make it inappropriate for kids under age 16.

Perfect to tuck in your beach bag or to bring along to your child's soccer practice, this book will have people looking over your shoulder to see what you're laughing about. I'm going to put it aside and pick it up in the future so I can have more laughs reading it again.

[Alan Kercinik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is completely ridiculous, the kind of piffle that you need every once in a while to just kill an hour.

Here's a typical entry, the first draft of Marley and Me:
Cats can go to hell.
Nobody cares when a cat dies.
They're just awful.
(Ed Note: We get it. You're a dog person.)

I wish more of these would have had more editor's notes, because that extra touch, the exasperated or misguided pen of the first reader, is when this book is truly funny.

This is the kind of book you give someone who wants to write and doesn't think they can. Despite it's absurdities, it's a fine reminder that the first draft of anything is probably garbage and a call to arms that once you have something down, you can start doing the real work.

[Out_of_Bounds Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don't read things like this but, after hearing about it, I couldn't resist. I haven't read a lot of classics, but I need to check some out after reading this. My favorites from this book are The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Great Gatsby, How to Kill a Mockingbird, and The Three Musketeers. Then, I also love that Dr. Seuss name could have been The Seuss. The rest of the book was okay, but my favorite was the classics.

[Jack Haringa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a gift from a student, and really it's rather a perfect one for an English teacher (or other book nerd). Not every page is a gem, but enough of the jokes worked to have me chuckling most of the time. The better you know the works being satirized, the funnier some of the material is. I do wish the author had done fewer riffs on titles and more on content, but overall, I was amused.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was extremely silly. Some of the jokes were a little weak, and including the original title first in a list of potential options seems to miss the point. (I think the choice to include the title for all entries was made in the editing process.) But it only took about 30 minutes to read and I laughed out loud maybe 6 or 7 times, so it's more good than bad.

[Jeremy West · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a way to spend and hour laughing out loud, then pick up this book and you'll be in for a real treat. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time. This will appeal to lovers of classic, modern literature, and films alike.

[Chuck Knudsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like dumb single-idea tumblr books. The premise here is kind of clever, but spoiled by the author's need to include the original title in almost every one, crossed out. Trust your audience to figure it out, man.

[Ashley N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A few funny bits but mostly just OK. I didn't really find the humor in a lot of it. I thought the movie ones were a bit better crafted than the literature. I liked Marley and Me and 500 Days of Summer.

[Sarah Beaudette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in an hour and chuckled at several parts. It makes a good gift for readers and writers, though I'm not sure I would have paid to buy it (received as a gift), simply because of how quickly it goes.

[London · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this at a Half Price Books and immediately thought that one of my English professors would LOVE THIS. Being that it was around Christmastime, I bought it. Then, being the weird person that I am, I read it cover to cover before I wrapped the thing. I was not disappointed.