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anobserver2

(922 posts)
30. Deception #4 in Memoir: Re Harvard
Mon Jun 13, 2022, 07:39 PM
Jun 2022

Last edited Tue Jun 14, 2022, 04:42 PM - Edit history (1)

In thinking more about Deception #3, let's just say for purposes of discussion that this is what actually happened: Vanderbilt University threw Patterson a 2-year terminal Master of Arts degree -- while knowing all along, he was only there for one year, 1969-1970, and he in no way completed all the requirements of that degree.

That would mean: Patterson's highest level of education is actually only:


a Bachelor's degree from Manhattan College


And, Patterson may have thought to himself, prior to writing his new memoir:

"A Bachelor's degree? From Manhattan College? That is just not impressive enough! I am, after all, the best selling author in the universe!!! I am SUPERIOR TO ALL!!! I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY: I WENT TO HARVARD!!!"


So, what does Patterson do? Who does he turn to for advice? I imagine this: Patterson calls up his pal, Jeb Bush, who seems to know all about education and deception. And I imagine this is how the conversation goes:

Patterson: "Jeb, is there any way I can say in my new memoir that I SHOULD have gone to Harvard?"

Jeb: "Sure! When the CIA created the 1974 federal law, Family Educational Right to Privacy - known as FERPA - , they specifically wrote that all college college applications are PRIVATE documents -- and can NEVER be: public records."

Patterson: "Really? I did not know that. So, I can just lie and say in my memoir: I applied to Harvard?"

Jeb: "Well, you should also give a reason why the application did NOT result in you being ADMITTED to Harvard. You have to invent some kind of snafu. For example: my son, George P. had only average undergraduate grades from Rice University -- and anyone can see his grades from Rice, just by asking for his personnel file from Miami Dade School District where he taught for a year. But when he wanted to go to law school, knowing he would eventually go into politics, he made a point of telling this lie to the media: He applied to Yale Law School, NYU Law School, etc - a whole bunch of law schools that obviously he was not academically eligible for. . Then he said to the media: But they all rejected me, except for University of Texas. That made it seem like: he suffered some kind of discrimination from these northeastern law schools - he's a victim! Because he was a Bush. See? He couldn't go around telling the media: I only applied to one law school in Texas because of my not-so-hot grades. You have to kind of pin the blame on some OTHER reason."

Patterson: "Huh. Well, I'm thinking now - maybe I can pin the blame for me not getting into Harvard on - a priest? At the Catholic high school? Maybe pretend HE was the one in charge of my college application? And he messed up by not sending my application to Harvard?"


Jeb: "That sounds really good! Because many people in this country never go to college. They have no idea what the application process to college entails. And even more people have no idea what the procedures are in a private Catholic school - the public does not know that YOU are solely for your college application."

Patterson: "Well, I am feeling a whole lot better now, Jeb! Thanks! I'll blame it all on the priest! Hey - by the way - did you ever lie to the press and say you applied elsewhere? And you didn't?"

Jeb: "Jim, I've told so many lies it's hard to keep track. But I do recall that in Feb 2015, after the Boston Globe came out with that piece on my private high school years - and correctly revealed that I was almost expelled from high school for low grades - I had a bunch of my pals in Texas get together and write an article for some Texas newspaper, saying that: 'Jeb COULD have gone to YALE, but, Jeb chose to go to college in Texas because I missed Texas.' Some crap like that. Because even though I was a LEGACY at Yale, by that time, Yale had changed, and they would not have accepted me with my VERY low high school grades under any circumstances."

Patterson: "Jeb, thanks for your help. You're such a smart guy. Now, in my memoir, I will be sure to say the priest screwed up - BY NOT SENDING IN MY COLLEGE APPLICATION TO HARVARD -- so that the public thinks: 'Gee, Patterson COULD HAVE GONE TO HARVARD!"

-----------

And so:

In Patterson's memoir, he tells this story of a priest in his Catholic high school failing to send in Patterson's college applications to the colleges Patterson has selected -- which include Harvard. And instead: the priest sendt the application to only one college, Manhattan College, a Catholic college.

Consequently, in his memoir, Patterson leaves readers with the impression: WOW! THIS PATTERSON GUY COULD HAVE GONE TO HARVARD! IF IT WEREN'T FOR THAT IDIOT PRIEST!!!
Have it. Haven't gotten around to it. ReluctanceTango Jun 2022 #1
His "writing factory" gets very little space in this 300+ page memoir anobserver2 Jun 2022 #4
See pages 249-250 anobserver2 Jun 2022 #11
Thanks for the specifics ExWhoDoesntCare Apr 2023 #51
Also read this: Harvard Business Review, March 2012 anobserver2 Jun 2022 #12
And this: page 259 of his memoir (an unnumbered page) anobserver2 Jun 2022 #13
It seems he has promoted two versions of the structure of his writing factory anobserver2 Jun 2022 #14
Note to: any of his "writing factory" writers anobserver2 Jun 2022 #15
PS Here's the NY Post article about the lawsuit a writer filed against Patterson anobserver2 Jun 2022 #16
Also: Patterson's new memoir makes no mention of any lawsuit against him by a writer anobserver2 Jun 2022 #17
Two organizations for writers in the writing factory - Author's Guild and National Writers Union anobserver2 Jun 2022 #18
Questions someone should be asking these writers in his writing factory anobserver2 Jun 2022 #19
Well, of course it doesn't ExWhoDoesntCare Apr 2023 #48
I used to read all his books but now I think he just doc03 Jun 2022 #2
I think he still writes the Cross books, but other than that, I agree. rsdsharp Jun 2022 #3
Yeah, I think now he is really much more like a publisher anobserver2 Jun 2022 #5
I meant to add: And Equity, and all the other unions anobserver2 Jun 2022 #6
"crap, about crap" is the opinion of a reviewer I read - and I agree anobserver2 Jun 2022 #7
He's following the Dumas formula ExWhoDoesntCare Apr 2023 #49
James Patterson is an anomaly anobserver2 Apr 2023 #52
I do hope you meant to educate people ExWhoDoesntCare May 2023 #55
P.S. anobserver2 Apr 2023 #54
When I have time I will write a list of discrepencies I found in this memoir anobserver2 Jun 2022 #8
Excerpt from above link anobserver2 Jun 2022 #9
Well, that's a first ExWhoDoesntCare Apr 2023 #50
I think Patterson did the same thing as Frey anobserver2 Jun 2022 #10
Well, every review seems to be wonderful anobserver2 Jun 2022 #20
Great news: Library Journal panned Patterson's new memoir anobserver2 Jun 2022 #21
More about Library Journal anobserver2 Jun 2022 #22
So glad they panned it!!! anobserver2 Jun 2022 #23
The UK's Telegraph panned it, too anobserver2 Jun 2022 #24
Well, I almost thought today was Juneteenth - but it's not anobserver2 Jun 2022 #25
From June 20, 2022 New Yorker magazine: "How James Patterson Became the World's Best-Selling Author" anobserver2 Jun 2022 #26
Deception #1 in Memoir: North America anobserver2 Jun 2022 #27
Deception #2 in Memoir: Vietnam-era Law re draft anobserver2 Jun 2022 #28
Deception #3 in Memoir: Grad school / omission anobserver2 Jun 2022 #29
Deception #4 in Memoir: Re Harvard anobserver2 Jun 2022 #30
No Masters degree - he's not a "distinguished alumni" anobserver2 Jun 2022 #31
So - what was he doing from 1970-1971? anobserver2 Jun 2022 #32
Deception #5 in Memoir: His working life before advertising anobserver2 Jun 2022 #33
Deception #6 in Memoir: His false channeling of John Lennon anobserver2 Jun 2022 #34
Deception #7 in Memoir: How He Got Hired in Advertising anobserver2 Jun 2022 #35
Deception #8 in Memoir: Misrepresenting book anobserver2 Jun 2022 #36
Deception #9 in Memoir: "Outline!" anobserver2 Jun 2022 #37
Deceptions #10 #11 and #12 in Memoir to come anobserver2 Jun 2022 #38
Will try to finish this thread today anobserver2 Jun 2022 #39
Deception #10 - Pages 114-116 / Re full page ad in the NY Times 1984 anobserver2 Jun 2022 #40
Deception #11 in Memoir: Money, and Pages 120-121 - "the fine art of negociating" anobserver2 Jun 2022 #41
Deception #12 in Memoir - re Veterans anobserver2 Jun 2022 #42
Celebrity Index - Dolly Parton anobserver2 Jun 2022 #43
James Patterson & Bill O'Reilly book anobserver2 Jun 2022 #44
A Letter from James Patterson to me, August 1985 anobserver2 Feb 2023 #45
Patterson's Memoir (June 2022) vs Patterson's letter to me (August 1985) anobserver2 Feb 2023 #46
A novel idea anobserver2 Feb 2023 #47
How to Get On NYT Best Seller List anobserver2 Apr 2023 #53
RE Vietnam Draft anobserver2 Jan 2024 #56
job offer anobserver2 Jan 2024 #57
I liked these reviews on Good Reads anobserver2 Jan 2024 #58
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