I would just like to point out, that as a stay at home mom, it's really irritating when people assume Oprah has to tell us what to think. Not only do I not have the time or inclination to watch Oprah every day, but if I happen to turn on her show, and her guests are all celebrities, I immediately turn it off. What's more boring than watching a bunch of out-of-touch celebrities worship themselves on tv in front of a live audience? No one tells me what to think, especially celebrities, who have no idea what it's like living in the real world (or who have been out of it for so long, they forgot all about it).

M. Crank

Your Cormac McCarthy-on-Oprah column was just stunningly vacuous. I know it's "hip" to diss Oprah, but couldn't you at least have an argument, or a reason, or lacking those, the least grain of creativity? What's your point? Oprah is not the most overreducated Ph.D lit critic and McCarthy has earned a few bucks for his efforts? Wow, what revelations.

I haven't read any of McCarthy's books, but I did catch the interview, and I found him completely gracious. It's cool to hear an author you wouldn't otherwise hear speak about his work. (Salinger's greatness does not derive from his reclusiveness, by the way, but from what words he did permit to be published.)

I'm not a twit - I get your high-brow vs. middle-brow slam - you pretty much shoved it in my face, as well as other readers' - but the fact is, Oprah has got a lot of people reading the likes of Jonathan Franzen, Toni Morrison, Sidney Poitier and Cormac McCarthy. And we got to hear and see McCarthy, whereas we otherwise wouldn't have.

What in the end is wrong with being a "radio-friendly unit shifter"? As long as you don't kill yourself, and keep breathing.

I mean get a sense of proportion, here.

Bottom line, I think you're being stupidly cynical for cynicism's sake. One thing your article does for me is bolster my argument that 99.9% of what passes for "journalism" on the Web is total b.s. that a kindergartner could write.

What a pointless, condescending article: condescending to stay-at-home moms, to Oprah, to McCarthy, to readers. And the Salinger reference is just puzzling... he hasn't published anything for forty years, remember? So I'm pretty glad McCarthy is no Salinger.

Oprah can be vacuous and self-rightous at times, but as pointed out, she has also gotten people to read good books (especially her recent picks), so I find people's snotty attitude toward her book club, well, just snotty.

It's obvious that Patterson thinks McCarthy's books are overrated... Blood Meridian, his "last really good book," was published 22 years ago. He's entitled to that opinion, of course, but it would have been more interesting to read a piece about this interview by someone who cared more about their discussion of The Road and less about their outfits.