This is the book I pull out when I'm feeling particularly down on my creative endeavors. It's not anything earth-shattering, and it's hardly going to change the world, but the vast majority of the stories in this - all very short and incredibly easy to read - are the kind of uplifting reminders we need that good things can happen to people. American Idol might be criticized for being commercial, or talentless, or any of a number of derogatory things, but the truth of the matter is, it makes a difference in a lot of people's lives. It's an ideal of what the American Dream always used to be, and in today's cynical world, it's very easy to forget that.

So I keep my copy tucked away in my nightstand, to pull out on those occasions when I need to be cheered up. Because I'm not ashamed to admit that it does just that.

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