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Deconstructing Byron Vol. 23
To the Ends of the Earth By Andrew Ritchie  In this, the last chapter of "Martha Inc.," Byron brings the story full circle by recounting how he first approached Martha with the idea to write about "the business success story" of Martha Stewart. He sent her an e-mail detailing his ideas to which she replied:"Dear Chris – sounds like a great idea, but I have been writing the book for years! I have a title and everything, just don’t have the time. We’ll talk over the phone." The book she had been writing for years was scheduled for release in the fall of 2002 but was cancelled after Byron’s insipid biography emerged from the shadows in the spring of that year. The book, "Martha – Really and Truly," was to be a warts-and-all autobiography about her rise to fame and fortune but has been indefinitely postponed, thanks in large part to the release of "Martha Inc." Byron says that after repeated attempts to sit down with Martha he began to see that she was not really that interested in cooperating with him, saying that she had become "all brusque business" and was no longer chatty and warm. He says a conflict emerged when he told her that he intended on doing his own independent research and interviews. Byron asserts that Martha wanted him to ghostwrite her autobiography, telling things the way she alone remembered them. "No deal," he allegedly told her over the phone, though it seems unlikely that he could muster such courage. "I told Wiley (the publishing group) I’m going to write a book about you and your company and that’s it. You either cooperate or not, it’s your choice." Given this "I do what I please and I do it with ease" attitude that Byron thrust upon his subject, an attitude he ironically crucifies Martha for throughout the book, it’s no surprise that Martha then embarked on a campaign to have the book stopped. She called friends and family members imploring them not to take part. Following so closely on the heels of "Just Desserts," a horrible book that led to a two-year court battle over libel and slander, it’s no wonder Martha was a little edgy about yet another biography written by yet another male tabloid writer. Martha should be praised for doing her best to halt what eventually became "Martha Inc." – a slimy book that resurrects old gossip, old rumors and old feuds, some of which occurred over 30 years ago. Given the dubious air of the book’s tone, one can only conclude that when Martha decided she wasn’t going to play the game the way Little Chris wanted to he had a tantrum and tossed out his original idea about "the business success story" of Martha Stewart. Instead, he turned it into "the story of a little girl who never got over what life never gave her and wound up inventing for herself a past she had never known." (The unapologetic misogyny of his language is shocking!) Oh yes, he tries to come across as being fair with euphemistic subtitles like "The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.," but he may as well have switched the word "Incredible" to "Impossible" since his fundamental belief throughout the book is that Martha is a liar, a manipulator and a tyrant who got lucky in business. He calls his book the "REAL" story; he refers to it as "the truth" or makes dramatic references to a world "just offstage" that did not comply with her wholesome public image. If Byron expects his readers to believe that his version of Martha’s life is "the truth" and Martha’s version is an "invention," he needs to be re-educated on the intelligence levels of literate individuals who can formulate their own opinions. Are we to believe the assertions of a man who knows Martha only through chance meetings at the gym and grocery store, or the assertions of the woman herself? Are we to accept the one-sided versions of Martha’s life from people who no longer talk to her or are a part of her life (people who may have a score to settle) or is it safer to accept the idea that there is no singular "truth" to anyone’s life, least of all one based on hearsay and gossip? The answers seem clear to me. Byron’s book will make an interesting read to anyone who wants some smidgen of detail regarding her business pursuits. Unfortunately, it happens to be the only book available that even remotely touches on the subject of Martha’s rise to fame and fortune with relatively good detail in places. It also happens to be a book mired by old gossip that Byron twists into unfounded psycho-drivel in his analysis of what he alleges are her personality disorders. It’s no surprise, then, that this last chapter attempts to take an aspect of Martha’s life – her extensive travel – and turn it into yet another example of her shortcomings as a human being. He suggests that Martha’s tours of the globe are not out of any real interest in the points of destination or to conduct business but are, instead, a desperate attempt to flee the emptiness of her own shallow life. It’s not because she wants to travel and see new places or forge new business deals with international partners. No, it’s because she leads a hollow but hectic existence and is eager to flaunt her money. This chapter is a sad attempt by Byron to both justify his nasty intent in writing the book and to portray Martha’s exciting travels as some psychological reaction to her own existence. In the end, Christopher Byron’s Martha Inc. is definitely not a good thing.
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