2. A College Student with a Big Dream
She started out as another writer in high
school. In 2006, Kaavya Viswanathan, Harvard
sophomore, published Opal Mehta Got Kissed,
Got Wild, and Got a Life.
3. Similarities between the books
Viswanathan's writing shows similarities with 2 of
Megan McCafferty's books, "Sloppy Firsts" and
"Second Helpings," in a total of 13 cases throughout
the book.
For example . . .
4. McCafferty's version
"Though I used to see him sometimes at Hope's
house, Marcus and I had never, ever
acknowledged each other's existence before.
So I froze, not knowing whether I should (a)
laugh, (b) say something, or (c) ignore him and
keep on walking. I chose a brilliant combo of
(a) and (b)."
5. Viswanathan's version
"Though I had been to school with him for the
last three years, Sean Whalen and I had never
acknowledged each other's existence before. I
froze, unsure of (a) what he was talking
about, or (b) what I was supposed to do about
it. I stared at him."
6. The Case of Kaavya Viswanathan
A telephone call was sent to The New York Times,
who noticed the similar parts in the book.
She was said to be plagiarizing upon Sophie
Kinsella, whose book was about a British woman
revealing her secrets to her American boss.
7. The Settlement of Kaavya
Viswanathan
Though initially her publisher defended her,
Little, Brown soon withdrew every copy of the
novel from stores, a deal that was worth less
than $500,000.
8. She graduated in 2008 and got accepted to Georgetown
Law. She is now an intern at one of the most prestigious
law firms in the nation, Sullivan & Cromwell in New York.
The End