The best of the bad

Dave Gilmartin may not know how to win friends, but he does know how to influence people. Gilmartin is the author of "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America," coming out next month from St. Martin's Press.
In the book, Gilmartin insults huge swaths of people, or at least the cities that they live in (thereby providing insults by association). Describing those who tend to live in Houston, for instance, Gilmartin wields his rapier: "Satan, deadly competitive cheerleader housewives, shady corporate executives, the overweight, over-the-hill cowboys, illegal aliens, Christians." Ouch, y'all.
But in case you think his book is a liberal rant against Red State America, here are his ruminations on New England communities that he deems losers:
-- Allston, MA: "A melting pot of upper-middle-class white kids eager to experience a brief taste of rebellious semiurban squalor (provided the dilapidation does not preclude a wireless Internet connection).
-- Fitchburg, MA: "The people of Fitchburg have created a hellhole for the ages, even by Massachusetts standards."
-- Manchester, NH: "Not even the best city in New Hampshire."
-- Cranston, RI: "Visiting Cranston is like waking up inside a Chess King outlet store circa 1986."
Wicked ouch.
(Neither the accompanying press material nor a short Web search indicates where Gilmartin himself lives -- a smart omission.)