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The Enlightened Bracketologist settles a dizzying array of debates through the bracket system, the structure used in the NCAA March Madness tournament. Beginning with 32 contenders, each bracket narrows the field down to 16, then eight, then the final four, then the championship, and then an undisputed winner.

But instead of Gonzaga vs. UConn, these enlightened brackets pit indie rock albums (Slanted and Enchanted beats Surfer Rosa) and typefaces with the best readability (Gill Sans takes Hoefler Text) against each other. Literary agent Mark Reiter and New York Times sports columnist Richard Sandomir select a proper expert in each field to compile a bracket and short introduction (e.g., pundit Mo Rocca does "Political Hot Buttons" and John A. Byrne, executive editor of Business Week, handles the best CEOs). The experts make sidebar comments for the more difficult calls. And they have some tough picks; who but an expert could decide what makes a Snickers a better candy bar than a Skor? Both sure are pretty satisfying.

It's all ridiculous and painfully subjective, but the point is that we all will have something to say on at least some of these brackets. In addition, the "enlightened" brackets may help readers actually gain a greater insight into a topic: For instance, "Japanese equities" are an overall better investment strategy than "real estate." There are 100 brackets in this book, but there could have been 100 more. Many of the brackets are steeped in pop culture, so it's hard not to turn each one into an entertainingly meaningless argument between friends.

The problem is that criteria for victory are also determined by the experts. Tony the Tiger loses out to the Jolly Green Giant based on the inconsequential fact that the product Tony shills is less healthy than the Giant's. Yeah, right.

So don't get down when you get smoked in your office's NCAA pool. Grab this book, gather your most ruthlessly opinionated pals, pour some Saranac Adirondack Lagers (winner of the "American Beers" bracket) and don't let anybody tell you Tony the Tiger isn't the man.