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adalyanh's review against another edition
4.0
me talking about an author event with miranda july
http://syn.org.au/review-miranda-july-author-talk
http://syn.org.au/review-miranda-july-author-talk
beedew's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
The interviews July conducted could have been longer. I would have loved more pictures of the people and their homes. Those are my main complaints and each is a request for more.
This is a book that made me feel. July has a gift for accomplishing this. She takes her audience through the spectrum of human emotion in her art, whether it be short stories, film, or performance pieces. She is bold without being manipulative. July's eye for details that reveal a larger truth has always been a guiding force in her work.
She has been criticized for being precious and quirky, but ultimately these criticisms are unfair and inaccurate. To really be successful as an artist, a person must possess a certain amount of self-importance and bravado. July has the bravado. The self-importance is there too, but it is in a fascinating tug of war with a deep sense of humility in the face of the world and the small roles we create. This struggle is the book's saving grace. These interviews, better described as glimpses into the lives of others, could have so easily become exploitive or sentimentalized. July's sense of responsibility in presenting the stories of those she meets is a constant presence in the book. She is consistently harsh with herself when analyzing her interactions with others. She is smart enough to realize she must be a character in these interviews and opens up about all the potential ways her perceptions could interfere with objective journalism. She is not above judgment, but always points her hardest gaze inward. It is in these moments of self-criticism that some of the books most poignant revelations come to fruition. July enters the story adrift and wanders from interview to interview silently pleading for answers to her own creative struggles.
I am not sure if this book was released to stand on its own or if it is meant to be a companion piece to her film, The Future. It works better as the latter and, if that was the intention, I would bump my rating up to four stars. A familiarity with her film (I was familiar with the key plot points and characters but had not viewed it) enriched the reading experience. I wish I had seen the movie before reading It Chooses You. In any case, I will certainly be seeing it now.
The interviews July conducted could have been longer. I would have loved more pictures of the people and their homes. Those are my main complaints and each is a request for more.
This is a book that made me feel. July has a gift for accomplishing this. She takes her audience through the spectrum of human emotion in her art, whether it be short stories, film, or performance pieces. She is bold without being manipulative. July's eye for details that reveal a larger truth has always been a guiding force in her work.
She has been criticized for being precious and quirky, but ultimately these criticisms are unfair and inaccurate. To really be successful as an artist, a person must possess a certain amount of self-importance and bravado. July has the bravado. The self-importance is there too, but it is in a fascinating tug of war with a deep sense of humility in the face of the world and the small roles we create. This struggle is the book's saving grace. These interviews, better described as glimpses into the lives of others, could have so easily become exploitive or sentimentalized. July's sense of responsibility in presenting the stories of those she meets is a constant presence in the book. She is consistently harsh with herself when analyzing her interactions with others. She is smart enough to realize she must be a character in these interviews and opens up about all the potential ways her perceptions could interfere with objective journalism. She is not above judgment, but always points her hardest gaze inward. It is in these moments of self-criticism that some of the books most poignant revelations come to fruition. July enters the story adrift and wanders from interview to interview silently pleading for answers to her own creative struggles.
I am not sure if this book was released to stand on its own or if it is meant to be a companion piece to her film, The Future. It works better as the latter and, if that was the intention, I would bump my rating up to four stars. A familiarity with her film (I was familiar with the key plot points and characters but had not viewed it) enriched the reading experience. I wish I had seen the movie before reading It Chooses You. In any case, I will certainly be seeing it now.
mia9801's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Comedy actress and national treasure Diane Morgan recommended this book to me and I absolutely loved it.
eaterofworlds's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
christinejschmidt's review against another edition
5.0
I so thoroughly enjoyed this. The last few pages of the book had me openly crying.
kateewald's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This week’s pick from the #essentialwomenwriters list was a particularly quirky read. It Chooses You is the result of the author’s procrastination on a screenplay she was working on. She started reading Pennysavers and then decided to approach some sellers to see if they would be willing to let her interview them. Most weren’t but a few were and the results of those interviews form the backbone of this book, along with details of the progress on her film project.
I didn’t feel entirely comfortable reading this book. It felt voyeuristic and somewhat exploitative, even though the interviewees agreed to be interviewed, received payment, and one was even cast July’s film and a genuine connection seemed to have been made. I understand that getting a glimpse into the lives others live can be useful in expanding and enhancing our understanding of the human condition, but I’m not sure that was the purpose of this venture. I’m not sure I fully understand what the purpose was. The book did offer insights into July’s creative process but as a non-creative type these didn’t interest me as much as they might some other readers.
This was a quick read - a slim volume with plenty of photos - but I can’t say that I really enjoyed it or gained much from my reading experience. It wasn’t a bad book, just not the right book for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
beatrice_k's review against another edition
5.0
I read this, first, as a stand-alone creator's journal. I loved it for that, the way it presented people as wildly unknowable, the way it showed the omnipresence of inspiration. There's so much heart in the creation - "All I ever really want to know is how other people are making it through life - where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it" - so much that can be pieced together to build bridges connecting idea to execution. This is just an absolute gem for writers/creative types/those curious about the world. Also, it's a great bedside read.
--
"If I interacted with only people like me, then I'd feel normal again, un-creepy. Which didn't seem right either. So I decided that it was okay to feel creepy, it was appropriate, because I was a little creepy. But to feel only this way would be a terrible mistake, because there were a million other things to notice."
--
"If I interacted with only people like me, then I'd feel normal again, un-creepy. Which didn't seem right either. So I decided that it was okay to feel creepy, it was appropriate, because I was a little creepy. But to feel only this way would be a terrible mistake, because there were a million other things to notice."