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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The funny thought of wanting to know how other ordinary people, like passersby in the street, live their lives always struck me. This thought always came with profound sadness and emptiness making me feel that life is worthless.
What makes life special? And why are we here? And why are they still living their worthless lives? Knowing that your story isn't that special and knowing a lot of stories get forgotten is an overwhelming feeling that will leave you lost in a sea of vagueness.
If someone would've asked me what do I share with a fifty something transvestite, a middle-aged Indian woman or a suburban single mother I would've said: "nothing!". That's not the right answer and this book came as a reminder that the thing that I share with them and everyone else is the world.
This is not a life mentor book or a feel good novel – GOD FORBID!. It is a tiny window on possibilities. It will not make you feel better about life by describing how good it is to be alive. It will make you feel better about life by helping you understanding it a bit more as you glide through the book.
So the writer gave little glimpses on people living on the margins of life, their margins of life. Shouldn't that be boring? Well, I think boring is not the word, the right word is epic.
What makes life special? And why are we here? And why are they still living their worthless lives? Knowing that your story isn't that special and knowing a lot of stories get forgotten is an overwhelming feeling that will leave you lost in a sea of vagueness.
If someone would've asked me what do I share with a fifty something transvestite, a middle-aged Indian woman or a suburban single mother I would've said: "nothing!". That's not the right answer and this book came as a reminder that the thing that I share with them and everyone else is the world.
This is not a life mentor book or a feel good novel – GOD FORBID!. It is a tiny window on possibilities. It will not make you feel better about life by describing how good it is to be alive. It will make you feel better about life by helping you understanding it a bit more as you glide through the book.
So the writer gave little glimpses on people living on the margins of life, their margins of life. Shouldn't that be boring? Well, I think boring is not the word, the right word is epic.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I hadn't read/watched anything by Miranda July before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a beautifully written, respectful exploration of a very niche corner of humanity. It was funny, enlightening, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I love Miranda July's mind. This book, like the other projects of hers I've read or watched, felt like I was sitting down and having a conversation with her. It was warm, funny, honest, sometimes surprising, and overall, delightfully weird.
I loved this book - for its honest depiction of the debilitating experience that can be the creative process, for the reminder that everyone has a story to share and for its commentary on the confusion of our existence, and the importance of connecting with others.
It Chooses You is a product of procrastination. In 2009 Miranda July was struggling to finish her screenplay, and as a result of this procrastination she developed a fascination with the PennySaver. She decided to contact sellers and interview them, bringing along a photographer to document the encounters.
This book is fantastic. It reminded me of my times visiting homebound patrons when I worked in circulation. It is a glimpse into the lives of people we would otherwise never encounter in our day to day lives. The 13 people that are interviewed are idiosyncratic and somewhat pitiful, but July does a great job of respecting all of her subjects. She does an excellent job of expressing the dichotomy of how we are all both connected and isolated at the same time. It is a funny novel, but not at the expense of any particular individual. This book is a celebration of life and how incredibly strange, mysterious, and beautiful it can be.
This book is fantastic. It reminded me of my times visiting homebound patrons when I worked in circulation. It is a glimpse into the lives of people we would otherwise never encounter in our day to day lives. The 13 people that are interviewed are idiosyncratic and somewhat pitiful, but July does a great job of respecting all of her subjects. She does an excellent job of expressing the dichotomy of how we are all both connected and isolated at the same time. It is a funny novel, but not at the expense of any particular individual. This book is a celebration of life and how incredibly strange, mysterious, and beautiful it can be.
Did not find the author likable. I felt she exploited those she interviewed just so she could talk about herself and her other projects.
1/5/12: This is an extraordinary work. I'm not sure exactly what kind of work it is--non-fiction, reporting, photographs, musings--that's the closest I can come. But Miranda July writes (and speaks) in a way that makes me want to underline her sentences, read them aloud to whoever passes by, return to them again and again. She jumps off the page at you, moving from the juxtaposition of random objects and people to her own odd, hilarious, poignant thought processes. Raw, certainly, often naive, and sometimes baffling itself. But very compelling.
Maybe it would help to explain the book a bit. It opens with July finding herself unable to finish her screenplay, which is about a young couple trying to make connections. On an impulse, she starts calling people who have placed ads in the PennySaver. They are trying to sell things (very random things), and she asks to come see those things but also offers to pay them $50 to interview and photograph them. So the book is mostly chapters about the people she meets (9 or 10 of them?), including transcripts of their conversations and photographs of them and the things that are important to them and what she learns from them and from their lives. Thus she observes and chronicles life in L.A. from an incredibly odd but interesting perspective, searching for connection and empathy, sometimes finding it, sometimes baffled herself by the people she discovers.
July is an artist, so I suppose you could call this book a work of art more than a narrative. I'm not sure if that would change my approach to it or my opinion, but it certainly makes me want to understand more about her and her work. I know she makes movies (in fact, she describes the making of the movie of her screenplay--which she finishes--in this book) and does art installations. She has written one book of short stories…I just downloaded it, despite mixed reviews. Looking forward to it.
Maybe it would help to explain the book a bit. It opens with July finding herself unable to finish her screenplay, which is about a young couple trying to make connections. On an impulse, she starts calling people who have placed ads in the PennySaver. They are trying to sell things (very random things), and she asks to come see those things but also offers to pay them $50 to interview and photograph them. So the book is mostly chapters about the people she meets (9 or 10 of them?), including transcripts of their conversations and photographs of them and the things that are important to them and what she learns from them and from their lives. Thus she observes and chronicles life in L.A. from an incredibly odd but interesting perspective, searching for connection and empathy, sometimes finding it, sometimes baffled herself by the people she discovers.
July is an artist, so I suppose you could call this book a work of art more than a narrative. I'm not sure if that would change my approach to it or my opinion, but it certainly makes me want to understand more about her and her work. I know she makes movies (in fact, she describes the making of the movie of her screenplay--which she finishes--in this book) and does art installations. She has written one book of short stories…I just downloaded it, despite mixed reviews. Looking forward to it.
I love everything july does. except for the future. that I hated. this book is about that, in a way, but the parts that aren't are lovely and instructive.