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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Gobble. Gobble. Gobble. Finished. This book didn’t stand a chance once I started. Miranda July lives in LA and is trying to finish a screenplay but can’t seem to concentrate on its completion. She is distracted by, then obsessed with, the Pennysaver. She contacts, interviews, and photographs some of the people who are selling items in the Pennysaver ( e.g., Large Suitcase, Glendale; Care Bears, Bell; Conair Hair Dryer, Sun Valley.) The book introduces us to an assemblage of people while capturing the final chapters of the Pennysaver era.
Here is a quote I like….
“We had to winnow life down so we knew where to put our tenderness and attention; and that was a good, sweet thing. But together or alone, we were still embedded in a kaleidoscope, ruthlessly varied and continuous, until the end of the end. I knew I would forget this within the hour, and then remember, and forget, and remember. Each time I remembered it would be a tiny miracle, and forgetting was just as important — I had to believe in my own story.”
― Miranda July, It Chooses You
Here is a quote I like….
“We had to winnow life down so we knew where to put our tenderness and attention; and that was a good, sweet thing. But together or alone, we were still embedded in a kaleidoscope, ruthlessly varied and continuous, until the end of the end. I knew I would forget this within the hour, and then remember, and forget, and remember. Each time I remembered it would be a tiny miracle, and forgetting was just as important — I had to believe in my own story.”
― Miranda July, It Chooses You
Miranda is one of the best short story writers I've read!
This is perhaps one of the more interesting and compelling things I've read in a while. July had writers' block while working on her second screenplay so she decides to interview a bunch of the people who put ads in the Pennysaver catalogue. What results is a series of fascinating, slightly odd interviews with the people who have placed ads selling stuff. What we end up with is a small peek into each person's lives. We find out why they are selling those items and we learn more about who they are and their stories. It is basically like July made a documentary in book form. In fact, I would love to see a documentary film version of this.
July is perhaps one of the more interesting writers I've run across in a while. Not too many others would have the idea for this and go with it and end up creating such a captivating portrait. I ended up reading this whole thing in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Each person's story left me with questions. I wanted to know more about them. July writes about them in such a way that I was intrigued by them. They all seemed like people I would actually want to meet. And I was completely heartbroken by Ron and his story. I enjoyed this so much. More than I originally thought I would. The premise drew me in and then July's writing kept me enthralled.
July is perhaps one of the more interesting writers I've run across in a while. Not too many others would have the idea for this and go with it and end up creating such a captivating portrait. I ended up reading this whole thing in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Each person's story left me with questions. I wanted to know more about them. July writes about them in such a way that I was intrigued by them. They all seemed like people I would actually want to meet. And I was completely heartbroken by Ron and his story. I enjoyed this so much. More than I originally thought I would. The premise drew me in and then July's writing kept me enthralled.
This breaks my rule for rating non-fiction, which I do not do regularly, but this is really great. It says a lot about the artistic process and its uniqueness to everyone. The last chapter is operatic.
Like 3.9-4.0
Like 3.9-4.0
I realized halfway through It Chooses You that my love for it was inevitable. Probably a decade ago, I came across a quote by Miranda July that I think about literally every day. I didn't know where it came from, only that it was July's. So when I read it in It Chooses You, I realized that it was the thesis of not only this book but of much of July's art. In the chapter about Domingo, she writes, "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."
Each chapter focuses on someone who has put an ad in the Pennysaver, selling odds and ends (in one case, an old hair dryer; in another, tadpoles). July and a photographer spend a few hours with each subject and then in the write-up, the author reflects on their stories and weaves something of a narrative about her own life (recent marriage, writer's block on a film she's working on) and about the shifting world as Internet technology was dawning. (The subjects were still in the dark, thus the Pennysaver ads rather than eBay.)
I love the Humans of New York Facebook page, but sometimes the stories are too feel-good for me and the photojournalist's vision and voice are overly earnest. It Chooses You is like a modified set of quirky HONY entries -- more text and fewer photos, odder subjects, and a much stranger vision and voice. What HONY and It Chooses You have in common is a premise that is almost a cliche: that everyone has a story to tell. They also share an inspiring respect for their subjects that infuses those stories with dignity and delight.
In short: LOVED it.
Each chapter focuses on someone who has put an ad in the Pennysaver, selling odds and ends (in one case, an old hair dryer; in another, tadpoles). July and a photographer spend a few hours with each subject and then in the write-up, the author reflects on their stories and weaves something of a narrative about her own life (recent marriage, writer's block on a film she's working on) and about the shifting world as Internet technology was dawning. (The subjects were still in the dark, thus the Pennysaver ads rather than eBay.)
I love the Humans of New York Facebook page, but sometimes the stories are too feel-good for me and the photojournalist's vision and voice are overly earnest. It Chooses You is like a modified set of quirky HONY entries -- more text and fewer photos, odder subjects, and a much stranger vision and voice. What HONY and It Chooses You have in common is a premise that is almost a cliche: that everyone has a story to tell. They also share an inspiring respect for their subjects that infuses those stories with dignity and delight.
In short: LOVED it.
So I haven't been able to finish books lately but I read this guy in a day. The pictures were pretty cool and one made me want a bullfrog... Yep.
However, I thought Miranda July was kind of judge-y. I mean, the people were just putting ad's in a paper; it was cool of them to let her show up with an entourage and take their pictures and have her interview them. The woman with all the animals went way out of her way to make July and her crew food and was going to show them some random animal but then July was like, ugh, it was so weird, she was too Bible this and Bible that. Well, you kind of committed to whatever crazy these people want to show you, so why get all freaked out and upset? I just thought it showed that Miranda July is someone who wants things to fit into her quirky world and when they get too skewed another way she chumps out. She came off as pretty rude in that story. At least to me.
The last story was really sweet, which she was building us up for it with the second to last one. I thought, oh, maybe I'll see the Future because at least that guy is cool. But I don't think so- I'm burnt out on her for the time being.
However, I thought Miranda July was kind of judge-y. I mean, the people were just putting ad's in a paper; it was cool of them to let her show up with an entourage and take their pictures and have her interview them. The woman with all the animals went way out of her way to make July and her crew food and was going to show them some random animal but then July was like, ugh, it was so weird, she was too Bible this and Bible that. Well, you kind of committed to whatever crazy these people want to show you, so why get all freaked out and upset? I just thought it showed that Miranda July is someone who wants things to fit into her quirky world and when they get too skewed another way she chumps out. She came off as pretty rude in that story. At least to me.
The last story was really sweet, which she was building us up for it with the second to last one. I thought, oh, maybe I'll see the Future because at least that guy is cool. But I don't think so- I'm burnt out on her for the time being.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Fun quick read. I enjoyed all the pictures in the hardback. Loved the end.
A sort of meditation on allowing other people's stories to exist without meddling, without rewriting them on paper or in our heads to fit an understanding that suits us.
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
This book was such an interesting concept, and under 200 pages, it doesn’t have time to lose that concept or get tedious. While working on a screenplay, July starts calling and interviewing people she finds in the Pennysaver. Their stories are collected here, with July’s insights about life and loss. It is a uniquely Gen X story, as she is meeting people who don’t have computers and still using newsprint and landlines in 2009. She has an iPhone herself, but it was interesting to see how much more the internet has taken over.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content
One thing I admire about Miranda July is that she seems to always be creating art, whether it be by acting, directing films, writing, or making sculpture. This book is not only a little piece of art in and of itself, it documents what goes through a writer's mind as they struggle to bring a masterpiece to fruition. Specifically, July wrote this book as she was trying to finish her second feature screenplay and put together financing to get her movie made. The movie that turned out to be -- The Future -- wasn't as good as her other work, in my opinion, but after reading this book I can appreciate it more for the the blood, sweat, and tears went into it. As for It Chooses You, I really enjoyed the glimpse into the lives of everyday Los Angelenos, and it inspired me to learn more about the people around me in LA.