A review by bemused_writer
Joe Gould's Secret by Joseph Mitchell

3.0

This is a surprisingly difficult book to rate. On one hand, I really enjoyed Joseph Mitchell's writing style and could sympathize with him on several counts. I'd actually like to read more of his work. On the other hand, the subject of the book, Joe Gould, strikes me as an incredibly difficult person to be around even if I couldn't help but pity him here and there. He really seems like a library customer and he did, in fact, frequent New York's public library at the time along with several other establishments.

Spoiler

There are a lot of things I didn't really like about Gould to be honest. He spent a lot of time harassing people for money or for attention and it was largely unwanted. He's not the kind of person I would want to deal with.

I read the book primarily because of its connection to the Blackwell series (Wadjet Eye Games), which I'm a huge fan of. The series had several references to this book and the book formed the backbone of the first three games. At first glance that will seem strange since this is a biography and Blackwell is about ghosts but the series has always been grounded in a certain realism regarding its characters and the things people go through and in that way it makes perfect sense.

As for the book I would recommend giving it a read. It gives some insight into a specific time in America along with some elements of bohemian culture. Joe Gould had a certain lasting effect on the area as well--the Village, the Minetta, and other places he frequented are known for being some of Joe Gould's spots--and the book he was working on The Oral History, is something that has intrigued a lot of people for the mystery surrounding it as well as the basic premise. I'm inclined to agree with Joseph Mitchell however:

Spoiler

I don't think the book ever existed. As soon as Gould rejected all the measures Pearce offered to preserve the book in order to publish it I became very suspicious. It was still sad to see how Gould had no reply to Mitchell's accusation that it didn't exist; the thing he was devoting himself to was quite possibly a figment of his imagination.