Take a photo of a barcode or cover
hollowspine 's review for:
My Heart Is an Idiot: Essays
by Davy Rothbart
I have enjoyed listening to Davy Rothbart's performances in bars singing Bus or Beer with his brother, in old theatres doing Found vs. Found Footage Festival battles with Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, and over the radio on This American Life. So, it follows that I'd be interested in this book. I downloaded this audio book for a family vacation but never got around to listening to it, now finally, in a marathon of listening got through it in one listless day with my retired parents. I know, I'm pretty cool, right?
Though I was occasionally frustrated by Davy's constant state of search for the perfect girl, I can somewhat understand it. Everything is always better in one's imagination, so though as a girl I hate it when I'm held as some mysterious creature (when all I'm really thinking about is my next meal) Especially as a woman working as a public servant it's frustrating that men who approach me often misconstrue my being helpful and nice in performing my job, as being interested and welcoming their intrusive, creepy and often completely off-base comments and observations on my character/hair/clothing etc. Going as far to note how 'spiritual' I am (atheist) or that I must spend a lot of time on my hair and stating that they wanted to touch it (you know I'm a black belt, right) , I can also relate to Rothbart's search for the exact person/thing/etc. that's going to make everything right. As he points out in one story where he meets a young man intent on moving to Canada...
"But what would happen once he reached Canada? Missy and I had talked about it for a bit after he'd first fallen asleep. It's appealing to imagine that if we can just get that one thing in our life to work out--if we can get the job we want, finish writing that book or making that movie, get the right girl or get to Canada--that everything will be solved, absolved, good to go for good. I slipped into that way of thinking way too often, I admitted to Missy, even though I knew that sometimes in life all of a sudden there you were--standing with your Technics turntables just across the Canadian border, and you're not a new you, you're just you, but in Canada."
Probably my favorite paragraph through the whole book. Rothbart's truthful enough to recognize in himself the tendency to desire some unrealistic ideal, which is much better suited to unrequited crushes on girls he barely knows or who shut him out than the affections of girls who open their arms and invite him in. I think, though many people would deny it, we all have these tendencies to drop what's known, what is already ours, for what's behind mysterious door #2. Who knows, maybe whatever lies behind that door is the thing that realizes everything we've ever wanted and we'll be "good to go for good."
There were times when we'd laugh out loud, but also many long stretches where no one uttered a sound, we were just focused on hearing the story and caught up in our own thoughts, whatever those might be. I think we were all amazed by Rothbart's life, the many characters he meets and often bizarre situations he finds himself trying to work his way out of with some even more complicated scheme bound to land him in even weirder locales. I'm just glad that he took us along for the ride.
Though I was occasionally frustrated by Davy's constant state of search for the perfect girl, I can somewhat understand it. Everything is always better in one's imagination, so though as a girl I hate it when I'm held as some mysterious creature (when all I'm really thinking about is my next meal)
"But what would happen once he reached Canada? Missy and I had talked about it for a bit after he'd first fallen asleep. It's appealing to imagine that if we can just get that one thing in our life to work out--if we can get the job we want, finish writing that book or making that movie, get the right girl or get to Canada--that everything will be solved, absolved, good to go for good. I slipped into that way of thinking way too often, I admitted to Missy, even though I knew that sometimes in life all of a sudden there you were--standing with your Technics turntables just across the Canadian border, and you're not a new you, you're just you, but in Canada."
Probably my favorite paragraph through the whole book. Rothbart's truthful enough to recognize in himself the tendency to desire some unrealistic ideal, which is much better suited to unrequited crushes on girls he barely knows or who shut him out than the affections of girls who open their arms and invite him in. I think, though many people would deny it, we all have these tendencies to drop what's known, what is already ours, for what's behind mysterious door #2. Who knows, maybe whatever lies behind that door is the thing that realizes everything we've ever wanted and we'll be "good to go for good."
There were times when we'd laugh out loud, but also many long stretches where no one uttered a sound, we were just focused on hearing the story and caught up in our own thoughts, whatever those might be. I think we were all amazed by Rothbart's life, the many characters he meets and often bizarre situations he finds himself trying to work his way out of with some even more complicated scheme bound to land him in even weirder locales. I'm just glad that he took us along for the ride.