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A review by lcline1981
And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman
5.0
At first, I didn't know what to think about the book, because I wasn't sure what it was. I, like many a human, really like to categorize, and this book seemed to defy categorization for me. I've seen Kalman's illustrations in my copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, which is also a beautiful book. The illustrations are whimsical and colorful, but the spirit of the book is what really captured me as a reader.
I don't often say things like this, but I was really delighted by this book. Every page I wanted to savor, but I still devoured this book in a single morning. Kalman's meditations on American history and politics and material culture are perceptive, and funny, and hopeful.
Here are some quotes from passages that I marked:
"I looked deep into his eyes and found that I was falling in love. In love with A. Lincoln."
"And in front of the Supreme Court facade that states, 'Equal Justice Under Law,' stands a woman in a shocking pink coat. Inside it is all polished wood and marble an red velvet drapes and decorum and history and everything you would want in a Supreme Court. In the court the lawyers are arguing cases that I kind of understand. But not really. Not really is putting it mildly but that is not the point. It is all ab out language, the language of dissent and the search for meaning. There are faults, biases, political leanings, differences of philosophy. Unavoidable. They are human beings."
"Don't we need both the warriors and the artists on this planet?"
"If you want to understand this country and its people and what it means to be optimistic and complex and tragic and wrong and courageous, you need to go to [Jefferson's] home in Virginia. Monticello."
"Everything is invented. Language. Childhood. Careers. Relationships. Religion. Philosophy. The future. They are not there for the plucking. They don't exist in some natural state. They must be invented by people. And that, of course, is a great thing. Don't mope in your room. Go invent something. That is the American message. Electricity. Flight. The telephone. Television. Computers. Walking on the moon. It never stops."
"We hope. We despair. We hope. We despair. That is what governs us. We have a bipolar system.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I liked the book a lot. It is a celebration.
I don't often say things like this, but I was really delighted by this book. Every page I wanted to savor, but I still devoured this book in a single morning. Kalman's meditations on American history and politics and material culture are perceptive, and funny, and hopeful.
Here are some quotes from passages that I marked:
"I looked deep into his eyes and found that I was falling in love. In love with A. Lincoln."
"And in front of the Supreme Court facade that states, 'Equal Justice Under Law,' stands a woman in a shocking pink coat. Inside it is all polished wood and marble an red velvet drapes and decorum and history and everything you would want in a Supreme Court. In the court the lawyers are arguing cases that I kind of understand. But not really. Not really is putting it mildly but that is not the point. It is all ab out language, the language of dissent and the search for meaning. There are faults, biases, political leanings, differences of philosophy. Unavoidable. They are human beings."
"Don't we need both the warriors and the artists on this planet?"
"If you want to understand this country and its people and what it means to be optimistic and complex and tragic and wrong and courageous, you need to go to [Jefferson's] home in Virginia. Monticello."
"Everything is invented. Language. Childhood. Careers. Relationships. Religion. Philosophy. The future. They are not there for the plucking. They don't exist in some natural state. They must be invented by people. And that, of course, is a great thing. Don't mope in your room. Go invent something. That is the American message. Electricity. Flight. The telephone. Television. Computers. Walking on the moon. It never stops."
"We hope. We despair. We hope. We despair. That is what governs us. We have a bipolar system.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I liked the book a lot. It is a celebration.