A review by jainabee
Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

4.75

A unique tribute to a unique family and fills me with nostalgia for a NYC I never knew. Crossword puzzle included! Other reviews have had stong opinions about the layout and formatting, and I just want to mention that Tamara is a professional graphic designer and I think this book looks EXACTLY the way she meant it to. As oddball as her whole family! (Pretend it's visual poetry. Because it is!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, War

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Gaslighting

Minor: Pedophilia, Racism, Violence

This is classic Greenwich Village (1960s-1990s), with all the wild and woolly characters, culture clashes, foul language and NYC trimmings that you could imagine. It is told with so much love and reverence. There is a chapter about the author and her husband visiting the site of a WWII Nazi compound.