ldn reviewed Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin
From kin to kant
3 stars
Recollections in and around a Greenwich Village shop/restaurant. Good afternoon read.
paperback, 336 pages
Published July 17, 2018 by Picador.
Arbitrary Stupid Goal
4 stars
(9 reviews)
"'Arbitrary Stupid Goal is a completely riveting world--when I looked up from its pages regular life seemed boring and safe and modern like one big iPhone. This book captures not just a lost New York but a whole lost way of life'--Miranda July; In Arbitrary Stupid Goal, Tamara Shopsin takes the reader on a pointillist time-travel trip to the Greenwich Village of her bohemian 1970s childhood, a funky, tight-knit small town in the big city, long before Sex and the City tours and luxury condos. The center of Tamara's universe is Shopsin's, her family's legendary greasy spoon, aka 'The Store, ' run by her inimitable dad, Kenny--a loquacious, contrary, huge-hearted man who, aside from dishing up New York's best egg salad on rye, is Village sheriff, philosopher, and fixer all at once. All comers find a place at Shopsin's table and feast on Kenny's tall tales and trenchant advice along …
"'Arbitrary Stupid Goal is a completely riveting world--when I looked up from its pages regular life seemed boring and safe and modern like one big iPhone. This book captures not just a lost New York but a whole lost way of life'--Miranda July; In Arbitrary Stupid Goal, Tamara Shopsin takes the reader on a pointillist time-travel trip to the Greenwich Village of her bohemian 1970s childhood, a funky, tight-knit small town in the big city, long before Sex and the City tours and luxury condos. The center of Tamara's universe is Shopsin's, her family's legendary greasy spoon, aka 'The Store, ' run by her inimitable dad, Kenny--a loquacious, contrary, huge-hearted man who, aside from dishing up New York's best egg salad on rye, is Village sheriff, philosopher, and fixer all at once. All comers find a place at Shopsin's table and feast on Kenny's tall tales and trenchant advice along with the incomparable chili con carne. Filled with clever illustrations and witty, nostalgic photographs and graphics, and told in a sly, elliptical narrative that is both hilarious and endearing, Arbitrary Stupid Goal is an offbeat memory-book mosaic about the secrets of living an unconventional life, which is becoming a forgotten art "--Provided by publisher.
loppear reviewed Arbitrary stupid goal by Tamara Shopsin
Review of 'Arbitrary stupid goal' on Goodreads
3 stars
Nice quirky just-recollected splashes of her childhood and father's friends, Greenwich Village in the 80s.
gimley reviewed Arbitrary stupid goal by Tamara Shopsin
Review of 'Arbitrary stupid goal' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Kenny told me HE only gave it 4 stars. But, he says, Amazon scotched the review. Yes, he used the word "scotched." He also said of the book, "She got all of the symptoms but not the substance." Don't tell him I posted this. He hates publicity of any kind.
I don't know how this book would read to someone not already familiar with the principals. I was reminded of things I had long forgotten. I'm going to read her previous book when I get the chance. That's an arbitrary, perhaps stupid goal of mine. The concept of pursuing for the sake of the joy of pursuing was first enunciated by the Unabomber in his manifesto. He was afraid that technology would make goals too easy to reach. He didn't understand that goals could be arbitrary or stupid.
Last time I was at Shopsins, I ordered a Jewboy sandwich. Not …
Kenny told me HE only gave it 4 stars. But, he says, Amazon scotched the review. Yes, he used the word "scotched." He also said of the book, "She got all of the symptoms but not the substance." Don't tell him I posted this. He hates publicity of any kind.
I don't know how this book would read to someone not already familiar with the principals. I was reminded of things I had long forgotten. I'm going to read her previous book when I get the chance. That's an arbitrary, perhaps stupid goal of mine. The concept of pursuing for the sake of the joy of pursuing was first enunciated by the Unabomber in his manifesto. He was afraid that technology would make goals too easy to reach. He didn't understand that goals could be arbitrary or stupid.
Last time I was at Shopsins, I ordered a Jewboy sandwich. Not remembering there was a rule against it, my wife asked what was in it. The rule must have expired because Kenny told her. I'm not going to tell you, though. I try and avoid spoilers in my reviews. It was delicious!
