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3rd out of 16 books
—
7 voters
The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City
by
Misha Glouberman (Goodreads Author),
Sheila Heti (Goodreads Author)
Should neighborhoods change? Is wearing a suit a good way to quit smoking? Why do people think that if you do one thing, you’re against something else? Is monogamy a trick? Why isn’t making the city more fun for you and your friends a super-noble political goal? Why does a computer last only three years? How often should you see your parents? How should we behave at partie...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
July 5th 2011
by Faber & Faber
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Note: Having seen more than a handful of Misha-hosted events in the last ten years, I was familiar with his stage style, his endearingly awkward improv while addressing crowds of people. It was that kind of quiet surprise I kept reading into his voice as I went through this collection of tiny, conversational essays on seemingly random ideas.
This is why the book didn't bother me as much as most of the other reviewers - I had an idea of what might be waiting. Misha is interested in social behavi...more
Annoyingly twee mini-essays from Canadian hipster and soi-disant social theorist Glouberman, as transcribed by n+1 writer Sheila Heti. It takes a while with this odd little book to penetrate its wide-eyed, slapdash nonstyle and to understand just how vacuous and self-absorbed its riffs on contemporary urban culture really are. Kind of like what you'd get if you cross-bred a stoner Malcolm Gladwell with Zooey Deschanel or Miranda July and raised them in Williamsburg. The horror.
If you're not skeptical of this book, then you need to re-evaluate yourself. A book documenting the random thoughts of a man who "speaks in full paragraphs," teaches charades classes, is overly interested in improvised experimental music, and who is the creator of an uber hipster series of talks called "Trampoline Hall"? Hipster trash, right? VERY surprisingly, I really enjoyed all of it. I mean, it's too much in about a thousand places, but Misha's reflections and experiences (esp the ones with...more
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I found this book at work in the philosophy section and I thought, what good advice chairs are where the people go!
it's not really a philosophy book at all, strand shelves it as self help, but it's not at all a self help book either, really it's a book book, it's like a book of essays but done as an oral history. It's a guy (I assume misha is a guy...) who just does a lot of things talking about the way he sees the world. I like that, I like it a lot.
the book is mostly about people. how we inte...more
it's not really a philosophy book at all, strand shelves it as self help, but it's not at all a self help book either, really it's a book book, it's like a book of essays but done as an oral history. It's a guy (I assume misha is a guy...) who just does a lot of things talking about the way he sees the world. I like that, I like it a lot.
the book is mostly about people. how we inte...more
4 likes · like · see review
This book has about three good pieces. They are about Harvard, the author's battle with a noisy bar in his neighborhood, and quitting smoking. The piece on Harvard was appropriately published in the Paris Review. The smoking piece made me laugh for minutes. The other pieces (~160 pgs) in the book are not much better than blog posts.
I enjoyed aspects of the book. It is funny, gentle, minorly psychologically insightful, and has a good mix of thought and story-telling.
On the other hand, it is unorg...more
I enjoyed aspects of the book. It is funny, gentle, minorly psychologically insightful, and has a good mix of thought and story-telling.
On the other hand, it is unorg...more
Two other reviewers already summed it up for me -- reading this book makes me wish I knew this Misha character, because he seems to be a calm, intelligent, interesting person; but this book occasionally has the Miranda July curse upon it, which might ruin it for some (twee! performance arty!).
Since this author apparently runs classes on how to play charades (!) among other things, the book contains more improv class and icebreaker concepts than the average collection of essays. There are severa...more
Since this author apparently runs classes on how to play charades (!) among other things, the book contains more improv class and icebreaker concepts than the average collection of essays. There are severa...more
This game made me think a lot about charades. You can tell a lot about people through charades!
Like if people are better at communicating or listening or expressing themselves and how they do it. I found that I would often get stuck on what to say next and actually overthink my gestures, the same way I do with words! I bet if I got good at charades I would be better at talking in real life, because whenever I think "Oh shit how do I say this IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY?" I could be like "No rememb...more
Like if people are better at communicating or listening or expressing themselves and how they do it. I found that I would often get stuck on what to say next and actually overthink my gestures, the same way I do with words! I bet if I got good at charades I would be better at talking in real life, because whenever I think "Oh shit how do I say this IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY?" I could be like "No rememb...more
For a book about "How to live, work, and play in the city", it is auspiciously fun, irreverent and thought-provoking. A large slice is about improv. Different approaches towards improv that allow for surprise and creativity. Misha characterizes these adventures as somewhat aimless. But this blithe approach opened me to the uncommon insights of making social experiences.
Some takeaways - Having "unconferences" where there is no set agenda and the participants decide what they want to learn. Alcoho...more
Some takeaways - Having "unconferences" where there is no set agenda and the participants decide what they want to learn. Alcoho...more
This is a quirky book. When I started reading it, I first thought, really? Why this guy? Because it's not really a "how to live, work and play in the city" book at all. But it turns out Misha has a lot of interesting thoughts about a lot of things, and you end up wishing he was a friend of yours, and that you were having more of these kinds of conversations.
For example, Misha says, "Parties should be fun. They should certainly be gone to out of a desire to get something out of them. Certainly y...more
For example, Misha says, "Parties should be fun. They should certainly be gone to out of a desire to get something out of them. Certainly y...more
rambling book, some interesting ideas and some boring ones. He writes a lot about his theatre classes, which sound like they would be fun to take. I disagree with some of his ideas, like with city living, here in Philly the hipsters want gardens, bike lanes, less cars and more art in the city but I don't think that these are awful for older city residents. Glouberman seems to think that all hipsters want parties and art happenings to take over neighborhoods and that billboards are not at odds wi...more
Cutesy, twee, enjoyable enough. Full of really good communication excercises if you have to do icebreakers at your job... A bit awful at times, though (for instance, “a kind of racism that was invisible to all of us”?!?). I wouldn’t recommend it to average adults because it has the Miranda July curse of feeling like a young-white-rich-kids-only club where for reasons you just can’t put your finger on you feel like you don’t belong, while reading it. But I think it’d be a decent graduation gift f...more
Check out my review at JMWW: http://jmww.150m.com/Hetirev.html
I enjoyed these short essays. Misha's voice is calming and uplifting, the topics are varied and interesting, and his ideas seem somewhat obvious and grounded in common sense...but it all just works. I'm not really sure what "it" is...humor/philosophy/self-help/charade theory -- none of those categories really work for this book. It's just a decent guy sharing his ideas on random stuff in a very friendly manner. I read this book quickly while drinking a few beers -- Misha seems like a great fello...more
Wonderful set of conversational pieces about interaction and communication. My favourite chapters were "How to Make Friends in a New City," "Don't Pretend There is No Leader," "Manners," "Why Noise Music?", "Who are Your Friends?", and "Atheism and Ritual." He talks a lot about the games, classes, and workshops he has led, and until about one-third through I kept expecting to be bored by these parts -- since there are few things I enjoy less than group activities -- but the way he talked about t...more
Aug 21, 2012
anthony
added it
If you've ever played the game of imaging who would be the most interesting group of people to have at a dinner party, then you can already imagine the author of this book. He's the one who you put at the top of every list to make sure the rest of the guests actually have a good talk.
I'm not interested in acting, actors, performance, any of that, but after reading this I'd seriously consider taking one of his courses. I think it would make me better at the things I am interested in.
I'm not interested in acting, actors, performance, any of that, but after reading this I'd seriously consider taking one of his courses. I think it would make me better at the things I am interested in.
This series of 72 conversations with a "facilitator" of performance classes is an ethics of improvisation, collaboration, and negotiating. The style is casual, with a lot of generalizations and gee-whiz obvious statements. But this is forgivable: as readers, we're part of the chat about improvising inside and outside of books.
The book is also collaborative approach to writing. Heti, the co-author, was the book's inspirer, arranger, and asker of questions. The presence of "someone else" other tha...more
The book is also collaborative approach to writing. Heti, the co-author, was the book's inspirer, arranger, and asker of questions. The presence of "someone else" other tha...more
I actually started the novel a day or two before, so it's not like I breezed through it THAT fast.
But yes, the work is more like advertising for a guy who says interesting things. Some of these things are profound, others seem like a Steinbeck without the tempered craft or analysis. Even so, it's an interesting read and should be recommended if only for the thoughtful tidbits. Strictly speaking, not a bad work.
But yes, the work is more like advertising for a guy who says interesting things. Some of these things are profound, others seem like a Steinbeck without the tempered craft or analysis. Even so, it's an interesting read and should be recommended if only for the thoughtful tidbits. Strictly speaking, not a bad work.
I had to invent a new shelf for this book. I call it the original-thinker shelf. I recommended it to my brother because Misha went to Harvard and my brother went to Harvard, and I think he'll be amused by what Misha thought about his experience there and what it means to have gone there. I also appreciated the chapter on teaching people charades, on improving neighborhoods, and almost any chapter I could mention.... I think the book amazes me because it was not written in the conventional sense....more
Beach reading for people who like good writing. I found the book slight, but not empty, which is a pretty rare thing—I'd take it along anywhere I'd take a Georgette Heyer, though for the sake of different moods. It won't get five stars, because I reserve that for the books that I'll reread fifty times—but I don't regret a moment spent on it, and neither will you.
As a young adult, I really did believe that this book was great. Full of querky little vignettes and whatnot, Misha Glouberman has outdone herself on this one. I have to say, though, as I did like and finish this book, I totally zoned out and was quite uninterested. Either way, a fan-diddly-tastic book that I reccomend to many.
A couple of the pieces in here are genuinely enjoyable and not un-insightful given the form. He seems like a smart and pleasant enough person, and his unflappable reasonableness is admirable, but I'm already married to a smart and pleasant person who I can learn from for free.
A great, quirky book about one (rather awesome) man's musings on a city and life in general. It probably appealed to me more than the average person because it's about Toronto, but I really adored Misha Glouberman's unique, urban-centred (but far from obnoxious) outlook.
The trouble with common sense, of course, is that it's not too common, which is part of Glouberman's point: none of his insights are particularly revelatory, but still . . . it's nice to get a refresher about listening and communicating and being kind once in a while.
Ummmm..... I respect ethnography. So I wonder why this book was published?
That might not be entirely fair. The person speaking was evidently a gentle soul. But I quit after three chapters, so maybe I missed the good stuff. I'm willing to live with the doubt.
That might not be entirely fair. The person speaking was evidently a gentle soul. But I quit after three chapters, so maybe I missed the good stuff. I'm willing to live with the doubt.
His ideas about improv and games (especially charades) make me think about other stuff in my own life, like just how to live life in general. Like: "To learn to play charades, you have to learn to enjoy yourself while trying to communicate with people who don't understand you and don't know what you know."
3.5, or maybe 3.275. Yep.
3.5, or maybe 3.275. Yep.
This is a short book; the conceit and central thesis is that Misha has an odd, quirky way of looking at the world that gives insight to us ordinary folk. the conceit works part of the time and is mildly interesting for the rest of the time.
This book is extremely mediocre. I cannot explain why I continued reading other than that the author/narrator was such a weirdly fascinating and very opinionated odd ball. I don't recommend this book, which spends way too much time analyzing charades.
Some essays showed hints of brilliance. The rest made me happy I don't pay taxes in Ontario, which bankrolled the book's creative process. If this is Toronto's modern answer to Fran Lebowitz, then God save the Queen.
Meh. It's ok. Actually, it's lots of boring stuff, some incredibly egotistical snobby stuff, and a few bits of brilliance.
I'd be willing to bet that that's how a lot of people would view this book and that the pieces assigned to each of those categories would differ from one reader to the next.
I'd be willing to bet that that's how a lot of people would view this book and that the pieces assigned to each of those categories would differ from one reader to the next.
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MISHA GLOUBERMAN is a performer, facilitator, and artist who lives in Toronto.
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Jul 09, 2011 09:11am