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Title details for Half Empty by David Rakoff - Available

Half Empty

by David Rakoff
David Rakoff
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
The inimitably witty David Rakoff, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Get Too Comfortable, defends the commonsensical notion that you should always assume the worst, because you’ll never be disappointed.
In this deeply funny (and, no kidding, wise and poignant) book, Rakoff examines the realities of our sunny,  gosh­ everyone-can-be-a-star contemporary culture and finds that, pretty much as a universal rule, the best is not yet to come, adversity will triumph, justice will not be served, and your dreams won’t come true.
The book ranges from the personal to the universal, combining stories from Rakoff’s reporting and accounts of his own experi­ences: the moment when being a tiny child no longer meant adults found him charming but instead meant other children found him a fun target; the perfect late evening in Manhattan when he was young and the city seemed to brim with such pos­sibility that the street shimmered in the moonlight—as he drew closer he realized the streets actually flickered with rats in a feeding frenzy. He also weaves in his usual brand Oscar Wilde–worthy cultural criticism (the tragedy of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, for instance).
Whether he’s lacerating the musical Rent for its cutesy depic­tion of AIDS or dealing with personal tragedy, his sharp obser­vations and humorist’s flair for the absurd will have you positively reveling in the power of negativity.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    September 21, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307738875
      • File size: 196303 KB
      • Duration: 06:48:57

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Rakoff's essays are a mix of the personal--touching on being a Jew, being a writer, being gay--and reportorial. Think David Sedaris influenced by Malcolm Gladwell. The writer's voice is unblinkingly honest, self-deprecating, scathing, funny, profane, heartfelt, and moral. His narration at first seems like a caricature of an urban gay voice. And while not immediately engaging, its dryness matches the book's wit and its feline nature its catty asides. In short order, it's clear that Rakoff's excellent pacing and timing, his ability to be intimate in an intimate medium, his precision, remarkable expressiveness, and mastery of tone make this program a standout, a perfect match of written and spoken voices. No one else could read these entertaining pieces, nor would you want anyone else. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 9, 2010
      In this sardonic collection of essays, Rakoff (Don't Get Too Comfortable) plays the role of a naysayer who tries to convince the reader, with humorous asides and sarcastic one-liners, that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket and the nerds and geeks will someday be the globe's financial and political tyrants. His topics are a hodge-podge lot that covers hopes and dreams, the meaning of a Jew who eats pork, optimism, a stunted childhood, and the New York City Exotic Erotic Ball and Expo. While his wise-cracking humor isn't always on target, he shines when discussing the acceptance of grief and mortality in "All The Time We Have," and "the bohemian myth" of artists and Rent creator Jonathan Larson's demise the day before his popular show opened, in "Isn't It Romantic?"

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 29, 2010
      As Rakoff begins reading his charmingly curmudgeonly essay collection, he seems like an odd fit—his voice, slightly breathy and fragile, seems like it’s about to give out. But he relaxes, and it quickly becomes apparent that he’s the perfect narrator—with his muttered asides, his sighs of self-deprecation—for these sharp, smart pieces. His conversations ramify magnificently, and this champion of contrarianism has smart things to say about money, media, certainty, growing up short, Jewish, and Canadian. Think Sedaris, but smarter, darker, and funnier. He may be, as he says in one essay, “prone to making bad calls,” but he seems to know exactly what listeners need. A Doubleday hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 9).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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