Book Recommendations
The Year of Patti Smith
Patti Smith’s books Just Kids and M Train anchored my reading in 2015 and filled my reading list with classics that have influenced and inspired her. Smith’s way of life — which seemingly consists entirely of daydreaming in cafes, traveling to contemplate the lives of great artists, and working amid supportive friends in creative community — represents an undeniably appealing ideal. Some of the following recommendations stem directly from my explorations of Smith, others are connected more loosely via threads of creative inspiration in my own work and friendships; an effort to be Smith-like in devotion to friends and artistic muses.
I posted these 10 book recommendations as a series of Tweets at the end of 2015. Here they are again in a more permanent form with expanded commentary:
‘Just Kids’
Patti Smith
Since its 2010 release, Patti Smith’s story of her love/friendship with young Robert Mapplethorpe amid the creative renaissance of decaying 1970s New York has rightfully become a classic. The development of Smith’s musical/visual/poetic aesthetic and Mapplethorpe’s photography are intimately connected. As I’ve focused on creative work over the past two years, I’ve seen how important it is to cultivate and treasure friendships with those who understand and share your vision; friends who also share enough love and trust to push and challenge you to do your best work.
‘The Edge Becomes the Center’
DW Gibson
DW Gibson’s oral history of recent development in New York City stands the tired daily small talk conversations about gentrification upside down. The Edge Becomes the Center gives extended voice to those intimately involved with the forces that are driving urban change: tenants with abusive landlords looking to turn a profit, real estate agents looking for the next sale, long-time African American residents who are doing well for thier families by cashing in on the value of their property, and those who serve the current need of the giant civic and corporate institutions that will outlive us all.
My Struggle (Books 1–3)
Karl Ove Knausgaard
I had been hesitent to take on Karl Ove Knausgaard’s epic. It seemed like the most self-indulgent and absurd idea: six volumes of memoir by a 40-something white guy about the life of a struggling artist? I’ve lived my own unwritten six-volume version of that story! Who needs it? I was convinced to begin the epic after tearing through his funny and dark New York Times Magazine cover story, ‘My Saga’ (part 1, part 2). The guy can write. More recently he wrote unforgettably about brain surgery for NYT mag. Knausgaard’s narrative shifts effortlessly between nuanced observation of the beautiful mundane, and our monologue of frustration and high philosophical meditation in these stories of death (vol. 1), love (vol. 2), and childhood (vol. 3). The English translation of book 4 came out in the U.S. in 2015.
‘On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes’
Alexandra Horowitz
I found this book after Maria Popova wrote about it for her highly recommended Brain Pickings blog. At the time, I’d been developing ideas for my own observational wanderings as part of my Future Cartographic Society project. Horowitz’ findings were hugely helpful and inspiring, revealing an incredible depth and beauty in the everyday world around us that no one person can possibly perceive.
‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’
Haruki Murakami
One of many books I’ve added to my reading list because Patti Smith mentioned them in Just Kids or M Train. I’m especially interested in the ways that history has shaped our geography and in turn how geography affects our psychology. The struggle of “Mr Wind-Up Bird” to live a peaceful life amid the spiritual and physical trauma that Japan’s 20th Century left behind is filled with unforgettable illustrations of that very idea.
‘M Train’
Patti Smith
I saw Patti Smith read and perform in 2014 at the dedication of the post-Sandy restoration of Rockaway Beach Gateway National Recreation Area. In part, M Train talks about Smith’s experience as a resident of the neighborhood before, during, and after Sandy. But mostly it’s about: coffee; travel; and devotion to your muses, your chosen family, and your creative community.
‘The Folded Clock’
Heidi Julavits
The Folded Clock is a sort of non-linear diary filled with humor and sharp observation on creative life, family and memory. A quick read that had me expanding my own ideas about time and personal storytelling.
‘Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore’
Robin Sloan
Oddly, I was reading Mr. Penumnbra just as I befriended a couple with expertise in antique books and bibliographic databases. It’s the sort of coincidence that would fit perfectly in Sloan’s fantasy universe. His narrative pits the un-Googleable aspects of human culture against Silicon Valley’s relentless push to absorb and monetize all of it.
‘Not Nothing: Selected Writings by Ray Johnson 1954–1994’
Elizabeth Zuba, Editor
I’ve been slightly obsessed with Ray Johnson since seeing John W. Walter’s documentary How to Draw a Bunny in 2002. Johnson’s work inspired some of my own adventures in mail and zine art back then. This title is filled with beautifully reproduced writings and drawings by Johnson in his typically cryptic style, with just enough context provided by Elizabeth Zuba and Kevin Killian’s brief introductions.
‘The First Bad Man’
Miranda July
I love Miranda July’s ability to exaggerate characters and situations to make them at once unrecognizable and utterly mundane. It is the magic realism of psychotherapist waiting rooms and silent telephone connections. The audiobook is read by July herself. It’s a masterful performance that draws on her background in performance art and acting to add even more depth to a uniquely told story.
‘Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements,’
Walidah Imarisha and Adrienne Maree Brown, Editors
Finally, one of the books I was most excited about all year was Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha’s compilaton of science fiction inspired by the wrtings of Octavia Butler. Writers featured in the collection include: Bao Phi, LeVar Burton, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Jelani Wilson, and more. The collection helps us imagine future utopias by addressing contemporary issues of race and justice through imaginative voices.
