In this deeply smart and sneakily poignant collection of essays, the bestselling author of Fraud and Don’t Get Too Comfortable makes an inspired case for always assuming the worst—because then you’ll never be disappointed. Whether he’s taking on pop culture phenomena with Oscar Wilde-worthy wit or dealing with personal tragedy, Rakoff’s sharp observations and humorist’s flair for the absurd will have you positively reveling in the untapped power of negativity.
Half Empty
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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?"
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
In this, his third, compilation of essays, Rakoff invites into the ring Positivity, that plucky, perennial champ, and takes down the old grinner one forlorn blow at a time. Maintaining his signature and singular charm (Fraud, 2001; Don’t Get Too Comfortable, 2005), Rakoff analyzes the heck out of common- ( and not-so-common-) place culture: the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Salt Lake City, a New York porn convention, to name names. Rakoff is so keenly observant and dead-on with his criticism, you get the impression most of our eyes would cross and cartoon birds fly above our heads before we could make it halfway to the elegant, smart conclusions he draws. Calling into question some of the institutions we hold closest to our hearts, and peppered with guilty, nose-crinkling laughs, this is a verbose, grandiose stockpile of sour grapes—a writerly collection to make giddy even the most erudite lover of words. An undisputed KO for negative thinking. --Annie Bostrom
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
David Rakoff wrote the bestsellers Fraud, Don't Get Too Comfortable and Half Empty. A two-time recipient of the Lambda Literary Award and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, he was a regular contributor to Public Radio International's This American Life. His writing frequently appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Wired, Salon, GQ, Outside, Gourmet, Vogue, and Slate, among other publications. An accomplished stage and screen actor, playwright, and screenwriter, he adapted the screenplay for and starred in Joachim Back's film The New Tenants, which won the 2010 Oscar for Best Live Action Short. He died in August 2012 at the age of 47, shortly after finishing his novel entitled Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die; Cherish, Perish.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
David Rakoff's "Half Empty" consists of ten essays, which range from the bitingly sarcastic to the surprisingly poignant. The book begins with "The Bleak Shall Inherit," a few-holds-barred rant about what Mr. Rakoff sees as ubiquitous and unrepentant (and unjustifiable) optimism. "Isn't It Romantic?" skewers Rent and is probably both the best crafted and the funniest essay of the lot. In "A Capacity for Wonder," the author presents a mini-travelogue, taking us to the Disney Innoventions Dream House, Hollywood Boulevard, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The final two essays, "All the Time We Have" and "Another Shoe" are the most somber contributions, dealing as they do with the death of the author's therapist and the author's experience with cancer, respectively.
When I first started reading this book, one thing became apparent immediately: Mr. Rakoff can write, most of the time. Yes, he sometimes seems to go on, allowing sentences to continue far past the point at which they should have died had nature been allowed to take its course, but there was, for me, a clear sense of someone with great skill with words at work here. This is not, as William Tapply called it, invisible writing. Rather, the writing itself is part of the pleasure of the book. I am certain that I did not catch all the allusions, but I like writing that challenges, that sometimes goes beyond what most readers are able to absorb easily.
There are essays that are simply fascinating for their informativeness (such as "A Capacity for Wonder," which combines solid facts alongside the commentary) and those that are lots of fun (such as "The Satisfying Crunch of Dreams Underfoot," which deals with Mr. Rakoff's brief flirtation with film stardom in The First Wives Club and his one "deeply unkind" comment about a certain author. The book's final two essays are more somber and subdued, both in content and in style, and they make for a distinct departure from the prevalent tone throughout.
As a result, "Half Empty" is a series of essays grouped only by their creator and not by theme or tenor. I don't think every piece is necessarily a hit, but for people who like good writing and sometimes biting sarcasm, there almost certainly will be something here to please.
When I first started reading this book, one thing became apparent immediately: Mr. Rakoff can write, most of the time. Yes, he sometimes seems to go on, allowing sentences to continue far past the point at which they should have died had nature been allowed to take its course, but there was, for me, a clear sense of someone with great skill with words at work here. This is not, as William Tapply called it, invisible writing. Rather, the writing itself is part of the pleasure of the book. I am certain that I did not catch all the allusions, but I like writing that challenges, that sometimes goes beyond what most readers are able to absorb easily.
There are essays that are simply fascinating for their informativeness (such as "A Capacity for Wonder," which combines solid facts alongside the commentary) and those that are lots of fun (such as "The Satisfying Crunch of Dreams Underfoot," which deals with Mr. Rakoff's brief flirtation with film stardom in The First Wives Club and his one "deeply unkind" comment about a certain author. The book's final two essays are more somber and subdued, both in content and in style, and they make for a distinct departure from the prevalent tone throughout.
As a result, "Half Empty" is a series of essays grouped only by their creator and not by theme or tenor. I don't think every piece is necessarily a hit, but for people who like good writing and sometimes biting sarcasm, there almost certainly will be something here to please.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Reading David Rakoff's new collection of essays, "Half Empty" reminds me of this Czeslaw Milosz quote: "In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot." Rakoff is so good at pointing out the truth in a way that clobbers you over the head with the realization of how blind you've been.
Rakoff is my favorite contrarian. And I have a soft-spot for those who admit to being a dilettante - being a bit of one myself. I adore his cynical pessimism and his struggles with his dark nature, and boy do I love his wit! Right off the bat in the first essay, "The Bleak Shall Inherit", Rakoff paints a vivid picture of pre-9/11 society with the dot.com bubble millionaires and a "self-help" book that MIGHT expose the inefficacy of eternal optimism. Of course, things don't turn out. For Rakoff, they never do.
And much as I love the musical "Rent", thanks to Rakoff's, "Isn't it Romantic" deconstruction, I'll never be able to look at it/hear it quite the same again. I love the way he cuts to the heart of the cultural views of "art and artist" and right through the BS. Another essay is a hilarious explanation of the complicated relationship between Jews and pork.
The middle set-piece, "A Capacity for Wonder - Three Expeditions", has Rakoff striving to show that he isn't allergic to adventure by exploring three places of "wonder": First it's the Disney House of the Future - basically a trade-show with a creepy fake family. Rakoff exposes it as the "dog-pile of consumerism" it is. Next Rakoff walks the Hollywood Walk of Fame - Hollywood is easy pickings for a satirist but he brings us FRESH hypocrisies at which to marvel. And interestingly, the third "adventure" is Utah, specifically Salt Lake City, where he stays in a hotel that "Edward Hopper never felt bummed out enough to paint".
In "I Feel Dirty" we are treated to a singularly un-sexy look at the porn industry: prepare to cringe.
The last essay, "Another Shoe" will have you riveted. It's powerful and no way will I spoil it. Don't read it first; he put it last for a reason.
Rakoff lovers will not be disappointed in this set of essays, and new readers who discover his unique style of humor and truth will want to read his previous two collections. Mazel Tov, David.
Rakoff is my favorite contrarian. And I have a soft-spot for those who admit to being a dilettante - being a bit of one myself. I adore his cynical pessimism and his struggles with his dark nature, and boy do I love his wit! Right off the bat in the first essay, "The Bleak Shall Inherit", Rakoff paints a vivid picture of pre-9/11 society with the dot.com bubble millionaires and a "self-help" book that MIGHT expose the inefficacy of eternal optimism. Of course, things don't turn out. For Rakoff, they never do.
And much as I love the musical "Rent", thanks to Rakoff's, "Isn't it Romantic" deconstruction, I'll never be able to look at it/hear it quite the same again. I love the way he cuts to the heart of the cultural views of "art and artist" and right through the BS. Another essay is a hilarious explanation of the complicated relationship between Jews and pork.
The middle set-piece, "A Capacity for Wonder - Three Expeditions", has Rakoff striving to show that he isn't allergic to adventure by exploring three places of "wonder": First it's the Disney House of the Future - basically a trade-show with a creepy fake family. Rakoff exposes it as the "dog-pile of consumerism" it is. Next Rakoff walks the Hollywood Walk of Fame - Hollywood is easy pickings for a satirist but he brings us FRESH hypocrisies at which to marvel. And interestingly, the third "adventure" is Utah, specifically Salt Lake City, where he stays in a hotel that "Edward Hopper never felt bummed out enough to paint".
In "I Feel Dirty" we are treated to a singularly un-sexy look at the porn industry: prepare to cringe.
The last essay, "Another Shoe" will have you riveted. It's powerful and no way will I spoil it. Don't read it first; he put it last for a reason.
Rakoff lovers will not be disappointed in this set of essays, and new readers who discover his unique style of humor and truth will want to read his previous two collections. Mazel Tov, David.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By booksy
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I thought this book was going to be an argument against the "positive thinking" movement, but I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. It's a series of autobiographical essays loosely based on the theme of disappointment, pessimism or failure. Rakoff tells varied life stories about going to see the "World of Tomorrow" house, his very short stint as a minor character in a chick flick, and his visit to a fetish ball, among other things. All of it is told with a biting, wry humor that really endeared himself to me. The end of the book is surprisingly moving and serious, but fits in with the overall theme and was satisfying in a poignant way.
Rakoff's writing style is very dense and may put some people off. He goes off on many tangents within his paragraphs, and I found myself having to re-read pages several times, but the payoff was worth it for me. I like to read prose that is not dumbed-down for me, that requires some effort to get to the heart of it, and Rakoff exemplifies this style. His work is slightly similar to the writer David Sedaris, but with a more detailed and finely-wrought hand rather than Sedaris's broad stroke.
Rakoff's writing style is very dense and may put some people off. He goes off on many tangents within his paragraphs, and I found myself having to re-read pages several times, but the payoff was worth it for me. I like to read prose that is not dumbed-down for me, that requires some effort to get to the heart of it, and Rakoff exemplifies this style. His work is slightly similar to the writer David Sedaris, but with a more detailed and finely-wrought hand rather than Sedaris's broad stroke.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine collection of essays
I'm largely familiar with David Rakoff through his appearances on NPR's This American Life. His ascerbic wit (a phrase I've never used before, but really fits) was one of my... Read more
Published 12 days ago by S. Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Damn. What a loss.
David Rakoff lived and loved, wrote and broadcast, suffered and died -- an intense life packed into forty-seven years that ended with his death from cancer on August 9, 2012. Read more
Published 13 days ago by David G. Hallman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Half Empty but full of wisdom and delight.
Anyone, whether a huge fan or newcomer to the work of David Rakoff, will be in for tons of insight, laughter and profound revelation when reading this book, as with all of his... Read more
Published 1 month ago by NaughtiLiterati
2.0 out of 5 stars
I must be missing something . . .
I found these essays to be super pretentious and mostly unbearable to read. The writing was uneven and at times I felt like the author was so proud of a particular sentence or... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Author, well written
Excellent insight from an Author who knows how to craft great stories and tell them in a way that transports the reader.
Published 1 month ago by Tim G
5.0 out of 5 stars
keeps growing in impact-must reading for cancer patients
although this book starts off comedic, by the time it hits the last two essays, it is as serious as can be. Read more
Published 2 months ago by carol irvin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat disappointing
I enjoyed his interviews with Terry Gross so much that I bought the book. I enjoyed the interviews much more than his writing of some of the same material.
Published 2 months ago by Epicomp
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't bother
I can't believe this made it as a book. The guy is absolutely uninteresting, his stories are going nowhere: it is pure bable, self-centered bable. Get a life David.
Published 2 months ago by PL
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, Accusatory, and Eligiac
At times indicting, and at times heartbreaking, this collection by Rakoff really hit me in the final essay that allowed him the space to explore his own mortality and existence in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Garrett Zecker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely funny, moving essays.
Rakoff was a unique and I believe much underappreciated humorist and thinker. This book of course is steeped in the irony of his terminal illness, but it is nonetheless very funny... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Uncle C
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