Taxi Driver Wisdom [Hardcover]

Risa Mickenberg (Author, Compiler), Joanne Dugan (Photographer), Brian Lee Hughes (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

Hail a taxi cab, open the door to a burst of easy listening music, breathe in the poppy air freshener, lean over the seat, and say hello to the next Jean Paul Sartre or Kahlil Gibran. Taxi Driver Wisdom takes readers behind the Plexiglass curtain with pearls of wisdom from the most multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious group of philosophers ever assembled: New York Cab drivers. Atmospheric black and white photographs are paired with pithy quotes from downtown Descartes and freeway Foucaults-and bound with a faux leather cover just like the finest cab upholstery. Cheaper than an ashram and less of a hassle than Freudian analysis, Taxi Driver Wisdom is the shortest possible route to enlightenment. You may never want to take the bus again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If a man keeps telling you he loves you, over and over, then something is wrong.

If someone gets rich, I do not cheer for them. I weep for myself.

The things you love are as stupid as the things you hate and are easily interchangeable.

Don't look at what he is not. Look at what he is.

I see more of what is going on around me because I am not concerned with finding a parking place.

About the Author

Risa Mickenberg is a New York-based advertising writer and free thinker whose resume includes the award-winning Snapple campaign. Two of her great grandfathers were cab drivers.

Joanne Dugan is a freelance photographer. She estimates that in the ten years she's lived in New York, she's taken 1,000 cab rides, five with Harlod the checker cab guy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811811654
• ISBN-13: 978-0811811651
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF AYN RAND DROVE A CAB..., January 19, 2001

By 

Ted Dunning (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taxi Driver Wisdom (Hardcover)

Yep, good book. Just bought it for my mom after reading it myself. Most books in this genre are bunk, little more than trite and tired feelgood slogans pasted together with artsy black and white pictures. TAXI DRIVER WISDOM has its share of B&W photos; however, unlike most "coffeetable" books, the pictures aren't contrived props to accompany crappy prose. I must admit I am a biased reviewer, as I'm currently a full-time taxi driver. Just thought it odd that none of the reviews are written by any of my colleagues; figured at least half of the reviews would be from cabbies. Anyhoo, read the book and enjoy, and refer it to your friends. And if your in your mid-twenties and looking for a fun way to kill a year or two while making a decent living, consider driving a cab. It beats working on an Alaskan fishing boat, and it's just as dangerous! I got a degree from a fancy university, but have learned more in the past year on this job (paying off student loans) than I ever did in an ivory tower. Of course I'm still gonna go to grad school, but at least right now I get a car for 12 hours a day...Hats off to the authors, Risa and Joanne. Many safe fares to you both. - Ted, driver for "Friendly Cab" Sacramento, CAFavorite quote from book - "Old people... they like to get to the airport early."So true.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eternal Truth through a glass partition, July 14, 2000

By 

James Peiser - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taxi Driver Wisdom (Hardcover)

There are some basic questions everyone asks in life-- Who am I? Why are things the way they are? What is the meaning of life? What's the best way from Washington Square to West 73rd Street, and how much will it cost? In Taxi Driver Wisdom, Risa Mickenberg finds the answers to all of these questions at once, in the interaction between cabdriver and fare. Cleverly framed by hack licenses depicting Freud and Nietzsche and expertly illustrated with Joanne Dugan's tasteful roadway photographs, this book encompasses the breadth and scope of human experience while streaking up Broadway in time for a lunch meeting. Economic theory-- "We are all born poor." Aging-- "Old people, they like to get to the airport early." And time and space-- "Vietnam War is finished but Sixth Avenue construction is never finished." All told, a fantastic work, both thought-provoking and amusing, and an excellent addition to any nightstand or corporate desk.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, August 12, 2001

By 

"dldubois" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taxi Driver Wisdom (Hardcover)

This is such a great book. We keep it on our coffee table and it is always picked up and commented on. My favorite taxi driver quote is on relationships -- "New shoes always hurt." This book makes a great gift for the hard-to-shop-for person (that's how we got it), and it is an absolute treasure.