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Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (Hardcover)

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4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story."

Amy Krouse Rosenthal , one-time Might magazine columnist and self-confessed hater of the segue has written a snappy, random, remarkable memoir--the first of its kind to give readers an honest flaws-n-all perspective of what it's like to be...ordinary. Initially inspired by the "bizarre, haphazard arrangement" of The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, Rosenthal has collected a lifetime of thoughts, observations, and decisions, and created an alphabetized personal encyclopedia, complete with cross-referenced entries and illustrations. Rosenthal reveals the minutiae of her life, from pumping gas ("Every. Single. Solitary. Time I go to get gas I have to lean out the window to see which side the tank is on"), to witnessing her son's accident ("I saw with front-row-seat clarity, just how quickly, randomly, and mercilessly your child can be taken away"), and in turns both playful and poignant, engages the reader in effortless and stimulating conversation.

Whether you are laughing aloud or nodding along, reading Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is like being introduced to a new friend--one that you automatically connect with and feel compelled to share. Fans of Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, and shows like Arrested Development and Scrubs will appreciate Rosenthal's quirky, conversational humor and dead-on observations. Writers will see the book as a contemporary portrait of the fledgling artist, and should enjoy her aptly named, "Evolution of this Moment"--a timeline tracking her growth as a writer from her first word ("more") to publication of her fourth book.

Modesty prevents Rosenthal from acknowledging herself as anything other than ordinary--that, and the fact that she has not "survived against all odds"--but that certainly does not mean she has nothing to say, or to share. Her delightful memoir is a reminder that life is not always an adventure, but it can be full of sad, silly, and important moments that make it worth living. Witness the generosity of an author who is willing to reveal so much of herself, not just as a writer, but also as a person--share this delightfully quirky, utterly enjoyable book with family and friends with a note, "Here is someone I think you should meet." --Daphne Durham

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

The Lost and Found Project
Between January 25th and February 1st, hundreds of copies of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life were intentionally left in random places (taxis, public bathrooms, laundromats) in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Each book was inscribed with a note from the author, and the finder was encouraged to report back to Rosenthal's website (www.encyclopediaofanordinarylife.com) when and where the book was discovered.

Watch the "Lost and Found" video directed by filmmaker Steve Delahoyde, documenting Rosenthal's test run and featuring her theme song, "This is My Story."
Listen to the theme song written by Tony Rogers.

Ordinary Life from A to Z
How do you interview a smart, creative, clever author like Amy Krouse Rosenthal? You agree to let her start with the questions, and hang on for the ride. Find out more about Amy and sneak a peek behind-the-scenes at Amazon.com with this decidedly ordinary email correspondence between Ms. Rosenthal and senior editor Daphne Durham.

Read our unusual interview with author Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Extra Ordinary Excerpts
A

From Publishers Weekly

Rosenthal likes lists: of low points in her life, codes that people memorize, sounds that seem loud though they're actually quiet. She loves inadvertently mysterious signs, like this public restroom gem: " PLEASE DO NOT FLUSH EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF TOILET PAPER OR SHOES DOWN THE TOILET. THANK YOU." She's collected some wonderful words like "flahoolick"(meaning generous and expansive) and "wabi-sabi" (which seamlessly fuses two moods), as well as some pairs of oddly similar words like applause and applesauce. But what to do with all this trivia? Why, frame it all around some lists of childhood memories and career milestones, alphabetize it and—voilà—she's assembled something like a memoir. Rosenthal warns readers that her life has not been extraordinary in the least—she hasn't "survived against all odds," recovered from any addictions or been a genius, misunderstood or otherwise. Not only does she consider her life "ordinary" (actually, she's worked for ad agencies, written a few books and worked for several public radio stations), but her preoccupations are with the entirely mundane: breaking appliances, leaving messages on answering machines, loading dishwashers, loving Q-tips. Browse this "encyclopedia" in any bookstore, and it looks too cute to resist, especially with its coy, reference book–type illustrations. Whether it remains endearing once it's home depends on how fascinating people find someone else's somewhat ordinary life.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Crown; First Edition, First Printing edition (January 25, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400080452
ISBN-13: 978-1400080458
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #573,608 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

64 Reviews

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(14)
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2 star:		(6)
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Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Idea, March 7, 2005

By	Jennifer Terry (Parker, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is an extraordinary idea, which is amusing, perfectly executed, and well-written. It is exactly what the title says: an encyclopedia (A to Z) of the author's life. Entries are not comprehensive, of course, and are purely the author's choosing, encompassing things such as her husband, how she feels about her name, and her observations and feelings about birthdays.

The book reads like an encyclopedia that is slightly non-sensical, as the entries sometimes offer definitions, sometimes offer childhood memories, and sometimes offer observations or ideas. It is illustrated here and there with photos from the author's life, drawings by an encyclopedia illustrator, and other bits and pieces. Although some of the entries are not as engaging or interesting as the rest, overall, the book offers a no-frills, unique look at an ordinary person living an ordinary life. Of course Amy is extraordinary in her own way - she would have to be to write a book like this and for a book like this to be interesting. Her ideas are fun and funny, and I'm sure that many readers will try them out (such as leaving envelopes with change for strangers to find). She is also insightful, and one of the more fascinating aspects of the book is the juxtaposition that occurs between Amy's life and experiences and the reader's own. With a life mapped out in the manner of an encyclopedia, it is easy to draw such comparisons. I can't say that this is a book I'd read over and over again, but it is definitely one I will keep and one I will pass around among my family and friends.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, and why not?, March 24, 2005

By	C. L. Ferle (Midwest Reader and Writer) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a writer who teaches memoir workshops to "ordinary" students, I will be using this book as an example in my classes. Given our celebrity-driven culture, I often have a hard time convincing would-be writers that their lives really matter, let alone are worth recording on paper. Books like Rosenthal's may not compete with literary essays or memoirs, but they serve a purpose and should not be discounted. "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" will give others the courage to record the quotidian moments of their days, and there's a lot to be said for that.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Simple or Blatantly Egotistical?, November 27, 2005

By	takingadayoff "takingadayoff" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Looking at Amy Rosenthal's book, one of two things occurs to you: that it's an intriguingly simple idea and why didn't someone else, perhaps even you, think of it before; or that it is a tremendously boring idea and why should you be bothered? If you have got to the point where you are reading other people's opinions of the book, we can assume you are not in the second group.

Set up like an encyclopedia, in alphabetical order, Rosenthal creates a memoir of her life. It's like reading a magazine or someone's website, with snippets of random thoughts, interesting facts, opinions, lists, diary entries, mementos, quotations, even a recipe. And sadly, you realize that if you tried to do something like this, it would not be this interesting. It isn't that Amy has had a particularly fascinating life. She is pretty up front about that, her disclaimer right on the book jacket says: "I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story."

Why does Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life work? Why should I care that some woman in Chicago (Rosenthal) doesn't write down the order number when she buys something over the phone? I wouldn't, except that with Rosenthal, it's more like an confession, a conspiracy almost, because she suspects you only pretend to write down the number too. There a lot of moments in Encyclopedia, sometimes trivial, sometimes not, when you think, yes, I know exactly what she means.

I like the drawings in Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. They are mostly done by Jeffrey Middleton, who recently illustrated a new edition of Webster's Dictionary. When Rosenthal read about him in a newspaper article, she knew he would be perfect for her book.

It isn't hard to see why Encyclopedia was initially rejected by several publishers. It's an odd idea, downright brazen when you come to think of it. Who the hell cares about your admittedly ordinary life? But that's the dilemma of all writers. Who the hell cares what you have to say? Fortunately, there are always plenty of people who overcome their doubts, say what they have to say as entertainingly as possible, and hope to connect. Rosenthal has succeeded.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
I saw an interview with the author somewhere, don't remember where, and she seemed so interesting and her description of the book was, too. Read more

Published 4 months ago by K. Salvetta

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Encyclopedia I've Ever Read
Reading this book makes me want to meet Amy Rosenthal. I want to take her to lunch and discuss the restaurant's decor, menu offerings, table placement and cloth napkins vs. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Jan Kellis

5.0 out of 5 stars Great! Funny!
This was a great book - it is an alphabetized list of insights and observations of everyday life - I laughed out loud several times and highly recommend this book

Published 13 months ago by T. Kasch

5.0 out of 5 stars Great LIGHT reading
i loved this book. it's just fun, light reading. it's not profound. it's witty and silly and a good summer read. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Dan Casselman

5.0 out of 5 stars laughed alot
I've had this book in my possession for 6 months and wish I had read it when I first got it. I had serious laughter tears.
Thanks.

Published 21 months ago by Emily Weinberg

2.0 out of 5 stars a real disappointment
Disappointment of the year. I was quite excited about Krouse Rosenthal's book, but perhaps ordinariness is indeed simply too dull to write about (Tolstoy nailed that one at the... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Elvisettey

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful read
Buy this book and lift your spirits, it is delightful in every way. I wish the author was my best friend.

Published 22 months ago by Cali N. Loria

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary gift!
I bought this book after reading a review someplace else and was so glad I did. It's just a lot of fun to read, in fact, I've found that since I finished it I'll pick it up and... Read more

Published 22 months ago by K. L. Fleming

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Joy
As comforting as sipping a cup of sweet, hot tea in front of a roaring fire. Thank you, Amy!

Published 23 months ago by Dot Lyne

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute, but too... "faddish"?
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, by Amy Rosenthal, was, well, entertaining. I did enjoy the format and content of this book, which is an "encyclopedic representation" of times,... Read more

Published on November 8, 2007 by Robert Schmidt

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