Non­fic­tion

Ency­clo­pe­dia of an Ordi­nary Life

Amy Krouse Rosenthal
  • Review
By – August 16, 2012
From its col­or­ful cov­er, and its unusu­al pre­sen­ta­tion, one knows that Ency­clo­pe­dia of An Ordi­nary Life will be some­thing out of the ordi­nary. Amy Rosen­thal is an author of adult and children’s books, and a con­trib­u­tor to mag­a­zines and NPR. Rosen­thal claims she is writ­ing nei­ther a mem­oir nor an auto­bi­og­ra­phy, but a per­son­al ency­clo­pe­dia of her own ordi­nary life. Her ideas are refresh­ing and the pre­sen­ta­tion is clever as she tells her sto­ry, with often fun­ny and dark humor, of her life from A – Z. Illus­trat­ed with pho­tos, draw­ings, and repro­duc­tions, Rosen­thal speaks about every­thing from bro­ken items to ency­clo­pe­dia spines to laun­dry bas­kets, to thank­ing a stranger for tak­ing your pic­ture. The idea is nov­el, and her sense of humor has moments of great­ness. Her unusu­al humor and insight make this book a fun read.
Bar­bara S. Cohen is a tri­al attor­ney in Los Ange­les who spe­cial­izes in child abuse cas­es. She is a mem­ber of NAMI and a sup­port­er of NARSAD, and is an advo­cate for those who suf­fer from men­tal illness.

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