Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Three Rivers Press
Reading this book
posthumously—hers not mine—means every word, every thought experiment takes on
a life of its own, an importance not originally intended. Even the subtext on
the cover:
I have not survived against all odds.
I have not lived to tell.
I have not witnessed the extraordinary.
This is my story.
Rosenthal is contagious. Her
joy, her exuberance. She is not annoying. What she’s been able to do is make me
think, just possibly, we might someday to walk this road together, the ones of
us still here.
Things Amy and I have in common:
Kenneth Koch
A few mutual acquaintances
An appreciation for the
ordinary
That’s why her book has
resonated with me. Even the prescient entries that when I read them I cringe:
RETURNING TO LIFE AFTER
BEING DEAD
YOU
DISTRACTION
Thanks for your 51 years and
insights into life. You crammed a lot of observation into a short span. How
many times can I write the word bittersweet?
Comments