The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City

Should neighborhoods change? Is wearing a suit a good way to quit smoking? Why do people think that if you do one thing, you're against something else? Is monogamy a trick? Why isn't making the city more fun for you and your friends a super-noble political goal? Why does a computer last only three years? How often should you see your parents? How should we behave at parties? Is marriage getting easier? What can spam tell us about the world?

Misha Glouberman's friend and collaborator, Sheila Heti, wanted her next book to be a compilation of everything Misha knew. Together, they made a list of subjects. As Misha talked, Sheila typed. He talked about games, relationships, cities, negotiation, improvisation, Casablanca, conferences, and making friends. His subjects ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. But sometimes what had seemed trivial began to seem important--and what had seemed important began to seem less so.

The Chairs Are Where the People Go is refreshing, appealing, and kind of profound. It's a self-help book for people who don't feel they need help, and a how-to book that urges you to do things you don't really need to do.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: 07/05/2011
ISBN: 9780865479456
Pages: 192
Weight: 0.39lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.55w x 0.54d

Review Citations: Library Journal 05/15/2011 pg. 95
Publishers Weekly 04/11/2011
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2011
Quill & Quire 07/01/2011 pg. 47
New Yorker (The) 08/08/2011 pg. 73
Shelf Awareness 07/01/2011
Shelf Awareness 06/21/2011
New Yorker (The) 12/19/2011 pg. 139