My Day: A Tale of Fear, Alienation, and Despair

Book by Heiferman, Kismaric

This tiny, quirky volume of original black-and-white photographs illustrating the unpleasant episodes of an average day has its own clever charm, but who would want to relive such irritations as a morning backache or an incessantly ringing telephone? A brief introduction (the volume's only text) explains that this is meant to be "like a picture book for children," but it offers a particularly bleak view of adult life. The sections include morning preparation, consisting, among other things, of dressing a child and getting on the scale; a heartburn-inducing lunch; and the return home from a stressful office via a dentist. Even leisure time seems depressing: one photograph simply shows a hand pulling a bottle of vodka out of the freezer. Heiferman and Kismaric ( I'm So Happy ) have a way with witty photographs, but occasionally their juxtapositions are cliched: a photograph of a woman with one hand on a man's leg and the other unbuttoning his shirt is paired with a straight-on shot of a condom package. Other choices are more surprising, as when Ted Koppel's serious face is coupled with a photo of a videotape entitled "Circus of Sex" peeking out from beneath a floral couch.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.