Half Empty

David Rakoff

ISBN 10: 0385525249 / ISBN 13: 9780385525244

Published by Anchor, 2011

About this Item

Stated "First Edition", first printing as indicated by the number line on copyright page. Book is in Near Fine condition. Bright green cloth boards with gold gilt lettering, a tight, solid spine and clean, unmarked pages. Slight moisture damage to lower outer edge of pages 51-56 is the only imperfection to an otherwise fine book. Dust jacket in Near Fine condition. Very slight rubbing/ink chipping at corner edges but no tears or edge chipping. Cover otherwise bright and clean and in protective mylar wrap. All books carefully packaged for safe shipping. See photos.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1691531934301

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Half Empty
• Publisher: Anchor
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385525249
• ISBN 13: 9780385525244
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

The inimitably witty David Rakoff, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Get Too Comfortable, defends the commonsensical notion that you should always assume the worst, because you’ll never be disappointed.

In this deeply funny (and, no kidding, wise and poignant) book, Rakoff examines the realities of our sunny,  gosh­ everyone-can-be-a-star contemporary culture and finds that, pretty much as a universal rule, the best is not yet to come, adversity will triumph, justice will not be served, and your dreams won’t come true.

The book ranges from the personal to the universal, combining stories from Rakoff’s reporting and accounts of his own experi­ences: the moment when being a tiny child no longer meant adults found him charming but instead meant other children found him a fun target; the perfect late evening in Manhattan when he was young and the city seemed to brim with such pos­sibility that the street shimmered in the moonlight—as he drew closer he realized the streets actually flickered with rats in a feeding frenzy. He also weaves in his usual brand Oscar Wilde–worthy cultural criticism (the tragedy of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, for instance).

Whether he’s lacerating the musical Rent for its cutesy depic­tion of AIDS or dealing with personal tragedy, his sharp obser­vations and humorist’s flair for the absurd will have you positively reveling in the power of negativity.

About the Author

DAVID RAKOFF is the author of the New York Times bestselling Don’t Get Too Comfortable and Fraud. He is a writer at large for GQ, regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine, and frequent guest on This American Life.