audiobooks

This book is filled with hundreds of vignettes--some funny and some moving, but almost every one interesting (and NOT saccharine as I sort of expected them to be). I pick it up when I walk by it, read one, and feel re-connected and less numb. Give this to someone you know who's tired (it's easy reading) or sad or disconnected from daily reading or daily life. It revives the reader. Great stories. I hope NPR does another one.

I Thought My Father Was God is a collection of the best work to be read by Auster on his weekly National Public Radio slot. Instead of his own work he would read stories sent in by listeners. The rules were simple, stories could be about any subject matter with no restriction on style or content but they must be short. And they must be true.

Grouped under headings such as Slapstick, Dreams, Death and Meditation we see all manner of American society. Stories of tragedy, hope, humour, pathos and the downright bizarre.

This is a wonderful collection of short tales guided by the hand of one of America's leading writers. Auster fans will delight in the prevalence of coincidence and fate throughout the book, themes so strong within his novels, but a knowledge of his work is not needed here to truly enjoy this unusual and frequently inspirational collection.

For those readers who liken this accomplished, rare book to reader's digest; or whose complaints point to the storytellers' lack of literary skill, and their self-indulgence, I urge you to turn off your televisions. You have missed the subtleties of this book altogether, and suffer the misfortune of not recognizing the book's contribution to the history of our time. See...Sarah Fox's full review of this book, for exemplary insight into the value of Auster's collection. Think Harry Smith, Studs Terkel--have you listened to the traditional folk songs from this country, read Terkel's accounts of real life lived by real people in America? Are we at a point, post-historically, when actual stories told quietly and personally, and I might add bravely, move us not in the least? I challenge those negative reviewers to write their own stories, using Auster's original guidelines. How might people judge your work? Is there a reason why they should?