Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I Was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity—six words at a time.
One Life. Six Words. What's Yours?
When Hemingway famously wrote, ''For Sale: baby shoes, never worn,'' he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this way too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving.
From small sagas of bittersweet romance (''Found true love, married someone else'') to proud achievements and stinging regrets (''After Harvard, had baby with crackhead''), these terse true tales relate the diversity of human experience in tasty bite-sized pieces. From authors Jonathan Lethem and Richard Ford to comedians Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris, to ordinary folks around the world, everyone has a six-word story to tell.
What Others Say
Fun Little Book
Some of the six-word memoirs are laugh-outloud hilarious, while others are loaded with so much regret that they'll bring tears to your eyes. The most amazing thing about the book is that the amateur writers' words often ring truer than the published writers included.
A great one-hour read
Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure is a bit like cotton candy: You get the feeling that there may be a lot there, but in the end, there's a good taste in your mouth, but not much more.
It's a great one-hour read. Many of the six-word "memoirs" are very clever, and some are touching. However, like some other reviewers, I bought the book on the strength of a radio interview with the editor. I learned that he read a large fraction of the best ones on air; there wasn't much more in the book.
Be advised, too, that though the book is 225 pages long, most of the pages contain just two or three of the six-word memoirs. There is a LOT of dead, white space in there.
This isn't to say that I disliked the book. On the contrary, I enjoyed ... Read More
Great, although not quite what I expected
I read the book in preparation for the Jewish new year, a time when Jewish people look back at our lives and reflect. How would I look back on my year, given 6 words?
-Rabbi Jamie Korngold is the author of God in the WildernessGod in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi
Wonderful stories told in six words
I loved Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, and read it so fast and with such joy I could not wait to start reading it again.
This is the kind of book that makes a wonderful gift. If you are undecided on what to give someone, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure might be a safe bet. It's a great read for an airplane ride, or even while lounging by the pool somewhere.
And then keep it, don't give your copy away, as it s a timeless book and it will cheer you up or make you think over and over again every time you pick it up.
Wonderful party idea
I heard this author give an interview on a radio program and was intriuged. A few weeks later I was attending a b-day party for a friend and thought this would be a wonderful gift/party game. There was something for everyone...lots of humor, seriousness, and depth. Everyone had their own favorites. All the partygoers had a blast and the b-day girl loved the gift. It made everyone feel included in her special day and we all learned a little something about the others!
