"A triumph of what might be called
conversational philosophy...
The world is
better for these
humane
and hilarious essays."
The New Yorker
Full review
"[A] glorious collection of essays...
deeply hip
and also endearing."
The Los Angeles Times
Full review
“Hilarious, philosophical, and contagious…
An essential summer read."
This Magazine
(full review not available online)
Selected by the New Yorker as one
of the top nonfiction books of 2011
see list
***
The Los Angeles Review of Books
"Heti and Glouberman’s book has an intimacy, clear-headedness, and humor that our society needs right now. It should be required reading for Congress... "
Full review
*
Kirkus Reviews
“A bounty of short, sound advice and commentary. Transcribing the author’s words verbatim produces fresh, pithy perspectives on a wide range of diverse subjects, issues, pleasures and irritants..... Perceptive musings ready-made for artistically inspired readers.”
Full review
*
Bookavore blog
“I don’t just highly recommend it. I URGE it. I beseech you to read it. I think it will make you happy, and it will be good for your brain... Like how in the summer you can make these salads that are so colorful and delicious that you can’t even believe they’re healthy. That’s what this book is like.”
Full review
*
Publishers Weekly
“Plainspoken, idiosyncratic essays, transcribed by Heti... So understated as to be frequently hilarious... The nondidactic wisdom of an avuncular sage.”
Full review
*
KEXP Seattle
"[A] beautiful collaboration of wit, wisdom, and wonder... It does for self-help books what Moby Dick did for the novel."
Full review
*
Shelf Awareness
“On the evidence of what's contained here, this slim volume only scratches the surface of [Misha Glouberman's] fertile mind.”
Full review
*
Prism International
“Like a cross between your wisest, kindest and funniest friend and your eccentric uncle… It sounds aimless but it’s not. It’s about interacting with people in an authentic and respectful and playful way. And his voice is engaging and the prose clean… [The book] points out the discord between structure and intention in many of our institutions. It’s certainly a pleasure to spend a few hours with Misha Glouberman now that Sheila Heti has introduced him to us.”
Full review
*
LATimes.com
“It's hard to say what The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City is about exactly. And that's a good thing.... Intelligent, quirky, charming, hard to classify... A sign of health in the publishing industry.”
Full article about Misha’s 7x20x21 talk at BookExpo
*
Baltimore Sun
"A slim volume, but its physical slightness belies the heft of some of its contents... enough thought-provoking material to make for profitable reading, especially for those at a career or personal crossroads."
Full review
*
The Edmonton Journal
"Reads smoothly and intuitively. Its vision is clear, its approach neat and cohesive... It truly is one of a kind... The Chairs Are Where the People Go is a series of much-needed tips for the infernal Rubik’s Cube our daily lives can sometimes resemble."
Full review
*
The Forward
"[A] hard-to-characterize collection of surprising and delightfully profound insights… While the rest of us rush through our lives just getting from point A to point B, Glouberman makes a point of getting off the treadmill to seek meaning in the seemingly mundane."
Full review
*
The Telegraph-Journal (St John, New Brunswick)
"More than once, I was compelled to read a perfect line of advice aloud to friends… If you just want more from life, this book is a must-read."
Full review
*
The Book Lady's Blog
A terrific read that will have you busting out your highlighter more times than you care to admit... Offbeat, fun, totally original, and too interesting to miss.
Full review
*
Spacing Magazine
You may have heard a fair amount of buzz about The Chairs Are Where The People Go… You may have thought “That sounds very interesting. I should read that.” Well, it is! And you should!
Full review not available online
*
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"It only took a few pages to win me over… Glouberman's book is refreshing."
Full review
*
The Stranger (Seattle)
“These brief essays… pile onto each other in an interesting, even hypnotic fashion... Glouberman is most interested in teaching people how to communicate… a beautifully human goal. What Glouberman has learned from teaching and finding compromises and community with his neighbors can be used everywhere, to make life better for everyone."
Full Review
*
The Rumpus
"It’s a meaty read, concealed inside a light package... The ethos that emerges from The Chairs Are Where the People Go...offers a possible way out of America’s inwardly focused mess"
Full Review
*
Toronto Public Library Book Buzz
"Glouberman is a wonderful talker. I was impressed by his good sense and the down-to-earth nature of his sometimes surprising opinions."
Full Review
*
Time Out Chicago
"As charming and idiosyncratic as could be imagined… The obvious joy that went into the production of this book… is infectious."
Full Review
*
Bookforum
“So much time, energy, and money is spent traveling to and attending conferences... Why do these gatherings miss the mark?... As Glouberman put it, 'There’s no line item in the budget for making conferences not suck,' but a page or two from his book—which is about much more than just meetings—would help accomplish that lofty goal.”
Article describing Misha’s “setting up
chairs” workshop at BookExpo
*
Selections, "Best" lists, etc
The New Yorker - Selected as one of the top nonfiction books of 2011
“Philosophical squibs on the vagaries of contemporary life."
Full list
*
Chatelaine - Selected as one of the summer's “Best Reads”
“Like chatting with author Misha Glouberman, host of Toronto's theatrical Trampoline Hall lecture series, while fellow creator and author Sheila Heti holds the mike... An enjoyably eccentric read.”
*
Barney's New York / The Window: Selected as one of the summer's Top 5 “Hammock Reads” by The Paris Review editor Thessaly La Force
“A charming collection of essays by the creators of Trampoline Hall"
Full article
*
New York Magazine : Selected on list of 5 books for beach reading
“A basically uncategorizable book filled with wisdom of the ages about friendship, loneliness, improv games, and Uniqlo"
Full article
*
The Book Lady's Blog : Selected of 5 "Best of 2011: Nonfiction"
“Damn near impossible to sum up, but I swear, it will have you wearing out your highlighter"
Full article
*
Maisonneuve: Best Books of 2011
“Inspiring, unnerving and unforgettable... This book is for anyone who cares passionately about anything."
Full article
*
Flavorwire: 25 Books Every Writer Should Read
"Sometimes your random thoughts and personal philosophies can make for a really engaging and occasionally weird read. In the case of this book, it really worked out."
Full article
*
Excerpts, interviews, and features
The Believer (excerpt)
The June 2011 issue of The Believer includes an excerpt from the book, along with a pull-out postcard which reprints the book's advice for making friends in a new city.
Partial excerpt
*
The Paris Review Daily (excerpt)
An excerpt from the book: "Harvard and Class"
Excerpt
*
Bookforum (interview)
Bookforum features a conversation between Sheila and Misha about the book
Full Interview
*
National Post (feature)
Canada's National Post has a feature article about Misha, Sheila, and the book.
Full article
*
NPR Paper Trails (radio)
NPR's Paper Trails did a full show on the book, including an interview with Sheila and Misha
Full show
*
Los Angeles Review of Books (pocast interview)
The L.A. Review of Books devoted their first podast to a 35-minute interview with Sheila and Misha.
Full show
*
Maisonneuve (interview)
Maisonneuve magazine has an interview with Sheila about the book.
Full article
*
Western News at The University of Western Ontario (interview)
Western News has an interview with Sheila about the book.
Full article
*
National Post Afterword Blog
For a week, the National Post’s literary blog, the Afterword, featured a post a day about the book: a conversation between Sheila and Misha (part 1, part 2), two excerpts (“The Conducting Game” and “Imposter Syndrome”), and a Q&A.
*