Review: The Art of Living Other People´s Lives: Stories, Confessions and Memorable Mistakes, by Greg Dybec

The Art of Living Other People's Lives: Stories, Confessions and Memorable Mistakes
by Greg Dybec

Edition: 2017
Pages: 234
Publisher: Perseus Books Group, Running Press

Summary: Elite Daily managing editor Greg Dybec worries about rent, sex, love, family, and—the most millennial topic of them all—a desire to leave a legacy. In The Art of Living Other People’s Lives, Greg delivers a funny, brash, and insightful collection of twenty never-before-published stories on becoming a pick-up artist to get over an ex-girlfriend, late-night adventures with his Uber driver, having a Twitter-induced panic attack, picking up a gig writing about men’s underwear, and more.

Greg’s writing is all at once candid, honest, and unapologetic, and his hilariously neurotic and self-analytical journey will strike a chord with anyone struggling to balance their IRL selves with their virtual ones.

Rating: 3/5

Review: 
I will start this review by saying that I received an online copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange of a honest review.

I don't read essays quite often so I can't consider myself an expert and give a proper opinion on that subject. Despite that, I think a good essay collection should give us interesting and thoughtful subjects as well as a good dose of humor and daily basis moments in order to stand the author and the reader at the same level as human beings struggling to find their pace and their place on the world. 

Reading this collection by Greg Dybec was a complete blast to me. I usually don't consider myself a millennial on a proper sense, not because I refuse what defines this new generation but because sometimes I'm a bit outside of the general trends and don't embrace all the foundations of it. However, Greg Dybec brought a new perspective about it, since I think he is much more a typical millennial (no judgments here, just simple observations) and his approach to many subjects made me reflect and think that even if he has a different life from my own, we have the same struggles, doubts, fulfillment thoughts, and expectations and fears. And like many others of our generation, we want jobs that serve us not only to get payments but to make us more capable and with a purpose, we want to travel, to meet new people, to have different hobbies (and time to take them all), we want to be citizens of the world, informed, free and responsible for our future. On that though, it doesn't matter if I live in Europe and he at the United States of America. In our different, we try to reach the exact same spots. Following this first observations I was taken to reflect much more about me and my connection with people from my own age. 

The book is organized in a careful balance between enlighten texts and comical statements that make it very easy going and tasteful to almost every reader. 

I enjoyed the majority of the texts, either because they thought me something about myself or because they were very entertaining. Therefore, if I had to choose some favorites, I would mark the trip to Italy (and all the identity questionings or the reflections of the foreigners in our own livings) and the Uber evaluations (and our need to be recognized but also liked by others). But I couldn't also forget the laughs caused by a devilish small mouse or some crazy job interview, but also the sweet memories originated by amazing grandparents or the efforts of a mother who try to keep connected with their suns . 

In the end, it's a very easy book to read that many youngsters between their 20's and 30's can relate to. Give it a try!

Cláudia

About the author:
 

Addicted to the library Claudia loves to read on the move and we can usualy find her sitting in a train or bus reading while commuting to and from work. But don't be fooled she is also keeping an eye on the landscape and all around her. She is an avid defender of sustainability and volunteering and it's as easy to find her starting a new project as it is to find her chatting with her friends. She is a dreamer and loves good stories so she keeps looking for them in her personal life.