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    Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York
    Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York
    Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York
    Ebook166 pages5 minutes

    Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York

    By Roz Chast

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The Washington Post "10 Best Graphic Novels of the Year"
    New York magazine "The Year's Most Giftable Coffee-Table Books"
    Newsday "Best Fall Books"
    The Verge "10 Best Comics of the Year"
    Oklahoman "Best Graphic Novels of the Year"
    Winner of the New York City Book Award

    From the #1 NYT bestselling author of Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Roz Chast, an "absolutely laugh-out-loud hysterical" (AP) illustrated ode/guide/thank-you to Manhattan.

    New Yorker cartoonist and NYT bestselling author Roz Chast, native Brooklynite-turned-suburban commuter deemed the quintessential New Yorker, has always been intensely alive to the glorious spectacle that is Manhattan--the daily clash of sidewalk racers and dawdlers, the fascinating range of dress codes, and the priceless, nutty outbursts of souls from all walks of life.

    For Chast, adjusting to life outside the city was surreal (you can own trees!? you have to drive!?), but she recognized that the reverse was true for her kids. On trips into town, they would marvel at the strange visual world of Manhattan--its blackened sidewalk gum wads, "those West Side Story–things" (fire escapes)--its crazily honeycombed systems and grids.

    Told through Chast's singularly zany, laugh-out-loud, touching, and true cartoons, Going into Town is part New York stories (the "overheard and overseen" of the island borough), part personal and practical guide to walking, talking, renting, and venting--an irresistible, one-of-a-kind love letter to the city.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury USA
    Release dateOct 3, 2017
    ISBN9781632869784
    Going into Town: A Love Letter to New York
    Author

    Roz Chast

    Roz Chast grew up in Brooklyn. Her cartoons began appearing in the New Yorker in 1978. Since then, she has published more than one thousand cartoons in the magazine. She has written and illustrated many books, including What I Hate: From A to Z, and the collections of her own cartoons The Party After You Left and Theories of Everything. She is the editor of The Best American Comics 2016 and the illustrator of Calvin Trillin's No Fair! No Fair! and Daniel Menaker's The African Svelte, all published in Fall 2016.

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    Reviews for Going into Town

    4/5

    140 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I wish I had read this amusing little travel guide before my visit to NYC a few months ago. I don't think I would have done anything different during my stay, but I think it might have cut down a little on my Midwestern trepidation about going into that monstrosity of a city.
    • 5/5
      In "Dying," Cory Taylor expresses her thoughts and feelings about her impending death from melanoma. She was diagnosed in 2005, just before she turned fifty, and the disease progressed slowly for almost a decade. However, after the cancer spread and all treatment options were exhausted, she realized that the end was near. She wrote this book to take stock of the past and weigh her limited options going forward. In an intimate and candid passage, Taylor raises the possibility of committing suicide using a euthanasia drug that she obtained online from China. She confides, "I contemplate my bleak future with as much courage as I can muster." It is too bad, she believes, that instead of talking openly about end-of-life issues, some believe that "the stark facts of mortality can be banished from our consciousness altogether." It is as if "death has become the unmentionable thing, a monstrous silence."

      This book is more than just a contemplation of death. Taylor shares memories of her generally happy childhood and the satisfaction she derived from her career as a poet, screenwriter, and novelist. All was not placid during her formative years, however. Her parents had a contentious relationship, mostly because Cory's father was a self-centered and restless man who moved his wife and children around to such far-flung places as Fiji and Nairobi. The author was particularly close to her mother who, in her later years, disappeared into the fog of dementia. On a more joyful note, Taylor derived great pleasure from her marriage to Shin and loved being the mother of two wonderful sons, Nat and Dan. She enjoyed travel and was particularly fond of Japan, which she visited many times with Shin during their thirty-one year marriage.

      In fluid, lyrical, and moving prose, Taylor decries the shortsightedness of those who miss the big picture. They waste countless hours worrying fruitlessly; engage in petty disputes; wallow in guilt over mistakes that cannot be undone; and nurse long-standing grudges against friends and relatives. Living well is an art that few master. "Dying" is a graceful and enlightening reminder that we should appreciate what we have, since "we are just a millimeter away from death, all of the time, if only we knew it."
    • 3/5
      This is a combination graphic memoir/travelogue, with more emphasis on the travelogue. A purported guide for a newcomer to the city, it probably doesn't have much in it that anyone with a modicum of familiarity with the city doesn't already know. Nevertheless, the charming drawings and pov of Roz Chast made this a worthy read.3 stars
    • 5/5
      Graphic novel by Roz Chast, subtitled "A love letter to New York". I lived in NY from the early to mid-70's and found a lot to identify with and laugh over. It's a great book for people who have an affinity for NYC, whether you've been there or not.
    • 4/5
      Love letter to New York--yes. Also hilarious (and useful) visitors guide.
    • 4/5
      This book is a blend of a basic guide to Manhattan to the uninitiated and love letter to the city from someone who loves it. Filled with Roz Chast's humor and illustrations, it's a fun way to spend an afternoon and may even convince you to visit the New York she loves.I had absolutely no expectations going into this story, and I really enjoyed it. I actually learned quite a lot and would probably use it for reference if I ever did go into Manhattan on a trip. It's not entirely a tour guide, and was in fact based in part on a booklet Chast gave her daughter when she was going away to college and she didn't know what a city "block" was. The only other exposure I've had to Chast's work is Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, and it's about as different in tone as can be (though there were certainly moments of humor in the former, it was a much more serious subject matter). I spent a pleasant evening paging through it.
    • 5/5
      As fine a guidebook as you'll ever read! Chast's graphic novel was intended for her daughter, who was moving from suburban CT to NYC for college, but it's perfect for anyone who's been to the city and anyone who hasn't. Chock full of memories and street guides, it reflects the author's humor, drawing skills, and overriding concern for humanity. Don't miss the part where she takes her cat for a walk on a leash. Chast gets better with every book!
    • 5/5
      Enjoyable book (and far more light in tone than her also-excellent Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant). Although I think most people appreciate Roz Chast's humor, Going Into Town will appeal mainly to the following: people who love New York City, people who live in New York City although there are no great surprises here for these people, and those who are planning or hoping to visit NYC in the near future. Chast focuses primarily on Manhattan (which for a lot of people is how they picture/see NYC) -- what it was/is like to live there, tips on getting around, and things to do and see. Being in graphic format, this was a very quick read for me and therefore I feel fortunate that I was able to find this from B&N at a good discount. I'll refer to it again before our next visit to NYC for ideas.
    • 4/5
      Subtitled "A Love Letter to New York," this graphic "not really a guide" to NYC is really a series of reasons to like the city and things to check out. Amusing and generally informative with a handful of indispensable pieces of practical info about things like the organization of Manhattan's street grid and how the numbers work and how the subway lines are organized--these straight-up practical bits can surely be found elsewhere, but they are an excellent addition to this entertaining little book and *very* well explained.
    • 4/5
      light and humorous but thorough coverage of living in the city
    • 5/5
      A love letter to New York that would make a terrific gift for anyone planning a move or a visit! Must remember!
    • 5/5
      Very charming. I'm a fan of Roz's and love her comics. After reading, I definitely wanted to visit!
    • 5/5
      Amazing and funny look on New York and all of its crazy glory. Well worth the read if you want to get to know New York without the boring jargon, but just straight to the witty point.
    • 4/5
      I love Roz Chast; we have so much in common! Well, except for her huge amount of talent. But that’s just a detail…. And in fact, one of the most common reactions to reading Chast is “OMG, this is ME!” Well, if you’re sort of neurotic.This graphic novel is a guide book to New York, written for Chast’s daughter before she left home in the suburbs of Connecticut to attend college in Manhattan. Chast explains how to get around, what to see, and where to live, all in hilarious detail.On some pages, she sounds like me responding to my husband, when he is rhapsodizing over mountains, and I am finding them boring. As Chast confesses:“For some reason, I’ve always preferred cities to Nature. I am interested in the person-made. I like to watch and eavesdrop on people. And I really like DENSITY OF VISUAL INFORMATION.”When she talks about the onset of winter, it’s also as if she were channeling me:“I was still getting used to the early darkness. Mostly I liked it. It made the day shorter: ‘YES! Almost time for bed.’”I love how she points out things to see in the city one might not notice, from the different objects that are lying around the streets to the collections of disparate objects in shop windows. She gushes over the way you can find anything to buy or admire or eat. She writes:"If you feel that there's 'nothing to do' while you're in Manhattan, then this is DEFINITELY not the book you should be reading. Also, you might be dead."She marvels over whole stores full of only ribbons; vintage clothes; amazing art; eccentric art; formal and informal theater; and any food you could imagine, with cartoons depicting a variety ranging from “Kosher Fondue” to “International House of Rabbit.”She also has a very funny set of panels in which she highlights "Ancient Landmarks" such as a sidewalk crater that "has been there since the time of the Pharaohs."Humorously, she points out to her daughter that in Manhattan, there are almost no “private houses” (or “what mainland America calls a ‘house.’”) She reviews the type of apartments available (or not) in the city and what neighbors and “wildlife” you can expect to find in them or on the nearby streets.She denies she includes much history in her guidebook, but does add this interesting quote from E.B. White in his 1949 book, Here is New York:“The city, for the first time in its long history, is destructible. A single flight of planes . . . can quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the underground passages into lethal chambers, cremate the millions. . . . All dwellers in cities must live with the stubborn fact of annihilation, [but] New York has a certain clear priority. In the mind of whatever perverted dreamer might loose the lightning, New York must hold a steady, irresistible charm.”She ends by including something of a Valentine to the city:“I will always feel gratitude and astonishment that Manhattan allowed me to make my home there. It’s still the only place I’ve been where I feel, in some strange way, that I fit in. Or maybe, that it’s the place where I least feel that I don’t fit in.”Evaluation: I so enjoyed this guide to New York, which, in spite of it being a humorous commentary full of cartoons, would also be incredibly useful to take along on a trip to New York City. In fact, I wish she had added a section on affordable hotel rooms, because she certainly made me want to visit!
    • 4/5
      Roz Chast is smitten. Not with a boy or a girl or the very idea of smittenness. She is smitten with Manhattan. And if you’ve chosen to read her book describing her smittenness, that’s probably because to some degree you’ve been smitten with Manhattan as well. I confess that I am. So I found her account of Manhattan — from basic layout and the need to walk around to get a sense of it, to stuff to do, food and apartments — utterly charming. It is a gentle stroll up an avenue, along one of the many cross streets, and into a park, most likely Central Park.As with much of Chast’s work, this is a mixture of colour wash drawings, text, photographs, and personal memorabilia. All of which will be familiar if you’ve encountered her in The New Yorker or through one of her many previous books. If you’ve never crossed paths before, then a walk around Manhattan is a fine place to meet. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes.Fondly recommended.
    • 4/5
      I love Roz Chast and her cartoons are one of my favorite parts of the New Yorker. I love her sense of humor and the million tiny details she packs into every frame.

      This book started as a guide for her daughter when she moved into the city from the suburbs, but it's also a love letter to New York--a mix of advice, humor, and a little nostalgia. The only flaw is that it could have been much longer.

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    Going into Town - Roz Chast

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