How To Do Nothing With Nobody All Alone By Yourself
I was so excited to hear that How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself by Robert Paul Smith was being reprinted by Tinhouse Books.
Only a few months before, I purchased a copy of the still out-of-print Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing., also by Robert Paul Smith.
Robert Paul Smith has an easy-to-read writing style that still speaks to adventurous souls of all ages.
Personally, I’m nostalgic for the days when kids really did stuff when they were at play.
You know, stuff.
I’m talking about building things out of scraps, and performing feats of daring. (Here is where I should bemoan today’s kids being addicted to video games).
How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself is like the handy neighborhood mentor you never had, dispensing friendly instructions about how to do things like make a bracelet from a clam shell, a dart from a sewing needle, a rubber band gun, a boomerang, plus many frightening stunts involving a pen knife.
To me, the message of How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself is that there are lots of fun things for you to do, and solitude can have a purpose: i.e., independence!
It is celebrating a lost art.
I can’t wait until Jojo can read on this level, so HE can exercise a little independence when it comes to entertaining himself.
I might even get him a pen knife.
Enjoy this “vintage” interview with Robert Paul Smith:
Thanks to TinHouse Books for providing a copy for review.
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13 March 2010, 7:31 pm
Damn, I thought this was going to be a self-help sort of post. How I dream for doing nothing with nobody alone by myself.
I think this sounds like a great book to have in any home or public library.
13 March 2010, 9:58 pm
that looks awesome! must check into it. next week is spring break. shudder.
18 November 2010, 9:15 pm
“Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing” has been reissued by W. W. Norton and is back in print; you can order it through all the online bookstores, ISBN 978-0393339413 may be the quickest way to find it. It is a darned good book and very relevant to our time.