A review of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Visit author Amy Krouse Rosenthal's website, and I bet you'll rush to the nearest bookstore and buy her book. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is no ordinary book. Rosenthal writes the way she thinks, and she thinks the way she lives, which just may be similar to the way you've thought or lived at one time or another. If you've ever kept a journal or wanted to...or tried to and stopped midway between grade school and your first baby...this might be just the nudge you need to start recording those snippets of life again. Its mass appeal has earned it the acclaimed Border's Original Voices Award 2005.

A quick glance at the cover tells a lot about its author: I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story. The Foreword offers more details: I was not abused, abandoned, or locked up as a child. My parents were not alcoholics, nor were they ever divorced or dead. I am not a misunderstood genius, a former child celebrity, or the child of a celebrity...." Using brief A to Z entries, Rosenthal shares observations of life as she has lived it. Readers can begin anywhere in the book. Reading Encyclopedia is like peeking over the shoulder of someone hunched over her diary. The events and emotions are real, and for that reason, people are happy to share their own "purple moments" (you'll have to read pg. 167 to understand this) on her website.

Rosenthal has a unique approach to marketing, too. She hides 150 books in the middle of a city and asks people to report in when they find one. Read about her ingenius Lost & Found project. Or better yet, buy the book. You'll be glad you did. And stick around for "Take Five"(below), a mini-interview with the author.

1. WK: Who was the biggest influence on your life?

Amy: My mom.

2. WK: At what moment did you know that you would become a writer?

Amy: I’ve been drawn to words for as long as I can
remember. I wouldn’t have known to label it this way
back then, but I’d say as a kid, words were like a
hobby to me. Word plays, words hidden within words,
the subtle nuances of words, I loved all that. And I
always loved making stuff, creating things,
concocting. When I entered my grown-up years, I
luckily discovered that I could actually MAKE STUFF
out of WORDS. I basically fell in love with the act
of crafting sentences. So I don’t think there was one
specific moment per se, but rather a succession of
moments strung together.

3. WK: Who would you like to chat with over coffee?: Amy: Liz Phair.


4. WK: What's the best decision you ever made?: Amy: Marrying Jason.

5. WK: What advice would you give to a child who dreams of writing a book someday?: Amy: Learn to drink coffee.