The Must-Read Book Club
Ashleigh Beyer: I love Miranda July and pre-ordered "The First Bad Man" last winter and was thrilled to take it with me on my retreat to Guatemala. Sadly, I left it on the first plane en route; unusual behavior for me, and finally bought a second (hardcover!) copy for myself a few months ago.
YCNYC: Favorite quote?
AB: "The paper's eyes were big and round, whereas mine disappear altogether if I smile, and my nose is more potatoey. That said, the spaces between my features are in perfect proportion to each other. So far no one has noticed this. Also my ears: darling little shells. I wear my hair tucked behind them and try to enter crowded rooms ear-first, walking sideways."
YCNYC: What one person would you recommend this book to?
AB: One of my best friends, Danielle who just had a baby, and is most likely too busy to read. I miss the good old days in our Cobble Hill apartment, book club at Book Court and trading books back and forth; the strange and unsettling ones like Super Sad True Love Story and the ones we disagreed on like Flight Behavior (Danielle really liked it, I thought it was kinda boring).
YCNYC: What moment or part resonates with you the most?
AB: It didn't "resonate" for me but that's one of the reasons I liked it so much. It's a thorough and bizarre explanation of circumstances, feelings and experiences totally foreign to me.
You can purchase The First Bad Man here.
Have a Must-Read book to recommend? Email us here.
—Interview by Allison Richard
