The Principles of Uncertainty

THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY; Maira Kalman; New York: Penguin, 2007; 325 pp.
Biography
Maira Kalman is a well-known and beloved author and illustrator of children's books, but this grown-up story is a thought-provoking delight. Kalman tells the story of a year in her life with scribbled ruminations and pictures of great hats, old people crippling along, a dead man on the front page of the newspaper, eating honey cake with her aunt in Tel Aviv. "The people, the people!" she exclaims, and much of the treasure of this book is Kalman's overwhelming love for the people--family, friends, celebrities, strangers--who come into her life. The fact that all will die stops her in her tracks several times a day, but instead of allowing herself to be undone by the knowledge she "springs into action. [She finds] meaningful distraction." A sparkling gem of a book.

LW