In It Chooses You Miranda July is at her best – shining a light on the underexposed aspects of human life to reveal humour and heartbreak in unexpected places. The book was compiled as a side-project while she wrote (or avoided writing) her second film. July set out to interview thirteen individuals who placed advertisements in the Los Angeles newspaper the Pennysaver , hoping to find out about the lives behind the funny little ads for tadpoles and large leather jackets. She took photographer Brigitte Sire with her, and the result is a book filled with the stories of the interior lives of ordinary people, accompanied by thoughtful portraits of the people and their homes.
July’s style is tender and understated. Her interview questions are gentle and respectful, allowing her subjects to weave their own narratives . Her subjects are from all walks of life – a nervous teenage boy, a strong immigrant mother, a remarkable transsexual woman. The anecdotes they tell are in turn funny and sad, often at the same time. It’s amazing what people will reveal to you if only you ask, and that’s one of the key themes of July’s work here – in a big city it is easy to remain isolated from the people surrounding you, but it only takes a little effort to see the richness in a stranger’s life.
It Chooses You is a beautifully put together book filled with touching stories from ordinary people. I’ll never look at the Trading Post in the same way again.
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