And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman is a most pleasing book. It feels heavy and luxurious in the hands, the smooth weighty paper a great backdrop for the whimsical and inspired photos and illustrations. It is as much about the small things that bring happiness as it is about the expressed intent of the book, a personal examination of the nature of democracy in our country. All inspired by the inauguration of President Obama, and beginning with a trip to the festivities.
The event greeted with a large "Hallelujah" and inspiring a look around the country and the things that define our national identity. Contained in choices like the one above - property forsaken for happiness. A quirky notion upon which to found a country. And one of which I am particularly fond.
Remove the dust jacket to reveal Kalman's Lincoln notes and sketches. Lincoln is her president crush. She suspects she would have been a much better wife to him than the crazy Mary Todd was.
And some of my other favorite images:
Tempting to write this off naive, as pretty without substance, but just because the message is simple does not detract from its significance. I like what Kaiman said about this in a conversation with the publisher. "In general, people see and discuss what does not work and what is wrong. That has been true for some time. So, without seeming too naive, I wanted to write about what is sane about our system. What is likable. For example, the system of checks and balances. The debating. The ability to change a law. The sense of humor. The can-do spirit." Comforting thoughts. Open to criticism of course but then again so was Jefferson's idealistic stab at legislating happiness. Beautifully optimistic.
This book was a blog in it's first incarnation. Begin checking it out on this link.
