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My Heart Is an Idiot: Essays Audiobook
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(3.03) - 594 listener ratings
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Davy Rothbart is looking for love in all the wrong places. Constantly. He falls helplessly in love with pretty much every girl he meets—and rarely is the feeling reciprocated. Time after time, he hops in a car and tears across half of America with his heart on his sleeve. He's continually coming up with outrageous schemes, which he always manages to pull off. Well, almost always. But even when things don't work out, Rothbart finds meaning and humor in every moment. Whether it's humiliating a scammer who takes money from aspiring writers or playing harmless (but side-splitting) goofs on his deaf mother, nothing and no one is off-limits. But as much as Rothbart is a tragically lovable, irresistibly brokenhearted hero, it's his prose that's the star of the book. In the tradition of David Sedaris and Sloane Crosley but going places very much his own, his essays show how things that are seemingly so wrong can be so, so right.
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"I went to "How to Write Like I Do" session at Seattle 826. Going to the session really got me sparked writing again, and I truly enjoyed reading this book. Davy has a knack for coming at things sideways, being self effacing and catching the reader off guard. While the essays exist in each in their own complete package, I love how many of them left me wondering "and then what happened?""
— Tanya (5 out of 5 stars)
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“THIS BOOK IS F---ING GREAT! Nobody writes quite like Davy Rothbart, because nobody lives quite like Davy Rothbart--a true and funny ragged-hearted seeker of ecstasy, mystery, and human connection. My Heart Is an Idiot contains some of the most perfect and heartbreaking writing that I have ever read.
— Elizabeth Gilbert -
Welcome to the newly remodeled Heartbreak Hotel, where Davy Rothbart is concierge. He'll also unpack your underwear, restock your minibar, and do stand-up comedy in the lounge.
— Tom Robbins -
In Davy Rothbart's essays on heartache, mad love, the low life, and the high life, everybody is fascinating; everybody has something to say. The sentences speed you along down one narrative highway after another, and your tour guide is smart and funny and a real democrat: he has a sweet-tempered openness to experience that wins you over. This book breathes new life back into the personal essay, and these essays are a trip. Take that trip.
— Charles Baxter -
Tender, cool, funny, and utterly engaging, Davy Rothbart writes with a kind of warmth and cockeyed energy that make you love him. This book is marvelous.
— Susan Orlean -
An intriguing hybrid of timeless Midwestern warmth and newfangled jive talk.
— Sarah Vowell -
Davy Rothbart has the humor and purity of heart you want and need in an observer of contemporary American life. Without guile and with a belief in small towns, underdogs, love at first sight, the pull of the road, and the soulfulness of strangers, Rothbart is a kind of new-styled Bill Moyers--genuine, wide-eyed, and hopeful.
— Dave Eggers -
I believe in Davy. He's a force to be reckoned with.
— Ira Glass -
Davy's as real as it gets. This is a badass book.
— Kid Rock -
Davy's my kind of storyteller--honest, hilarious, deeply feeling, and slightly cracked. This is the fresh voice we've been looking for.
— Jim Carroll, author of The Basketball Diaries -
Davy writes with his whole heart. These stories are crushing.
— Arthur Miller on The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas -
It's always exciting to discover a talented new writer. Davy writes with such energy, wit, and heart.
— Judy Blume on The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas -
Like Kerouac's best novels, these stories are breezy and energetic dispatches from obscure corners of the country... Rothbart mines his material to heartbreaking effect.
— The Washington Post on The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas
My Heart Is an Idiot Listener Reviews
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" I listened to this on audio and it was read by the author, which I think increased my enjoyment of this book. Some of the essays were very entertaining, thoughtful and sweet. I was ready for it to be over when it was done. "
— Lil, 2/16/2014 -
" I've missed you Davy. I'm glad we got to catch up. "
— Tiffany, 2/9/2014 -
" I laughed and I cried. Really. "
— Laurel, 1/29/2014 -
" Wasn't sure I was on board after the first essay but the second essay, "Human Snowball," hooked me. I'll be reading more of Davy's stuff. "
— Eric, 1/23/2014 -
" Perhaps reading the essays exclusively rather than sampled while reading other books made this a 3 rather than a 4. The voice sometimes compelling, sometimes repelling. Sometimes wondered about creativity with the details. "
— Ann, 1/16/2014 -
" So very funny and quirky. "
— Karen, 1/12/2014 -
" Davy Rothbart is very impressed with himself and how he does radical, crazy things like hanging out with black people and having sex with hot girls. I do not find him as interesting as he finds himself, therefore I did not like this book. "
— Sarah, 1/3/2014 -
" I wanted to like this more; I"m sure there are going to be some hipster kids out there who think I'm an asshole for not loving it. And I'm okay with that... "
— Serina, 12/31/2013 -
" Poignant descriptions of how author instantly falls in love w certain female types. Too funny and insightful and just a great book. Seems fairly autobiographical. "
— Tom, 12/26/2013 -
" Davy Rothbart is several week-long benders and three relationships with borderlines away from becoming Charles Bukowski. He's just not dissolute and bitter enough yet, but if he continues in this vein, he soon will be. Loved this collection! "
— Anita, 12/23/2013 -
" This guy seems like a real creep (to me). "
— Caroline, 12/12/2013 -
" I like your style, Davy Rothbart. "
— Marcella, 11/19/2013 -
" The first two stories were good but Davy ran out of steam. I'm not a fan of his writing or his vernacular but he's lived a very interesting life. I bet he's a lot more fun to hang out with than to read. "
— Richard, 11/13/2013 -
" laughed out loud a lot! "
— Kate, 10/15/2013 -
" funny, engaging, quick read "
— xq, 6/24/2013 -
" A fun set of interesting tales by the silly and charismatic Davy Rothbart. A good quick read. "
— Lydia, 5/31/2013 -
" Generally OK but sometimes tedious to read. "
— Kristie, 5/22/2013 -
" Unique interesting and a great read. "
— Cassandra, 4/25/2013 -
" First full length read of his I've read. Enjoyable, easy to relate to. I want to give him a hug after reading it. "
— Kim, 4/17/2013 -
" This is a book that you can't help smiling while you're reading it. I even had to contain some laughs at some points. The way that it's written is really delightful and draws you in. All of the stories are funny, heartwarming, and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone! "
— Margaret, 3/23/2013 -
" 3.5 - I have seen the affable, charming Rothbart in person on several Found tours and I think that infused this collection with some sweetness that you might not detect if you hadn't met him. While I doubt these stories are strictly accurate, they sure are amusing. "
— Kyla, 2/23/2013 -
" Rothbart writes with an honest clarity. "
— Jennifer, 1/29/2013 -
" Definitely hate-read this one. Not often do I have such an active dislike for an author. Please, more NPR host name dropping, it's really your strength. "
— Gabe, 1/29/2013
About Davy Rothbart
Davy Rothbart is the author of the national bestseller Found, and creator of the magazine of the same name. A contributor to public radio’s This American Life, he is also the author of the story collection The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.