Overheard in America

by Judith Henry

The author of the irresistible Overheard series eavesdrops across America and catches snippets of conversations ranging from the hilarious to the heart wrenching. 50 photos throughout. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743287975
• ISBN13: 9780743287975
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Original and hilarious!

This book is fantastic. The last poster clearly misunderstood it. The book itself is an art piece. The "point" of the book is that the photographs and overheard snippets of other people's conversations are seemingly combined at random. This is what makes it so original. The combinations of photos and quotes really give a fresh perspective on the four cities featured in this book (New York, LA, Miami and Chicago). I loved comparing the quotes and photos from each city -- it was fun to flip to a page and then to guess what city the quote/photo came from.

Overheard in America by Judith Henry

This book is beautiful, funny and provocative. It will stimulate conversations among friends. It makes us more aware of the buzz around us in the streets and public gathering places. Ms. Henry has an ear for the vernacular. These people are not saying bizarre things, they are saying things that we ourselves might have said! One feels a little embarrassed, a little voyeuristic reading it. Overheard in America also has great visual style - punchy and evocative color, unusual juxtapositions and pacing that moves you along, a nice physical size and weight. You can carry it in your purse and read it on the subway! It's a great gift item.

utterly charming

This book is original and fresh. I can't stop flipping through because I notice new things each time. This is a perfect gift book because it's as artistic as any coffee table book, but for a fraction of the price. The quotes are hilarious and the juxtapositions between text and image are clever and unexpected. Highly recommended.

Easy to pick up, hard to put down

I've already read this book 5 times - it's easy to get caught up in it because the remarks are all real snippets of conversation, and the pictures are equally real slices of life. What I especially like, however, is that the pictures and quotes were not taken together, so the relationship between them is fluid; everchanging depending on my own mood and frame of reference. Just as one never steps in the same river twice, this book is a little diffferent every time you pick it up. Great for the coffee table and anywhere spontaneous reading happens, I hope Ms. Henry keeps the series going!

The streets seem different when you pay attention

I have always been surprised to hear the things that people say to one another as if nobody is listening. Overheard in America captures, for me, the banality, the warmth, the humor, and yes, the idiocy and thoughtlessness that accompanies every step you take on the streets of Urban America. Who are these people? Turns out they are everybody. How great it could be if you could harness the energy and candor so that people would speak their minds and be heard, not just eavesdropped upon. And I love the look of the book. It is so unstatic. Some pages made me do a double take -- to see if what I thought I saw was for real. Some people will just say, Oh -- I've seen that, heard that. And that's why to buy it. Especially for your friends who shy away from big cities and the grit and banality of urban life.