And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

At the beginning of a new reading year, I like to start with a happy, uplifting book before I begin my descent into the murky world of addiction memoirs and depressed protagonists. And the Pursuit of Happiness was just that - it definitely lived up to its lively title. It's what I might call a happy history book, if there is such a thing. A history book for the non-history buff (that's me)!

Author/illustrator Maira Kalman set out to record her yearlong investigation into American democracy. Some of the many places she visited on her travels: various museums, the White House, a military training base, the Supreme Court in Washington, City Hall in NYC, a gigantic sewage plant. I'll stop now for fear this won't convey the juicy tidbits and hilarious contemplations contained within this book's covers.

The art, photos and typography played so well off the quirky narrative and the many lighthearted musings. One example comes as she's discussing various laws (the laws of mathematics, the laws of the jungle, etc.). Among the list, she haphazardly throws in the laws of her own father: "Law No. 1: No singing at the dinner table. Law No. 2: Do good deeds for strangers, but beware of relatives." I think we would have gotten along. Our family dinner table law was: "No elbows on the table unless we're eating hamburgers."

Other delicious tidbits dotted among the significant historical facts include random items such as olden-day self-tipping hats, historical figures' favourite vegetables, and even a Jell-O lightbulb. Important historical figures are included in the artwork, but so are many meals on trays, glorious fashion items, and even a long-beaked echidna.

The descriptions are all so, so good. One of my favourites: "The floors are polished to the point of ecstasy." If only my own floors could be so ecstatic!
This book just made me smile from beginning to end. It took me on a journey through history, art, and cleverness. What a great start to 2019!

Book cover rating: 4/5
(Turns out it's a portrait of Benjamin Franklin who, apparently, had "Tons of French aristocratic frou frou fun. Marie Antoinette and the whole gang at court were nuts for him with his brains and his crazy fur hat." Enough said.