Nothing proves you’re worthy of a roll on a creaking Ikea bed frame with another Ohio or Michigan native trying to make it in the big city like a quality bookshelf. Start with some Dave Eggers to prove you’re edgy (Chuck Palahniuk would have done the trick in earlier days), toss in a used copy of “Middlesex” (any used book shop has at least three-hundred copies of them) and then move onto a spiritual text (not the Bible), a travel guide (when in doubt, go Nepal), a book in a foreign language (French is best because it’s “classy” but no one has actually bothered to learn it), an autobiography of a political figure (bonus points for a non-obvious civil rights leader), a book of poetry (something neutral and boring like Rilke), a graphic novel (anything but “Watchmen” or “Persepolis”) and then fill the rest with anything old-looking. It’s like all the benefits of being smart without having to read!
Best of Chicago 2015
