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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Tom Hanks “Two-For”: California Typewriter and Uncommon Type




Okay, so I’m pushing one of my favorite recent documentaries AGAIN – California Typewriter – and since Tom Hanks is in it, I thought I’d combine this post with another recent read, his collection of short stories: Uncommon Type.

I very seldom read short story collections.  It’s just not my thing.  But, like many of us I really enjoy Tom Hanks and his work, so I was willing to give this book a try.  Also, it didn’t hurt that each story has a typewriter woven into it – sometimes in a big way, and sometimes just briefly.  Since I fell in love with the documentary film mentioned above (and so did everyone else if 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and all the awards are anything to go by!), I was ready for more.


Seriously, you don’t have to love Tom Hanks or to have ever given typewriters a thought to really, truly enjoy these titles.  They are both great . . . really . . . have I emphasized “really” enough?

First, the Book (try the audio – Hanks reads it himself and is awesome):
One of the Best Books of the Year:  NPR, USA Today, a National Bestseller

“A small-town newspaper columnist with old-fashioned views of the modern world. A World War II veteran grappling with his emotional and physical scars. A second-rate actor plunged into sudden stardom and a whirlwind press junket. A bowling odyssey worthy of the gods. These are just some of the stories that Tom Hanks captures in his first work of fiction: a collection of shorts that explore—with great affection, humor, and insight—the human condition in all its foibles. The stories are linked by one thing: in each of them, a typewriter plays a part, sometimes minor, sometimes central...
To many, typewriters represent a level of craftsmanship, beauty, and individuality that is harder and harder to find in the modern world. In these stories, Hanks gracefully reaches that typewriter-worthy level. By turns whimsical, witty, and moving, Uncommon Type establishes him as a welcome and wonderful new voice in contemporary fiction.”

p.s. Hanks has a fantastic talent for characterization and dialogue. 




Second, the Movie
“California Typewriter is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and others.  It also movingly documents the struggles of the store California Typewriter, one of the last standing repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking …
In the process, the film delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience redefines who’s serving whom, human or machine?”




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