Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Score Modern
What it's about
The New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast tells, in drawings, photographs and words, the story of her elderly parents' last years. George and Elizabeth lived in the same Brooklyn apartment for decades and refused to talk about aging or death. As they declined into their nineties, Chast, their only child, had to deal with falls, hospitals, assisted living, the money and her own complicated feelings.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography and was a National Book Award finalist. It's very funny and completely honest, and anyone caring for aging parents will feel less alone.
You'll love it if you liked
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
The Year of Magical ThinkingGood to know
It's a graphic memoir, mostly cartoons, so it reads quickly. The final pages, drawings of her mother at the end, are very moving.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz2 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #41 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #106 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #296 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #588 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving, Thought-provoking
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All 36 best-of lists →
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography and was a National Book Award finalist. It ranks #588 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? about?
The New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast tells, in drawings, photographs and words, the story of her elderly parents' last years. George and Elizabeth lived in the same Brooklyn apartment for decades and refused to talk about aging or death. As they declined into their nineties, Chast, their only child, had to deal with falls, hospitals, assisted living, the money and her own complicated feelings.
How long does it take to read Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant??
About 6 hours (228 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? won?
NBCC Award (Memoir) winner (2014).
What should I read after Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant??
If you liked it, try Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi or The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.