Thus starts Maira Kalman’s incomparable book, The Principles of Uncertainty. Half diary, half graphic novel, half philosophical journey. See how all those halves add up to more than a whole? That’s the genius of Maira Kalman for you. Following her discussion of the dodo bird, she wonders about Spinoza’s attempts to find a rational explanation for everything. But Poof! Spinoza went extinct too …and we don’t even have a stuffed Spinoza.
Kalman poses simple questions that are quietly brilliant and always poignant and frequently completely silly. She makes you think, but gently without all that hard normative nonsense or cries of ouch! as other people’s thoughts are getting shoved into your brain. Maira Kalman’s queries are beautiful inquiries into the past, what it means to be in love, to be a woman, to be alive. She covers personal history, immigration, history, and simple topics like life and how to live it.
The book is whimsical and sentimental without being cloying. Kalman’s drawings are intriguing and deceptively simple. Not to get too art class critique-y on you, but the child stares at the viewer and you can’t help but wonder, is she dangerous?
Kalman’s straightforward realizations can be as basic as, “There are limits to deluxe.” But that single sentence makes you think and wonder quietly, “Are there limits to deluxe?” And that in some ways is the entire point of “The Principles of Uncertainty”. Just a moment of understated and child-like wonder.
The book is irresistible. For a busy parent with no time to read, say, Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, The Principles of Uncertainty is a book you can read at your leisure, whether for an hour or a moment. Warning: Once you open the brightly colored pages it is impossible to put down without attaining at least a moment of joy.
