Suggestion

by Illegal Art, Michael McDevitt, Otis Kriegel

"Hey, would you like to make a suggestion?"With that simple question and an enormous white suggestion box, the New York Citybased collaborative Illegal Art canvassed the five boroughs, collecting suggestions from passersby of every stripethe young, the old, the filthy rich, the homeless, the mouthy, and the shy. "Love each other or perish." "Take breath mints when offered." "Give me a break!" In true New York style, the suggestions are by turns hilarious, nonsensical, angering, and heartwarming. Some people held the suggestion box prisoner while they wrote suggestion after suggestion; others ignored the box, but then came scrambling back with a sudden idea. One woman scribbled as she walked down Wall Street: "More time in the day." One man in Harlem, when asked if he would like to make a suggestion, said, "Isn't it obvious? World peace." Or at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, a woman sadly wrote her misspelled suggestion and then held it up for all to read: "Never brake up with someone on a bridge." With over 350 entries and 50 photos of the suggestion box in action, Suggestion is authentic, honest, and totally appealinga testiment to the the public's innermost desire, whether it's free beer, free daycare, or free pumpkin pie every Thursday.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2005

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in my Little Free Library.

My favorites suggestions:

"You should have snacks"

"Keep it simple"

"I suggest the chicken"

"Let's make a better world"

"God"

"Regulate the sale of televisions to only those who pass literacy standards."

"We should all go to Italy"

"Get a little closer"

Passing along to others through BookCrossing

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful concept: Illegal Art carried a large white Suggestion Box on the Staten Island Ferry and through the five boroughs of New York City, collecting suggestions from passersby "of every stripe--the young, the old, the filthy rich, the homeless, the mouthy, and the shy."
Some people held the box hostage while they wrote suggestion after suggestion. Others ignored the box, but then came scrambling back with another idea.
The project appeals to me as another version of the PostSecret books, where persons were invited to send a secret anonymously to the compiler's address. Rather than being a safe place to share a secret, this suggestion box offered a way to express some truth, opinions, hard-earned experience, or desires.

[Darío Calvo]

Está curiosón

[Shelbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

an awesome coffee table book! the authors/creators took a huge box marked "suggestion" around different neighborhoods in nyc, and encouraged people to make a suggestion about anythingand submit it anonymously. the suggestions run the gamut - they are often hilarious, profound, sad...sometimes they are all of the above.

[Rachael]

This was an amazing idea, first of all, and the 300 suggestions that were chosen were amazing and funny, some were a little mean, but overall it was an awesome read.

[Kasey Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, have had it did years & still love reading it over again & sharing the content. I'm interested what would be suggested if this same thing was done in my city : Atlanta.