The Gizless Days of Thomas Binder

by Seth Kaufman

It's the not-too-distant future. Thomas Binder has been sentenced to six months without his Giz, the government-issued device that connects him to the world, and ordered to attend group therapy. Bored out of his mind, Thomas forages in his grandfather's basement and discovers something he's never seen before. Something he can bring to group therapy and maybe even use to impress the mysterious, elegant and equally gizless Elsa.

Futuristic, dark, but ultimately hopeful and romantic, "The Gizless Days of Thomas Binder" is a must-read for anyone who loves reading, books, ebooks, libraries, and the stories that fuel our lives.

"The Gizless Days of Thomas Binder" appears in Seth Kaufman's The King of Pain, about an outrageous reality TV show producer who wakes up pinned under his home entertainment system. While he waits for rescue, his only distraction is a book called A History of Prisons. "The Gizless Days of Thomas Binder" is one of 9 stories found in the novel.

Genres: Fiction

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2012

About the author

Seth Kaufman has been a reporter for the NY Post’s Page Six and the Editorial Director of TV Guide.com. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, N.Y Observer and many other publications, including supermarket tabloids. "The King of Pain," his first work of satirical fiction, was called "One of 2012's most enjoyable novels," by the New York Times. The sequel, "Nuns with Guns,"was called "Literary gold," by Radar Online. His 2018 book of music essays, "Metaphysical Graffiti,: was dubbed "the best in creative nonfiction," by the British press.
His comic novel "The Seductive Lady Vanessa of Manhattanshire," is an inventive retelling of Don Quixote. He is the co-author of two acclaimed sports memoirs, "Pitino; My Story" and "Eat My Schwartz." And the bestselling book Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elites Slept

Reviews

[Steph Bennion · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny, well-written short story. I didn't quite buy the premise that: (a) all-encompassing digital media devices will destroy real-life social contact; and (b) once shorn of such devices, people will rush back to print books, but it was an entertaining (and free!) read. The novel from which this is taken looks interesting.

[Tobius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I was positive this was going to be a boring book, but it surprised me, I ended up liking it and wishing it was longer than it was.
I could actually see some thing like this actually happening to our society in the future, sad thought really.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.