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A Life In Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley
A LIFE IN BOOKS: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley is an illuminated novel containing 101 books within it, all written by Lehrer’s protagonist who finds himself in prison looking back on his life and career. Nearly a year after the controversial author is thrown into a federal prison for refusing to reveal the name of a confidential source, he decides to break his silence. But it’s not as simple as giving up a name to the grand jury. Over the course of one long night, in the darkness of his prison cell, he whispers his life story into a microcassette recorder, tracing his journey from the public housing project of his youth, to a career as a journalist, then experimental novelist, college professor, accidental bestselling author, pop-culture pundit, and unindicted prisoner.
In A LIFE IN BOOKS, Mobley’s autobiography/apologia is paired with a review of all 101 of his books. Each book is represented by its first-edition cover design and catalogue copy, and more than a third of his books are excerpted. The resulting retrospective contrasts the published writings (which read like short stories) with the author’s confessional memoir, forming a most unusual portrait of a well-intentioned, obsessively inventive (but ethically challenged) visionary.
Written and designed by award-winning author/artist Warren Lehrer, A LIFE IN BOOKS is an extraordinarily original, funny, heartwarming and heart-wrenching exploration of one man’s use of books as a means of understanding himself, the people around him, and a half-century of American/global events. Rich with stories that spring from other stories, this genre-defying novel orchestrates a multicultural symphony of characters from Bleu’s life and books: lovers, mothers, children, friends, enemies, teachers, students, runaways, rebels, thinkers, dreamers, believers, skeptics, the displaced and dispossessed. It celebrates the mysteries and contradictions of the creative process, and grapples with the future of the book as a medium, and the lines that separate truth, myth, and fiction. This four-color, full-length novel—containing over 101 hilarious and scrumptious book cover designs (and book-like objects)—fuses art and literature, and distinguishes itself as one of those books you’ll want to hold in your hands, feast your eyes on, read and re-read, share with friends, and treasure for years to come.
In A LIFE IN BOOKS, Mobley’s autobiography/apologia is paired with a review of all 101 of his books. Each book is represented by its first-edition cover design and catalogue copy, and more than a third of his books are excerpted. The resulting retrospective contrasts the published writings (which read like short stories) with the author’s confessional memoir, forming a most unusual portrait of a well-intentioned, obsessively inventive (but ethically challenged) visionary.
Written and designed by award-winning author/artist Warren Lehrer, A LIFE IN BOOKS is an extraordinarily original, funny, heartwarming and heart-wrenching exploration of one man’s use of books as a means of understanding himself, the people around him, and a half-century of American/global events. Rich with stories that spring from other stories, this genre-defying novel orchestrates a multicultural symphony of characters from Bleu’s life and books: lovers, mothers, children, friends, enemies, teachers, students, runaways, rebels, thinkers, dreamers, believers, skeptics, the displaced and dispossessed. It celebrates the mysteries and contradictions of the creative process, and grapples with the future of the book as a medium, and the lines that separate truth, myth, and fiction. This four-color, full-length novel—containing over 101 hilarious and scrumptious book cover designs (and book-like objects)—fuses art and literature, and distinguishes itself as one of those books you’ll want to hold in your hands, feast your eyes on, read and re-read, share with friends, and treasure for years to come.
377 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2013
10 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Warren Lehrer
14 books11 followersWarren Lehrer is a writer and artist/designer known internationally as a pioneer in the fields of visual literature and design authorship. His work explores the vagaries and luminescence of character, the relationships between social structures and the individual, and the pathos and absurdity of life. His books are acclaimed for capturing the shape of thought and reuniting the traditions of storytelling with the printed page.
Lehrer has received many awards for his books and multimedia projects, including the Brendan Gill Prize, the Innovative Use of Archives Award, three AIGA Book Awards, The International Book Design Award, a Media That Matters Award, and grants and fellowships from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, the Rockefeller,
Ford, and Greenwall Foundations. Lehrer is a professor at the School of Art+Design at Purchase College, SUNY, and a founding faculty member of the Designer As Author graduate program at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Together with his wife Judith Sloan, Lehrer founded EarSay in 1991, a non-profit arts organization in Queens, NY. Over the last few years, he has been setting stories and text into animation, video, and interactive media. His latest novel, A Life In Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley, is on sale now.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 30, 2019
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for sending me this book for free, in exchange for an honest review.
I have never read another book like this. It had me from the beginning. Told from the perspective of Bleu Mobley, who is a fictional charachter, and author. It goes through his life, intermingling the books he has written, and a brief synopsis of each.
As I was reading the book, I wasn't sure what I thought of it, but now that I have finished, and am reflecting back, I really enjoyed this book!
I have never read another book like this. It had me from the beginning. Told from the perspective of Bleu Mobley, who is a fictional charachter, and author. It goes through his life, intermingling the books he has written, and a brief synopsis of each.
As I was reading the book, I wasn't sure what I thought of it, but now that I have finished, and am reflecting back, I really enjoyed this book!
November 1, 2022
Will I ever read a textbook sized funky typography illuminated manuscript book where the form lives up to the content??? Ever???
This book has a very cool concept. It is the autobiography of a fictional author with a retrospective of his body of work. Bleu Mobley is the author of over 100 books and he is currently imprisoned. He writes the story of his life while explaining how each book he wrote came to be due to the experiences he had. Similar format to Slumdog Millionaire where the guy went through his memories for how he answered every question. We also get to read excerpts from each book, which are supposed to function like short stories. Mobley’s work is characterized by experimental type and formatting, to the point where he deconstructs the notion of a book as an object and sells stories that are flown as kites or are printed on toilet paper rolls.
This is very fun to look at because the author took great care to make all of the books look different. And because Mobley himself is so interested in formatting, there’s so much creativity. Mobley covers a vast amount of genres from thrillers to poetry. He even has a series of self-help books written with a team under a pseudonym, Dr. Sky Jacobs. Mobley is cynical about the decline of books in the digital age and starts releasing increasingly outlandish books that stretch the definition of what constitutes a book.
The problem is I did not enjoy reading most of the excerpts. They didn’t feel like reading a snippet of a short story, the vast majority of them felt like summaries of what the book was about. These are imaginary books ofc, but sometimes I would be like how would this book be 300 pages if I was just told the entire plot in 4? It gets tiring to read nearly 100 summaries one after the other. They all run together, and because it’s a summary they don’t stick in your head or form an emotional attachment the way you can feel when you read even the shortest of short stories.
Coincidentally this book and one other thing I either read or watched this week had spoilers of The Woman In The Dunes. I can’t tell if that’s a sign I should read it immediately or if I need to forget this until I inevitably get around to it.
Mobley eventually writes things by committee. He’s embarrassed of this but then eventually justifies it by wondering why no one gets mad at an architect needing contractors, no one is mad at artists having assistants, but we need writers to be solitary figures typing away. That’s a good point! I always assume celebs and people like James Patterson use ghost writers, but I wonder what authors do that I wouldn’t expect.
This book had all the right ingredients for me to love it but I just didn’t. Bleu has generally good takes and opinions, he writes books about the evils of the CIA and is in prison for writing a book about an embarrassing personal secret about George W. Bush (this is never revealed to us). He’s a good husband and father, even though we barely learn a single thing about his younger daughter. The concept of the book is awesome. It’s discussing things I care about, like various leftist causes and the purpose of books. But it just doesn’t live up to itself.
This book has a very cool concept. It is the autobiography of a fictional author with a retrospective of his body of work. Bleu Mobley is the author of over 100 books and he is currently imprisoned. He writes the story of his life while explaining how each book he wrote came to be due to the experiences he had. Similar format to Slumdog Millionaire where the guy went through his memories for how he answered every question. We also get to read excerpts from each book, which are supposed to function like short stories. Mobley’s work is characterized by experimental type and formatting, to the point where he deconstructs the notion of a book as an object and sells stories that are flown as kites or are printed on toilet paper rolls.
This is very fun to look at because the author took great care to make all of the books look different. And because Mobley himself is so interested in formatting, there’s so much creativity. Mobley covers a vast amount of genres from thrillers to poetry. He even has a series of self-help books written with a team under a pseudonym, Dr. Sky Jacobs. Mobley is cynical about the decline of books in the digital age and starts releasing increasingly outlandish books that stretch the definition of what constitutes a book.
The problem is I did not enjoy reading most of the excerpts. They didn’t feel like reading a snippet of a short story, the vast majority of them felt like summaries of what the book was about. These are imaginary books ofc, but sometimes I would be like how would this book be 300 pages if I was just told the entire plot in 4? It gets tiring to read nearly 100 summaries one after the other. They all run together, and because it’s a summary they don’t stick in your head or form an emotional attachment the way you can feel when you read even the shortest of short stories.
Coincidentally this book and one other thing I either read or watched this week had spoilers of The Woman In The Dunes. I can’t tell if that’s a sign I should read it immediately or if I need to forget this until I inevitably get around to it.
Mobley eventually writes things by committee. He’s embarrassed of this but then eventually justifies it by wondering why no one gets mad at an architect needing contractors, no one is mad at artists having assistants, but we need writers to be solitary figures typing away. That’s a good point! I always assume celebs and people like James Patterson use ghost writers, but I wonder what authors do that I wouldn’t expect.
This book had all the right ingredients for me to love it but I just didn’t. Bleu has generally good takes and opinions, he writes books about the evils of the CIA and is in prison for writing a book about an embarrassing personal secret about George W. Bush (this is never revealed to us). He’s a good husband and father, even though we barely learn a single thing about his younger daughter. The concept of the book is awesome. It’s discussing things I care about, like various leftist causes and the purpose of books. But it just doesn’t live up to itself.
June 14, 2024
This book is beautifully laid out and uniquely narrated. Lehrer dives deep into the complexity of love and art. There's so much to love in this novel … but I just can't.
It's the writing. Where tenderness is needed, there is only mere description. Where raw emotion is crying to be let loose, there's stoicism. Excerpt after excerpt falls short as they dance around the crux of the character but never actually reach him.
I'm actually more disappointed in myself for not being overwhelmed. This novel should have consumed me. Yet, every page I feel on the outside watching the words roll by.
It's the writing. Where tenderness is needed, there is only mere description. Where raw emotion is crying to be let loose, there's stoicism. Excerpt after excerpt falls short as they dance around the crux of the character but never actually reach him.
I'm actually more disappointed in myself for not being overwhelmed. This novel should have consumed me. Yet, every page I feel on the outside watching the words roll by.
April 25, 2023
A graphic novel about a series of books (none of which really exist) with a description and excerpt from each book. Very captivating.
April 2, 2016
I bought Warren Lehrer's self-described "illuminated novel" because it defies the Kindle. The book chronicles the life of the fictional prolific writer Bleu Mobley. Alongside the biography, Lehrer includes 101 book covers, critical reviews, and occasional excerpts from Bleu Mobley's books.
This sounds very cool and innovative. Unfortunately, the writing is mediocre and it drives me crazy when capitalization, italics, and bold fonts are used excessively. I think Lehrer first came up with the books, most of them ridiculous, and then tried to force a story on top of them all. I couldn't take anything seriously. Bleu writes a pop-up book for kids on capital punishment titled "How Bad People Go Bye-Bye". This one and others listed below were pretty funny. But when Bleu's daughter gets cancer, it just doesn't feel sad and the situation was written as if the couple were dealing with car insurance after a fender bender (i.e. my wife cried and was sad and being impatient just wanted things to get fixed and be like they used to be). Those are not direct quotes, but close. It may have worked better with 10-15 books that loosely fit Bleu's life struggles, but then the funny titles would have to be trimmed. Look at the covers, read the titles, and skip the rest.
Puss Dude and Other Curiously Adorable Cat Stories
Outsourcing Grandma: A Novel
the poetry roll: 1001 two-ply toilet paper poems
Narcisstic Planet Disorder
The Phenomenology of Lint
U.S. versus Them: A Coloring Book
Privatizing Air and Other Untapped Resources
Buy This Book or We'll Kill You
abyssinia estop dystrophy: a spam play theater script
Yes I Can't: A Self-Help Book using the pseudonym Dr. Sky Jacobs
This sounds very cool and innovative. Unfortunately, the writing is mediocre and it drives me crazy when capitalization, italics, and bold fonts are used excessively. I think Lehrer first came up with the books, most of them ridiculous, and then tried to force a story on top of them all. I couldn't take anything seriously. Bleu writes a pop-up book for kids on capital punishment titled "How Bad People Go Bye-Bye". This one and others listed below were pretty funny. But when Bleu's daughter gets cancer, it just doesn't feel sad and the situation was written as if the couple were dealing with car insurance after a fender bender (i.e. my wife cried and was sad and being impatient just wanted things to get fixed and be like they used to be). Those are not direct quotes, but close. It may have worked better with 10-15 books that loosely fit Bleu's life struggles, but then the funny titles would have to be trimmed. Look at the covers, read the titles, and skip the rest.
Puss Dude and Other Curiously Adorable Cat Stories
Outsourcing Grandma: A Novel
the poetry roll: 1001 two-ply toilet paper poems
Narcisstic Planet Disorder
The Phenomenology of Lint
U.S. versus Them: A Coloring Book
Privatizing Air and Other Untapped Resources
Buy This Book or We'll Kill You
abyssinia estop dystrophy: a spam play theater script
Yes I Can't: A Self-Help Book using the pseudonym Dr. Sky Jacobs
March 13, 2014
This novel purports to be the memoir of an author named Bleu Mobley - a prolific author who has published over 100 books, but is currently in jail for contempt of court because he would not reveal the source of a book he wrote about a presidential scandal. The actual author of the book claims he received Bleu's memoirs and publishes the memoir along with a retrospective of all Bleu's books. And that is what A Life in Books is. It is very imaginative! Not only did the author have to come up with Bleu's story - a manic depressive mom, unknown father, etc, but the author then had to come up with over 100 book ideas along with cover art and, in a lot of cases, excerpts from these books. Essentially, the book is a memoir interspersed with various short stories. I am very impressed with the author because it must have been quite an undertaking to write this novel! It is interesting to read about Bleu's story and to see how his life inspired the ideas for the books that he wrote. From what I read about the author, Warren Lehrer, it sounds like he has done similar things that Bleu does - like making art along with writing books. The time frame of the book is from the 1970s to the present, and important events in history also play out in the book and in Bleu's writing. His writing seem to be a way for him - and then also for the reader - to try to understand what is happening in the world.
I won this copy from one of the Goodreads giveaways.
I won this copy from one of the Goodreads giveaways.
March 22, 2014
A Life In Books combines the felicity of genre fiction and the fun of a graphic novel. It blurs the line between the two and forms a new genre. It moves in and out of reality and fiction. The writing is rich in detail and profound in a way that at points you will feel this has happened to you, and you know these people -- be they the characters from Bleu Mobley’s life or from his books (the two intertwine throughout).
As a designer, it is a pleasure to turn the page and find something surprising, on every page! A Life In Books wraps you in a humor that is dark and real. It finds humor inside the darkest moments of your life and gives it a new perspective.
Bleu Mobley’s book covers (there are actually more than advertised 101) form a panorama of book design history and theory. I basked in every page, enjoying Lehrer’s riffs on so many different genres, from Dada to modernist to contemporary, yet it all comes together as one person’s signature/life’s work (Mobley is said to have designed all the covers of his books, as well as many of the interiors).
Whether you are a designer or an artist or writer or just a lover of beautifully written and put together books, this book bridges art and reality, is poignant and deep while teaching you not to take it all so seriously. A must read!
As a designer, it is a pleasure to turn the page and find something surprising, on every page! A Life In Books wraps you in a humor that is dark and real. It finds humor inside the darkest moments of your life and gives it a new perspective.
Bleu Mobley’s book covers (there are actually more than advertised 101) form a panorama of book design history and theory. I basked in every page, enjoying Lehrer’s riffs on so many different genres, from Dada to modernist to contemporary, yet it all comes together as one person’s signature/life’s work (Mobley is said to have designed all the covers of his books, as well as many of the interiors).
Whether you are a designer or an artist or writer or just a lover of beautifully written and put together books, this book bridges art and reality, is poignant and deep while teaching you not to take it all so seriously. A must read!
March 19, 2014
I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway and was happy to get the chance to read it. This is a fictional biography/graphic memoir written by the character Bleu Mobley. Bleu is currently in jail for refusing to reveal a source from his latest book and so decides to tell us his life story. This also involves biographies, cover designs and excerpts from all 101 the books he has written.
I think I really enjoyed the concept of this book more than the actual execution. While I can appreciate the work that went into writing all of these excerpts from dozens of fictional novels, I felt like they actually distracted from the central story and very early on quit reading them. I also wasn't sure how I felt about Bleu as a character. At points, he was likeable but for the most part I found him very neurotic and rather annoying.
Overall, I thought this book was interesting but I wouldn't say I liked it. I appreciated the idea but I just didn't care much for actual end product.
I think I really enjoyed the concept of this book more than the actual execution. While I can appreciate the work that went into writing all of these excerpts from dozens of fictional novels, I felt like they actually distracted from the central story and very early on quit reading them. I also wasn't sure how I felt about Bleu as a character. At points, he was likeable but for the most part I found him very neurotic and rather annoying.
Overall, I thought this book was interesting but I wouldn't say I liked it. I appreciated the idea but I just didn't care much for actual end product.
April 25, 2014
As someone who evangelizes for the continued importance of the printed book in an increasingly digital world, I was enchanted by Lehrer's brilliantly assembled visual novel. To call this a book about books is selling it short. Not only does Lehrer show us the covers and catalogue copy of his hero Bleu Mobley's prodigious and eclectic output, he weaves a great story about the changing place of books and authors in the world. On his own journey Mobley shows us a myriad ways in which an author, his world, and his books can interact and he allows us to glimpse that world not just through Mobley's own "prison confession" which serves as the primary story line but also through excerpts from many of Mobley's books. It's a book that truly need to be experienced "in the flesh" and it just may change the way you look at authors, books, and the world around you.
February 25, 2014
Warren Lehrer's "A Life in Books" is a totally unique book. The 101 books written (or co-written) by the narrator encompass a broad range of genres and artistic questions about what makes a "book"- something the "illuminated novel" itself exemplifies in a myriad of ways. In love with words, design and art, and the fusion of all, the book is full of surprises. Every book created by the character, and author, is illustrated by its book jacket and summary. Many of them are excerpted, but it's fun pondering what each one might contain and so leaves a lot to the reader's imagination. It's a compelling suspenseful story too.
If you get a chance to attend one of Warren Lehrer's book-related events, you'll enjoy a multimedia presentation that goes beyond the book and most author readings.
If you get a chance to attend one of Warren Lehrer's book-related events, you'll enjoy a multimedia presentation that goes beyond the book and most author readings.
March 4, 2015
In the past year, it seems like I've been disappointed with the execution of a lot of novels. They've had great premises but were dull in structure. They were great stories but would've benefited from a more visual treatment. I've found myself saying on many occasions, "This would be much better as a movie."
On the other hand, this is one of those novels that was meant for the book form. Very ambitious and innovative, it reads like a love letter to book writing AND bookmaking. I'm raging with jealousy that I didn't think to do something like this first. My only complaints are that there were some books that sounded fascinating but did not come with an excerpt, while other more boring ones did. Also, I felt the ending didn't make much of an impact after all that.
Grade: A
On the other hand, this is one of those novels that was meant for the book form. Very ambitious and innovative, it reads like a love letter to book writing AND bookmaking. I'm raging with jealousy that I didn't think to do something like this first. My only complaints are that there were some books that sounded fascinating but did not come with an excerpt, while other more boring ones did. Also, I felt the ending didn't make much of an impact after all that.
Grade: A
August 3, 2016
If you appreciate fictional storytelling, visual narratives, great design and multimedia, you have to have this book in your personal collection. This biographical wonder compiles 101 books created by fictional author Bleu Mobley, in such a compelling and experimental design way, that you get lost easily among what's real and what's not. You can find awesome videos and other goodness at the website that comes along with this great book (http://www.alifeinbooks.net/). I can't wait to be able to catch him in one of the book readings/performances. 100% recommended. I guess It's not necessary to add that I'm a long time fan of Lehrer's work...
September 26, 2014
The book started out as a four star book, but carried on way, way, too long. The fictional author Blue Mobley thought too highly of himself as a commentator for society and towards the end I started to feel a disconnect with the characters ideals. Interesting concept and I give Mr. Lehrer credit for coming up with the ideas and plot lines for so many books, but I fell this could have been better with a 100 or so pages taken out.
October 24, 2014
I feared that Lehrer's unusual construction of fictional author Bleu Mobley's autobiography interspersed with pictures, reviews and excerpts of his numerous books and other projects would become tiresome. It didn't, but Mobley's intense and neurotic personality did.
May 1, 2014
This is a beautiful book filled with color illustrations and interesting design elements. The story is entertaining, and the structure (based on a fictional review of a prolific author's lifetime output) is interesting. But this is more impressive for its design than its content.
Read
January 17, 2014Fiction L524 2013
Want to read
October 24, 2014I won this book as part of the Goodreads First-Read program.
March 22, 2014
I really enjoyed this it is unlike any other book I have ever read. it's really great fun and well worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews