why-to: a short and helpful guide

Have you ever wondered why to pet a cat? What about why to perform karaoke? Or why to break into a seemingly empty construction site on Valium? Why to have sex? Why to fall in love? Why to live? Why to die? Have you ever accidentally put an empty carton of juice back in the fridge even though it was empty and asked yourself “why does the universe permit such things to happen?” Have you ever gotten up in the morning only to ask yourself why you got up in the morning? 

 

My book, why-to: a short and helpful guide to motivate one’s pursuit of activities either a.) previously not pursued or b.) pursued so regularly that no one knows or remembers why they’re doing them in the first place, completely lacks the answers to these questions and more, but not for a lack of trying.

 

What begins as a simple handbook to provide readers with various motivations for pursuing or not pursuing a variety of activities slowly unravels to reveal a guide writer who is at a loss for why we do anything at all. In the process, we learn the underlying causes for this weltschmerz, including an emotionally abusive relationship, his work as a guide for medical tourists in Bolivia, and his stay at a mysterious mental health spa that may or may not have been run by former Nazis. 

 

The narrator would suggest that this book could thrive in any market almost anywhere in the world, given the universal appeal of the topics discussed, but it would more probably appeal to readers of literary fiction l, creative non-fiction and young, hip, progressive types. Poet Amy Gerstler described it as “Mr. Rogers meets Nietzsche” and, if I’m to believe her, found it to be “poignant and delightful”. Writer, translator and media critic Jon Wagner likened my live readings of the text at venues such as REDCAT theater and Concord Space in Los Angeles to the work of Spalding Gray. 

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This work is currently seeking literary representation and publication. If you are interested, please contact me at michael.molitchhou@gmail.com.