Author Event: Priyanka Mattoo's "How to Be Less Useful" with Jessica Grose

A delightful book about reclaiming pleasure in mid-life—a potent mix of self-help and memoir, from one of today’s wittiest, wisest voices.

When did our lives become entirely about efficiency and optimization? Priyanka Mattoo shares her journey toward being less useful, delivering life lessons without an ounce of preachiness or pressure. She looks at where pleasure begins and what it serves. Did you know karaoke can cure a stomachache? Or that Paddington Bear is a stealth lifestyle guru? Or that nobody actually asked you to do that labor-intensive thing you begrudgingly did? With self-deprecating humor, devastating insight, and bracing honesty, Priyanka shows us how to step out of the grind as a friend, as a partner, even as a parent, and welcome joy back into our lives without burning it all down.

Priyanka Mattoo is the author of the memoir Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones, as well as a filmmaker and former Hollywood talent agent. She is a contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and a columnist at Vulture.

Jessica Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times and the author of four books, including Screaming on The Inside and Sad Desk Salad.

[ABOUT THIS EVENT: The rear half of the store will be used exclusively for this event. The front bar will be open to the public for drinking & chatting. Book browsing will be limited to a few display tables and shelves closest to the front of the store.]