Tepper Isn't Going Out...

It my quest for a few good books, or at least, a few decent books, I stumbled across this one. It's clean, amusing, and well written. This is the story of one man's quest for and enjoyment of the perfect parking space in New York. It's a gently witty book that will appeal to anyone who has ever lived in a large city and dealt with the headaches of parking.


The book's hero, Murray Tepper, is middle-aged, old fashioned ad man. By day, he matches lists with products, trying to find lists of people who bought one thing, like a lettuce dryer, who will also want to buy something else his clients are selling, say, a retractable ironing board. On nights and weekends, Tepper enjoys the quiet thrill of finding the perfect parking space. Once he finds that space, he calmly puts a quarter in the meter, and he sits there, reading the paper and enjoying the thrill of victory. His perfectly legal, but slightly peculiar, pastime turns him into an object of wrath for the machiavellian Mayor of New York, but he becomes a folk hero for the common New Yorker.


I'm sure I'm not doing this book justice with my description. The plot is simple and uncomplicated. The real beauty of the book is in the witty details, descriptions, and minor subplots. I plan to look for other books by this author at the local library in the future. If this sounds like it's up your alley, hunt up a good spot at the local library and indulge yourself in a simple pleasure. =)