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Look Alive Out There: Essays Paperback – April 2, 2019

by Sloane Crosley (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 765 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction
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Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2018 by Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Buzzfeed, Elle, Cosmopolitan, The Millions, InStyle, Bustle, BookRiot, and Southern Living

Sloane Crosley returns to the form that made her a household name in really quite a lot of households: Essays!

From the New York Times–bestselling author Sloane Crosley comes Look Alive Out There―a brand-new collection of essays filled with her trademark hilarity, wit, and charm. The characteristic heart and punch-packing observations are back, but with a newfound coat of maturity. A thin coat. More of a blazer, really.

Fans of I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number know Sloane Crosley’s life as a series of relatable but madcap misadventures. In Look Alive Out There, whether it’s scaling active volcanoes, crashing shivas, playing herself on Gossip Girl, befriending swingers, or staring down the barrel of the fertility gun, Crosley continues to rise to the occasion with unmatchable nerve and electric one-liners. And as her subjects become more serious, her essays deliver not just laughs but lasting emotional heft and insight. Crosley has taken up the gauntlets thrown by her predecessors―Dorothy Parker, Nora Ephron, David Sedaris―and crafted something rare, affecting, and true.

Look Alive Out There arrives on the tenth anniversary of I Was Told There’d be Cake, and Crosley’s essays have managed to grow simultaneously more sophisticated and even funnier. And yet she’s still very much herself, and it’s great to have her back―and not a moment too soon (or late, for that matter).

Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Picador
  4. Publication date
    April 2, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5.4 x 0.95 x 8.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250310415
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250310415
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2018
A New York Public Library Best Nonfiction Book of 2018
An Esquire Best Book of 2018
A Real Simple Best Book of 2018
A Refinery29 Best Book of 2018
A Vulture Top Ten Best Comedy Book of 2018
A BookRiot Best Comedy Book of 2018
Semifinalist for Goodreads Best Humor Book Award

"Whether she’s spying on a neighbor’s kid, crashing a shiva, or freezing her eggs, Crosley toggles effortlessly between hilarity and heartbreak." ―Glamour

"Crosley wields her wit and commands all of your attention in her third collection of insightful and hilarious personal essays." ―Esquire

“Crosley’s best essays combine her sparkling verbal facility with a willingness to expose and explore more personal issues...She has that rare ability to treat scrapes with sardonic humor and inject serious subjects with levity and hijinks with real feeling ― a sort of unlicensed nurse to our souls." ―NPR

"Crosley’s third and brand-new essay collection Look Alive Out There surfaces the author’s trademark propensity for fish-out-of-water knee-slappers and their concurrent interrogations of belonging." ―Hazlitt

“[Crosley] offers us a must-read once more.” ―Timeout

"By the standards of posterity, personal essays may be the genre with the highest bar...Her third time out, after a break to write the warm and witty novel The Clasp, Crosley seems poised to make the leap...Crosley reemerges a wiser―but still often hilarious―observer of city life and human nature.” ―Vulture

"The brilliant and ever-relatable Sloane Crosley... is back in this new book of hilarious and heartfelt essays... Full of humor and insight, Look Alive Out There is a must-read collection from one of the true modern masters of the form." ―Bustle

"For those familiar with her work, this latest collection demonstrates the same keen appreciation of the absurd; it’s a welcome reminder that comedy can found in unlikely places (life lessons, too)." ―Omnivoracious

"The essays [in Look Alive Out There] are notable not just for their ability to scrutinize a very micro or abstract aspect of life, but for being genuinely funny―not clever, not cute, not playful, funny. This combination of literariness and comedy makes Crosley one of the few living essayists to be designated as a humor writer." ―Splitsider

"Are you biding your time, waiting for the next David Sedaris book to be released? No need. Sloane Crosley's latest collection of essays possesses the same sardonic wit and keen appreciation of the absurd; it's as good a time as any to be reminded that everyday life is full of great comedy." ―Business Insider

"[S]o what if you don’t read Crosley’s essays for universal human truths? Read them because, when life is like a long drive on I-80 west of Omaha, you want a clever, funny friend along for the ride." ―Star Tribune

"Look Alive Out There is a delightful collection of hilarious essays that manage, in some cases, to point to relatable life lessons. It's equally smart, creative and hilarious.” ―Associated Press

"If you love Sloane Crosley, you’ll devour her new book of essays. And if you haven’t read her before, well, allow us to introduce you to your new favorite writer. Look Alive Out There comes on the 10th anniversary of I Was Told There’d Be Cake and is proof that Crosley is wittier and more relatable than ever.” ―Hello Giggles

"Whether she’s guest starring on Gossip Girl, battling loud teenaged neighbors or trespassing with newfound hippie friends in Northern California, Crosley knows how to tell a story with humor and a healthy dose of humanity." ―Madewell Musings

"[Crosley]... derives thought-provoking prose and social commentary from each essay while never failing to provide her signature charm and insight. She effortlessly manages to balance both the poignant and the funny, and consistently delivers one-liners that will make you laugh out loud and think critically long after reading." ―BookReporter.com

"A marvel . . . The latest collection from the Manhattan-based essayist suggests she can write engagingly about nearly anything . . . All [the essays] work on multiple levels and all are sharply written, as Crosley continues to extend her impressive range.”―Kirkus (starred review)

"[Crosley] continues her tradition of hilarious insight into the human condition . . . [she] is exceedingly clever and has a witticism for all occasions, but it is her willingness to confront some of life's darker corners with honesty and vulnerability that elevates the collection." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Crosley’s writing crackles with wit and humanity. Look Alive Out There reaffirms her place as one of the most generous essayists writing today.” ―BookPage

“Laugh-out-loud funny seems too trite a phrase for a writer whose takes are so addictively original and unexpected, but it’s also true: dear readers, you will laugh. Whether 2 or 20 pages in length, Crosley’s essays are complete and stop-you-in-your-tracks clever.” ―Booklist (starred review)

“Sloane Crosley does the impossible. She stays consistently funny and delivers a book that is alive and jumping.” ―Steve Martin

About the Author

Sloane Crosley is the author of the novels Cult Classic and The Clasp and three essay collections: Look Alive Out There and the New York Times-bestsellers I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; Reprint edition (April 2, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250310415
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250310415
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.95 x 8.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 765 ratings

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Sloane Crosley

Sloane Crosley

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SLOANE CROSLEY is the author of the New York Times bestselling essay collections "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" and "How Did You Get This Number" as well as "Look Alive Out There." Her debut novel, "The Clasp," was a national bestseller. Her new novel, "Cult Classic," is out June 7, 2022. A two-time finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, she lives in New York City.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
765 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

carilynp
5.0 out of 5 stars So fresh, so smart, so funny!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
Prepare to laugh like you are being tickled by a crew of professionals when you read Sloane Crosley’s (yes, that same Sloane who is a Vanity Fair columnist) book of essays LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE. I knew she was witty and a talented writer from the moment I read her first book I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE CAKE, but this is her pièce de résistance. I mean sidesplitting. Why was she never invited to make a cameo on GIRLS, Lena? There is one essay about the time she was tortured by her across the alley spoiled teen neighbor Jared who kept her up day and night and the visual that I have of him, thanks to her insanely tortured description of his activities is the stuff, well, the stuff that you cannot make up. Run right out to your nearest bookstore Buy this book or download as fast as you can, because these essays are gems. Then, thank your lucky stars Jared does not live across the alley from you.
9 people found this helpful
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Quilter55
4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and talented writer
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2018
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This collection of essays was both entertaining and thought provoking. I enjoy Ms. Crosley’s writing style very much. Some laugh out loud writing here. She is a keen observer of human behavior and particularly enjoyed her insight and observations on modern female issues.
5 people found this helpful
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Beyond the Cover
5.0 out of 5 stars Spoke to me!
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019
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I laughed out loud. Crosley speaks to (and from) my soul with her audacity and humor. An unabashed New Yorker, she had me from the start with her opening essay, Wheels Up, about hailing a cab to get to the airport. Without revealing too much, she’s trying to be a nice person, yet is vilified in the end. It has happened to all of us, and it’s an example of how Crosley takes the banal and turns it into an entertaining and witty narrative.

Crosley often uses the unique quirkiness of New York as her subject’s backdrop, and she’s fortunate to have interesting family and travels to add to the mix. She shares stories of her mountain climbing adventure in Ecuador, connected with a pretty shady guide; her porn star uncle on the west coast; and her cocky, teenage neighbor with whom she has ever simmering scuffle. There are uncomfortable and comical misunderstanding with neighbors and the “wolf” that snatched her URL while she wasn’t paying attention.

Life is tough. Look Alive Out There makes is a lot more interesting. I’m looking forward to more from Sloane Crosley.
6 people found this helpful
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Patricia Collins
3.0 out of 5 stars Self-deprecating Humor Applied to Ordinary Situations
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2018
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Sloan Crosley writes a collection of essays that deal with her reactions-- thoughts, feelings, and actions-- to situations in her life. These are not profound situations but the situations we find simply by living in this world. For that reason only, I have not been thrilled with this collection of essays. Of necessity, the kind of reflection that comes with common situations is likely not to be all that deep. On the other hand, Crosley seems to recognize this and adds self-deprecating humor that says, "I know this is not a profound experience that I've had. My out-sized reactions echo how we can get overly caught up in the prosaic and ignore the profound."
2 people found this helpful
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Tamerra
5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2018
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I’d been reading a lot of emotionally heavy books lately and needed some levity. Multiple friends suggested this, and I *loved* it. It’s funny (I laughed out loud throughout the book), insightful, reflective, relatable. Sloan writes things that so many of us think, in ways we wish we could articulate. Definitely going to read her other books now.
One person found this helpful
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Rhonda
4.0 out of 5 stars Laughed So Much!
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2019
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I really didn't care for the first two essays and was getting concerned that I had made a mistake in purchasing. But then it got so much better and so much funnier!
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Harmon Block
5.0 out of 5 stars she would have written like a 19th century Sloane Crosley
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2018
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If Emily Dickinson had run away from home to live in nyc and grown a sorely needed sense of cute, she would have written like a 19th century Sloane Crosley. If you're looking to revive some of those early brain synapses that get deactivated between six and 18 months of age, read this intelligent book. It was a revelation to me to read the many negative reviews of her first book of essays (which is just as good as this one). When I was a kid, I never said it out loud but I often thought to myself, Duh, I don't get it. So, I grew up thinking there was basically just one way of not getting it. But all these one and two star reviews show that there are quite a few ways.
22 people found this helpful
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JES
4.0 out of 5 stars Quick easy funny read
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018
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Terrific short stories both touching and funny. Loved it!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lin
5.0 out of 5 stars Can not wait to another of Sloane's books!
Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2018
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This is the first book I have read by Sloane Crosley and it will certainly not be the last. Enjoyed her wit, humor and no-non-sense approach toward life. A great read.
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nandini
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for readers leading the fastest paced corporate life
Reviewed in India on March 31, 2019
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I recommend this book for reader's on the go, who are looking for well written prose that's are not too heavy in tonality.
2 people found this helpful
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Glen T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Genau was wir bestellt haben
Reviewed in Germany on December 23, 2018
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Ja, ein Buch ist ein Buch. Das was wir bestellt haben ist pünktlich angekommen.
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theatremonkey
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Ms Sloane.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
For Crosley fans, it's been a long wait, but this new collection is worth it.

Far more evenly written than "How Did You Get This Number," the writer has reached a new age of maturity, and this collection is considerably more thoughtful and reflective, while retaining the hilarious quirkiness that first brought her to our attention.

Her revenge on the neighbourhood noisy kids is original and inventive, her ruthless pursuit of an internet bandit to London satisfying, and her Julie Andrews impression requires considerable work. This last I'd already bought in E-book form, but the text has been revised and is clearer in the book.

There's more than a hint of mortality too. Touching tales of those in her apartment block, and renewed searching for her own values are very much the weft behind her usual warp. The final story in particular, where the author takes steps to ensure her own possible continuity is moving - though even here she manages to wring maximum laughs as well as reach a joyfully playful conclusion.

Her life appears to be reaching a new and happier plateau, both personally and professionally, and with luck we will get to hear about it. Who doesn't want to know what this off-the-wall New Yorker will make of marriage and motherhood? Let's hope any future collection might just cover both. Until next time, though, you'll be re-reading this one for sure.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Alive already!
Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2018
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Witty and wise, Crosley is The New Yorker we all wish we were. Even those of us who actually live in Toronto.
2 people found this helpful
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