About 4 months ago, after a long email exchange with a friend in publishing about books I’d read and authors I’d interviewed, my phone rang. When I answered he said, with no preamble, “I think you should read How to Be Less Useful.” I wasn’t sure if he meant to imply that my schedule was out of control or if he was just recommending a good book. Probably both.
In this collection of essays, Priyanka Mattoo shares her journey of adapting her controlling personality to embrace happiness and being more present for her family and friends.
And to my friend, thanks for the book—and the life—recommendation. I’m trying.
How to Be Less Useful: The Joy of Inefficiency by Priyanka Mattoo was published by Knopf.
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Books mentioned by Angela Schwesnedl, owner of Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
- No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention by Mahmoud Khalil
- Sleaze by Francesca Reece (comes out in May 2027)
- We Radiant Things: Notes on Being Alien and Becoming a Cyborg by Franny Choi
- Via Negativa by Daniel Hornsby
- All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business By Mel Brooks
- Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen
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Editors: Lu Anne Stephens & Haley Crowson
Producer: Haley Crowson
Assistant Producer: Madi Moore
Theme Music: Torin Andersen
Host: Beth Golay
