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Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Second "Tiny Stories" Book Is Hugely Entertaining

Laura Santana |
November 12, 2012 | 10:59 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

 

If books do indeed feed our souls, then “The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 2” feeds readers a lovely smorgasbord sure to satisfy many tastes. 

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Volume 2 (Amazon)
The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Volume 2 (Amazon)

“Tiny Stories” is made up of contributions from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s collaborative production site hitRECord. HitRECord invites artists from all mediums to contribute their work online and collaborate with others on their artwork. 

The result is this book – a whimsical ride through the creative minds of 62 contributors out of the 14,946 entries made so far to HitRECord’s Tiny Stories collaboration.

All of these stories are indeed tiny, with the diverse illustrations filling in the gaps of the limited word count. 

Levitt and fellow hitRECorder wirrow compiled these stories to create a literally tiny book that is totally entertaining without needing a plot, recurring characters, or a story arc. All of the typical elements of an effective novel are nonexistent in “Tiny Stories,” so it’s surprising that it all works so well together.

Volume 2’s “Tiny Stories” are at times cohesive and at times disjointed. 

When the stories start to weave together like an introspective narrative (one story simply muses, “I’m tired of being tired of being tired of being”), all of a sudden we’re introduced to an old woman named Greta who enjoys throwing water balloons at people from her apartment window. But Greta doesn’t stay around for long. 

An illustration from one of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's favorite stories in "Tiny Stories" (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
An illustration from one of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's favorite stories in "Tiny Stories" (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

There are a few fantastic thoughts that make readers stop and think (“I just need some time away to remember why I stay”), along with fantastical stories about beasts, angels, and people living in trees. 

You’ll want to keep reading just to see what huge idea is behind the next tiny story.

The style of the illustrations is as diverse as the stories themselves; some of them are purely simple and some are intricately drawn. Before you turn the page, you’ll find yourself studying them as its accompanying tiny story resonates in your head. 

Levitt deserves kudos for the entire hitRECord project. It’s refreshing to see an actor give artists a chance to showcase and collaborate on work on such a grand scale like this book. Levitt even shows hitRECord films at the Sundance Film Festival.

The only thing that could improve “Tiny Stories” is if it wasn’t so tiny. 

But maybe the simplicity is what really makes it great. 

Maybe all you need to hear is that an old woman who enjoys throwing water balloons out of her apartment window actually exists. Then you make up the rest of the story on your own…and it can be as tiny or grandiose as you want it to be. 

Reach Staff Reporter Laura Santana here. Follow her on Twitter.


 

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