In today’s world of fast paced, non-stop Facebook updates and Twitter feeds we have become accustomed to the “one-liner.” We find humor in its simplicity more now than ever. It has become the standard to abbreviate and get right to the point, when discussing our daily lives and our feelings on everything from child rearing to politics. Auhor Sissy Silva, a Lower East Side resident (and native), has taken this phenomenon to the next level with her book, Random Ish and Other Nonsense: Things That Make You Shake Your Head, Curse Like a Sailor & Give the Finger.
Silva grew up in the Amalgamated Co-op on Grand Street with three sisters, her mother and step-father. She laments how growing up she “always wanted to live in the Vladeck Houses. There was always something going on over there.” As the second eldest of the brood she developed a good sense of humor towards life and the people around her. She went to the old PS 134, “when it was really PS 134,” she says. Now a mother of two boys, she lives in the Seward Park co-ops and uses her wit to get her through daily life.
When I asked how the Lower East Side has influenced her writing, Silva explained, “The diversity in the people helps to shape your personality. The L.E.S. is tough, we make tough people and we learn to roll with the punches. Not every neighborhood is like the L.E.S.”
Her friends encouraged her to write (and self-publish) a book after constant positive feedback on her Facebook updates and blog entries. (One of my favorites: “Men, it is not considered baby-sitting when they are your kids.”) On her blog she writes, “I woke up one day with an epiphany (could have been gas) and realized that I wanted to laugh more and cry less. I’d been allowing many life experiences to cause me distress, so I began using my sarcastic bitterness laced with humor (it’s charming. Really!) on my Facebook updates.” She admits her inspiration comes and goes, but she is always armed with pen and pad to jot down anything she feels is worthy of sharing with friends and family.
The book is a light and funny read for when you need a good laugh and want to relax. It is for sale on Amazon for $6.50 here. You can find our LES sister on Facebook here and on Twitter here.
Erin Egan-Rodriguez lives on the LES with her husband and three kids. She has many interests that include writing about local restaurants, arts, real estate and community affairs. She works as a real estate agent and is completing her Bachelors in Business. She can be reached at erintrodriguez@yahoo.com.
I read her book and loved every one-liner it had! Humor is really the best medicine.
I know this woman. I watched her experience some of those moments that makes her so special. Her book is a must read for all of us who walk these mean streets everyday. She makes you forget the struggles and see the love in her telling. She also makes you laugh.