Exceptional. Highly recommend watching it on HBO (if still available) as an addition to the experience of reading it.

Cool art book accompaniment to David Byrne's masterful Broadway concert series. Recommended for completists and super fans only.

This is an example -- a fine example, no less -- of two semi-disparate things coming together to create a new, fresh third thing. Byrne's words, sparse and poetic, sort of dance with Kalman's linework and color (what looks like gouache, maybe? Some kind of semi-opaque, seriously bright pigment, for sure.), and what comes out of it is a story that's not a story; an art-book that's not just art.

If you're looking for a drawn-out read, you won't find it here. Similarly, if you're looking for just an illustrated story, you also won't find it here.

What you *will* find is an experience. You can read it all in a few minutes, but I'd encourage you not to. Take some time with its pages. Find the connections, and the stories told abstractly.

You can lose yourself in it.

This book is a companion to the Broadway show and movie of the same name, and will likely be more enjoyable if you've seen one or both of those. I've seen one of the songs performed, so I have just enough of an idea to see where this book is going, which can honestly be difficult to figure out. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, though I can see not everyone will. It's a series of line illustrations by Kalman, which are pleasant and fun, colorful and fluid, and bits and pieces of text and bites of lyrics by Byrne, with a positive vibe flowing through the pages. I can't decide if this is deep and profound, or meaningless fluff, and there's a good chance it's both, whichever you might need at the time you read it. Definitely buy this if you're a fan of either Byrne, Kalman, or both of them; you'll dig this. Otherwise, flip through this first- it's not going to be a fit for everyone, but it will vibe with some people.

#AmericanUtopia #NetGalley

This might work as a companion piece if you've seen the Broadway show. But if you haven't, unless you're a Byrne or Kalman completist, it doesn't really work as a standalone. It feels a little unfinished, like a draft that went to production. But its vibes are positive, which means a lot.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

American Utopia was a hit musical on Broadway, which has been made into a Spike Lee film. This book aims to portray the essence of the show in drawings and quotes from its words and lyrics.

The colorful artwork shows people, some dancing, some just there, from all over the country, with the names of various towns given next to some of the pictures. The phrase 'I'm not alone and we're all the same and the world won't end it will just change its name' sums up the joyful approach to life that exists in the musical itself.

Beautiful piece of art. This is definitely for a limited audience but it is a stunning example of vibrant and creative words and illustrations.

Disclosure: I'm a big fan of Byrne and Kalman and I was fortunate to see American Utopia as a concert tour almost two years ago. This book brought me back to the show. Is this book for everyone? no. It is simple, effective and thought provoking. Like any piece of art, you should spend time with this book. Appreciate the art.

Former Talking Heads frontman and visionary artist David Byrne weaves together experimental magic with bestselling author, illustrator, and artist Maira Kalman in the unique and inspired "American Utopia," a celebratory collaboration of words and art slated for a September 8, 2020 release from Bloomsbury Publishing.

"American Utopia" embraces the truth of human connection in a richly human way drawing its text from Byrne's hit Broadway show of the same name that is currently scheduled to return to Broadway on September 18th with a Spike Lee documentary also in the works. Kalman's four-color artwork was originally created for the Broadway show's curtain, but here is present in the form of over 150 of Kalman's works.

I'm sitting here in my home on an early June Saturday evening. The eighth day of downtown protests is going on a few miles from my home and at times one can't help but wonder if we'll ever truly get along with one another and build a system that is fair, equitable, safe, and embracing of all.

In a sense, "American Utopia" answers that challenging question with a resounding "Yes!" Kalman's imagery captures a portrait of daily life and the human experience that is both intimate and universal. Byrne's language, simple yet precise, is hope-filled in an honest and meaningful way. "American Utopia" is a call toward connection, a call toward kindness, a call toward the community of our greatest imaginations. It's a reminder that we can create the world that we wish to live in and we simply must do so whether that be as artists or musicians or writers or dancers or however it is to manifest in our lives.

We can do it. And we must.

"American Utopia" is a relatively quick read, though it's a book that will be revisited again and again for those who embrace it. It's a dose of optimism in a cynical world, a beautifully designed immersive experience that will linger in your heart and mind long the book has left your hands.

A wonderful collaboration two very talented authors words drawings.A book that put a smile on my face Inwill be gifting and recommending this book.#netgalley#bloomsbury