Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told?: Essays
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- Author：Jenny Diski
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE
The best of the indomitable Jenny Diski's essays， "an injection of grade-A intellectual adrenaline" （Vulture）， selected by the legendary editor Mary-Kay Wilmers。
"Diski expanded notions about what nonfiction， as an art form， could do and could be。" --New Yorker
Jenny Diski was a fearless writer， for whom no subject was too difficult， even her own cancer diagnosis。 Her columns in the London Review of Books--selected here by her editor and friend Mary-Kay Wilmers， on subjects as various as death， motherhood， sexual politics and the joys of solitude--have been described as "virtuoso performances，" and "small masterpieces。"
From Highgate Cemetery to the interior of a psychiatric hospital， from Tottenham Court Road to the icebergs of Antarctica， Why Didn't You Just Do What You Were Told？ is an interrogation of universal experience from a very particular psyche: original， opinionated--and mordantly funny。 With an afterword by her daughter， Chloe Diski， this is a must-have for essay lovers everywhere。
The best of the indomitable Jenny Diski's essays， "an injection of grade-A intellectual adrenaline" （Vulture）， selected by the legendary editor Mary-Kay Wilmers。
"Diski expanded notions about what nonfiction， as an art form， could do and could be。" --New Yorker
Jenny Diski was a fearless writer， for whom no subject was too difficult， even her own cancer diagnosis。 Her columns in the London Review of Books--selected here by her editor and friend Mary-Kay Wilmers， on subjects as various as death， motherhood， sexual politics and the joys of solitude--have been described as "virtuoso performances，" and "small masterpieces。"
From Highgate Cemetery to the interior of a psychiatric hospital， from Tottenham Court Road to the icebergs of Antarctica， Why Didn't You Just Do What You Were Told？ is an interrogation of universal experience from a very particular psyche: original， opinionated--and mordantly funny。 With an afterword by her daughter， Chloe Diski， this is a must-have for essay lovers everywhere。
Reviews
Denise Goodkey
，
This collections of essays probably deserved more than three stars when it was published。 However， some of the articles are a bit dated。 Many are about various celebrities， some of whom almost nobody would care about any more; although I admit I was amused by the one about Dennis Thatcher。 Diski obviously did great research and brings new insights to many of the people she writes about。 Other essays， those not about personalities， stand up better over time。
Kaya
，
DNF ~30%I’ve always wanted to try the KonMarie decluttering method。 Marie Kondo claims by expanding the question， “Does this spark joy？” to your mindset and actions， you'll discover what your ideal life looks like。 I rarely have things to declutter because I move so often。 Or maybe I declutter on autopilot。 My book collection became unmanageable last year so I finally decided to buy a Kindle to help curb the growing stacks。 I make an exception for NYRB classics （those covers spark tremendous joy DNF ~30%I’ve always wanted to try the KonMarie decluttering method。 Marie Kondo claims by expanding the question， “Does this spark joy？” to your mindset and actions， you'll discover what your ideal life looks like。 I rarely have things to declutter because I move so often。 Or maybe I declutter on autopilot。 My book collection became unmanageable last year so I finally decided to buy a Kindle to help curb the growing stacks。 I make an exception for NYRB classics （those covers spark tremendous joy） and Persephone Books （my most exciting discovery of 2022）。 I overlooked a crucial point in Marie Kondo’s practice; ACTIONS。 It’s not just about things！ The action of picking this book up every night does not spark joy！ I can’t even get the title straight after all this time！ I have no idea what she’s talking about in half her essays because it’s way too British for me。 I wish I were an intellectual heavyweight but not at the expense of my enJOYment！ Sweet relief！ 。。。more
Glen Helfand
，
Jenny Diski's voice has a wonderful no-nonsense heartiness， and a penchant for outsider subjects， those relegated to secondary positions。 She embraces the morbid in many of the essays in this collection of her writing from the London Review of Books。 They're not book reviews， rather she used whatever title as a catalyst to what those brought up in herself。 Reading them you can sometimes forget there was ever a book involved at all。 One essay， actually， regarding a cruise to an ice cap， is memoir Jenny Diski's voice has a wonderful no-nonsense heartiness， and a penchant for outsider subjects， those relegated to secondary positions。 She embraces the morbid in many of the essays in this collection of her writing from the London Review of Books。 They're not book reviews， rather she used whatever title as a catalyst to what those brought up in herself。 Reading them you can sometimes forget there was ever a book involved at all。 One essay， actually， regarding a cruise to an ice cap， is memoir writing。 It concerns her seriously troubling childhood （bad parenting， mental illness）。 Elsewhere she writes about poisoners， graves， wives of famous men， the history of office space， Keith Richards， Princess Diana， Richard Branson。 As those latter subjects suggest， there is a British emphasis， and your level of anglophilia will determine an aspect of your engagement。 It is undoubtedly a welcome collection， and one that， taken slowly， steeps you in a world view。 。。。more
Deea
，
Jenny Diski was Doris Lessing's protégé。 This fact alone piqued my interest as Doris Lessing has been a favorite of mine for years。Diski's essays on various themes， such as the unfathomable depths of sleep， the arsenic craze in the UK （which inspired some of Agatha Christie's books and many other crime novels）， death and dying， Anne Frank's diary， Stanley Milgram's experiments and the interpretation of their results or the implications of overcoming arachnophobia （to mention just a few） are real Jenny Diski was Doris Lessing's protégé。 This fact alone piqued my interest as Doris Lessing has been a favorite of mine for years。Diski's essays on various themes， such as the unfathomable depths of sleep， the arsenic craze in the UK （which inspired some of Agatha Christie's books and many other crime novels）， death and dying， Anne Frank's diary， Stanley Milgram's experiments and the interpretation of their results or the implications of overcoming arachnophobia （to mention just a few） are really original， amusingly clever and deeply personal。 。。。more
Josephine Ensign
，
I've stumbled into Diski's writing and love her quirky and powerful voice and I wish she were around still to keep writing （and living， of course）。 I've stumbled into Diski's writing and love her quirky and powerful voice and I wish she were around still to keep writing （and living， of course）。 。。。more
Bronwen Griffiths
，
This collection of essays was written by Diski for the London Review of Books and published after her death。 Diski ranges over a wide range of subjects from Princess Diana， to Rupert Murdoch， to ice and fashion。 Some essays are less interesting than others， perhaps because the people Diski wrote about are no longer current。 However Diski is always entertaining， and often slightly sardonic and there is something in here for everyone。
Joana
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This is the first book by Jenny Diski I've read， as I hadn't heard of her before。 I underlined so much of this， even though many of the essays are book reviews or commentaries about people I'm not even aware of。 The subjects are varied: from serial killers to the evolution of offices to Piers Morgan not being her favourite person， to the roles of the wives of famous writers。 As her daughter pointed out in the last chapter， all those essays are about Jenny， deep down。 There were some particularly This is the first book by Jenny Diski I've read， as I hadn't heard of her before。 I underlined so much of this， even though many of the essays are book reviews or commentaries about people I'm not even aware of。 The subjects are varied: from serial killers to the evolution of offices to Piers Morgan not being her favourite person， to the roles of the wives of famous writers。 As her daughter pointed out in the last chapter， all those essays are about Jenny， deep down。 There were some particularly good bits about mental health or the lack of it and some very interesting passages about her growing up。 。。。more
Rick
，
A really excellent collection of essays
Susan Messer
，
Jenny Diski was such an original thinker。 I'd been wanting and meaning to read something of hers for decades。 I usually go for novels， but when I saw that this collection of essays had been published， I decided to go for it。 I'll get to her novels at some point。 Jenny Diski was such an original thinker。 I'd been wanting and meaning to read something of hers for decades。 I usually go for novels， but when I saw that this collection of essays had been published， I decided to go for it。 I'll get to her novels at some point。 。。。more
Adam Dalva
，
How fabulous was this book？ Not that we should be surprised， of course， Diski is a brilliant and hilarious writer， but this had the rare additional pleasure of a collected essay collection that is MORE than the sum of its parts， coming together to reveal a thru-line of tight perspective thinking that I was moved by。 From the early essays from the 90s on Roald Dahl and Jeffrey Dahmer， to the close when she movingly discusses her cancer diagnosis and questions of aging， we fall in love with Diski。 How fabulous was this book？ Not that we should be surprised， of course， Diski is a brilliant and hilarious writer， but this had the rare additional pleasure of a collected essay collection that is MORE than the sum of its parts， coming together to reveal a thru-line of tight perspective thinking that I was moved by。 From the early essays from the 90s on Roald Dahl and Jeffrey Dahmer， to the close when she movingly discusses her cancer diagnosis and questions of aging， we fall in love with Diski。 The audiobook version of it is really good， by the way， and the essays are bite-sized enough to be pleasurable companions on a subway ride， a walk， a drive。 。。。more
Banuta
，
This is a posthumous collection of Jenny Diski's articles in the London Review Books and there's a lot to like here -her marvellous turns of phrase in particular。 It's an uneven collection， and so I speaked quite a few essays。 There is one essay， though， which stopped me in my tracks; exemplary work of what's called creative non-fiction， and that's the collision of the story of her extremely dysfunctional parents cross-cut with the story of going to Antarctica。 "A Feeling for Ice"， it's called。 This is a posthumous collection of Jenny Diski's articles in the London Review Books and there's a lot to like here -her marvellous turns of phrase in particular。 It's an uneven collection， and so I speaked quite a few essays。 There is one essay， though， which stopped me in my tracks; exemplary work of what's called creative non-fiction， and that's the collision of the story of her extremely dysfunctional parents cross-cut with the story of going to Antarctica。 "A Feeling for Ice"， it's called。 I guess this essay later turned into a book。 There's also a poignant， beautiful epilogue written by Chloe Diski at the end of the book。 。。。more
Jill Schroeder
，
I loved these stories， her writing is so thoughtful and， as the introduction and afterword say， it's uniquely about her and her response to books and life。 Who can resist reading "Did Jesus Walk On Water Because He Couldn't Swim？" Two princesses don't come off well and Piers Morgan is trashed， though he needs no real help。 Third book of hers I've read this year and eager for more。 I loved these stories， her writing is so thoughtful and， as the introduction and afterword say， it's uniquely about her and her response to books and life。 Who can resist reading "Did Jesus Walk On Water Because He Couldn't Swim？" Two princesses don't come off well and Piers Morgan is trashed， though he needs no real help。 Third book of hers I've read this year and eager for more。 。。。more
Thejoker4184
，
Smart， esoteric collection。 Loved spending time with the author’s voice。 Topics didn’t matter， most had no appeal to me but still enjoyed her take “For some time now， it’s been clear to me that consciousness of death is a kindness bestowed on us by the great intelligence， so that even if all else succeeded we would always have something to worry about”“Tonys gravestone read ‘I had a lovers quarrel with the world 1947-1987’“After the holocaust man’s capacity for cruelty no longer seemed to be som Smart， esoteric collection。 Loved spending time with the author’s voice。 Topics didn’t matter， most had no appeal to me but still enjoyed her take “For some time now， it’s been clear to me that consciousness of death is a kindness bestowed on us by the great intelligence， so that even if all else succeeded we would always have something to worry about”“Tonys gravestone read ‘I had a lovers quarrel with the world 1947-1987’“After the holocaust man’s capacity for cruelty no longer seemed to be something to do with its lack of lavatory facilities or comprehensive schools， but was what our own parents were capable of doing “ 。。。more
Jackie
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I thought it would only a day to read this book。 It took months。 I just really did not like it。 I couldn't get into it。 It has many disturbing parts， and only a few things I found mildly interesting。 I guess it just wasn't for me。Book Reading Challenge 2021 - Adult Nonfiction 800s I thought it would only a day to read this book。 It took months。 I just really did not like it。 I couldn't get into it。 It has many disturbing parts， and only a few things I found mildly interesting。 I guess it just wasn't for me。Book Reading Challenge 2021 - Adult Nonfiction 800s 。。。more
Susan Sanford Blades
，
I LOVED this book！！ I give it five stars not because I loved all the content -- there were definitely bits in the middle I felt anyone who lives outside the UK won't understand enough to enjoy -- but because it is an absolute pleasure to read Jenny Diski。 Reading her words makes me excited to attempt to write down my own。 This book drew me in from the beginning and had me crying at the end。 I LOVED this book！！ I give it five stars not because I loved all the content -- there were definitely bits in the middle I felt anyone who lives outside the UK won't understand enough to enjoy -- but because it is an absolute pleasure to read Jenny Diski。 Reading her words makes me excited to attempt to write down my own。 This book drew me in from the beginning and had me crying at the end。 。。。more
David Cuen
，
I listened to this collection of essays in the Audible audiobook and found most of the content fascinating。 Loved the depth and wittiness of her writing and the ability to touch in a personal level， so many heavy topics。 Ah and I really， really disliked the voice and entonation of the narrator。 Think the written version could have been better。 My bad。
Lisa Konet
，
Some of these essays were funny but there were too many British references/topics that were hard to follow。 Not what I expected and glad this was a library book。Not recommended as a read of collection of stories。
Shelley Diamond
，
This collection of essays covers a wide range of topics。 I was bored by about half of the subjects that I didn't care about， but enjoyed the ones with subjects I find fascinating。 So if you're selective in your pleasures， you will likely find at least a few essays in here to appreciate。 The ones I liked were: Moving DayGood HousekeepingHe Could Afford It The Natural Death CentreA Feeling for IceThe Girl in the AtticDon't Think about ItIt Wasn't Him， It was HerXXXMy Word， Miss PerkinsThe Housekee This collection of essays covers a wide range of topics。 I was bored by about half of the subjects that I didn't care about， but enjoyed the ones with subjects I find fascinating。 So if you're selective in your pleasures， you will likely find at least a few essays in here to appreciate。 The ones I liked were: Moving DayGood HousekeepingHe Could Afford It The Natural Death CentreA Feeling for IceThe Girl in the AtticDon't Think about ItIt Wasn't Him， It was HerXXXMy Word， Miss PerkinsThe Housekeeper of a World-Shattering TheoryThe Friendly Spider ProgramStaying AwakeToxic LozengesI Haven't Been Nearly Mad EnoughHowever I SmellPost-its， Push Pins， PencilsA Diagnosis The Afterword 。。。more
Hannah Wood
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Love Jenny Diski。 And this collection of warm yet acerbic articles was exactly what I needed to get my reading groove back。
Christopher Taylor
，
Jenny Diski brings an unfettered mind to these essays which range from book reviews to personal essays to unclassifiable reflections on whatever。 Diski often uses her own life as a touchstone as she plays with her readers’ imaginations and conceptions – pre， post， inchoate and congealing – much to the benefit of the pleasure centres in those reading minds。 Her unique perspective， sharp wit and easy prose style provide a wild and glittering ride for anyone with a healthy curiosity and most of the Jenny Diski brings an unfettered mind to these essays which range from book reviews to personal essays to unclassifiable reflections on whatever。 Diski often uses her own life as a touchstone as she plays with her readers’ imaginations and conceptions – pre， post， inchoate and congealing – much to the benefit of the pleasure centres in those reading minds。 Her unique perspective， sharp wit and easy prose style provide a wild and glittering ride for anyone with a healthy curiosity and most of their frontal lobe intact。 That said， it is important to note that these essays are not for the queasy。 The topics are often out there – cannibalism， child abuse， asylums， arachnophobia – and Diski seems right at home with all of them。 It would be nice to have a fact-checked version of Diski’s work since she appears to have had an early life even wilder than that child-tramp later known as Maxim Gorky。 There is an odd resonance there: Diski and Gorky both love to look at extreme characters and subtly use themselves as a benchmark of extremity。 There is no boasting or condescension; simply， oh， yes， that type of thing happens， I remember when …。 Not that there is any reason to doubt what Diski is saying。 Rather， both Diski and Gorky stand as examples of human resilience: the ability to strive， survive and thrive despite extraordinary pressures。 It is reasonable to accept the facts as stated and enjoy the language as it flows forward no matter how exotic the domain。Which brings us back to the topics covered by this collection。 All of these essays appeared in the London Review of Books: thirty-three out of a total of more than two hundred written by Diski for the LRB over the course of more than twenty years。 The content reflects the time period （mid 1990s onward） but with that special Diski touch: drawing out the oddities and absurdities， highlighting the resonances with earlier periods in her life， puncturing any pomposity or claim to deep dark seriousness。 No matter how strange or extreme， it is all life。 Diski knew that。 And she told us what she knew。 。。。more
Barbara Phillips-Farley
，
Honest and mordantly funny。
Souriisreading
，
Jenny Diski is- was though because she sadly has passed away-a magician with words。She uses words as they are merely insufficient means that she bends to her will and as if words exist only to be used by her。 This is her universe and she makes the rules as she goes。 And she does this with an ease that is unimaginable for us mere mortals。 This collection of essays are so informative and at the same time entertaining and fluent that the whole book feels like a cosy afternoon chatting with your sup Jenny Diski is- was though because she sadly has passed away-a magician with words。She uses words as they are merely insufficient means that she bends to her will and as if words exist only to be used by her。 This is her universe and she makes the rules as she goes。 And she does this with an ease that is unimaginable for us mere mortals。 This collection of essays are so informative and at the same time entertaining and fluent that the whole book feels like a cosy afternoon chatting with your super smart friend about very important things but also sharing childhood traumas that both can relate to。The chapter about Jenny’s childhood is a long one and deservingly so。 There is much to say。I have rarely come across parental examples that triumph my horrible childhood but Jenny certainly wins this one。 I felt so heartbroken for her。 I wanted to reach beyond the pages and put my arms around little Jennifer。 By the end of the book， I felt that I have known Jenny all my life and I am so grateful that I got to know this book and got the chance to listen to what she had to say。 People like Jenny Diski leave behind a void in this world that is very hard to fill。 By the time I got to the three last essays， I was missing Jenny， like having known her， like I have been sitting and talking to a dear friend for a while and now I have to say goodbye。 I am mourning her loss。 。。。more
Judy
，
What for me made this group of essays stand out from the usual books of essays was the author’s wonderful sense of humor which really kept me reading。
Meghan
，
dnfThis is a collection of previously published essays。 Lacking the context or knowledge of current events and trends in Britain when these were written， the essays I read were difficult to grasp or understand。 I kept feeling like I was missing the joke or key point， so I set it down。
Robyn Martin
，
4。5。 Audible
Jill Woot
，
I must’ve missed the idea of this book or something。 To me， these were haphazard stories making references to things of which I had no idea。 I tried reading 5 different ones before throwing in the towel。 I found the writing style annoying erratic， missed all the humor， and couldn’t follow along with the points being made。 Not for me。
Cooch
，
Great EssaysDiski is arguably the best essayist of her generation， and these essays offer strong supporting evidence for this claim。 They also offer a good introduction to her often excellent longer non-fiction work。
Stephanie
，
I was not previously familiar with the British essayist Jenny Diski—this is a collection of her work， which sounded interesting。 The piece that sucked me in the most was one about the icebergs of Antarctica， which also weaves in details about her strange upbringing—the father who was a serial charmer and philanderer （she realizes she is just one among the women he charmed）， the mother who was in and out of mental hospitals。 Eventually her father dies， her mother abandons her， and she is pretty m I was not previously familiar with the British essayist Jenny Diski—this is a collection of her work， which sounded interesting。 The piece that sucked me in the most was one about the icebergs of Antarctica， which also weaves in details about her strange upbringing—the father who was a serial charmer and philanderer （she realizes she is just one among the women he charmed）， the mother who was in and out of mental hospitals。 Eventually her father dies， her mother abandons her， and she is pretty much alone at eleven。 Other pieces are about Roald Dahl， Jeffrey Dahmer， Keith Richards， Denis Thacher （husband of Margaret）。 The book is dense with so many pieces， but you would do well to pick it up and even read one or two。 。。。more
Mike Klymkowsky
，
I found the writing compelling， felt like listening to a long time， wittily laconic， and thoughtful friend。 Some of the commentaries， while decades old， were relevant to today and reflections on aging were moving and resonant。
Kristen
，