Although highly entertaining, Beg, Borrow, Steal is not a humor book by any means. I was impressed by Michael Greenberg's economy of words - each small story carried the punch of a well developed theme within a few short pages.

As evident in his stories, Michael Greenberg has seen many places and known a lot of people. Spurred on by his desire to observe humanity, he worked jobs that most of us would rather avoid (a waiter, street vendor and court translator among others). Some of the highlights of his stories are about: how he visited a gourmet chef who creates delicious food for a soup kitchen, his disgust and fear of the rats in New York City, and how he learned the proper way to kill a chicken.

I found myself learning things about New York that I never would have known otherwise, like how many people are buried on Hart Island (for those whose bodies are unclaimed) and the estimated rat population (which kind of freaked me out).

These short tales which are Michael Greenberg's memoirs are not simply separate statements, but rather pieces of the whole that come together as a mosaic of his life. One story leads into the next, and though they are not told in a linear order, each is equally fascinating.

As a professional observer of people (in search of fodder for his writing) Michael Greenberg certainly has a wealth of stories to tell about the oddities he has seen, and he does it beautifully.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a writer or to those who enjoy memoirs or short stories. ( )

I can't think of one negative thing to say about this book. I've never read a better book on the morality of being an artist. The best collection of nonfiction essays I've read since David Foster Wallace and Jonathan Franzen. Truly excellent. ( )

In 45 short essays written for London's Times Literary Supplement from 2003 to 2009, Michael Greenberg creates a personal commentary on what it means to be a writer. It all comes down to being silent and writing from the inside... out. His collection touches on his decades of trying to make good as a writer in New York City. He begins with early memories of growing up in Brooklyn, where he decided not to follow in his father's footsteps in scrap-metal business. He instead dropped out of school in the early 1970s in search of adventure in Argentina and on New York's Lower East Side. He ended up strapped with a young family of two children and faced years of plying odd jobs, like driving a cab, giving Spanish lessons, selling cosmetics on the street and ghost writing... all the while trying to write his novel. This is a slice-of-life collection of poignant short stories by a soulful New Yorker and great writer.

Good writer, fun to read. Like sitting down for a chat with an interesting friend. Mostly these are fascinating bits about NYC & its weird & wonderful inhabitants, institutions, & history. I was amazed about the wildlife (non-human) species in Central Park!["Owl" p.131] You'd be pressed to find a better description of being alone left to parent a 4 year old for a whole week!!! ["Cold Turkey" p. 145] Great book to read in the bathtub while relaxing before sleep. ( )

Honestly, I only got through about half of this book before putting it aside. While somewhat interesting, I found the stories to not be connected enough to hold my interest. The stories were also shamelessly shallow and superficial. I wish there was more of an underlying theme that would have tied the whole book together.