Top 10 Non-Improv Books for Improvisers
by Wesley Bain
Below is a list of my Top 10 Non-Improv Books for Improvisers. Most of these books are chosen not for their intended purpose or entertainment value, but because I feel that they can be used to improve your improv through creative application. Also, because these are the kind of books I actually read. I have more books of meaningless trivia, entertaining articles, and ordered factoid lists than I have of classical plays or novels. It's just who I am.
So sit back, enjoy the list, and hopefully you'll find value in some of these titles for yourself.
1. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
By E.D. Hirsch
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is a book of nearly 7,000 blurbs, descriptions, and definitions of things that everyone should know in order to consider themselves "culturally literate" in modern American society. Ranging from the Bible to Newton to MLK Jr. to Cooperstown, the book is well organized and informative. It is a great way to round out one's knowledge base and connect with audiences.
2. Letters Home
By Mina Curtiss, 1944
Any similar book would suffice, I found this one at Half Price one day on luck. This is a book of real letters from soldiers to their families during WWII. It provides laughs, heartbreak, tragedy, success, ambition, hopes, dreams, philosophy, and confusion. It is raw and real and can really help inspire strong, defined characters. Plus, it is just a fascinating read.
3. The Book of 5 Rings
By Miyamoto Musashi
A Japanese compliment to Sun Tzu's Art of War and Machiavelli's The Prince, this book, written by samurai Miyamoto Musashi, emphasizes an attitude of personal accomplishment through hard work and self-discovery. Nearly every passage ends with phrases like "I cannot teach you this, this you must learn for yourself," "Research this principle well and train diligently," and "You must train constantly." And when not driving home the theme of constant hard work, Musashi drops gems like "It is difficult to know yourself if you do not know others," "Become acquainted with every art," and "Do nothing which is of no use," philosophies which I personally believe have limitless application in the mindset of improv, despite their martial origins.
4. How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less
By Nicholas Boothman
A quick, interesting read, this book discusses skills to make yourself instantly likeable to those you meet. It discusses techniques that include mimicry, tone, pace, posture, and neurolinguistic programming (NLP, the art of reading and disguising body and eye movements). It deals with the physical, verbal, and visual cues that we all give off and receive everyday, but that we rarely recognize for their subtlety and commonness. While not intended for the stage, a lot of these techniques can work hand-in-hand with status exercises.
5. Bad Thoughts: A Guide to Clear Thinking / Crimes Against Logic
By Jamie Whyte
This book is a great read in the art of logic and logical thinking. It focuses on finding logical fallacies in the everyday world, especially those made by religion, governments, and others in positions of power. Logical arguments help one make stronger points and see the flaws in the arguments of others. Needless to say, catching and using subtle logical nuances on the fly can add complexity and authority to a scene.
6. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series
By The Bathroom Readers' Institute
Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are a series of some 3 dozen+ books that contain short articles, trivia, and information on just about everything under the sun. Most are general knowledge books, but some editions specialize in history, the Presidency, Texas, Hollywood, the universe, and other topics of interest. Designed to be used in a bathroom setting, the articles are generally short and usually very entertaining. These books are also helpful if you want to be on Jeopardy.
7. Collected works of Christopher Marlowe
By Christopher Marlowe
Because classical theatrical knowledge is a plus on stage and Shakespeare was a pussy.
8. Post Secret
By Frank Warren
A POWERFUL book of confessions, sent in anonymously via post cards to the website,
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/. People use the anonymity of the site to tell their deepest secrets, combined with pictures they've taken and glued to, or found on, post cards. It is easy to see how these—ranging from the funny personality quirk ("I save all the staples I pull out at work. They're in a box in my desk. It weighs over a pound and a half") to the guilty secret ("I think about women when I'm having sex with my husband") to the downright emotionally traumatizing ("I still haven't told my father I have the same disease that killed my mother")—can inspire great quirks and ground characters in reality.
9. Emily Post Etiquette
By Emily and Peggy Post
I'm a big believer that in order to break a rule effectively, you must first know the rule and how to properly implement it. I think this is true in writing, theater, music, and social gatherings. Emily Post has long been THE name in etiquette and her granddaughter, Peggy Post, continues that tradition in re-writing Emily's master work for its 17th edition (first printed in 1920). With more than a dozen Emily Post titles ranging from business to weddings, there are plenty of social graces out there to brush up on. You can use these rules to establish or break down the formality of a scene and to avoid or cause gaffes with a purposeful effect.
(Besides, look around you, wouldn't the world be a little better off if everyone had just a few more manners?)
10. The Song of Ice and Fire series
By George R. R. Martin
Will it help your improv? Probably not, but hot damn what an incredible story. Well-written, with strong individualized characters and an epic story arc, these tomes (each pushing 1000 pages it seems) will suck you in night after night. Remember, winter
is coming.
Runners-up include:
The Harry Potter series (because everyone else has and you want to connect with them), any books for aspiring writers such as "The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters" or "The Writer's Guide to Character Traits," and Cecil Adam's "The Straight Dope" series.
