For the April book club meeting, we will be reading Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto. The concept of a person you can rent out to "do nothing" may seem strange and strangely interesting at the same time, but maybe that is more than enough for the people who need his services most. Morimoto's encounters gives a glance at Japanese society and a lesson on psychology.
Please help support Tubby & Coo's Mid-City Book Shop (local New Orleans bookstore) by ordering your copy from their affiliate Bookshop site: https://bookshop.org/a/55/9781335017536
This meeting will be held on Zoom. Please follow the link to register for this event: https://uno.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oce-upjssGNb_PKNsRox7PkeyrqFNUJOq
About the Book
***Now an International Bestseller!***
"Distinctively Japanese musings on meaning and connection."--Observer
I'm starting a service... available for any situation in which all you want is a person to be there. Maybe there's a restaurant you want to go to, but you feel awkward going on your own.
Maybe a game you want to play, but you're one person short.
Or perhaps you'd like someone to keep a space in the park for your cherry blossom viewing party...
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told by his boss, "It makes no difference whether you're here or not," and that his presence contributed nothing to the company. Morimoto began to wonder whether a person who "does nothing" could still have actual value and a place in the world. Perhaps he could turn "doing nothing" into a service? With one tweet, Rental Person was born.
Rental Person provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. This book details thousands of his true-life adventures:
- Accompanying a divorcee to her favorite restaurant
- Waving goodbye to a client from the train platform
- Sitting in the courtroom during a client's trial
- Supporting a client during a difficult surgery
Rental Person is dependable, nonjudgmental and committed to remaining a stranger, and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.
In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.
About the Author
Shoji Morimoto was born in 1984. He began his Rental Person service in 2018 and has since been hired by more than four thousand people. He has been profiled by many media outlets worldwide and has written several books including Rental Person Who Does Nothing, which inspired a Japanese TV series. Morimoto lives in Japan with his wife and son.
(Both book and author information are from Bookshop)
Looking to see Shoji Morimoto's service for yourself? Check out this video of someone renting him out for the day: https://youtu.be/T6ZlLcAtBis?si=ob7i8Xil0kYmU3DL
