I discovered this book while watching CBS Sunday Morning one lazy day. As a writer, I too have a thing for typewriters even though I don’t collect them like Tom Hanks does. But now I wish I could.

Uncommon Type is a collection of 17 short stories, all of which mention a typewriter. Some stories feature the almost forgotten business machine of the past more prominently than others. And I have to say the story I liked the best showcased several versions and ages of the beloved typewriter.

My takeaways from Uncommon Type are that Tom Hanks is as talented off the screen as on. The prose is spectacular. The human condition takes on many shapes and forms depending on the person who’s living it. But we best express ourselves through the written word laid down permanently by the letters we tap one by one on the keys of a old typewriter.