AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A ONE-YEAR-OLD: As Told to Rohan Candappa

"I stink, therefore I am." So muses the plucky babe in Candappa's latest. Writer and humorist Candappa has previously dwelled on feng shui, and stress, among other topics, and here imagines life from the perspective of a pre-verbal one-year-old. Through a monologue in essay installments, the narrator holds forth on such topics as effective crying methods, vacuum cleaners as "long-nosed sucky beasts," food, the diabolical crib, the trauma of vacation, mirrors, walking, parental interference and many other mundane discoveries along the road to becoming a two-year-old. At the outset, our protagonist sees the world as a tricky place peopled by those who blindly manipulate him for their own ends, and he scrutinizes and experiments with an air of disdain occasionally laced with innocent wonder. Along the way, he trips into some sweet discoveries characterized by a growing awareness of interdependence, which make for the funniest sections of the book. These include a compassionate imagining that his parents are so poor they must eat his leftover food. In general, the author hits the mark on how life might look from the perspective of a baby-cum-toddler, but unfortunately the book is less successful in its overdone cultural references, turning our little terror into a dated armchair philosopher (e.g. "Wasn't it Stevie Winwood in 'Higher Love' who sang 'If you see a chance, take it.' An admirable philosophy, I think you'll agree"). Many readers will look past these annoyances and enjoy a glimpse of life from the other side, although they might prefer it a bit less conspiratorial and sarcastic. (Sept.)