Man in the Woods

Man in the Woods

Author:  Scott Spencer

Publication Date:  September 14, 2010

Publisher:  Ecco

Donated By:  Jennifer (Crazy-for-Books)

One of the most acclaimed modern American novelists, Scott Spencer captures the intensity of human passion—and its capacity to both destroy and redeem—with unparalleled precision and insight. Now, in his most stunning novel yet, this wry, witty, and deeply sensitive writer returns to the territory of his New York Times bestseller A Ship Made of Paper, in a gripping and provocative psychological thriller of morality and manhood, choice and fate.

Paul has been on his own since he was a teenager, leading a life of freedom and independence, beholden to no one and nothing. Fearless, resolute, and guided by his own private moral code, he has hunted for food in Alaska, fought forest fires, and been deputized in a manhunt for a kidnapper in South Dakota. Once he thought his life would have no particular rhyme or reason, touched only by transient strangers. Then he meets the beautiful, intelligent, loving Kate Ellis and her daughter, Ruby, who offer order and constancy. But Paul is a man of deep convictions, and the compromises we all make to get along in the world elude him.

On his way home after rejecting a job remodeling a luxurious Manhattan apartment, Paul stops to gather his thoughts at a state park just off the highway. Instead of peace, he finds a man savagely beating a dog, and in a few fateful moments Paul is plunged into a world of violence and onto a tumultuous journey of self-knowledge, guilt, and redemption.

With the psychological acuity and razor-sharp prose for which he has been celebrated, award-winning, bestselling novelist Scott Spencer once again takes us on an unforgettable journey of manhood lost and found.

Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

Make sure you have filled out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!


Participants:


1. Tiffany

Denial: A Memoir of Terror

Denial:  A Memoir of Terror

Author:  Jessica Stern

Publication Date:  June 22, 2010

Publisher:  Ecco

Donated By:  Jen (Crazy-for-Books)

"I have listened and I have been quiet all my life. But now I will speak."

One of the world's foremost experts on terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder investigates her own unsolved adolescent sexual assault at the hands of a serial rapist, and in so doing, examines the horrors of trauma and denial.

Alone in an unlocked house in a safe neighborhood in the suburban town of Concord, Massachusetts, two good, obedient girls, Jessica Stern, fifteen, and her sister, fourteen, were raped on the night of October 1, 1973. The girls had just come back from ballet lessons and were doing their homework when a strange man armed with a gun entered their home. Afterward, when they reported the crime, the police were skeptical.

The rapist was never caught. For over thirty years, Stern denied the pain and the trauma of the assault. Following the example of her family, Stern—who lost her mother at the age of three, and whose father was a Holocaust survivor—focused on her work instead of her terror. She became a world-class expert on terrorism, a lauded academic and writer who interviewed terrorists around the globe. But while her career took off, her success hinged on her symptoms. After her ordeal she could not feel fear in normally frightening situations.

Stern believed she'd disassociated from the trauma altogether, until a devoted police lieutenant reopened the sisters' rape case and brought her back to that harrowing night more than three decades past. With the help of the lieutenant, Stern began her own investigation—bringing to bear all her skills as a researcher—to uncover the truth about the town of Concord, her family, and her own mind. The result is Denial, a candid, courageous, and ultimately hopeful look at a trauma and its aftermath. 

Read Jen's review HERE.

TOUR IS NOW CLOSED.  THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING!

Tour Participants:

1. Tracee - done

2. Nancy - done

3. Christa - done

4. Heather -done

5. Margaret -done

6. JHS - done

7. Tiffany - done

REVIEWS:

1. Tracee - Review from Here

2. Nancy - Amusing Reviews

3. Christa - Mental Foodie

4. Heather - Proud Book Nerd

5. Margaret - The Art of Reading

6. JHS - Colloquium (DNF - no review)

7. Tiffany - Tiffany's Bookshelf

One More Theory About Happiness: A Memoir

One More Theory About Happiness:  A Memoir

Author:  Paul Guest

Publication Date:  May 2010

Publisher:  Ecco

Donated By:  Alex from Tales of a Teenage Book Lover

Paul Guest was 12 years old, racing down a hill on a too-big, ancient bicycle when he discovered he had no brakes. Trying to steer into anything that would slow down the bike, he hit a ditch, was thrown over the handlebars, and broke his neck.

One More Theory about Happiness follows a boy into manhood, his path suddenly circumscribed by disability and its attendant complications: rage and despair, as well as a hard-earned acceptance and biting sense of humor. In incisive and lyrical prose, he captures the seesaw of setbacks and successes that define his life: His arms and hands completely useless, Paul initially learns to drive a “sip and puff” wheelchair by means of his breath; he later uses a mouthstick to type. Alone in an elevator with a stranger, he’s mugged, helpless to fight back. One caretaker packs Paul’s fridge with the Pepsi his wife forbids at home and declares he can cure Paul’s injured ankle by setting him on fire. And when desire leads to a long-awaited intimacy, it is an experience more complex and bittersweet than he ever would have imagined.

Yet with each challenge, Paul thrives. Completing high school, leaving his family behind to attend college then graduate school, Guest cultivates a rich life for himself. He also cultivates his art, transforming his gift for language into award-winning poetry—deemed “wonderful,” by John Ashbery; “Guest is a spirit to be reckoned with,” proclaims Mary Karr—marked by raw wit, grace, and unnerving honesty.

An unprecedented story, a unique fusion of the deeply-felt prose of Joan Didion or Lucy Grealy with the irreverent edge of Nick Flynn or Dave Eggers, Guest’s memoir takes us from a body irrevocably changed to a life fiercely cherished. 

Signups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation! 

Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!

Tour Participants

1.  Betty  -- mailed 7/29/10 DC # 0309 3220 0002 3278 9446

Review

Betty