{"product_id":"alone-in-america-robert-a-ferguson-9780674066762","title":"Alone in America: The Stories That Matter","description":"\u003cp\u003eRobert A. Ferguson investigates the nature of loneliness in American fiction, from its mythological beginnings in Rip Van Winkle to the postmodern terrors of 9\/11. At issue is the dark side of a trumpeted American individualism. The theme is a vital one because a greater percentage of people live alone today than at any other time in U.S. history. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe many isolated characters in American fiction, Ferguson says, appeal to us through inward claims of identity when pitted against the social priorities of a consensual culture. They indicate how we might talk to ourselves when the same pressures come our way. In fiction, more visibly than in life, defining moments turn on the clarity of an inner conversation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlone in America\u003c\/i\u003e tests the inner conversations that work and sometimes fail. It examines the typical elements and moments that force us toward a solitary state--failure, betrayal, change, defeat, breakdown, fear, difference, age, and loss--in their ascending power over us. It underlines the evolving answers that famous figures in literature have given in response. Figures like Mark Twain's Huck Finn and Toni Morrison's Sethe and Paul D., or Louisa May Alcott's Jo March and Marilynne Robinson's John Ames, carve out their own possibilities against ruthless situations that hold them in place. Instead of trusting to often superficial social remedies, or taking thin sustenance from the philosophy of self-reliance, Ferguson says we can learn from our fiction how to live alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert A. Ferguson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674066766\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674066762\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/14\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 296\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.60h x 5.40w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/05\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2013 pg. 92\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2013","brand":"Robert A. Ferguson","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086758654207,"sku":"9780674066762","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8b997d92-6d45-40a1-92b8-69f631dff23b.jpg?v=1769096406","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/alone-in-america-robert-a-ferguson-9780674066762","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}