{"product_id":"the-uptown-local-cory-leadbeater-9780063371576","title":"The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion: A Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA brilliant debut memoir about a young writer--struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction--and his life-changing decade working for Joan Didion\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, \u003cem\u003eThe Uptown Local\u003c\/em\u003e explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon--and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Cory Leadbeater\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 006337157X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063371576\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ecco Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/11\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.42lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal Prepub Alert\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2024 pg. 9\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/08\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2024","brand":"Cory Leadbeater","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44616477442303,"sku":"9780063371576","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c9cb0736-fa81-428b-9a97-0af98883678d.jpg?v=1703020553","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-uptown-local-cory-leadbeater-9780063371576","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}