A Field Guide to the North American Family [Hardcover]

Garth Risk Hallberg (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 2007

For years, the Hungates and the Harrisons have coexisted peacefully in the suburbs of New York. But when the patriarch of one family dies, the survivors face a stark imperative: adapt or face extinction.

In sixty-three entries and an accompanying website, A Field Guide to the North American Family offers a collaborative portrait of two fictional specimens. Photographers contributed this edition’s lavish illustrations via afieldguide.com, an ongoing, networked Internet community. Though the novella’s entries can be read straight through, alphabetical headings and cross-referenced design enable readers to move through the narrative as they see fit.

Part fiction, part reference work, part photo-essay, this singular Field Guide invites readers and participants to consider the state of the family--and to explore the future of the book.
Garth Risk Hallberg holds an MFA from New York University. His fiction has been published in Glimmer Train, Canteen, Evergreen Review and h2so4, and in the anthology Best New American Voices (Harcourt). He is also a regular contributor to The Millions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Garth Risk Hallberg is the author of the novella A Field Guide to the North American Family and was selected by Richard Bausch as one of 2008′s “Best New American Voices.” His short stories have been published, most recently, in Glimmer Train, Canteen, and The Pinch. Essays have appeared in Slate, More Intelligent Life, and the Best of the Web anthology. A 2008 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Fiction, Garth teaches at Fordham University. He’s finishing up his first novel and a story collection. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Mark Batty Publisher (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977985091
• ISBN-13: 978-0977985098
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,081,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasure and provocation at every turn November 2, 2007

By Andrew Saikali

Format:Hardcover

The first thing I noticed as I made my way through Mr. Hallberg's finely crafted novella was how long I was lingering on each page, part of me wanting the present moment to never end, but knowing that many delights awaited me on the next page. And the one after that.

Each page presented another angle on the Hungate-Harrison story, a bit of the puzzle explored both with words and a thematically-linked photo. From one page-chapter to the next, the point of view would shift, the tone would adjust. You'll find yourself quietly taking it all in, marvelling at the language and the sheer inventiveness of the whole damn thing.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Reread Value January 22, 2008

By O. Ramirez

Format:Hardcover

"63 entries, each comprising a chapter of text and a visual artist's response to the entry's title."

I was hooked on that alone. Then I sat down and read it. I'm about 3/4 done and have to say that this is unlike anything I've read before. In the video game industry there is a term call "replay value." After you're done with it would you play it again or is the fun gone after once through?

This book has much "reread value." Cool concept executed well.

Use the link for more info.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182002
http://www.variouscool.com

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Innocence to Mythology July 28, 2009

By Sammy Rules

Format:Hardcover

Honest and direct, Halberg's 'A Field Guide to the North American Family' taunts you from the shelf as another ironic humor book. The novella presents itself as an actual field guide, but instead of chronicling the biology of families as a species, it chronicles the emotions and events that take us from childhood to adulthood. The loose narrative can be read from cover to cover in alphabetical order, or at complete random, either way you'll be picking up the pieces of these shattered lives. All of the self-doubt felt on a daily basis, and through a lifetime, are on the table, with foot notes on how you got there. Guide words like "Phase" are cross-referenced with "Boredom", "Freedom" and "Sibling Rivalry", the stories attached to each entry offer another piece of the puzzle, another explanation as to why things happened the way they did. Essential for anyone who likes to feel bad about themselves, reminisce about times you felt empty, or wonder about where things went wrong.