Field Guide To The North American Family (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For years, the Hungates and the Harrisons have coexisted peacefully. But when the patriarch of one family dies, a chain reaction brings Bad Habits, Secrets, and Vulnerabilities to the surface. The survivors face a stark imperative: adapt or face extinction.

A Field Guide to the North American Family, an illustrated novella by Garth Risk Hallberg, tracks these two families through the wilderness of modern life. Their stories unfold in 63 entries, each comprising a chapter of text and a visual artist’s response to the entry’s title: "Adolescence," "Boredom," "Chemistry," "Commitment…." The novella can be read straight through; alphabetical headings and cross-referenced design also enable users to peruse the Field Guide as they would a nonfiction reference work, or to move through the fiction as they see fit.

A Field Guide to the North American Family includes photographic contributions from the following artists: Jordan Alport, Timothy Briner, Jessica Bruah, Kara Canal, Sandy Carson, Alana Celii, Janice Clark, Jason Curtis, John Paul Davis, Chris Eichler, Amy Elkins, Jason Falchook, Elizabeth Fleming, Catherine Gass, Hans Gindlesberger, Andres Gonzalez, Maury Gortemiller, Jonathan Gitelson, Jennifer Greenburg, Ben Huff, Christy Karpinski, Mickey Kerr, Liz Kuball, Michael Kwiecinski, Shane Lavalette, Jason Lazarus, Stacy Arezou Mehrfar, Nick Meyer, Matt Nighswander, Alexis Pike, Colleen Plumb, Gus Powell, Abby Powell-Thomas, John Putnam, Shawn Records, Rebecca Blume Rothman, Christopher D Salyers, Matthew Schenning, David Shulman, Kevin Sisemore, Brandon Sorg, Brian Sorg, Sai Sriskandarajah, Tema Stauffer, JJ Sulin, Brian Ulrich, Consider Vosu, Grant Willing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Mark Batty Publisher (October 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977985091
• ISBN-13: 978-0977985098
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 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.com Sales Rank: #1,312,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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

By	Sammy Rules (rockville, maryland United States) - See all my reviews

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars Reread Value, January 22, 2008

By	O. Ramirez (CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"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

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant work, February 5, 2008

By	Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This brilliantly desgined and crafted book should be a must read for anyone looking for something to calm the soul and warm the heart. A fascinatingly original idea the author develops the idea put forward by Sebald Austerlitz and brings it to an American setting, offering us a rare insight into the lives of two American families, the Hungates and Harrisons through photographs and brilliant writing. A very nice set piece narrative completes this book that should be referred to as a veritable art work.

Readers will not be disappointed.

Seth J. Frantzman