O'Brien's first novel in two decades was well worth the wait. . . . In the age of 'mythomania, ' O'Brien takes aim at the lies that power this country, and how and why they sustain us. America Fantastica peers straight into the dark heart of the American psyche, and it's unafraid of the comedy and tragedy staring back. -- Esquire, Best Books of the Fall
An American Master returns: the author of The Things They Carried delivers his first new novel in two decades, a brilliant and rollicking odyssey, in which a bank robbery sparks a satirical romp through a country plagued by deceit (Kirkus, starred review)
At 11:34 a.m. one Saturday in August 2019, Boyd Halverson strode into Community National Bank in Northern California.
How much is on hand, would you say? he asked the teller. I'll want it all.
You're robbing me?
He revealed a Temptation .38 Special.
The teller, a diminutive redhead named Angie Bing, collected eighty-one thousand dollars.
Boyd stuffed the cash into a paper grocery bag.
I'm sorry about this, he said, but I'll have to ask you to take a ride with me.
So begins the adventure of Boyd Halverson--star journalist turned notorious online disinformation troll turned JCPenney manager--and his irrepressible hostage, Angie Bing. Haunted by his past and weary of his present, Boyd has one goal before the authorities catch up with him: settle a score with the man who destroyed his life. By Monday the pair reach Mexico; by winter, they are in a lakefront mansion in Minnesota. On their trail are hitmen, jealous lovers, ex-cons, an heiress, a billionaire shipping tycoon, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, and the ghosts of Boyd's past. Everyone, it seems, except the police.
In the tradition of Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, America Fantastica delivers a biting, witty, and entertaining story about the causes and costs of outlandish fantasy, while also marking the triumphant return of an essential voice in American letters. And at the heart of the novel, amid a teeming cast of characters, readers will delight in the tug-of-war between two memorable and iconic human beings--the exuberant savior-of-souls Angie Bing and the penitent but compulsive liar Boyd Halverson. Just as Tim O'Brien's modern classic, The Things They Carried, so brilliantly reflected the unromantic truth of war, America Fantastica puts a mirror to a nation and a time that has become dangerously unmoored from truth and greedy for delusion.
A classic, life-changing meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling, with more than two-million copies in print
Depicting the men of Alpha Company--Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O'Brien, who survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three--the stories in The Things They Carried opened our eyes to the nature of war in a way we will never forget. It is taught everywhere, from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing, and in the decades since its publication it has never failed to challenge our perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, and courage, longing, and fear.
This riveting novel of love and mystery from the author of The Things They Carried examines the lasting impact of the twentieth century's legacy of violence and warfare, both at home and abroad. When long-hidden secrets about the atrocities he committed in Vietnam come to light, a candidate for the U.S. Senate retreats with his wife to a lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota. Within days of their arrival, his wife mysteriously vanishes into the watery wilderness.
O'Brien's first novel in two decades was well worth the wait. . . . In the age of 'mythomania, ' O'Brien takes aim at the lies that power this country, and how and why they sustain us. America Fantastica peers straight into the dark heart of the American psyche, and it's unafraid of the comedy and tragedy staring back. -- Esquire, Best Books of the Fall
An American Master returns: the author of The Things They Carried delivers his first new novel in two decades, a brilliant and rollicking odyssey, in which a bank robbery sparks a satirical romp through a country plagued by deceit (Kirkus, starred review)
At 11:34 a.m. one Saturday in August 2019, Boyd Halverson strode into Community National Bank in Northern California.
How much is on hand, would you say? he asked the teller. I'll want it all.
You're robbing me?
He revealed a Temptation .38 Special.
The teller, a diminutive redhead named Angie Bing, collected eighty-one thousand dollars.
Boyd stuffed the cash into a paper grocery bag.
I'm sorry about this, he said, but I'll have to ask you to take a ride with me.
So begins the adventure of Boyd Halverson--star journalist turned notorious online disinformation troll turned JCPenney manager--and his irrepressible hostage, Angie Bing. Haunted by his past and weary of his present, Boyd has one goal before the authorities catch up with him: settle a score with the man who destroyed his life. By Monday the pair reach Mexico; by winter, they are in a lakefront mansion in Minnesota. On their trail are hitmen, jealous lovers, ex-cons, an heiress, a billionaire shipping tycoon, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, and the ghosts of Boyd's past. Everyone, it seems, except the police.
In the tradition of Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, America Fantastica delivers a biting, witty, and entertaining story about the causes and costs of outlandish fantasy, while also marking the triumphant return of an essential voice in American letters. And at the heart of the novel, amid a teeming cast of characters, readers will delight in the tug-of-war between two memorable and iconic human beings--the exuberant savior-of-souls Angie Bing and the penitent but compulsive liar Boyd Halverson. Just as Tim O'Brien's modern classic, The Things They Carried, so brilliantly reflected the unromantic truth of war, America Fantastica puts a mirror to a nation and a time that has become dangerously unmoored from truth and greedy for delusion.
Tony Baxter joined Walt Disney Imagineering when he was 22 years old and is among the first of a second generation of Disney creatives who fashioned the magic found today in Disney parks worldwide. He would stay with the company for nearly fifty year and today serves as a mentor and consultant to the new, younger generation of Imagineers. .
Tony is credited for helping create such Disney attraction icons as Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and the Indiana Jones Adventure. He has been lauded for his creative leadership at Disneyland Paris Resort, is a Disney Legend and has a personalized window on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland Park, considered by many to be one of the highest honors a Disney employee can achieve.
From ice cream scooper in 1965 to Senior Vice President of Creative Development in 2013, this is his story.
Maine Roadshow: A Roadside Tour of the State's History, Culture, Food, Funk & Oddities is lavishly illustrated with nearly 450 photos, all taken by the author, during a five-year, thousands-of-mile journey exploring and documenting all corners of the state.
In this colorful exhibition, award-winning photojournalist Tim O'Brien ventured far off the beaten path to explore the lesser known aspects of the state's historic and significant attractions, while keeping an eye out for interesting and often hidden roadside oddities and attractions. The results provide the reader a robust understanding of the diversity of what Vacationland has to offer.
The book has been designed as an illustrated off the beaten path guide that highlights, through photos and dialogue, more than 400 locations and events in the state. Many of which you won't find in the most popular guides. Some are beautiful, some are quirky, some are odd, some are tasty, and some are downright historical and cool and need to be explored.
Presented here is a fresh and unique approach to a travel guide. Instead of short and to the point facts and statistics, the author provides his up-close and personal observations to go with each of his photos, while combining witty and whimsical dialogue with his knowledge of each, to not only enlighten and inform, but to entertain as well.
In his introduction, Maine Humorist Tim Sample writes that Tim has taken a deep dive into Maine's rich historical and cultural backstory and dredged up enough fascinating I didn't know that! stories to take even a few of us Native Experts down a peg. His well-honed skills as an observer and chronicler of the most obscure aspects of life, history, and culture, make him the perfect tour guide for this fabulous jaunt across our beloved Maine.
While exploring the destinations and landmarks within the book, the reader is encouraged to not only focus on the destinations, but to also savor and appreciate the journey - just as the author did. That's how many of these hidden jewels of Maine were discovered.
Readers don't need to leave their cozy couch or their Adirondack chairs to enjoy the fun and colorful contents. This exhibition of original photography provides a diverse visual image of the state not often seen.
Roller coasters took Dick Kinzel slowly to the top and a $1.24 billion acquisition ultimately lead to his direst years. During his 39-year career (25 as president and CEO) with Cedar Point and Cedar Fair parks, he built the world's first 200, 300, and 400-foot tall roller coasters. He is responsible for adding more than 35 multi-million dollar scream machines to the company's 11 amusement parks. It was he who delivered the first shot in the coaster wars of the 1990s when he built the Magnum XL-200, the first to top the 200-foot barrier. .
He brought big, edgy and expensive coasters to Cedar Point knowing that the bigger the thrill ride, the bigger the crowds. He made sure Cedar Point remained the Amazement Park and the Roller Coaster Capital of the World.
His story is one of tenacity, conservatism and risk taking. It's one of big business and one of fun making. Dick spent his life putting smiles on people's faces and fear in their eyes.
For the first time his journey is told in full: from his highs and lows to the laughs and tears, this is the story of the man who brought more roller coaster to Ohio than any other man. This is the official biography of Richard L. Kinzel.
The acclaimed novel from the award-winning author of 'If I Die in a Combat Zone', 'Going After Cacciato' and 'In the Lake of the Woods'.
The action in 'Northern Lights' takes place not in Vietnam but back in the USA, as Tim O'Brien explores the after-effects of that war - on those who served, and those they left behind.
Set in the frozen wilderness of north Minnesota, it concerns two brothers, one who served in Vietnam, and has returned tough, cynical and world-weary; and the other who stayed at home. When they take off on a long skiing trip together through the frozen woods, they quickly get lost in a blizzard, and are tested to their limits as they face a battle against the elements and each other.