{"product_id":"j-r-paperback","title":"J R - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWilliam Gaddis\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJoy Williams\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA National Book Award-winning satire about the unchecked power of American capitalism, written more than three decades before the 2008 financial crisis.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the center of \u003ci\u003eJ R\u003c\/i\u003e is J R Vansant, a very average sixth grader from Long Island with torn sneakers, a runny nose, and a juvenile fascination with junk-mail get-rich-quick offers. Responding to one, he sees a small return; soon, he is running a paper empire out of a phone booth in the school hallway. Everyone from the school staff to the municipal government to the squabbling heirs of a player-piano company to the titans of Wall Street and the politicians in Washington will be caught up in the endlessly ballooning bubble of the J R Family of Companies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFirst published in 1975 and winner of the National Book Award in 1976, \u003ci\u003eJ R\u003c\/i\u003e is an appallingly funny and all-too-prophetic depiction of America's romance with finance. It is also a book about suburban development and urban decay, divorce proceedings and disputed wills, the crumbling facade of Western civilization and the impossible demands of love and art, with characters ranging from the earnest young composer Edward Bast to the berserk publicist Davidoff. Told almost entirely through dialogue, William Gaddis's novel is both a literary tour de force and an unsurpassed reckoning with the way we live now.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 1982 MacArthur Fellow and two-time winner of the National Book Award, \u003cb\u003eWilliam Gaddis\u003c\/b\u003e (1922-1998) was the author of five novels: \u003ci\u003eThe Recognitions\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJ R\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCarpenter's Gothic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e A Frolic of His Own\u003c\/i\u003e, and, published posthumously, \u003ci\u003eAgapē Agape\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoy Williams \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of several novels, including \u003ci\u003eThe Quick and the Dead\u003c\/i\u003e, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and several story collections, including \u003ci\u003eThe Visiting Privilege\u003c\/i\u003e. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2008.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 784\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.7 x 8.3 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 20, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42163628736647,"sku":"9781681374680","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/5c5aea5244a282600de7a814c6031a21.webp?v=1733298805","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/j-r-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}