{"product_id":"welcome-to-shirley-a-memoir-from-an-atomic-town-paperback","title":"Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKelly McMasters\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShirley seemed to be doomed from the beginning. Founded by a Vaudevillian huckster who touted it as a seaside haven despite the sand bar that blocks access to the shore, the town has been plagued by one disaster after another -- a UFO, a childhood cancer cluster, and a mysterious federal nuclear laboratory in nearby Brookhaven that leaked toxic nuclear and chemical waste into the aquifer from which the residents unknowingly drew their well water. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This is Kelly McMasters' account of growing up in a cursed town and loving it anyway, and of a girl's awakening to tragedy and to a sense of mission. Told in a deliciously engaging voice, \u003ci\u003eWelcome to Shirley\u003c\/i\u003e balances the bitter with the sweet, the funny with the infuriating, in an unforgettable story of working class Long Island.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKelly McMasters\u003c\/b\u003e' essays and articles have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post Magazine, Newsday, Elle DÃ(c)r, Metropolis\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eTime Out New York\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. She teaches writing at Columbia University and mediabistro.com and is the co-director of the KGB Nonfiction Reading Series in the East Village. She lives in Manhattan and northeast Pennsylvania with her husband, the painter Mark Milroy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 328\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.2 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 22, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42112986972295,"sku":"9781610397063","price":25.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/c032e8a450851fd632511463b3cba2c8.webp?v=1732485049","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/welcome-to-shirley-a-memoir-from-an-atomic-town-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}