ISBN: 9780547995144

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this “powerful, moving personal history” ( Entertainment Weekly ).
… More...

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this “powerful, moving personal history” ( Entertainment Weekly ).   Every family has its odd character, the one who never seems right with the world. When a grieving John Vernon was charged with settling his brother’s affairs, he came face to face with a life he had never suspected. His brother’s house in southern New Hampshire was in a state of squalid, shocking disrepair: piled high with a lifetime of trash, unheated and decrepit, and pitifully unlivable. An assembly worker and an amateur inventor, Paul had managed to keep his sad and strange world hidden. But John couldn’t help but search for reasons. Why does a childhood full of promise turn wrong? Why do we clutter our lives with things? What are the meanings behind the material objects we acquire?   John seeks answers in the most unexpected places. Buying a hammer and thermometer at Walmart, this icon of consumerism inspires a short history of tools and the discovery of mercury. Paul’s wake occasions an investigation of blood circulation and embalming. He voyages through science and physiology, culture and mythology, on a search “for a way to comprehend a life that left behind not splendid monuments but ordinary wreckage.”   The result is a book of reasons: reasons for his brother’s way of life, reasons for his own response to Paul’s death. Linking the story of one odd individual to the surprising and irregular upheavals of history, John discovers how reasons, for all of us, are one means of learning to accept things that can never be explained.   “[A] heartwarming tale of brotherly love.” — The Wall Street Journal   “A beautiful performance lit by stark, revealing bursts of language and delivered with the gravity of liturgy.” — Publishers Weekly   “His ability to evoke wonder is inspiring.” — Newsday Mariner Books Literary Biographies DE,US,ES,IT,FR,MX English Literature, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt<

ISBN: 9780547995144

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this “powerful, moving personal history” (Entertainment Weekly).   Every family ha… More...

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this “powerful, moving personal history” (Entertainment Weekly).   Every family has its odd character, the one who never seems right with the world. When a grieving John Vernon was charged with settling his brother’s affairs, he came face to face with a life he had never suspected. His brother’s house in southern New Hampshire was in a state of squalid, shocking disrepair: piled high with a lifetime of trash, unheated and decrepit, and pitifully unlivable. An assembly worker and an amateur inventor, Paul had managed to keep his sad and strange world hidden. But John couldn’t help but search for reasons. Why does a childhood full of promise turn wrong? Why do we clutter our lives with things? What are the meanings behind the material objects we acquire?   John seeks answers in the most unexpected places. Buying a hammer and thermometer at Walmart, this icon of consumerism inspires a short history of tools and the discovery of mercury. Paul’s wake occasions an investigation of blood circulation and embalming. He voyages through science and physiology, culture and mythology, on a search “for a way to comprehend a life that left behind not splendid monuments but ordinary wreckage.”   The result is a book of reasons: reasons for his brother’s way of life, reasons for his own response to Paul’s death. Linking the story of one odd individual to the surprising and irregular upheavals of history, John discovers how reasons, for all of us, are one means of learning to accept things that can never be explained.   “[A] heartwarming tale of brotherly love.” —The Wall Street Journal   “A beautiful performance lit by stark, revealing bursts of language and delivered with the gravity of liturgy.” —Publishers Weekly   “His ability to evoke wonder is inspiring.” —Newsday 9780618082353,9780547995144,0547995148 Other pricing structure might be available at vitalsource.com., Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.<

ISBN: 9780547995144

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this powerful, moving personal history ( Entertainment Weekly ). Every family … More...

A New York Times Notable Book: A man sorts through the secret life of his troubled, reclusive brother in this powerful, moving personal history ( Entertainment Weekly ). Every family has its odd character, the one who never seems right with the world. When a grieving John Vernon was charged with settling his brother's affairs, he came face to face with a life he had never suspected. His brother's house in southern New Hampshire was in a state of squalid, shocking disrepair: piled high with a lifetime of trash, unheated and decrepit, and pitifully unlivable. An assembly worker and an amateur inventor, Paul had managed to keep his sad and strange world hidden. But John couldn't help but search for reasons. Why does a childhood full of promise turn wrong? Why do we clutter our lives with things? What are the meanings behind the material objects we acquire? John seeks answers in the most unexpected places. Buying a hammer and thermometer at Walmart, this icon of consumerism inspires a short history of tools and the discovery of mercury. Paul's wake occasions an investigation of blood circulation and embalming. He voyages through science and physiology, culture and mythology, on a search for a way to comprehend a life that left behind not splendid monuments but ordinary wreckage. The result is a book of reasons: reasons for his brother's way of life, reasons for his own response to Paul's death. Linking the story of one odd individual to the surprising and irregular upheavals of history, John discovers how reasons, for all of us, are one means of learning to accept things that can never be explained. [A] heartwarming tale of brotherly love. The Wall Street Journal A beautiful performance lit by stark, revealing bursts of language and delivered with the gravity of liturgy. Publishers Weekly His ability to evoke wonder is inspiring. Newsday Biography & Autobiography Biography & Autobiography eBook, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt<

ISBN: 9780547995144

"History in its minute particulars touches us all, and in the least expected ways." Every family has its odd character, the one member who never seems right with the world. In his brillia… More...

"History in its minute particulars touches us all, and in the least expected ways." Every family has its odd character, the one member who never seems right with the world. In his brilliant pairing of family history with the history of civilization, John Vernon discovers the extraordinary sources of ordinary things in the life of his reclusive brother, Paul. When Paul died and John was charged with settling his affairs, he came face to face with a life he had never suspected. His brother's house in southern New Hampshire was in a state of squalid, shocking disrepair: piled high with a lifetime of trash, unheated and decrepit, pitifully unlivable. An assembly worker and an amateur inventor, Paul had managed to keep his sad and strange world hidden. The story of this troubled soul is at once fascinating and tragic. And more: it cries out for reasons. Why does a childhood full of promise turn wrong? Why do we clutter our lives with things? How do we make and understand our world? Vernon seeks answers in the most unexpected places. Buying a hammer and thermometer at Wal-Mart, that icon of consumerism, inspires a short history of tools and the discovery of mercury. Paul's wake occasions an investigation of blood circulation and embalming. Vernon voyages through science and physiology, culture and mythology, on a search "for a way to comprehend a life that left behind not splendid monuments but ordinary wreckage." The result is a book of reasons: reasons for his brother's way of life, reasons for his own response to Paul's death. Bringing to bear the narrative powers that distinguished his acclaimed historical novels Peter Doyle and All for Love, Vernon links the story of one odd individual to the surprising and irregular upheavals of history. In the process, he discovers how reasons, for all of us, are one means of learning to accept things that can never be explained.; EPUB; Biography > Biography: general, Faber & Faber<

ISBN: 9780547995144

A Book of Reasons A-Book-Of-Reasons~~John-Vernon Biography>Literature Biog/Memoir>Literature Biog/Memoir NOOK Book (eBook), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt