Using the lens of business history to contextualize the development of an American literary tradition, Truth Stranger than Fiction shows how African American literature and culture greatly influenced the development of realism, which remains one of the most significant genres of writing in the United States. More specifically, Truth Stranger than Fiction traces the influences of generic conventions popularized in slave narratives - such as the use of authenticating details, as well as dialect, and a frank treatment of the human body - in later realist writings. As it unfolds, Truth Stranger than Fiction poses and explores a set of questions about the shifting relationship between literature and culture in the United States from 1830-1930 by focusing on the evolving trend of literary realism. Beginning with the question, 'How might slave narratives - heralded as the first indigenous literature by Theodore Parker - have influenced the development of American Literature?' the book develops connections between an emerging literary marketplace, the rise of the professional writer, and literary realism.
A young runaway is welcomed into the arms of an affluent family after he takes on the identity of the family's missing son Daniel, only to slowly realize that the family knows more about Daniel's disappearance than they're letting on.
In this collection of photographs, Jim Stone captures both the humorous and the tragic factets of the human condition. Interspersed with the images are believe-it-or-not news stories that describe ordinary and extraordinary events that remind us that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
J. Richard Middleton and Brian J. Walsh offer an introduction, evaluation and response to postmodern culture that comes straight from the heart of the gospel.
"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective.... This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus."* In an adrenaline-fueled case that races to the woods of Upstate New York, to Boston and the shores of Maine, to the Badlands--by foot, train, truck, boat and private jet--a seemingly simple missing persons investigation quickly becomes the most difficult and personal case of Dakota's career. A Missing Author, G-Men, Mobsters and More... Manhattan PI Dakota Stevens and his associate Svetlana Krüsh have just moved into new offices on Fifth Avenue. A pink-and-blue-haired teenage girl walks in with a problem: her older brother and guardian, a famous science fiction author, has been missing for a week. Before Dakota even has a chance to take the case, he and the girl are accosted by a horde of people all searching for the brother: government agents, thugs, mobsters, and two mysterious Chinese men. What could her brother possibly be into? A Secret that Could Change the World... In their search for the missing author, Dakota, Svetlana, and the girl must navigate a bizarre, interconnected world of foreign spies and fangirls, mobsters and murderers, government bureaucrats and corporate profiteers. In the end, Dakota exposes a secret that literally has the power to change the world. And the truth is a truth stranger than fiction. "A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective hailing from Manhattan.... A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is definitely worth the read. Between the fast pace and the clean, fluid language this story is hard to pause, and it's thought-provoking in its real-world relevance. This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus." - *The Portsmouth Review Readers Say: "Orcutt has combined a classic hard-boiled with the page-turning frenzy of a Dan Brown novel." "PI Dakota Stevens is a cross between Philip Marlowe and Jason Bourne and his partner Svetlana Krush is a chess Grandmaster with the body of a Victoria's Secret model." "Just when you think you've solved the mystery, Orcutt surprises you with another unexpected twist." "As for the characters--perfection. Flawed, funny, heroic and developed fully from the first page until the final page." "I read A Real Piece of Work in three days. Didn't get much sleep...but it was well worth it." "Dakota Stevens and his indispensable sidekick/chess champion Svetlana Krush are a delightful modern take on the noir detective style." "The author's ability to paint a picture or scene with words is astounding. This book is ripe for adaptation to film." "Orcutt weaves a story that keeps you hanging on until the very end." "People in the reviews keep mentioning Spenser/Robert B. Parker, and they're right; but add a good streak of John Le Carré, turn the roaster up a notch, and maybe you're getting in the ballpark." "Reading Orcutt is like chasing a lit fuse into a dark tunnel." "I am now stalking this author on Amazon, anxiously awaiting the release of his next book in the series." --- "Fans of Mickey Spillane's more over-the-top Mike Hammer adventures will welcome Orcutt's third Dakota Stevens outing (after 2014's The Rich Are Different). The PI has just moved into a new Manhattan office when a desperate prospective client, 18-year-old Kelsey Wright, asks him to find her missing brother, Conover, a famous science fiction writer who was working on a mysterious new work of nonfiction. But even before Dakota can agree to help Kelsey, who's also upset that she's being tailed, a string of intruders to his office, including FBI agents, thugs from Nebraska, and two mobsters, insist on learning what Kelsey knows about Conover's whereabouts. Dakota and Kelsey later go on the lam, aided by an eccentric group of allies headed by Svetlana Krüsh, a former U.S. chess champion, who plays the role of Velda (Mike Hammer's secretary) to Dakota. Readers should expect plenty of bloodshed and action en route to an unexpected resolution of the mystery." — Publishers Weekly, Booklife "A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective hailing from Manhattan.... A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is definitely worth the read. Between the fast pace and the clean, fluid language this story is hard to pause, and it's thought-provoking in its real-world relevance. This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus. From the strategic Mark Twain preface to the surprising climax, Orcutt takes a truth and hides it in plain sight. (4.5 stars)" — The Portsmouth Review
How far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go? In this dog-eat-dog world, three friends find themselves getting nowhere in their careers despite their education and work skills. They decide to make their own rules to the game of life and play dirty to get ahead. Each of them concoct schemes to sabotage colleagues and clear the path for their swift advancement. Through a journey of deception and personal discovery, they find that life at the top isn't what they imagined it would be. All the while, they're not aware that they're part of a much larger game being played by a world-controlling group that doesn't have their best interests in mind. And with a physical manifestation of karma on the loose, their futures are uncertain. In this fast-paced, entertaining ride, readers will confront a cache of arcane truth and thought-provoking situations by means of dark humor, satire, and zany humor. The Beasts of Success lifts the veil on a hidden world of which few are aware. How deep does the rabbit hole go?
Alice is eleven years old, and it is wartime. She is on a train with no seats, no lights, no sanitary facilities. Her parents and her grandmother are missing, and Alice doesn't know where she is going. Maybe she will get to play outside again, maybe she will see her parents. But as the train rolls on, Alice begins to realize that just when you think things can't possibly get any worse, they do.
Stranger Than Fiction: When Our Minds Betray Us is a spellbinding invitation into the world of the human mind that will change our perceptions of mental illness forever. Despite the growing body of scientific discoveries into the nature of the human mind, the stigma attached to mental illness remains deeply entrenched in the general public's consciousness, the product of inaccurate information and centuries of mystery. In a simple conversational style, two distinguished clinicians, Drs. Marc and Jacqueline Feldman, discuss the complexities of mental disorders and their treatment. Using the metaphor of the lie of the mind, a disorder in which a person's thinking becomes unintentionally distorted, the authors approach mental illness from the perspective that these disorders are merely extreme variations of universally shared thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Stranger Than Fiction removes the artificial division separating the mentally ill from the general public and demystifies symptoms that often seem bizarre. On this journey through the human psyche, the Feldmans use vivid, enlightening, and often poignant cases from their own professional experience that dramatically illustrate how psychiatrists help patients liberate themselves from the mental conditions that imprison them. The reader is invited into therapy sessions and hospital rooms and receives an insider's view of the difficulties that each therapist confronts when treating disturbed patients. The authors show how clinical decisions often rely more on educated hunches than medical certainties and reveal that the practice of psychiatry is as much an art as it is a science. After finishing this unforgettable book, readers will better understand the true nature of mental illness and witness the joy that even the smallest triumph produces in patients and caregivers alike.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a funny, heartbreaking, unforgettable novel about friendship and fame. Cash Carter is the young, world famous lead actor of the hit television show Wiz Kids. When four fans jokingly invite him on a cross-country road trip, they are shocked that he actually takes them up on it. Chased by paparazzi and hounded by reporters, this unlikely crew takes off on a journey of a lifetime--but along the way they discover that the star they love has deep secrets he's been keeping. What they come to learn about the life of the mysterious person they thought they knew will teach them about the power of empathy and the unbreakable bond of true friendship. In this touching novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer takes us on a journey full of laughter, tears, and life-changing memories.
