After eight commanding works of fiction, the Pulitzer Prize winner now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving, and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape.Anyone familiar with Richard Russo's acclaimed novels will recognize Gloversville once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a charming, feckless father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), with everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon.A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations in achieving that goal—beautifully recounted here—were to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both. Fraught with the timeless dynamic of going home again, encompassing hopes and fears and the relentless tides of familial and individual complications, this story is arresting, comic, heartbreaking, and truly beautiful, an immediate classic.From BooklistPulitzer Prize–winning author Russo brings the same clear-eyed humanism that marks his fiction to this by turns funny and moving portrait of his high-strung mother and her never-ending quest to escape the provincial confines of their hometown of Gloversville, New York. All of her life, she clung to the notion that she was an independent woman, despite the fact that she couldn’t drive, lived upstairs from her parents, and readily accepted their money to keep her household afloat. She finally escaped her deteriorating hometown, which went bust when the local tannery shut down, by moving to Arizona with her 18-year-old son when he left for college and following him across the country right up until her death. His comical litany of her long list of anxieties, from the smell of cooking oil to her fruitless quest for the perfect apartment, is a testament to his forbearance but also to his ability to make her such a vivid presence in these pages. Part of what makes this such a profound tribute to her is precisely because he sees her so clearly, flaws and all. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Prizewinning author Richard Russo’s many fans will be lining up for his first nonfiction work, which has generated considerable prepublication buzz. --Joanne Wilkinson Review“A gorgeously nuanced memoir about Russo’s mother and his own lifelong tour of duty spent—lovingly and exhaustedly—looking out for her. . . . Russo is the Bruce Springsteen of novelists . . . in a paragraph or even a phrase, he can summon up a whole world, and the world he writes most poignantly about is that of the industrial white working class.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air “Moving and darkly funny. . . Russo mines grace from his gritty hometown [and] the greatest charm of this memoir lies in the absences of self-pity and pretension in his take on his own history.” —Amy Finnerty, The Wall Street Journal“Heartfelt and generous.” —Tricia Springstubb, Cleveland Plain Dealer “One of the most honest, moving American memoirs in years... Russo's straightforward writing style is even more effective in Elsewhere [and his] intellectual and emotional honesty are remarkable.” —Michael Schaub, NPR.org“Rich and layered... an honest book about a universal subject: those familial bonds that only get trickier with time.” —Kevin Canfield, Minneapolis Star Tribune“Russo conjures the incredible bond between single mother and only child in a way that makes his story particularly powerful.” —Nicholas Mancusi, The Daily Beast“Russo brings the same clear-eyed humanism that marks his fiction to this by turns funny and moving portrait of his mother and her never-ending quest to escape the provincial confines of their hometown.” —Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist“An affecting yet never saccharine glimpse of the relationship among place, family and fiction.” —Kirkus

zlib/Biography & Autobiography/Artists, Architects & Photographers/Richard Russo [Russo, Richard]/Elsewhere: A Memoir_11712594.epub

Escape from Camp 14 : one man's remarkable odyssey from North Korea to freedom in the West

by Richard Russo

Harden, Blaine

Blaine Harden

Golden Books Publishing Company, Incorporated

Macmillan Publishers Limited

Random House, Incorporated

Macmillan Education UK

Campbell Books Ltd

Pan Macmillan

Vintage Books

Mantle

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

1st ed., New York, New York State, 2012

United States, United States of America

1st, First Edition, PT, 2012

1. ed, New York, NY, 2013

London, 2012

lg876852

"This is a Borzoi book."

After eight commanding works of fiction, the Pulitzer Prize winner now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving, and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape.
Anyone familiar with Richard Russo's acclaimed novels will recognize Gloversville once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a charming, feckless father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), with everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon.
A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations in achieving that goalbeautifully recounted herewere to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both. Fraught with the timelessdynamic of going home again, encompassing hopes and fears and the relentless tides of familial and individual complications, thisstory is arresting, comic, heartbreaking, and truly beautiful, an immediate classic.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls turns to memoir in this'intimate and powerful'account (Chicago Tribune) of his lifelong bond with his high-strung, spirited mother—and the small town she spent her life trying to escape. Anyone familiar with Russo's novels will recognize Gloversville—once famous for producing nine out of ten dress gloves in the United States. By the time Rick was born, ladies had stopped wearing gloves and Gloversville was on its way out. Jean Russo instilled in her son her dream of a better life elsewhere, a dream that prompted her to follow him across the country when he went to college. Their adventures and tribulations on that road trip were a preview of the hold his mother would continue to have on him as she kept trying desperately to change her life. Recounted with a clear-eyed mix of regret, nostalgia, and love, Elsewhere is a stirring tribute to the tenacious grip of the past.Look for Richard Russo's new book, Somebody's Fool, coming soon.

<p class="null1">After eight commanding works of fiction, the Pulitzer Prize winner now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving, and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate town they all struggled variously to escape.</p>
<p>Anyone familiar with Richard Russo's fiction will recognize Gloversville, New York, once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a good-time, second-fiddle father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon. A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations—beautifully recounted here—were to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both.</p>

This work is the author's memoir of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape. Anyone familiar with the author's fiction will recognize Gloversville, New York, once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a good-time, second-fiddle father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon. A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations, recounted here, only to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both.

This is the incredible story of Shin Dong-hyuk – the only person born in a North Korean gulag ever to escape. A gripping, terrifying biography, Escape from Camp 14 by journalist Blaine Harden uncovers a dark and secret nation.
Now a major documentary film.
'This is a story unlike any other' - Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea.
Twenty-seven years ago, Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. Located about fifty-five miles north of Pyongyang, the labour camp is a 'complete control district' – a no-exit prison where the only sentence is life.
No one born in Camp 14 or in any North Korean political prison camp has escaped. No one except Shin. This is his story . .

Now With A New Foreword By The Author. Shin Dong-hyuk Was Born In The Early 1980s Inside Camp 14, One Of Five Sprawling Political Prisons In The Mountains Of North Korea. Located About 55 Miles North Of Pyongyang, The Labour Camp Is A 'complete Control District,' A No-exit Prison Where The Only Sentence Is Life. No One Born In Camp 14 Or In Any North Korean Political Prison Camp Has Escaped. No One Except Shin. This Is His Story. A Gripping, Terrifying Memoir With A Searing Sense Of Place, Escape From Camp 14 Will Unlock, Through Shin, A Dark And Secret Nation, Taking Readers To A Place They Have Never Before Been Allowed To Go. 'this Is A Story Unlike Any Other' Barbara Demick, Author Of Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea A Major Documentary Film.

Twenty-six years ago, Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. This is the gripping, terrifying story of his escape from this no-exit prison-- to freedom in South Korea

2021-02-25