{"product_id":"charity-9780385425704","title":"Charity","description":"With \u003ci\u003eCharity, \u003c\/i\u003e Mark Richard again secures the distinction of poet laureate of the orphaned poor, the broken, the deceived, and the unrelieved. In stylistic brilliance, he renders their conditions with grace and compassion, and redeems and transports their tragedy with wicked humor. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the much-anthologized \"The Birds for Christmas,\" two hospitalized boys beg a night nurse to let them watch Hitchcock's classic thriller film on television, believing it will relieve their Yuletide loneliness. \"Gentleman's Agreement\" is a classic father-son story of fear and the violence of love. In \"Memorial Day,\" a bayou boy learns the lessons of living from Death himself, a fortune cookie-eating phantom who claims to be \"a people person.\" From charity ward to outrageous beach bungalow, Richard visits the overlooked corners of America, making them unforgettably visible. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRichard has been rightly compared to Faulkner for his language and to Flannery O'Connor for his stark moral vision, but his force and sensibility remain his own. \u003ci\u003eCharity\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful reading experience, a true accomplishment in an already stunning literary career.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMark Richard \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of two award-winning short story collections, \u003ci\u003eThe Ice at the Bottom of the World\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCharity\u003c\/i\u003e, and the novel \u003ci\u003eFishboy\u003c\/i\u003e. His short stories and journalism have appeared in the\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the recipient of the PEN\/Hemingway Award, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and a Whiting Foundation Writer's Award. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three sons.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Anchor Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50323962495250,"sku":"9780385425704","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_14680dbf-28bc-48c8-b1d5-66bdb52f9c47.jpg?v=1727662828","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/charity-9780385425704","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}