{"product_id":"little-labors-9780811225588","title":"Little Labors","description":"\u003cp\u003eSei Shonagon's \u003cem\u003ePillow Book\u003c\/em\u003e--a key inspiration for Rivka Galchen's new book--contains a list of \"Things That Make One Nervous.\" And wouldn't the blessed event top almost anyone's list?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eLittle Labors\u003c\/em\u003e is a slanted, enchanted literary miscellany. Varying in length from just a sentence or paragraph to a several-page story or essay, Galchen's puzzle pieces assemble into a shining, unpredictable, mordant picture of the ordinary-extraordinary nature of babies and literature. Anecdotal or analytic, each part opens up an odd and tender world of wonder. The 47 Ronin; the black magic of maternal love; babies morphing from pumas to chickens; the quasi-repellent concept of \"women writers\"; origami-ophilia in Oklahoma as a gateway drug to a lifelong obsession with Japan; discussions of favorite passages from the Heian masterpieces \u003cem\u003eGenji\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Pillow Book\u003c\/em\u003e; the frightening prevalence of orange as today's new chic color for baby gifts; Frankenstein as a sort of baby; babies gold mines; babies as tiny Godzillas ...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLittle Labors-atomized and exploratory, conceptually byzantine and freshly forthright-delights.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGalchen, Rivka:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eRIVKA GALCHEN'\u003c\/strong\u003es 2008 first novel, \u003cem\u003eAtmospheric Disturbances\u003c\/em\u003e, and her 2014 story collection, \u003cem\u003eAmerican Innovations\u003c\/em\u003e, were both \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Best Books of the Year. She has received many awards, as well as an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Galchen lives in New York City.","brand":"New Directions Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50662298583314,"sku":"9780811225588","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0cd66817-3fa2-4875-a433-60ddf5863e1c.jpg?v=1733519063","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/little-labors-9780811225588","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}