{"product_id":"population-485-9780061363504","title":"Population: 485","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Part portrait of a place, part rescue manual, part rumination of life and death, \u003cem\u003ePopulation: 485 \u003c\/em\u003eis a beautiful meditation on the things that matter.\" -- \u003cem\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWelcome to New Auburn, Wisconsin (population: 485) where the local vigilante is a farmer's wife armed with a pistol and a Bible, the most senior member of the volunteer fire department is a cross-eyed butcher with one kidney and two ex-wives (both of whom work at the only gas station in town), and the back roads are haunted by the ghosts of children and farmers. Michael Perry loves this place. He grew up here, and now--after a decade away--he has returned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnable to polka or repair his own pickup, his farm-boy hands gone soft after years of writing, Perry figures the best way to regain his credibility is to join the volunteer fire department. Against a backdrop of fires and tangled wrecks, bar fights and smelt feeds, \u003cem\u003ePopulation: 485 \u003c\/em\u003eis a comic and sometimes heartbreaking true tale leavened with quieter meditations on an overlooked America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePerry, Michael:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eMichael Perry is a humorist, radio host, songwriter, and the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of several nonfiction books, including \u003cem\u003eVisiting Tom\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePopulation: 485\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as a novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Jesus Cow\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in northern Wisconsin with his family and can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50621283369234,"sku":"9780061363504","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_154166a3-bd64-45e7-b866-f27d95d5d469.jpg?v=1732584637","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/population-485-9780061363504","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}