Jeff Goodell is the author of The Cyberthief and the Samurai. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Wired, and GQ. A fourth-generation Californian, he now lives in upstate New York. He can be e-mailed at jg@well.com.
“A perceptive memoir of growing up in a household that was
post-nuclear with a vengeance.”–The New York Times
“Mesmerizing and deeply authentic.... Compelling.”–San Jose Mercury
News
“Reflects the seismic social changes that still shake American
society.”–USA Today
Just when we were starting to think that everybody in Silicon Valley must be a carefree gazillionaire, Goodell comes along to root us in reality with this sobering portrait of his dysfunctional Sunnyvale, CA. Goodell (The Cyberthief and the Samurai), a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, presents a moving memoir of his family's growth and disintegration over the last 40 years, paradoxically juxtaposed against the screaming, relentless drive to wealth and success in his hometown, which happens to be in the middle of Silicon Valley. From the belly of the beast comes a mindful story that will resonate with countless thousands of other families as they struggle with multiple divorces, alcohol and drug abuse, parent-child identity traumas, and emotionally distant relatives. While certainly not as extraordinary a memoir as Mary Karr's The Liar's Club (LJ 6/1/95), this heartfelt yet respectful family portrait is an admirable addition to the rapidly growing ranks of books that cathartically write out the traumas of the past. It's useful to be reminded how bound we are to family and how common family anguish is, permeating even the gilt-edged homes in Silicon Valley.DDale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"A perceptive memoir of growing up in a household that was
post-nuclear with a vengeance."-The New York Times
"Mesmerizing and deeply authentic.... Compelling."-San Jose
Mercury News
"Reflects the seismic social changes that still shake American
society."-USA Today
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