{"product_id":"2940170124633","title":"Sunshine State: Essays","description":"\u003cp\u003eRising literary star and \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e First Fiction Award finalist Sarah Gerard uses her experiences growing up along Florida's gulf coast to illuminate the struggles of modern human survival-physical, emotional, environmental-through a collection of essays exploring intimacy, addiction, obsession, religion, homelessness, and incarceration.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the personal insight of \u003cem\u003eThe Empathy Exams\u003c\/em\u003e, the societal exposal of \u003cem\u003eNickel and Dimed\u003c\/em\u003e, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel \u003cem\u003eBinary Star\u003c\/em\u003e, Sarah Gerard's \u003cem\u003eSunshine State\u003c\/em\u003e uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the collection's title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar's Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he \"rescues\" never quite add up. Gerard's personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard's first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSunshine State\u003c\/em\u003e offers a unique look at Florida, a state whose economically and environmentally imperiled culture serves as a lens through which we can examine some of the most pressing issues haunting our nation.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47169114570992,"sku":"2940170124633","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170124633_p0.jpg?v=1769904151","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170124633","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}