{"product_id":"9781429973793","title":"And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book for 2011\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Nonfiction Book for 2011\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first authoritative biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a writer who changed the conversation of American literature.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2006, Charles Shields reached out to Kurt Vonnegut in a letter, asking for his endorsement for a planned biography. The first response was no (\"A most respectful demurring by me for the excellent writer Charles J. Shields, who offered to be my biographer\"). Unwilling to take no for an answer, propelled by a passion for his subject, and already deep into his research, Shields wrote again and this time, to his delight, the answer came back: \"O.K.\" For the next year—a year that ended up being Vonnegut's last—Shields had access to Vonnegut and his letters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd So It Goes\u003c\/i\u003e is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut resonates with readers of all generations from the baby boomers who grew up with him to high-school and college students who are discovering his work for the first time. Vonnegut's concise collection of personal essays, \u003ci\u003eMan Without a Country\u003c\/i\u003e, published in 2006, spent fifteen weeks on the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller list and has sold more than 300,000 copies to date. The twenty-first century has seen interest in and scholarship about Vonnegut's works grow even stronger, and this is the first book to examine in full the life of one of the most influential iconoclasts of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holt, Henry \u0026 Company, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47154181800176,"sku":"9781429973793","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781429973793_p0.jpg?v=1769903201","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781429973793","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}