{"product_id":"9781908323453","title":"The Meritocracy Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed writer Jeffrey Lewis is known for his deft portrayals of relatable figures from all walks of life. In \u003ci\u003eThe Meritocracy Quartet\u003c\/i\u003e, his four interlinking novels—\u003ci\u003eMeritocracy: A Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Conference of the Birds\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTheme Song for an Old Show\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAdam the King\u003c\/i\u003e—have been brought together for the first time into a single volume. Set against the backdrop of the changing American landscape over four decades, \u003ci\u003eThe Meritocracy Quartet\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to the country’s evolving personality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe quartet follows Louie, a Yale graduate from a modest background with a gift for forging connections in high and low places. Beginning in the 1960s, as he documents a going-away party for a fellow Yalie on his way to Vietnam, and continuing through his spiritual encounters with a 1970s group of city misfits, his turn to television writing in the 1980s, and a tragic love story between two of his close friends in the 1990s, Louie chronicles not only his own personal struggles—his silent love for his best friend’s girl, his delicate relationship with an at-times absent father—but also the attitudes, events, and people that marked his generation. From the Vietnam War to George W. Bush, from television trends to the divide between the haves and have-nots, \u003ci\u003eThe Meritocracy Quartet\u003c\/i\u003e is a moving witness to everything America had to offer in the latter portion of the twentieth century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Haus Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47043796926704,"sku":"9781908323453","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781908323453_p0.jpg?v=1763620892","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781908323453","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}