{"product_id":"9781935514695","title":"The First Thing and the Last","description":"This beautiful, brave, and liberating book is a triumph of the spirit. Engrossing and exquisitely written, it shines with rare courage and a tender, life-saving wisdom that comes only through facing the darkness we suffer or inflict on others. It is a marvelous story whose characters I am glad to have in my life. \u003cp\u003eJoanna Macy \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthor, World as Lover, World as Self \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAllan Johnson's illumination of the mind of a woman recovering from horrific abuse and loss is miraculous, carried by a story that is both gripping and inspiring. It is a stunning achievement. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJean Kilbourne \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCreator of the award-winning film series, Killing Us Softly \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAllan Johnson's writing is moving, insightful, and deeply human. He takes us inside painful lives with courageous truth-telling, yet at the same time takes us inside of characters who can heal and thrive. This is a novel that rings true, and that we need urgently to take into our hearts. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLundy Bancroft \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthor, Why Does He Do That? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe First Thing and the Last portrays an extraordinary woman who is brutalized - but the abuse becomes her sorrow and not her identity in Allan Johnson's complex, masterful and exacting understanding of such a woman's life. His ability and willingness to see so deeply, to portray a woman and her story so profoundly, takes our breath away. Welcome this extraordinary and most original novelist to the ranks of American literature. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeena Metzger \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoet, novelist, and author of Writing For Your Life \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plain View Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47044190470384,"sku":"9781935514695","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781935514695_p0.jpg?v=1763656918","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781935514695","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}