{"product_id":"cooler-than-cool-the-life-and-work-of-elmore-leonard-9780063306868","title":"Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrawing on unprecedented archival and family access, \u003cem\u003eCooler Than Cool: The Life of Elmore Leonard\u003c\/em\u003e, is the first comprehensive biography of the master American crime writer, author of witty, gritty bestsellers like \u003cem\u003eGet Shorty\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRaylan\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the course of his sixty-year career, Elmore Leonard, \"the Dickens of Detroit,\" published forty-five novels that have had enduring appeal to readers around the world. Revered by Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, and Stephen King, his books were innovative in their blending of a Hemingway-inspired noirish minimalism and a masterful use of realistic dialogue over exposition--a direct evolution spurred by his years as a screenwriter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeonard's fiction contained many layers, and at the heart of his work were progressive themes, stemming from his years as a student of the Jesuit religious order, his personal beliefs in social justice, and his successful battle over alcoholism. He drew inspiration from greats like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but the true motivation and brilliance behind his crime writing was the ongoing class struggle to achieve the American Dream--often seen through the eyes of law enforcement officers\u003cem\u003e and\u003c\/em\u003e the criminals they vowed to apprehend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eC. M. Kushins tells Leonard's full life story against recurring themes and evolving storytelling methods of his work, drawing on interviews with primary sources ranging from Leonard's family and friends to those who acted in, produced, and directed his work onscreen. He also includes never-before-published excerpts from Leonard's unfinished final novel and planned memoir. Definitive and revealing, \u003cem\u003eCooler Than Cool\u003c\/em\u003e shows Leonard emerging as one of the last writers of the \"pulp fiction\" era of midcentury America, to ultimately become one of the most successful storytellers of the twentieth century, whose influence continues to have far-reaching effects on both contemporary crime fiction and American filmmaking. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Mariner Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/10\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063306868\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.11d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/14\/2025\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C. M. Kushins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45302307487925,"sku":"9780063306868","price":27.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_9a72e8f0-c8a4-41d7-84bb-8d575b8da173.jpg?v=1744725045","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/cooler-than-cool-the-life-and-work-of-elmore-leonard-9780063306868","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}