{"product_id":"odd-ducks-stories-9781943491230","title":"Odd Ducks: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis debut collection of nine humorous stories, set in and around Kansas City from the 1950s to the 2000s, often depict adults awkwardly mentoring talented young people, whether in a community garden, a library, or in one-on-one advice. Other characters feel like outsiders in their own neighborhoods or suddenly become outsiders when straying into unfamiliar places.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePat Lawson's fine new collection, Odd Ducks, reminds us that engaging\u003cbr\u003e stories can be found anywhere, including the modest households of\u003cbr\u003e both Kansas Cities. Among her subjects are adolescents bemused\u003cbr\u003e by the odd rituals of their parents; school librarians beguiled by\u003cbr\u003e a charming student; and Latino kindergartners who show more\u003cbr\u003e imagination than their teachers. Then there are the well-meaning\u003cbr\u003e neighbors who learn the singular lesson--running like a leitmotif\u003cbr\u003e through the collection--that no good deed goes unpunished.\u003cbr\u003e --Catherine Browder, Now We Can All Go Home\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this funny and touching book, Patricia Lawson takes the reader\u003cbr\u003e on a deceptively simple journey into the jagged minds and hearts of\u003cbr\u003e characters who struggle to be or at least seem other than they are.\u003cbr\u003e Odd Ducks is alive with characters who endure, who persist. Yes, they\u003cbr\u003e are lonely and unsure, and yes, they are desperate for connections\u003cbr\u003e that will not come. And yes, they take many wrong turns. But their\u003cbr\u003e strengths are evident, their goodness and resolve never missing for\u003cbr\u003e long, and though their paths are not direct, they are true.\u003cbr\u003e --Mary Troy, Beauties\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pat Lawson's Odd Ducks is a quietly intense collection. The stories\u003cbr\u003e are especially profound in dealing with states of vulnerability--a\u003cbr\u003e middle-aged divorcee, recently out of the closet, stumbles\u003cbr\u003e to find a place for himself in a new neighborhood; a\u003cbr\u003e disadvantaged child begins to understand how the odds will\u003cbr\u003e be stacked against him; a young man catches a glimpse of a\u003cbr\u003e life he desires but can never have. Though the stories occur\u003cbr\u003e in the context of the urban Midwest, Lawson's range of\u003cbr\u003e empathy will engage all readers. She gives us stories that\u003cbr\u003e feel true and stick to the bones.\u003cbr\u003e --Brian Shawver, Aftermath\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e BkMk Press of the University of Missouri-Kans\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/20\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781943491230\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.58lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.51w x 0.47d","brand":"Patricia Lawson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36671857328284,"sku":"9781943491230","price":14.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_02af2f50-3cec-4369-b69c-0bc7b50d0d15.jpg?v=1603926399","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/odd-ducks-stories-9781943491230","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}