{"product_id":"straight-man-9780375701900","title":"Straight Man","description":"\u003ci\u003eHilarious and true-to-life, witty, compassionate, and impossible to put down, \u003cb\u003eStraight Man\u003c\/b\u003e follows Hank Devereaux through one very bad week in this novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e William Henry Devereaux, Jr., is the reluctant chairman of the English department of a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt. Devereaux's reluctance is partly rooted in his character--he is a born anarchist--and partly in the fact that his department is more savagely divided than the Balkans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the course of a single week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, imagine his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and threaten to execute a goose on local television. All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the dereliction of his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions. In short, \u003cb\u003eStraight Man\u003c\/b\u003e is classic Russo--side-splitting, poignant, compassionate, and unforgettable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Vintage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/09\/1998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780375701900\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.69lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.14h x 5.23w x 0.91d","brand":"Richard Russo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36636685336732,"sku":"9780375701900","price":15.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_6ed96f86-48ee-465a-90a2-aed28c3c1a8e.jpg?v=1603842640","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/straight-man-9780375701900","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}