{"product_id":"the-grasshopper-king-9781566891394","title":"The Grasshopper King","description":"\u003cp\u003eChandler State University is the one thing keeping the dusty, Western town of Chandler on the map. Now that its basketball program has fallen apart, CSU's only claim to fame is its Gravinics Department, dedicated to the study of an obscure European country--its mythology, its extraordinarily difficult language, and especially its bizarre star poet, Henderson.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving discovered Henderson's poetry in a trash bin, Stanley Higgs becomes the foremost scholar of the poet's work, accepts a position at Chandler State University, achieves international academic fame, marries the Dean's daughter, and abruptly stops talking. With all of academia convinced that Higgs is formulating a great truth, the university employs Orwellian techniques to record Higgs's every potential utterance and to save its reputation. A feckless Gravinics language student, Samuel Grapearbor, together with his long-suffering girlfriend Julia, is hired to monitor Higgs during the day. Over endless games of checkers and shared sandwiches, a uniquely silent friendship develops. As one man struggles to grow up and the other grows old, The Grasshopper King, in all of his glory, emerges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this debut novel about treachery, death, academia, marriage, mythology, history, and truly horrible poetry, Jordan Ellenberg creates a world complete with its own geography, obscene folklore, and absurdly endearing -characters--a world where arcane subjects flourish and the smallest swerve from convention can result in -immortality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJordan Ellenberg \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Potomac, Maryland in 1971. His brilliance as a mathematical prodigy led to a feature in \u003ci\u003eThe National Enquirer\u003c\/i\u003e, an interview with Charlie Rose on CBS's \u003ci\u003eNightwatch\u003c\/i\u003e, and gold medals at the Math Olympiad in Cuba and Germany. He is now an Assistant Professor of Math at Princeton University and his column, Do the Math, appears regularly in the online journal \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e. This is his first novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Coffee House Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2003\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781566891394\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.18h x 6.04w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2003 pg. 159\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/15\/2003 pg. 114\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2003 pg. 1376\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/07\/2003 pg. 47\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/05\/2003\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Jordan Ellenberg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42607950397621,"sku":"9781566891394","price":15.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_24874fea-3b78-4742-b174-afd5cbe6d347.jpg?v=1674574756","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-grasshopper-king-9781566891394","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}