Tom Roston

The story of Kurt Vonnegut and his beloved masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel born in the destruction of Dresden in World War II and written during the tumultuous days of Vietnam During the Vietnam War, Kurt Vonnegut, after surviving the horrors of Dresden as a POW during World War II, would lose his temper while watching the nightly news, point at the screen and shout, "The liars!" According to his family and friends, Slaughterhouse-Five was Vonnegut's attempt to exorcize his demons. "He was writing to save his own life," his daughter Nanette has said, "and in doing it I think he has saved a lot of lives." Tom Roston's The Writer's Crusade is a book about how books save lives. Two decades after World War II had ended, Vonnegut's sixth book became a significant part of a vital storytelling tradition that has eased the trauma of war for both the writer and the reader. Although Slaughterhouse-Five was championed by the anti-war movement, it became a bulwark for veterans who found in its pages a voice that spoke to them with an intimate, shared understanding of wartime PTSD. Mixing together the story of Vonnegut's life, the writing and publishing of his most enduring work, and forays into the experiences of soldiers and writers today--people who have made the novel a touchstone in their lives--The Writer's Crusade is built on research into Vonnegut's life, from papers and interviews with his children, scholars, psychologists, and writers, including Tim O'Brien, Kevin Powers, and Karl Marlantes. This will be a captivating book for fans of Vonnegut and anyone touched by war and its aftermath.

Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five

The Writer's Crusade

The remarkable story of a restaurant on top of the world--built by a legend, destroyed in tragedy--and an era in New York City it helped to frame In the 1970s, New York City was plagued by crime, filth, and an ineffective government. The city was falling apart, and even the newly constructed World Trade Center threatened to be a fiasco. But in April 1976, a quarter-mile up on the 107th floor of the North Tower, a new restaurant called Windows on the World opened its doors--a glittering sign that New York wasn't done just yet. In The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World, journalist Tom Roston tells the complete history of this incredible restaurant, from its stunning $14-million opening to 9/11 and its tragic end. There are stories of the people behind it, such as Joe Baum, the celebrated restaurateur, who was said to be the only man who could outspend an unlimited budget; the well-tipped waiters; and the cavalcade of famous guests, as well as everyday people celebrating the key moments in their lives. Roston also charts the changes in American food, from baroque and theatrical to locally sourced and organic. Built on nearly 150 original interviews, The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World is the story of New York City's restaurant culture and the quintessential American drive to succeed.

The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New York

The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World

A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era

I Lost It at the Video Store

Ted Allen

The Quantum Prophets

Tom Roston interviews filmmakers who grew up with video stores--including Allison Anders, Darren Aronofsky, Luc Besson, J.C. Chandor, Ira Deutchman, Tom DiCillo, Larry Estes, James Franco, Richard Gladstein, Nicole Holofcener, Ted Hope, Doug Liman, Greg Mottola, Tom Blake Nelson, Alex Ross Perry, John Pierson, David O. Russell, John Sayles, Kevin Smith, Morgan Spurlock, Joe Swanberg, and Quentin Tarantino.

Tom Roston

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