{"product_id":"book-c7li","title":"Sunshine State","description":"\u003cp\u003eRising literary star and \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e First Fiction Award finalist Sarah Gerard uses her experiences growing up along Florida’s gulf coast to illuminate the struggles of modern human survival—physical, emotional, environmental—through a collection of essays exploring intimacy, addiction, obsession, religion, homelessness, and incarceration.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the personal insight of \u003cem\u003eThe Empathy Exams\u003c\/em\u003e, the societal exposal of \u003cem\u003eNickel and Dimed\u003c\/em\u003e, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel \u003cem\u003eBinary Star\u003c\/em\u003e, Sarah Gerard’s \u003cem\u003eSunshine State\u003c\/em\u003e uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the collection’s title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar’s Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he “rescues” never quite add up. Gerard’s personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard’s first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSunshine State\u003c\/em\u003e offers a unique look at Florida, a state whose economically and environmentally imperiled culture serves as a lens through which we can examine some of the most pressing issues haunting our nation.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49345024655664,"sku":"BDc7li","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49345024721200,"sku":"ZEc7li","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49345024753968,"sku":"ZMc7li","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/c7li-Square-cover.jpg?v=1778315148","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-c7li","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}