{"product_id":"fires-of-our-choosing-paperback","title":"Fires of Our Choosing - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEugene Cross\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEugene Cross captures much of his generation's fears and excitements with a collection of realistic stories that borders on darkness at times. His is a voice combining humor and pathos with an edginess creating fresh new stories that are being published in great literary journals regularly. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA boy acts out at the death of his father and abandonment by his brother through a savage playground beating; a young man confronts his own troubled history when asked to hire on his girlfriend's strung-out brother in an attempt to keep him out of prison; a teenage babysitter works through a scorching-hot summer afternoon that will prove to alter her life forever; a grieving widower finds comfort in the unlikeliest of places, a recently-built casino; an itinerant farm worker visits the same former lover in South Dakota year after year while following the Harvest north; two friends search for excuses and fail to claim responsibility for their own decisions after one loses his father, and the other's house burns to the ground; and a taxidermist falls in love with the ex-wife of his high school bully and tries to convince her to marry him despite her son who seems to share his father's bullying mentality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA brilliant, sometimes heartbreaking debut by this gifted young writer and Columbia writing teacher. Cross captures the angst and tenderness of the young men and women growing up in the rust belt with little hope and less luck. The moments of grace and redemption shine through. I loved every story. --Linda Bubon, Women \u0026amp; Children First Bookstore \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere are countless moments like this in \u003ci\u003eFires of Our Choosing\u003c\/i\u003e, lines that appear true from the moment they've been written and hang in the back of the mind for days afterwards... With \u003ci\u003eFires of Our Choosing\u003c\/i\u003e, Cross climbs boldly into the ring with the greats, if only to deliver a decisive knockout punch. --Urban Waite, Fiction Writers Review \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCross offers no apologies for his characters: their poor choices, their lack of moral fortitude, their betrayals of each other and the poverty of their surroundings and, often, themselves; he leaves these things alone. They are who they are, and if dignity has been denied them by the rest of us, including us story-tellers, it is restored by this collection. That he has undertaken to serve as their raconteur should place Cross on the radar of all the big prizes that gift those blessed with talent, compassion and fearlessness, particularly during this present moment in our history. --Ru Freeman, \u003ci\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEugene Cross \u003c\/b\u003ewas born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and received an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. His stories have appeared in \u003ci\u003eNarrative Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e (which named him one of 20 Best New Writers and his story Harvester's a Top Five Story of 2009-2010), \u003ci\u003eAmerican Short Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStory Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTriQuarterly\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCallalloo\u003c\/i\u003e among other publications. His work was also listed among the \u003ci\u003e2010 Best American Short Stories'\u003c\/i\u003e 100 Distinguished Stories. He is the recipient of scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Chautauqua Writers' Festival, and the winner of the 2009 Dzanc Prize for Excellence in Literary Fiction and Community Service. He currently lives in Chicago where he teaches in the Fiction Department at Columbia College Chicago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEugene Cross captures much of his generation's fears and excitements with a collection of realistic stories that borders on darkness at times. His is a voice combining humor and pathos with an edginess creating fresh new stories that are being published in great literary journals regularly. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA boy acts out at the death of his father and abandonment by his brother through a savage playground beating; a young man confronts his own troubled history when asked to hire on his girlfriend's strung-out brother in an attempt to keep him out of prison; a teenage babysitter works through a scorching-hot summer afternoon that will prove to alter her life forever; a grieving widower finds comfort in the unlikeliest of places, a recently-built casino; an itinerant farm worker visits the same former lover in South Dakota year after year while following the Harvest north; two friends search for excuses and fail to claim responsibility for their own decisions after one loses his father, and the other's house burns to the ground; and a taxidermist falls in love with the ex-wife of his high school bully and tries to convince her to marry him despite her son who seems to share his father's bullying mentality. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant, sometimes heartbreaking debut by this gifted young writer and Columbia writing teacher. Cross captures the angst and tenderness of the young men and women growing up in the rust belt with little hope and less luck. The moments of grace and redemption shine through. I loved every story. --Linda Bubon, Women \u0026amp; Children First Bookstore \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere are countless moments like this in Fires of Our Choosing, lines that appear true from the moment they've been written and hang in the back of the mind for days afterwards... With Fires of Our Choosing, Cross climbs boldly into the ring with the greats, if only to deliver a decisive knockout punch. --Urban Waite, Fiction Writers Review \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCross offers no apologies for his characters: their poor choices, their lack of moral fortitude, their betrayals of each other and the poverty of their surroundings and, often, themselves; he leaves these things alone. They are who they are, and if dignity has been denied them by the rest of us, including us story-tellers, it is restored by this collection. That he has undertaken to serve as their raconteur should place Cross on the radar of all the big prizes that gift those blessed with talent, compassion and fearlessness, particularly during this present moment in our history. --Ru Freeman, Huffington Post \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEugene Cross was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and received an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. His stories have appeared in Narrative Magazine (which named him one of 20 Best New Writers and his story Harvester's a Top Five Story of 2009-2010), American Short Fiction, Story Quarterly, TriQuarterly, and Callalloo among other publications. His work was also listed among the 2010 Best American Short Stories' 100 Distinguished Stories. He is the recipient of scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Chautauqua Writers' Festival, and the winner of the 2009 Dzanc Prize for Excellence in Literary Fiction and Community Service. He currently lives in Chicago where he teaches in the Fiction Department at Columbia College Chicago.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 195\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.6 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 03, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAward:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independent Publisher Book Awards (2013)\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAward:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independent Publisher Book Awards (2013)\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51769907347744,"sku":"9781936873074","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/6c4a188575b4f3e49f57b2db7b7ef9a3.webp?v=1780359466","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/fires-of-our-choosing-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}