Explore the latest books of this year!
Bookbot

Harry Crews

    June 7, 1935 – March 28, 2012

    Harry Crews explores the darker aspects of human existence, delving into the search for meaning amidst harsh realities. His prose is raw and urgent, characterized by naturalistic detail and psychological depth. Crews writes about characters on the fringes of society, grappling with personal tragedy and moral quandaries. His work offers an intense reading experience, reflecting a profound engagement with the struggles for survival and redemption.

    Harry Crews
    Feast of Snakes
    The Knockout Artist
    The Gospel Singer
    Gospel Singer
    Classic Crews
    A Childhood
    • 2024

      The Knockout Artist

      • 272 pages
      • 10 hours of reading
      4.1(16)Add rating

      Eugene Talmadge Biggs, a young boxer from rural Georgia, faces a unique challenge with his unsettling ability to knock himself out. As he navigates the gritty New Orleans underworld, he encounters morally ambiguous characters that test his resolve. The story captures his tumultuous journey from aspiring champion to a deeper understanding of himself, culminating in a powerful climax where he confronts his truths and strives for self-respect and freedom. This narrative showcases Harry Crews' masterful storytelling and character development.

      The Knockout Artist
    • 2022

      A Childhood

      • 192 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      4.4(136)Add rating

      “One of the Finest Memoirs Ever Written” –The New Yorker The highly acclaimed memoir of one of the most original American storytellers of the rural South A Penguin Classic Harry Crews grew up as the son of a sharecropper in Georgia at a time when “the rest of the country was just beginning to feel the real hurt of the Great Depression but it had been living in Bacon County for years.” Yet what he conveys in this moving, brutal autobiography of his first six years of life is an elegiac sense of community and roots from a rural South that had rarely been represented in this way. Interweaving his own memories including his bout with polio and a fascination with the Sears, Roebuck catalog, with the tales of relatives and friends, he re-creates a childhood of tenderness and violence, comedy and tragedy.

      A Childhood
    • 2022

      The Gospel Singer

      • 224 pages
      • 8 hours of reading
      4.2(154)Add rating

      “Harry Crews is magnificently twisted and brutally funny.” - Carl Hiaasen A Penguin Classic Golden-haired, with the voice of an angel and a reputation as a healer, the Gospel Singer appeared on the cover of LIFE and brought thousands to their knees in Carnegie Hall. But for all his fame, he is a man in mortal torment that drives him back to his obscure and wretched hometown of Enigma, Georgia. But by the time his Cadillac pulls into Enigma, he discovers an old friend is being held at tenuous bay from a lynch mob. As Harry Crews’s first novel unfolds, the Gospel Singer is forced to give way to his torment, and in doing so he reveals to the believers who have gathered at his feet just how little he is God’s man, and how much he has contributed to the corruption of each of them.

      The Gospel Singer
    • 1999

      Celebration

      • 272 pages
      • 10 hours of reading
      3.7(651)Add rating

      Now from the author the Washington Post Book World calls "the dark chronicler of human vanity and folly" comes Celebration. The newest black comedy from Harry Crews is a biting, brilliant commentary set in a Florida rest-home gulag where the over-sixty-five set checks its dignity, self-esteem, and social security numbers at the door.Forever and Forever is the aptly named retreat, populated by a motley crew of forgotten wives and ruined men who are waiting for death while working on their tans. The leader of this group is Stump, whose lost arm paid for Forever and Forever, and who believes the silent desperation that infuses the trailer park masks the fact that Forever and Forever is truly a small piece of hell on earth.This ironic silence is shattered by the entrance of a beautiful young bombshell. Too Much is her name, and that is exactly what she is. This walking bonfire awakens long dead appetites in the inhabitants of Forever and Forever, reminding them of what they once were and can be again—a live.

      Celebration
    • 1998

      From the acclaimed author of such novels as "Blood and Grits" and "Childhood" comes a wildly weird and breathtakingly original visit to the rural South that reveals the exotic subculture that erupts in all its glory at the Rattlesnake Roundup in Mystic, Georgia. "No number of adjectives in the thesaurus can do full justice to the dazzlingly bizarre nature of Crews' creations".--"Washington Post Book World".

      Feast of Snakes
    • 1995

      Gospel Singer

      • 300 pages
      • 11 hours of reading
      4.3(1151)Add rating

      To the dirt poor town of Enigma, Georgia, a local farm boy returns as a prosperous faith healer. Though the townsfolk give way to a mindless idolization, the Gospel Singer is tormented by the extent of his deception and is forced to admit his corrupt activities.

      Gospel Singer
    • 1995

      The Mulching of America

      • 272 pages
      • 10 hours of reading
      3.5(592)Add rating

      The narrative presents a humorous twist on the traditional rags-to-riches tale, focusing on the misadventures of a struggling salesman. Through a satirical lens, the author critiques the all-American culture of door-to-door sales, showcasing the absurdities and challenges faced by the protagonist. With a blend of comedy and sharp observation, the story highlights the often overlooked struggles of everyday life while delivering a unique take on the American dream.

      The Mulching of America
    • 1993

      From Simon & Schuster, Classic Crews is a collection of works from the master Harry Crews, including his memoir and short stories.Collected here is the best of Harry his astoundingly beautiful memoir A The Biography of a Place ; two if his most memorable novels, Car and The Gypsy's Curse ; and three masterly essays, "Climbing the Tower," "The Car," and "Fathers, Sons and Blood," as well as a new introduction to these works by Crews himself.

      Classic Crews
    • 1988

      The McGraw-Hill Reader: Third Edition

      • 725 pages
      • 26 hours of reading

      Approaching a liberal arts tradition in the classroom, across the curriculum, and beyond, The McGraw-Hill Reader offers rich and diverse readings in education, the social sciences, business and economics, the humanities, and the sciences. This new eleventh edition offers a new focus on reading and composing across various media; it includes over 100 selections from prominent thinkers and writers; each essay was chosen to provoke critical thought and encourage effective writing.

      The McGraw-Hill Reader: Third Edition
    • 1987

      A Feast of Snakes

      • 192 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      4.0(169)Add rating

      From the acclaimed author of such novels as "Blood and Grits" and "Childhood" comes a wildly weird and breathtakingly original visit to the rural South that reveals the exotic subculture that erupts in all its glory at the Rattlesnake Roundup in Mystic, Georgia. "No number of adjectives in the thesaurus can do full justice to the dazzlingly bizarre nature of Crews' creations".--"Washington Post Book World".

      A Feast of Snakes