A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Dave Eggers (2001)
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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius isn't likely be characterized by many as a travel book.  We just like it.  The book is uber-talented Dave Eggers’ first published book, a slightly fictionalized memoir of his real-life experience raising his eight-year old brother after the sudden death of his parents.  In the novel, the two struggle to figure out how to make this relationship work, living in chaos with Eggers neurotically obsessing about child welfare and what he as a young twenty-one-year old would rather be doing than being a guardian.  Eggers and his brother move to the San Francisco Bay Area, living in college dorm-like squalor, and figuring their lives out day by day.  Egger’s brutally honest, hilarious, and completely captivating account of a truly heartbreaking situation was instantly popular, reaching number one on the New York Times bestseller list and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.
Click here to see reviews and prices for this book on Amazon.

OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - DAVE EGGERS

book cover of Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is a prolific and popular author, also known for his philanthropic work around the importance of writing.  Our top recommendations include Zeitoun, a story about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and What is the What, a novel about the experience of a refugee from the Sudanese civil war.  Click here to learn more about Dave Eggers.

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GREAT QUOTES FROM THE HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS

“You will die, and when you die, you will know a profound lack of it [dignity]. It's never dignified, always brutal. What's dignified about dying? It's never dignified. And in obscurity? Offensive. Dignity is an affectation, cute but eccentric, like learning French or collecting scarves. And it's fleeting and incredibly mercurial. And subjective. So fuck it.”

“My feeling is, if you're not self-obsessed you're probably boring.”

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • There are lots of reviews on this  intriguing book, but the New York Times book review of The Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius titled "My Brother's Keeper" is especially interesting.
  • We also like Alizah Salario's 2010 review in The Rumpus​.  
  • In 2002, Eggers co-founded an amazing non-profit organization called 826 National.  826 National provides strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of its network of seven writing and tutoring centers.  The mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.  Click here for more details, and consider a contribution to this great cause.