The Shell Game is an anthology of carefully chosen, beautifully written, thought-provoking hybrid essays tackling a broad range of subjects, including the secrets of the human genome, the intractable pain of growing up black in America, and the gorgeous glow residing at the edges of the autism spectrum. Surprising, delightful, and lyric, these essays are destined to become classics of this new and increasingly popular hybrid form.
Brookline Booksmith hosts authors KIM ADRIAN and MATTHEW BATTLES who will read two entries from Object Lessons – a nonfiction series published by The Atlantic and Bloomsbury press about the hidden lives of ordinary things. From sardines to silence, juniper berries to jumper cables, now it is Sock and Tree!
Sock, by ADRIAN, tells the ‘history’ of the sock. Socks are such an everyday part of our lives, we tend to overlook its importance— unless there’s a problem. Sometimes functional, sometimes fashionable, sometimes government issued, and often silly looking, the humble sock can be said to complete the human foot.
Tree, by BATTLES, explores the forms, uses, and alliances of this living object’s entanglement with humanity, from antiquity to the present. Trees tower over us and yet fade into background. Their lifespan outstrips ours, and yet their wisdom remains inscrutable, treasured up in the heartwood. They serve us in many ways. In this book, BATTLES follows the tree’s branches across art, poetry, and landscape, marking the edges of imagination with wildness and shadow.
This event is free and open to the public. You may purchase copies of Tree and Sock at Brookline Booksmith.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in the The Atlantic.