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About the Book

About the Book

The Big Book of Misunderstanding

The Big Book of Misunderstanding is a refreshingly candid novel that combines the emotional depth of Sue Miller with the comic verve of Stephen MacCauley. The story opens as Joshua Royalton - 22-years-old, gay, and an aspiring children's book writer - briefly contemplates suicide, asking himself the question:

"Do I have to end my life to end my childhood?"

To come up with his answer, Josh leads readers on a tumultuous jaunt through his family history. The Royaltons, Josh explains, are "like Norman Rockwell run amok, so wholesome it's perverse." Rendering the feverish - and often hilarious - imagination of a troubled youngster's mind with pitch-perfect accuracy, Jim Gladstone takes readers on a wild ride through pop cultural touchstones of the 1970s and 1980s while maintaining a sense of emotional intimacy that will keep readers highly invested in the developing lives of the Royalton family.

The Big Book of Misunderstanding is about the members of a family who insist on figuring out how to love each other despite their differences… and despite the indelible similarities they sometimes wish they didn't share.

The Big Book of Misunderstanding
by Jim Gladstone

  • Publication Date: January 1, 2002
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Paperback: 242 pages
  • Publisher: Haworth Press
  • ISBN-10: 1560233826
  • ISBN-13: 9781560233824