Gayle Brandeis is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (HarperSanFrancisco), Dictionary Poems (Pudding House Press) and The Book of Dead Birds: A Novel (HarperCollins), which won Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize for Fiction in Support of a Literature of Social Change. Self Storage is her second novel.
Influences
Early praise for Self Storage
Deftly plotted and engagingly told, Gayle Brandeis's new novel is a suspenseful, thought-provoking, and inspiring exploration of what it means to be a sensitive and thoughtful human being living in George W. Bush's America.
--Adam Langer, author of Crossing California and The Washington Story
If you doubt that a deadly serious thread -- also somehow all but laugh-out-loud funny --can connect the pillage of metal storage units, the fierce devotion to family, the rape of human sensibility, and the pursuit of art, read 'Self Storage' by Gayle Brandeis. Or better yet, just take the hand of its great-hearted and deeply bewildered heroine, Flan, and hang on for the ride.
--Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and The Breakdown Lane
Self-Storage, Gayle Brandeis's marvelous new novel, is a rare thing: a story of love, marriage and friendship that stirs our tenderest emotions without manipulation or bathos.
--Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Self Storage: A Novel by Gayle Brandeis, coming from Ballantine, January, 2007
Flan Parker's curious nature has translated into a thriving resale business. The secret of her success: unique and everyday treasures bought from auctions of forgotten and abandoned storage units. When Flan secures the winning bid on
a box filled only with a note bearing the word "yes", she sets out to discover the source and meaning of this mysterious message. Armed with a well-worn copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass that she turns to for guidance and solace, Flan becomes determined to find the "yes" in her own life. When her search draws her toward her Afghan neighbor--and the belief that a world of secrets lies concealed beneath the woman's burqa--Flan's personal quest unexpectedly enters a more public stage.
With humor, heart, and an electric sparkle worthy of Walt Whitman, Gayle Brandeis brings us a story of motherhood, love, and self-discovery.
"This is a novel of passion and consequence, identity and accountability. I love the narrator, her children, her wild ride, and this truly American story of getting mad and getting wise.”
--Barbara Kingsolver
"Executing a marvelous narrative sleight of hand, Brandeis uses slyly insouciant humor and irresistible characters to delve into the true significance of neighborliness, advocate for doing the right thing, and celebrate a Whitmanesque embrace of life."
--Booklist
Bnei Baruch senior instructor Tony Kosinec introduces the upcoming course in authentic Kabbalah at the Bnei Baruch Learning Center. Visit the site for more information and to sign up. Visit http://www. kabbalah. info/course/main to sign up for a free course.
Free Kabbalah Course You Just Don't Know What You're Missing Out On Until You Try It... Begins September 3
What Does the Course Give You?
* A firm basis in authentic Kabbalah methodology, providing a deep understanding of nature, the world, and who you really are
* Practical tools with which to take control of every challenge in life by learning the real rules of the game
* A unique illumination that can be sensed only by the study of authentic Kabbalah texts, an illumination that reveals and helps you realize your life's true purpose
"The only thing sadder than being thirty-nine and still single is being thirty-nine and freshly divorced. And unemployed. And living with your mother. (And her dogs.)"
if you're up for it, download a free ebook version of Stay At Home off of my website www.billysmitts.com. Just scroll down under Availability and click the link!
If you’re traveling here, you’re going to need a place to stay! Our special rate at the lovely Cambridge Marriott (just two short blocks from the Conference) is only guaranteed through March 10, and rooms are going fast.
Our Sunday Action Brunch is revamped and better than ever this year, with even more chances to create and get involved with ongoing projects!
And… Equal Exchange just signed on to provide their delicious free-trade coffee all weekend long!
For more information, or to register, check out the WAM!2007 website!
