{"product_id":"census-isbn-9780062676139","title":"Census","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNAMED A RECOMMENDED BOOK OF 2018 BY \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e•\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eBuzzfeed • Esquire • Nylon •\u003c\/em\u003e  \u003cem\u003eThe Boston Globe • The\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eHuffington Post • The Chicago Tribune \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e• \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Rumpus \u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e•\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe AV Club •\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eSouthern Living •\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Millions • The\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eChicago Reader \u003cem\u003e•\u003c\/em\u003e Kirkus •\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly • NPR\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA powerful and moving new novel from an award-winning, acclaimed author: in the wake of a devastating revelation, a father and son journey north across a tapestry of towns\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTraveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome them into their homes, others who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs are wary of their presence. When they press toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder, and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach “Z,” the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say good-bye to his son? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMysterious and evocative, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel about free will, grief, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love, from one of our most captivating young writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eWhen a widower receives the devastating news that he doesn’t have long to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTraveling north, farther into the country, through a tapestry of towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome the pair into their homes, others, who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs, are wary of their presence. Toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach Z, the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say goodbye to his son?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWrenching and beautiful, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel about free will, grief, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love. It is also an indictment of the cruelties of our society by a major writer.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Ball’s latest is an intensely moving and dazzlingly imagined journey...This novel is a devastatingly powerful call for understanding and compassion.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e is a vital testament to selfless love; a psalm to commonplace miracles; and a mysterious evolving metaphor.  So kind, it aches.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This is a novel about how compassion and love move far beyond familial duty...Ball does an excellent job of revealing his [narrator’s] experience of life’s aches and joys...Ball provides a finish suitably heartbreaking and redeeming...An odd, poignant, vitalizing novel well worth the journey. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Extraordinary...A thrilling, imaginative work that explores both the limits and powers of language and empathy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe National Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Opens onto startling depths, posing a profound inquiry into the nature and the stakes of both observation and representation...Absorbing, reflective and deeply moving, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e is the most necessary kind of book--one that urges us to see and feel with all the wonder that the world deserves.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Outline\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Stirring...the book’s singular brilliance lies in its blending of fiction and memoir...Enchanting....This wise, category-defying book eloquently argues that we must also resist categorizing one another.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO, the Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Ball’s] most personal and best to date... [A] point — about the beautiful varieties of perception, of experience — made without sentimentality, burns at the core of the book, and of much of Ball’s work, which rails against the tedium of consensus, the cruelty of conformity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Ball is] a writer of an elegantly poetic bent… Explore with Ball, fall into his quirky rhythms, and you’ll discover a burning plea for empathy. It will break your heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Some books resonate more deeply than others; they don’t merely reflect the world we’re presented with, but instead they refashioned it, even warp it, revealing essential truths. Ball’s poignant dedication to his late older brother Adam, who had Down syndrome, adds yet another layer of complexity to this surreal and powerful story....grounded by the most enduring theme of familial love.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ball’s poignant dedication to his late older brother Adam, who had Down syndrome, adds yet another layer of complexity to this surreal and powerful story....grounded by the most enduring theme of familial love.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What there’s no question about is Ball’s alternately fierce and tender portrayal of parental love, of how we grieve for the things we haven’t yet lost...This is a book that will give you an expanded sense of what it means to have compassion, and what it means to love.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNylon Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With echoes of Paul Auster and Cormac McCarthy, Jesse Ball’s road novel is anything but traditional. The prolific, award-winning author tells the story of a father and his son who has Down syndrome, bringing out their connection in luminous and unexpected ways.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Strange and wonderful ... A melancholy and grief-filled book, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e also serves a healthy helping of compassion. I highly recommend it for fans of Paul Auster and Samantha Hunt.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLitHub\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Emotionally riveting and shot through with the most pressing issues of our time, Ball’s exploration of humanity in modern America is not to be missed.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePopsugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Heart-breaking.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Each new book from Jesse Ball reveals a new facet of his abilities as a writer; each one takes bold structural risks even as it ventures into heart-rending territories.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVol 1Brooklyn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Ball’s] most personal and best to date... [A] point — about the beautiful varieties of perception, of experience — made without sentimentality, burns at the core of the book, and of much of Ball’s work, which rails against the tedium of consensus, the cruelty of conformity. In one home, the father and son come across a couple whose daughter had Down syndrome. “I can see from the way you are with him that you see — you see what we saw, that they experience the world just as we do, and maybe even, maybe even in a clearer light,” the woman says. I can think of no higher praise for this novel than to echo what this woman tells the father for traveling with his son, for letting the world experience his gift: “I think you cannot know the good you do.”” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An ethereal meditation on love, the duty of a caretaker, and mortality.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If there’s a refrain running through [Ball’s] large body of work, it’s that compassion, kindness and empathy trump rules and authority of any kind...this damning but achingly tender novel holds open a space for human redemption, never mind that we have built our systems against it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ball writes dystopia and fabulism with a hushed, poetic grace; as with his other work, \u003cem\u003eCensus\u003c\/em\u003e promises to be beautifully and precisely wrought.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAV Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In sync with Italo Calvino, Paul Auster, and Howard Norman, Ball takes a matter-of-fact approach to surreal situations, which he deepens with finely rendered and realistic thoughts and emotions. His latest mysterious, mesmerizing, and insightful fairy tale… [is] mind-bending, gorgeously well told, and profoundly moving.”    - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ball is too smart… to rely on cheap tricks of sentimentality...the result is an understated feat.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888471240933,"sku":"NP9780062676139","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062676139.jpg?v=1730229155","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/census-isbn-9780062676139","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}