Paper Trails

<p>In the 1970s and '80s before he earned national acclaim for his award-winning novels Pete Dexter was a newspaper columnist. Every week in a few hundred words Dexter cut directly to the heart of the American character at a time of national turmoil and crucial change. With haunting urgency his columns laid bare the violence hypocrisy and desperation he saw on the streets of Philadelphia and in the places he visited across the country. But he reveled too in the lighter side of his own life sharing scenes with the indefatigable Mrs. Dexter their young daughter and a series of unforgettable creatures who strayed into their lives. No matter what caught Dexter's eye it was illuminated by his dark brilliant humor. Collected here are eighty-two of the best of those spellbinding finely wrought pieces--with a new preface by the author--assembled by Rob Fleder editor of the bestselling <em>Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Book</em>. <em>Paper Trails</em> is searing heartbreaking and irresistibly funny sometimes all at once. As Pete Hamill says in his foreword these essays are as good as it ever gets.</p>