Stoner by John WilliamsCall Number: PS3545.I5286 S76 2010d
ISBN: 1441748288
Publication Date: 2010-07-01
Recommended by Jack Pries: "This is not a book about getting stoned. It's a book about a midwestern man--with the last name of "Stoner"--who takes a job teaching literature at a state university. His life is, according to most measures of success, pathetic. And yet we come to see Stoner as a hero--a person who gives himself fully over a cause that is far larger than himself. He is unrelenting in his quiet efforts to do what is right and good, and unfazed by persistent pain and loss. Moreover, and perhaps most incredibly, Stoner's heroism is almost entirely private. No one ever learns the incredible depths of Stoner's character because Stoner lacks the political skill to persuade others of his talents. This is Stoner's tragic flaw, but it is also a welcome reminder that political skill, while valuable, is a different--and lesser--talent than the unshakable dedication to do that which is right and good."