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And so the seed was planted in his mind that it should fall to him to write a biography of his favorite filmmaker. It didn't matter to Jason that he had no qualifications, training, background, platform, or direction. Thus went the years-long, delusional, earnest, and assiduous quest to reach his goal. But no book came out of these years, and no book will. What he did get was a story that fills the pages of this unconventional, hilarious memoir.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In Searching for John Hughes, Jason tells how a Jewish kid from a broken home in a Chicago suburb--sometimes homeless, always restless--found comfort and connection in the likewise broken lives in the suburban Chicago of John Hughes' oeuvre. He moved to New York to become a writer. He started to write a book he had no business writing. In the meantime, he brewed coffee and guarded cupcake cafes. All the while, he watched John Hughes movies religiously.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Though his original biography of Hughes has long since been abandoned, Jason has discovered he is a writer through and through. And the adversity of going for broke has now been transformed into wisdom. Or, at least, a really, really good story.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In other words, this is a memoir of growing up. One part big dream, one part big failure, one part John Hughes movies, one part Chicago, and one part New York. 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Mixing personal experience, cultural reportage, and history while rejecting clich s and pieties and these essays stretch across the country in an effort to show that this uniquely American milieu deserves another look.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49615228928273,"sku":"GOR013287696","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50132759871761,"sku":"CIN1566895820VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50523037237521,"sku":"CIN1566895820G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51037743382801,"sku":"NIN9781566895828","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52333146603793,"sku":"NLS9781566895828","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1566895820.jpg?v=1751276643"},{"product_id":"kaplan-s-plot-book-jason-diamond-9781250385918","title":"Kaplan's Plot","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of the most anticipated books of the year by the \u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDebutiful\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHey Alma\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eOrange County Register\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A gangster novel of epic scale.\" --\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A sprawling, funny, Jewish family saga. . . . \u003ci\u003eKaplan's Plot\u003c\/i\u003e concerns Chicago, cemeteries, secrets and crimes, and the enormous gift of loving somebody for who they truly, imperfectly are.\" --\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Elijah Mendes was hoping for a more triumphant return to Chicago. 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