How do you write a book? With death threats, breakthroughs, and tennis, if you are scholar Keith Gandal. In A Year of Writing Dangerously, Gandal recounts the serendipitous bumps and perils of a sabbatical year spent researching and writing about the Lost Generation. Unsparingly funny and poignant, the book explores the sometimes surprising connections between people, documents, and ideas that define the creative process. With wit and wisdom, Gandal shows how writing a book is a lot like taking up competitive tennis, with the same pitfalls, characters, and opportunities that confront writers everywhere. Taking the reader on a quest for answers that leads from Foucault's papers through World War I-era US Army records, the United States Tennis Association, and finally, the masterworks of the Lost Generation, A Year of Writing Dangerously is a must-read for any writer, scholar, or part-time athlete looking for enlightenment.
