Tom Perrotta

Tom Perrotta's thirty-ish parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out, down to scheduling a weekly roll in the hay with her husband, every Tuesday at 9pm. They all raise their kids in the kind of sleepy American suburb where nothing ever seems to happen-at least until one eventful summer, when a convicted child molester moves back to town, and two restless parents begin an affair that goes further than either of them could have imagined. Unexpectedly suspenseful, but written with all the fluency and dark humor of Perrotta's previous novels, Little Children exposes the adult dramas unfolding amidst the swingsets and slides of an ordinary American playground.

A wacky novel on a New Jersey band whose players are unusual characters. The hero is Dave, a courier during the week and a guitarist on weekends. After proposing marriage to his high school sweetheart of 15 years, Dave promptly falls for another woman. Another player is writing a musical on the JFK assassination. By the author of Bad Haircut.

Tom Perrotta has created a memorable young protagonist named Buddy in this unsentimental, often hilarious collection of short stories. Bad Haircut follows Buddy's boyhood and adolescent adventures as he struggles to understand the mysteries of race relations, sex, family dynamics - and haircuts. The setting is a working-class town in New Jersey. The time is the overlooked decade of the Seventies, with its vanished cultural landscape of platform shoes, hard rock, and the lingering aftershocks of the Vietnam war. But the joys and agonies of Buddy's coming of age are those of any young person, anywhere, anytime. "In a literary day when too many bland stories of growing up abound, Tom Perrotta's crystal clear and cutting vision shines through," says Bret Lott, author of Jewel and Reed's Beach. Tobias Wolff, author of This Boy's Life and The Barracks Thief, calls Bad Haircut a work of "wit and humanity and cumulative impact." As was the case with Philip Roth's Goodbye Columbus, Mr. Wolff says, "Perrotta's funny and deeply touching collection marks the arrival of a writer who's here for the long haul.". From his unforgettable meeting with the Wiener Man in the opening story to his poignant reflection on a neighbor's death in the collection's finale, Buddy moves on his journey to manhood in the company of such friends and enemies as Sammy Rizzo, Neil Duffy, Zirko and Cockroach. Their adventures are played out in the halls of Warren G. Harding Regional High School, on the basketball court and football field, with a band called Rockhead, and in the homes and streets of the neighborhood. Friends, enemies and even family live in a dangerous world of teen pregnancy, wife abuse and mindless street violence. Yet it also is a world of wit, warmth and keen perception. Readers from teens to seniors will relate to Buddy's world, some with pity and resignation, many more with understanding and hope.

Who really cares who gets elected president of Winwood High School? Nobody - except Tracy Flick. Tracy's one of those students of boundless energy and ambition who somehow find the time to do everything - edit the school paper and yearbook, star in the musical, sleep with her favorite teacher. Tracy's heart is set on becoming president of Winwood, and what Tracy wants, Tracy gets. What's more, her classmates seem to agree. With weeks to go before election day, her victory is nearly a foregone conclusion. And that's just the problem, according to Mr. M. a.k.a. Jim McAllistar, faculty advisor to the Student Government Association and a popular Winwood history teacher. In the name of democracy - not to mention a simmering grudge against Tracy Flick - Mr. M recruits the perfect opposition candidate. Paul Warren is a golden boy, a football hero, with a brain and a heart, eager to bulk up his meager resume. But the clear-cut two-way race is muddled when Paul's younger sister unexpectedly enters the competition. Running on a platform of apathy, Tammy Warren is an anonymous sophomore, struggling with her sexuality and mourning the defection of her best friend, Lisa, who has abandoned their friendship to become Paul's campaign manager and girlfriend. Part satire, part soap opera, Election is an uncommon look at an ordinary American high school, and the extraordinary people who inhabit it.

Jadis lesbienne, féministe et sans concession, Sarah est devenue mère d'une petite fille de trois ans. Elle est mariée à un homme plus âgé qui surfe sur des sites douteux à longueur de journée et se demande comment elle a pu en arriver là. Elle rencontre Todd, un père au foyer, et tous deux tombent amoureux. Leur passion va mettre en péril leurs couples respectifs.

Eve Fletcher is dealing with empty-nest syndrome when she gets a text message from an anonymous number, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, Eve develops an interest in a porn website called MILFateria.com, which features the erotic exploits of ordinary, middle-aged women like herself. As her online fixations begin to spill over into real life, romantic possibilities threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence. Miles away at the state college, her son Brendan is floundering in a college environment that challenges his white-dude privilege and shames him for his outmoded, chauvinistic ideas of sex.

Maggie May (1981) / Lester Bangs, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton -- The National Anthem / Jonathan Lethem, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Speeding motorcycle" by Daniel Johnston as performed by Yo La Tengo -- Blue guitar / Amanda Davis, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Blue guitar" by the Cowboy Junkies -- Untitled / JT LeRoy, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters -- Dirty mouth / Tom Perrotta, inspired by the music and lyrics from "I won't back down" by Tom Petty -- Hallelujah / Tanker Dane, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen as performed by Jeff Buckley -- Why go / Lisa Tucker, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Why go" by Pearl Jam -- All the security guards by name / Aimee Bender, inspired by the music and lyrics from "The lobby" by Jane Siberry -- She once had me / Anthony DeCurtis, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Norwegian wood (This bird has flown)" by the Beatles -- Milestones / Hannah Tinti, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Milestones" by Miles Davis -- Death in the alt-country / Neal Pollack, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Mama tried" by Merle Haggard -- I shot the sheriff / Touré, inspired by the music and lyrics from "I shot the sheriff" by Bob Marley -- A simple explanation of the afterlife / Victor LaValle, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Aluminum" by the White Stripes -- The eternal Helen / Heidi Julavits, inspired by the music and lyrics from "I found a reason" by the Velvet Underground as performed by Cat Power -- Swampthroat / Arthur Bradford, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Highway to hell" by AC/DC -- Bouncing / Jennifer Belle, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Graceland" by Paul Simon -- Graffiti monk / Ernesto Quiñonez, inspired by the music and lyrics from "The message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- Smoking inside / Darin Strauss, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Remedy" by the Black Crowes -- The system / Judy Budnitz, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Way down in the hole" by Tom Waits -- Four last songs / David Ebershoff, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Four last songs" by Herman Hesse and composer Richard Strauss -- Dying on the vine / Elissa Shappell, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Dying on the vine" by John Cale -- Rio / Zev Borow, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Rio" by Duran Duran -- King Heroin / Nelson George, inspired by the music and lyrics from "King Heroin" by James Brown -- The bodies of boys / Julianna Baggott, inspired by the music and lyrics from "Spirit in the night" by Bruce Springsteen.

A collection of stories focuses on suburban nuclear families, including Senior Season, Nine Inches and The Smile on Happy Chang's Face.