Beyond
the riveting and cinematic story
of a young artist’s awakening and her enduring
love for a professional fighter, Anthropology of
an American Girl provides an intelligent assessment of the essence
of being an American in contemporary culture. Set in
Manhattan, New Jersey, and East Hampton—stripped
of stereotype and restored to its natural wonder and
pristine beauty through the eyes of an insider—this
captivating novel examines the meaning of freedom and
the obligation of people to live conscious lives.
Anthropology follows its heroine, Eveline,
as she moves from high school in the Hamptons during the
bohemian 1970s
to college in New York City during the bleak and neo-conservative
1980s.
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Through
a purity of voice reminiscent
of such great American writers as J. D. Salinger, Harper
Lee, Carson
McCullers, or Willa Cather,
Ms. Hamann gives the reader complete access to Eveline’s
interior state of mind in order to juxtapose external
reality with the
intrinsic, soulful truth upon which the reader comes
to depend.
The
novel expertly retains its
uplifting innocence despite its skepticism against
the social
conventions
that prevent people from loving truly and living freely.
Anthropology contains revelatory insights into masculinity,
femininity, betrayal, sex, and control—and in
particular, heroism. This sincere exploration of identity
and vivid portrayal of desire, interlaced with lyrics
from classic songs and references to popular culture,
has the capacity to enrich every reader’s life.
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