{"product_id":"first-words","title":"First Words","description":"\u003cdiv\u003eMost kid write stories. A few of them grow up to be successful authors. Before Stephen King created \u003ci\u003eCarrie\u003c\/i\u003e, he created Jhonathan, at age nine. And before there was Rabbit Angstrom, there was Manuel Citarro, detective in John Updike's hard-boiled mystery, written at fourteen. Before \u003ci\u003eJurassic Park\u003c\/i\u003e, there was young Michael Crichton's story about the mysteriously wounded man lying unattended in the street.\u003cp\u003e  Editor Paul Mandelbaum persuaded our most popular American authors to share their childhood writings and their treasured photographs. What he's gathered is a fascinating, delightful collection of writing and early snapshots that reveal young minds at work, wrestling with early versions of ideas that were to take hold of their writings in later years. Of course, the young Madeline L'Engle would wonder about space and the meaning of eternity. Of course, Margaret Atwood would question conventional female behavior, arguing for the right to smoke cigars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFirst Words\u003c\/i\u003e is an inspiration to budding writers and enthusiastic teachers, and a revelation for readers everywhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  This revised and condensed edition includes the following writers:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Margaret Atwood\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Roy Blount, Jr.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Paul Bowles\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Pat Conroy\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Michael Crichton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Rita Dove\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Clyde Edgerton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Gail Godwin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Allan Gurganus\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Charles Johnson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Stephen King\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Maxine Hong Kingston\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Ursula LeGuin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Madeleine L'Engle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Jill McCorkle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Norman Mailer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Joyce Carol Oates\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  William Styron\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Amy Tan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  John Updike\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Gore Vidal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  Tobias Wolff\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42100948107442,"sku":"9781565122727","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0536\/7418\/0786\/files\/O_4b47fa2e-1c61-49f2-b0a1-87ac24436e11.jpg?v=1764146072","url":"https:\/\/shop.hachettebookgroup.com\/products\/first-words","provider":"Hachette Book Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}