Washoe County Library System

Joyce Carol Oates is an unparalleled investigator of human flaws. In these eight stories, she deftly tests the bonds between damaged individuals-- a brother and sister, a teacher and student, two strangers on a subway-- in the fearless prose for which she's become so celebrated. In the title story "High Crime Area," a white, aspiring professor is convinced she is being followed. No need to panic, she has a handgun stowed away in her purse--just in...

The author offers insight into the creative process, sharing the life lessons she has learned through her career about language, the inspiration of ideas, and the contributions of life experiences to writing.