Having stormed mainstream literature from the outskirts, Lethemhas won a readership both wide and deep, all of whom appreciate hisliterary excellence, his mordant but compassionate humor, and thecultish attentiveness of his SF origins. He has earned the right to tread anywhere, and his many admirers are ready to follow.This collection compiles his intensely personal takes on the mostinteresting and deplorable topics in post-postmodern America. It movesfrom original new fiction to insights on popular culture, cult andcanonical authors, and problematic people."David Bowman andthe Furry-Girl School of American Fiction" is a personal true adventure,as Lethem tries (with the help of a seeming expert) to elbow his wayinto literary respectability. "The Collapsing Frontier" is a brand-new fictional journey into an ominous unmapped realm. "Calvino's 'Lightness' and the Feral Child of History" is an intimate encounter with a literary legend, where Calvino's Italy and Lethem's Brooklyn meet cute. In "On Lem-ness" and "Snowden in the Labyrinth" heexplores courage, art, and the search for truth, with wildly differentresults. A bibliography is also provided as well as our usual OutspokenInterview.