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"In this dazzling feat of reportage, Hank Stuever gets at what's best and worst not just about Christmas but about us as Americans. Hilarious, insightful, compassionate, and hugely entertaining, Tinsel is a gift (holiday or otherwise) to anyone who loves great writing."
-Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife and Prep "Insightful, funny/sad, filled with poetry and despair, who better than Hank Stuever to take on the Christmas Industrial Complex with such ultimate humanity, given that he writes like an angel."
-David Rakoff, author of Don't Get Too Comfortable and Fraud "Hank Stuever could have gone the obvious route in writing about Christmas-mixing the coy with the condescending-but bravely chose to take the road less traveled. The result is a book that is thoughtful, illuminating, compassionate, and even affectionate, and very funny. Mr. Stuever is one of those increasingly rare creatures: a journalist who has his heart in the right place." -Joe Queenan, author of Closing Time "Hank Stuever wades bravely into that strange, terrifying maw that is Christmas, returning from the McMansionvilles of the fly-over territories with a book that is not just hilarious but is suffused with the unexpected sweetness and warmth of dare I say it? A hundred yule logs. It's not just about plastic trees and other garish frontiers of decor. Tinsel is a bigger tale, about what America has become while Santa wasn't watching." -Sandra Tsing Loh, NPR commentator and author of Mother on Fire "Laugh-out-loud funny... Stuever's keen eye misses very little." -USA Today "Wry, compelling, and telling commentary on the state of giving, getting, and celebrating in the holiday season." -Huffington Post "Fascinating... Stuever unwraps both appalling consumerism and genuine holiday spirit - sometimes in the same package - and treats the people he writes about with respect and affection, even when they're doing things he can't quite believe." -St. Petersburg Times "What stands out most in Tinsel is Stuever's genuine interest in his subjects . . . [His] fascination with and empathy for the human experience are abundant." -Minneapolis Star Tribune "Marvelously written and sharply observed." -Austin American-Statesman "A nice antidote to the blizzard of obligations, expectations and traditions that bury us at the end of each year." -Cleveland Plain Dealer "Stuever's clear-eyed examination of America in holiday orgy-mode is energetic, acerbic, and informative . . . Tinsel is well-written journalism about unexceptional people doing (for the most part) unexceptional things, but Stuever's generosity finds the extraordinary everywhere." -The Stranger "[Stuever's] spot-on observations about how modern America celebrates the holiday - in all its retail madness - are satisfying and illuminating. . . He has a knack for keeping you engaged. His gift for ending chapters and segments with startling visual images, pithy summations, a fabulous quote or his thought of the moment creates a glide effect that makes the book difficult to put down." -Palm Beach Post "I knew Christmas in today's America was out of control, but had no idea just how much before reading this book . . .Tinsel is crammed full of data and insights that illuminate how far we've strayed from a family holiday to the commercial and economic abyss we have created for ourselves as a country . . . A snapshot of contemporary America in search of meaning." -San Jose Mercury News "Scrupulously observed, deeply revealing and very, very funny." -San Antonio Express-News -
-Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife and Prep "Insightful, funny/sad, filled with poetry and despair, who better than Hank Stuever to take on the Christmas Industrial Complex with such ultimate humanity, given that he writes like an angel."
-David Rakoff, author of Don't Get Too Comfortable and Fraud "Hank Stuever could have gone the obvious route in writing about Christmas-mixing the coy with the condescending-but bravely chose to take the road less traveled. The result is a book that is thoughtful, illuminating, compassionate, and even affectionate, and very funny. Mr. Stuever is one of those increasingly rare creatures: a journalist who has his heart in the right place." -Joe Queenan, author of Closing Time "Hank Stuever wades bravely into that strange, terrifying maw that is Christmas, returning from the McMansionvilles of the fly-over territories with a book that is not just hilarious but is suffused with the unexpected sweetness and warmth of dare I say it? A hundred yule logs. It's not just about plastic trees and other garish frontiers of decor. Tinsel is a bigger tale, about what America has become while Santa wasn't watching." -Sandra Tsing Loh, NPR commentator and author of Mother on Fire "Laugh-out-loud funny... Stuever's keen eye misses very little." -USA Today "Wry, compelling, and telling commentary on the state of giving, getting, and celebrating in the holiday season." -Huffington Post "Fascinating... Stuever unwraps both appalling consumerism and genuine holiday spirit - sometimes in the same package - and treats the people he writes about with respect and affection, even when they're doing things he can't quite believe." -St. Petersburg Times "What stands out most in Tinsel is Stuever's genuine interest in his subjects . . . [His] fascination with and empathy for the human experience are abundant." -Minneapolis Star Tribune "Marvelously written and sharply observed." -Austin American-Statesman "A nice antidote to the blizzard of obligations, expectations and traditions that bury us at the end of each year." -Cleveland Plain Dealer "Stuever's clear-eyed examination of America in holiday orgy-mode is energetic, acerbic, and informative . . . Tinsel is well-written journalism about unexceptional people doing (for the most part) unexceptional things, but Stuever's generosity finds the extraordinary everywhere." -The Stranger "[Stuever's] spot-on observations about how modern America celebrates the holiday - in all its retail madness - are satisfying and illuminating. . . He has a knack for keeping you engaged. His gift for ending chapters and segments with startling visual images, pithy summations, a fabulous quote or his thought of the moment creates a glide effect that makes the book difficult to put down." -Palm Beach Post "I knew Christmas in today's America was out of control, but had no idea just how much before reading this book . . .Tinsel is crammed full of data and insights that illuminate how far we've strayed from a family holiday to the commercial and economic abyss we have created for ourselves as a country . . . A snapshot of contemporary America in search of meaning." -San Jose Mercury News "Scrupulously observed, deeply revealing and very, very funny." -San Antonio Express-News -