{"title":"Tom Wolfe","description":"\u003cp\u003eTom Wolfe’s writing captures the vibrant pulse of American life with sharp social observation and immersive storytelling. His works traverse from incisive journalism to rich, character-driven narratives, blending wit and cultural insight across \u003cem\u003eGeneral Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e. Readers will find vivid explorations of ambition, excess, and innovation, often framed by moments of historical change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond fiction, Wolfe delves into fascinating facets of science and human achievement, reflecting on language, thought, and the spirit of adventure. His distinctive style brings a compelling mix of reportage and narrative flair that invites readers to engage deeply with the complexities of modern society and human nature.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-electric-kool-aid-acid-test","title":"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nTransformative and mind-bending, \u003cem\u003eThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test\u003c\/em\u003e by Tom Wolfe is a pioneering work of New Journalism that immerses readers in the psychedelic world of the 1960s counterculture. Follow the journey of Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters as they crisscross the United States in a brightly painted school bus, spreading messages of peace, love, and enlightenment while experimenting with LSD and other mind-altering substances.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nWolfe meticulously chronicles their experiences, capturing the exuberant chaos and vivid hallucinations that define their drug-fueled escapades. Through his dynamic prose and keen observational eye, Wolfe delves into the philosophical kernels of this cultural revolution, exploring themes of freedom, consciousness, and the American dream.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test\u003c\/i\u003e offers an extraordinary glimpse into a crucial period of American history. Its vivid description envelops the reader:\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\"I looked around and people's faces were distorted... lights were flashing everywhere... the screen at the end of the room had three or four different films on it at once, and the strobe light was flashing faster than it had been... the band was playing but I couldn't hear the music... people were dancing... someone came up to me and I shut my eyes and with a machine he projected images on the back of my eye-lids... I sought out a person I trusted and he laughed and told me that the Kool-Aid had been spiked and that I was beginning my first LSD experience...\"\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\nDive into \u003ci\u003eThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test\u003c\/i\u003e and explore a vivid narrative that captures the essence of a generation striving to expand the boundaries of perception and societal norms. With keen insights and a riveting portrayal of real-life characters, this book is an essential read for anyone interested in the cultural revolution that shaped contemporary society.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45692388802796,"sku":"9780552993661","price":26.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780552993661.jpg?v=1725561231"},{"product_id":"the-bonfire-of-the-vanities-by-tom-wolfe-9780099541271","title":"The Bonfire of the Vanities","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn exhilarating satire of Eighties excess that captures the effervescent spirit of New York, from one of the greatest writers of modern American prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Bonfire of the Vanities\u003c\/em\u003e follows the story of Sherman McCoy, a WASP, bond trader, and self-appointed 'Master of the Universe'. He enjoys a fashionable lifestyle with a wife, a Park Avenue apartment, and a Southern mistress. However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he becomes involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Bronx. As a result, prosecutors, newspaper hacks, politicians, and clergy surround him, determined to bring about his downfall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExuberant, scandalous, and exceptionally discerning, \u003cem\u003eThe Bonfire of the Vanities\u003c\/em\u003e was Tom Wolfe's first venture into fiction and cemented his reputation as the foremost chronicler of his age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'The air of New York crackles with an energy that causes the adrenalin to pump... The feeling is perfectly reproduced in Wolfe's novel... Electric' - Sunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'The quintessential novel of The Eighties' - The Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46298552008940,"sku":"9780099541271","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11501543482223.jpg?v=1743035737"},{"product_id":"the-electric-kool-aid-acid-test-by-tom-wolfe-9781784873707","title":"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test\u003c\/em\u003e by Tom Wolfe is a genre-defining ride through the 1960s, published in Vintage Classics for the first time to mark its fiftieth anniversary. The book features an introduction by Jarvis Cocker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the summer of 1964, author Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters set out on an awesome social experiment like no other. Blazing across America in their day-glo schoolbus, doped up and deep 'in the pudding', the Pranksters' arrival on the scene—anarchic, exuberant, and LSD-infused—turned on an entire counter-culture. This provided Tom Wolfe with the perfect free-wheeling subject for his pioneering masterpiece of New Journalism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test\u003c\/em\u003e is not simply the best book on the hippies; it is the essential book... the pushing, ballooning heart of the matter. \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46298577830124,"sku":"9781784873707","price":16.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13351903482823.jpg?v=1743036630"},{"product_id":"the-right-stuff-by-tom-wolfe-9781784873714","title":"The Right Stuff","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e is the best, the funniest, and the most vivid book ever written about America's manned space program.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA wonderful novel and perfect book club choice, \u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e is a wildly vivid and entertaining chronicle of America's early space programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY US ASTRONAUT SCOTT KELLY\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'What is it,' asks Tom Wolfe, 'that makes a man willing to sit on top of an enormous Roman Candle...and wait for someone to light the fuse?' Arrogance? Stupidity? Courage? Or, simply, that quality we call 'the right stuff'?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA monument to the men who battled to beat the Russians into space, \u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e is a voyage into the mythology of the American space programme, and a dizzying dive into the sweat, fear, beauty and danger of being on the white-hot edge of history in the making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Tom Wolfe at his very best... Learned, cheeky, risky, touching, tough, compassionate, nostalgic, worshipful, jingoistic...\u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e is superb'\u003c\/em\u003e New York Times Book Review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46298800586988,"sku":"9781784873714","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13351973482823.jpg?v=1743042825"},{"product_id":"the-kingdom-of-speech-by-tom-wolfe-9781784704896","title":"The Kingdom of Speech","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Bonfire of the Vanities\u003c\/em\u003e, the maestro storyteller and reporter provocatively argues that what we think we know about speech and human evolution is wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A great journalist with a whip-like satirical prose style... Wolfe's great gift is to make the heavy seem light and this book is such an entertaining polemic that I read it in a day and immediately wanted to read it again.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Bryan Appleyard, \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTom Wolfe, whose legend began in journalism, takes us on an eye-opening journey through language. \u003cem\u003eThe Kingdom of Speech\u003c\/em\u003e is a paradigm-shifting argument that speech - not evolution - is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Alfred Russel Wallace, the Englishman who beat Darwin to the theory of natural selection but later renounced it, and through the controversial work of modern-day anthropologist Daniel Everett, who defies the current wisdom that language is hard-wired in humans, Wolfe examines the solemn, long-faced, laugh-out-loud zig-zags of Darwinism, old and Neo, and finds it irrelevant here in our \u003cem\u003eKingdom of Speech\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46342781731052,"sku":"9781784704896","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11663793482823.jpg?v=1743941731"},{"product_id":"a-man-in-full-by-tom-wolfe-9780099554776","title":"A Man In Full","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Man In Full\u003c\/i\u003e offers a dissection of greed-obsessed America, a decade after \u003ci\u003eThe Bonfire of the Vanities\u003c\/i\u003e and on the cusp of the millennium, from the master chronicler of American culture, Tom Wolfe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCharlie Croker, once a fabled college football star, is now a late-middle-aged Atlanta real estate entrepreneur-turned conglomerate king. His expansionist ambitions and outsize ego have at last hit up against reality. 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