When anthropology graduate student Blackwell James returns from a research expedition in the Amazon, he brings home a trunk full of rare hallucinogenic vines…but no research notes. Frustrated by the young man’s lack of progress on his dissertation, Blackwell’s professor finds him a job working on a primate experiment in Los Angeles to spur him along. Trouble is, Blackwell has never set foot in L.A., and he doesn’t know a whit about primates. In fact, for a guy like Blackwell James, venturing into the City of Angels soon proves to be more dangerous than the Amazon ever was. From the moment he is thrust into the bizarre culture of Hollywood, his life becomes a wild, high-octane tale of adventure, suspense, and intrigue. Caught up in the secret ambitions of his new employers, Blackwell begins a strange trip through the surreal world of movie stars, murder, and money. A secret society, a ghost town, two large chimpanzees, and several shamanistic drug-induced journeys round out this outrageous novel, which features “cameos” by Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Depp, and Steven Spielberg. Gleefully continuing the great literary tradition of comic Hollywood novels, The Graduate Student is an exuberant and riveting ride.
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"I really liked this book, but didn't quite get the ending. I don't want to give it away to those who have not read the book, but any insight would be appreciated!"
— Jennifer (4 out of 5 stars)
“An Outlandish adventure.
— The New York TimesOutrageously funny.
— NPRPolster moves to the cutting edge of a new crop of young, talented, West Coast writers.
— San Francisco Review of Books" This is an enjoyable summer vacation book. "
— Drcognition, 2/27/2013" did not love this book. started strong and grabbed my interest, but took a turn into weirdness and just didn't come back around. "
— Jennifer, 12/13/2012James Polster hails from Cleveland, Ohio and has worked as novelist, movie producer, screenwriter, explorer, and journalist. After graduation from Tulane University in 1969, Polster hopped a freighter for Spain and eventually settled in Tangiers. He returned to the United States to attend graduate school at Columbia and Harvard. Beginning in 1973, Polster explored the Amazon rainforest on several trips, spent time in the jungles of Irian Jaya with cannibals in 1989, and both covered and played in the World Championships of Elephant polo for Sports Illustrated in Nepal in 1991. Polster is a National Fellow of the Explorers Club. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his son Nick.
David Doersch has delighted audiences with various roles on stage, film, and recordings for more than twenty-five years. He has worked some of the most prestigious theaters in America, including the Guthrie Theatre, the Dallas Theatre Center, the American Players Theatre, and the Virginia Stage Company. He has recorded dozens of cases for Audio Case Files, worked in film and television, and has toured as a musician.