Spend an evening at the library with acclaimed New York Times bestselling author T.C. Boyle as he shares the stories behind his new novel, The Harder They Come.

T. Coraghessan Boyle, aka T.C. Boyle, is the author of 24 books of fiction, including, After the Plague, Drop City, The Inner Circle, Tooth and Claw, The Human Fly, Talk Talk, The Women, Wild Child, When the Killing's Done, San Miguel, T.C. Boyle Stories II and the brand-new novel, The Harder They Come, which is being released March 31, 2015. He received a Ph.D. in Nineteenth Century British Literature from the University of Iowa in 1977, his MFA. from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1974, and his B.A. in English and history from SUNY Potsdam in 1968. Boyle has been a member of the English Department at the University of Southern California since 1978, where he is Distinguished Professor of English.

His stories have appeared in most of the major American magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, The Paris Review, GQ, Antaeus, Granta and McSweeney's, and he has been the recipient of a number of literary awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Prize for best novel of the year for World's End; the PEN/Malamud Prize in the short story for T.C. Boyle Stories; and the Prix Médicis Étranger for best foreign novel in France for The Tortilla Curtain. He currently lives near Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and three children.

About The Harder They Come
T.C. Boyle delivers a powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent in the American character. Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son's paranoid, much older lover—as they careen towards an explosive confrontation.

On a vacation cruise to Central America with his wife, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen unflinchingly kills a gun-wielding robber menacing a busload of senior tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California, after the ordeal—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control.

Adam has become involved with Sara Hovarty Jennings, a hardened member of the Sovereign Citizens’ Movement, right-wing anarchists who refuse to acknowledge the laws and regulations of the state, considering them to be false and non-applicable. Adam’s senior by some fifteen years, Sara becomes his protector and inamorata. As Adam's mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly schizophrenic—a breakdown that leads him to shoot two people in separate instances. On the run, he takes to the woods, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history.

As he explores a father’s legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, T. C. Boyle offers unparalleled psychological insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.

This community talk is free.

About the Library Author Series
Bud Werner Memorial Library presents an ongoing program of author talks throughout the year. These are free community events held in Library Hall, where a diverse award-winning range of visiting authors speak about their literary works and their writing processes. Each talk is followed by a Q&A and an opportunity to have authors sign copies of  their books.

Books will be available for sale and author signing courtesy of Off the Beaten Path Bookstore.