A Gay and Melancholy Sound — Merle Miller

Child prodigy Joshua Bland's life has been anything but bland. Joshua's father abandons him and his mentally imbalanced mother when he is a young boy, leaving him to be raised by a cynical, hostile, and self-doubting stepfather. When Joshua loses a national knowledge competition, his family's reaction puts him on the path to becoming a World War II veteran, bestselling author, successful producer, and absentee father. A Gay and Melancholy Sound is a stark, witty portrait of a man who has had a lifetime of extraordinary experiences, yet no emotional connection to any of it. Book Lust Rediscoveries is a series devoted to reprinting some of the best (and now out of print) novels originally published from 1960-2000. Each book is personally selected by NPR Commentator and Book Lust author Nancy Pearl and includes an introduction by her, as well as discussion questions for book groups and a list of recommended further reading.