For fans of Alice Munro, Anne Enright, and William Trevor comes a stunning debut collection from a deeply original writer and observer of love, betrayal, and turning points in ordinary peoples’ lives. In a raw seacoast cabin, a young woman watches her boyfriend go out with his brother, late one night, on a mysterious job she realizes she isn’t supposed to know about. A man gets a call at work from his sister-in-law, saying that his wife and his daughter never made it to nursery school that day. A mother learns that her teenage daughter has told a teacher about problems in her parents’ marriage that were meant to be private—problems the mother herself tries to ignore. McLaughlin conveys these characters so vividly that readers will feel they are experiencing real life. Often the stories turn on a single, fantastic moment of clarity—after which nothing can be the same. Danielle McLaughlin is a writer of unparalleled precision and uncommon imagination. In her deft hands, ordinary people are transformed and surprising truths are suddenly understood. Praise for Dinosaurs on Other Planets “Dinosaurs [on Other Planets] marks the stateside debut (in book form, at least—a number of these already have appeared in The New Yorker) of Danielle McLaughlin, a writer of exceptionally deep empathy in the naturalistic tradition of John McGahern and Claire Keegan but with a knack for keen, and often disturbing, observation all her own.”–LitHub “McLaughlin’s immersive first collection casts a stern eye on individuals, couples, and families caught in nets of their own making, where even the mildest passion can lead to death, and journeys home with new lovers can reveal grim secret lives. . . . The title story, which opens up into an ambiguous ending rather than tying its strands up neatly, show[s] the ample bag of tricks McLaughlin has at her disposal.”—Publishers Weekly “Danielle McLaughlin’s short story collection Dinosaurs on Other Planets is a near perfect, enormously promising debut. . . . McLaughlin’s subject matter and themes are serious, undercut brilliantly by a sly strain of pitch-black humor. . . . A brilliant, quietly disturbing debut story collection [that] portrays Irish characters in the uncertain wake of the recent financial crisis.”—Shelf Awareness “In her collection, [McLaughlin] focuses on fraught relationships and those sudden, illuminating moments that can light up ordinary lives.”—Library Journal “This is not a debut in the usual sense, a promise of greater things to come. There is no need to ask what Danielle McLaughlin will do next—she has done it already. This book has arrived. I think it will stay with us for a long time.”—Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The Green Road “Danielle McLaughlin’s stories seethe, beneath elegant prose, with unfamiliar insights and entirely original observations. Only an author who loves what human beings are can so compassionately reveal them in all their flawed, gorgeous contradictions and communicate unmistakable joy while doing so. How glad I am to read this impressive new writer! Her fiction is a gift we need.”—Robin Black, author of Life Drawing

Dinosaurs on Other Planets: Stories

Literature & Fiction

McLaughlin, Danielle

Literary

Random House]

Product Description 
In this “delicate slow burn of a novel” (Jan Carson), a woman’s marriage and career are threatened by an old indiscretion just as she receives the opportunity of a lifetime—from the award–winning author of the “extraordinary” (Colum McCann) Dinosaurs on Other Planets. 
 Nessa McCormack’s marriage is coming back together again after her husband’s affair. She is excited to be in charge of a retrospective art exhibition for a beloved artist, the renowned late sculptor Robert Locke. But the arrival of two enigmatic outsiders imperils both her personal and professional worlds: A chance encounter with an old friend threatens to expose a betrayal Nessa thought she had long put behind her; and at work, an odd woman comes forward with a mysterious connection to Robert Locke’s life and his most famous work, the Chalk Sculpture.\nAs Nessa finds the past intruding on the present, she realizes she must decide what is the truth, whether she can continue to live with a lie, and what the consequences might be were she to fully unravel the mysteries in both the life of Robert Locke and her own. In this gripping and wonderfully written debut, Danielle McLaughlin reveals profound truths about love, power, and the secrets that define us. 
 Review 
“ 
The Art of Falling is a terrific whodunit, but the it is brilliantly elusive; it’s not a murder but a sculpture—a different kind of dead body. Who created it? Who inspired it? Who owns it? And—actually—what is it? This is a gripping novel and a sharp, entertaining examination of the nature of art and its power to inspire and corrupt.” 
—Roddy Doyle, author of Love and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 
“McLaughlin’s descriptions of the art and its appeal have an almost mythic quality. . . . She has a gift for precise characterization. This engaging and evocative work will stay with readers.” 
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “There are very few writers who can craft characters with the depth and subtlety Danielle McLaughlin brings to her writing. 
The Art of Falling is a delicate slow burn of a novel. It is a big novel sitting within a close and small frame; a book of unspoken regrets and long-kept secrets and the slow revelation of humanity. There are shades here of Alice Munro at her finest. Like Munro, McLaughlin is best when writing those quiet moments which resonate long after the event.” 
—Jan Carson, author of The Fire StartersPraise for Danielle McLaughlin\n“In [Danielle] McLaughlin’s world, the everyday has the same sparkle—or the same devastation—as a glittering galaxy or a war.” 
—Kirkus Reviews 
“Only an author who loves what human beings are can so compassionately reveal them in all their flawed, gorgeous contradictions and communicate unmistakable joy while doing so. . . . Her fiction is a gift we need.” 
—Robin Black, author of Life Drawing 
“[McLaughlin] focuses on fraught relationships and those sudden, illuminating moments that can light up ordinary lives.” 
—Library Journal 
“A writer of exceptionally deep empathy in the naturalistic tradition of John McGahern and Claire Keegan but with a knack for keen, and often disturbing, observation all her own.” 
—LitHub 
 About the Author 
Danielle McLaughlin is the author of the short story collection 
Dinosaurs on Other Planets. Her stories have appeared in 
The New Yorker, 
The Irish Times, 
The Stinging Fly, and various anthologies. McLaughlin has won the Windham Campbell Prize, the William Trevor/Elizabeth Bowen International Short Story Competition, the Willesden Short Story Prize, the Merriman Short Story Competition in memory of Maeve Binchy, and the Dromineer Literary Festival short story competition. She lives in County Cork, Ireland. 
 Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 
1\nTo be, rather than to seem. The school motto was carved in stone in the arch above the entrance. It was in English on the way in, and in Latin—Esse Quam Videre—on the way out, presumably, Nessa thought

The Art of Falling: A Novel

Over the last thirty years, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies has grown from a small group of disaffected conservative law students into an organization with extraordinary influence over American law and politics. Although the organization is unknown to the average citizen, this group of intellectuals has managed to monopolize the selection of federal judges, take over the Department of Justice, and control legal policy in the White House. Today the Society claims that 45,000 conservative lawyers and law students are involved in its activities. Four Supreme Court Justices--Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito--are current or former members. Every single federal judge appointed in the two Bush presidencies was either a Society member or approved by members. During the Bush years, young Federalist Society lawyers dominated the legal staffs of the Justice Department and other important government agencies. The Society has lawyer chapters in every major city in the United States and student chapters in every accredited law school. Its membership includes economic conservatives, social conservatives, Christian conservatives, and libertarians, who differ with each other on significant issues, but who cooperate in advancing a broad conservative agenda. How did this happen? How did this group of conservatives succeed in moving their theories into the mainstream of legal thought? What is the range of positions of those associated with the Federalist Society in areas of legal and political controversy? The authors survey these stances in separate chapters on • regulation of business and private property • race and gender discrimination and affirmative action • personal sexual autonomy, including abortion and gay rights • American exceptionalism and international law

The Federalist Society: How Conservatives Took the Law Back from Liberals

Self-Help

Avery, Michael

Vanderbilt University Press

Can you say anything you want? Should you?
Everyone has rights but navigating your rights can be difficult. You have the right to freedom of expression but there are many places where this freedom is limited by laws, rules and regulations, or even customs such as good manners.
By exploring the viewpoints of The Censor, The Speechmaker and The Witness, this book will help you navigate issues of how to express identity and opinion. <ul>
<li>Freedom of Expression 101 defines rights, freedom of expression and censorship</li>
 <li>Dear Conflict Counsellor offers real-life problems and solutions</li>
 <li>Quizzes test your ability to identify censorship and how to deal with issues around freedom of expression</li> <li>A resource guide puts helpful organizations, books and websites at your fingertips</li>
</ul>

Freedom of Expression: Deal with it before you're censored (Lorimer Deal With It)

Teen & Young Adult

Lorimer Children & Teens

The Chalk Sculpture

John Murray

The Art of Falling

This unique addition to the CitizenKid collection, written by by Danielle S. McLaughlin, provides an accessible exploration of the rights and freedoms of citizens in a democracy through a series of six short stories starring Mayor Moe and the councillors of a sometimes wacky city. In each story, the councillors are first presented with a problem, and the group then makes a decision to address the problem with a new law, only to discover later there were unintended consequences. There is one councillor, Bug, who objects to each decision being proposed by commenting, ?That's not fair!? --- a sentiment familiar to children, who have an innate sense of justice. The topics are child-friendly: Should you be allowed to search someone's bag because you think they could have something of yours? Does it make sense to have a law that states people can say only nice things? Conclusions for each story include an extended discussion of the rights and freedoms featured in the story, along with three questions to ponder: Why did the councillors make their decision? Did the new law achieve its purpose? Were there any unexpected results? There are no right answers given. Instead children are encouraged to look at all sides of each issue, which engages their critical thinking skills and fosters empathy for other points of view. This book would be perfect for sparking spirited discussions on civics lessons and inspiring children to become involved citizens. The bright and humorous illustrations by Dharmali Patel keep the interest level high. A Note for Parents and Teachers and definitions of the rights and freedoms covered in each story are included at the end of the book.

That's Not Fair!: Getting to Know Your Rights and Freedoms (CitizenKid)

Children's Books

Education & Reference

Kids Can Press

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Books by McLaughlin, Danielle