A Field Guide to the North American Family

For years, the Hungates and the Harrisons have coexisted peacefully. But when the patriarch of one family dies, a chain reaction brings Bad Habits, Secrets, and Vulnerabilities to the surface. The survivors face a stark imperative: adapt or face extinction.

A Field Guide to the North American Family, an illustrated novella by Garth Risk Hallberg, tracks these two families through the wilderness of modern life. Their stories unfold in 63 entries, each comprising a chapter of text and a visual artist’s response to the entry’s title: "Adolescence," "Boredom," "Chemistry," "Commitment…." The novella can be read straight through; alphabetical headings and cross-referenced design also enable users to peruse the Field Guide as they would a nonfiction reference work, or to move through the fiction as they see fit.

A Field Guide to the North American Family includes photographic contributions from the following artists: Jordan Alport, Timothy Briner, Jessica Bruah, Kara Canal, Sandy Carson, Alana Celii, Janice Clark, Jason Curtis, John Paul Davis, Chris Eichler, Amy Elkins, Jason Falchook, Elizabeth Fleming, Catherine Gass, Hans Gindlesberger, Andres Gonzalez, Maury Gortemiller, Jonathan Gitelson, Jennifer Greenburg, Ben Huff, Christy Karpinski, Mickey Kerr, Liz Kuball, Michael Kwiecinski, Shane Lavalette, Jason Lazarus, Stacy Arezou Mehrfar, Nick Meyer, Matt Nighswander, Alexis Pike, Colleen Plumb, Gus Powell, Abby Powell-Thomas, John Putnam, Shawn Records, Rebecca Blume Rothman, Christopher D Salyers, Matthew Schenning, David Shulman, Kevin Sisemore, Brandon Sorg, Brian Sorg, Sai Sriskandarajah, Tema Stauffer, JJ Sulin, Brian Ulrich, Consider Vosu, Grant Willing.