“The fact is, the whole of Australia despises my father more than any other man, just as they adore my uncle more than any other man. I might as well set the story straight about both of them . . .”
Heroes or Criminals? Crackpots or Visionaries? Families or Enemies?
“. . . Anyway, you know how it is. Every family has a story like this one.”
Most of his life, Jasper Dean couldn’t decide whether to pity, hate, love, or murder his certifiably paranoid father, Martin, a man who overanalyzed anything and everything and imparted his self-garnered wisdom to his only son. But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure. As he recollects the events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries—about his infamous outlaw uncle Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin’s constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It’s a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafes of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a rollicking rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings. A Fraction of the Whole is an uproarious indictment of the modern world and its mores and the epic debut of the blisteringly funny and talented Steve Toltz.
“The fact is, the whole of Australia despises my father more than any other man, just as they adore my uncle more than any other man. I might as well set the story straight about both of them . . .”
Heroes or Criminals? Crackpots or Visionaries? Families or Enemies?
“. . . Anyway, you know how it is. Every family has a story like this one.”
Most of his life, Jasper Dean couldn’t decide whether to pity, hate, love, or murder his certifiably paranoid father, Martin, a man who overanalyzed anything and everything and imparted his self-garnered wisdom to his only son. But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure. As he recollects the events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries—about his infamous outlaw uncle Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin’s constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It’s a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafes of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a rollicking rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings. A Fraction of the Whole is an uproarious indictment of the modern world and its mores and the epic debut of the blisteringly funny and talented Steve Toltz.
About this product: Fourteen templates with over 200 exercises provide a perfect opportunity for students to practice computation skills! Use them as extra practice for students who always finish first, or as take homes for meeting individual needs. Students place the template on a sheet of paper and write their answers in the holes.Then they turn the template over to check their answers. By correcting their own papers, children learn from their mistakes and take pride in their successes. Motivating, interesting, and self-correcting-what better way to drill and practice! 14 full-color templates.
About this product: Teaching fractions doesn't have to be like pulling teeth! Your students will love these hilarious reproducible stories and follow-up problems that reinforce essential fraction skills: addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, decimals, ratios, and more. Great for reluctant math learners. For use with Grades 3-6.
About this product: Author Jerry Pallotta and illustrator Rob Bolster use a variety of different apples to teach kids all about fractions in this innovative and enjoyable book. Playful elves demonstrate how to divide apples into halves, thirds, fourths, and more. Young readers will also learn about varieties of apples, including Golden and Red Delicious, Granny Smiths, Cortlands, and even Asian Pears.
About this product: Practicing skills has never been so easy! This ready-to-use resource includes more than 40 fun practice pages. The simple directions and fun exercises make them perfect for kids to use independently in school or as homework. For use with Grade 5.
About this product: Taking a light-hearted approach to numbers and their parts, the author, shows how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, demonstrates how to convert them into decimals and percentages, and presents puzzles and “brain ticklers” that students will enjoy solving.
Barron’s popular Painless Series of study guides for middle school and high school students offer a lighthearted, often humorous approach to their subjects, transforming details that might once have seemed boring or difficult into a series of interesting and mentally challenging ideas. Most titles in the series feature many fun-to-solve “Brain Tickler” problems with answers at the end of each chapter.
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