Stephen Root

"The 'best short story writer in English' (Time) is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power, ethics, and justice, and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans. With his trademark prose--wickedly funny, unsentimental, and perfectly tuned--Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: here is a collection of prismatic, deeply resonant stories that encompass joy and despair, oppression...

Inspired by the powerful true story of a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, On the Basis of Sex depicts a then-struggling attorney and new mother facing adversity in her fight for equal rights. When Ruth takes on a ground-breaking case, she knows the outcome could alter the courts' view of gender discrimination. Stronger together, Ruth teams up with her husband, Martin Ginsburg, to fight the case that catapults her into one of the most important public figures...

Twenty thousand years ago, as the Earth was being overrun with glaciers, Manny the woolly mammoth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Sid the sloth, and the human baby Scrat become a courageous quartet braving the frozen terrain and embarking on an incredible journey to return Scrat to human civilization.

The Country Bears' #1 fan is young Beary Barrington. Beary has a hard time fitting in with his all-too human family and its proving im-paws-ible. When he runs away to find Country Bear Hall and his legendary hereos, he discovers that the hall that made the Bears famous is near foreclosure. Now Beary goes all over to get the Bears in the Band back together for an all-out reunion concert to save County Bear Hall.

The Harts assuredly gather their gear for a family vacation in the Sholo countryside, eager to enjoy a luxury stay in the Wild West. The peaceful adventure that they've planned soon twists into an assortment of fiascos, including a mine-shaft accident, a burgling bear, and turbulent tornadoes.

R.O. is zapped by lightning and develops many personalities, one of which is Dave's late father. Meanwhile, Zane disobeys his dad by accompanying some new friends to Dead Man's Leap, where he's challenged to jump across a daunting gap.

After a minor coronary episode, lingerie salesman David Hart decides to try and make his lifelong dream of being a cowboy come true. He makes a deposit on a dude ranch, then finds out that things are not quite as they seem.

Brimming with unsubstantiated confidence, Dave vows to win the Frontier Day buckboard race. When he meets his partner, the elderly widow of a previous champion, however, Dave's hopes plummet. Irked by Dave's judgement, Alison enters the contest and partners with the unyielding frontier widow herself.

As Auggie turns 60, he announces that he's going to die... on the Harts' property, where his late wife is buried. However, Dave needs him to stick around in order to help Duke win a sheep-shearing competition.

Dave's former boss in lingerie sales visits Sholo and holds an impromptu photoshoot for next year's calendar. When the Tumbleweed's well runs try, Auggie tries to locate a water source with a dowsing rod, channeling his profound connection with the land. Zane rescues an ensnared donkey and ventures to impress an alluringly insightful lingerie model.