Media Center: ‘Uncommon Type’ by Tom Hanks
WHO: Tom Hanks
WHAT: UNCOMMON TYPE:
Some Stories
WHEN: Published by Knopf October 18, 2017
WHERE: The author lives in Los Angeles
WHY: “Thoroughly engaging.
“As an actor, Tom Hanks has an understated performance style; the hard work seems to get done under the surface, where we can’t see it. All we see is the truth of the character. The same goes for the 17 short stories in this book, Hanks’ fiction debut.
“Here are stories about friends who become lovers and then decide that wasn’t a good idea; about old war buddies whose Christmas Eve conversation sparks some powerful memories; about a movie star enduring a press junket; about a billionaire and his assistant on the trail of acquisitions who find in America’s heartland a humanity very different from their glass-tower world. The stories are brief and…possess a real feel for character and a slice-of-life realism that combine to deliver considerable depth beneath the surface.
“A surprising and satisfying book from a first-time fiction writer.”
–David Pitt, BOOKLIST
“The Oscar-winning actor turns his talents to the literary…
Relaxed and informal, the collection unfolds with beguiling ease.”
–Neal Wyatt, LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Seventeen wide-ranging and whimsical stories.
“There’s a typewriter in every tale, be it IBM Selectric, Royal, Underwood, Hermes 2000, or some other model. Hanks can write the hell out of typing, and his dialogue is excellent, too. Has he read William Saroyan? He should. While these stories have the all-American sweetness, humor, and heart we associate with his screen roles, Hanks writes like a writer, not a movie star.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS
Media Resources:
About the book and author | Read an excerpt | Author tour | Watch a great trailer for this book | Download the jacket | Download the author photo
Knopf. 403 pages. $26.95 ISBN 978-1-101-94615-2
To interview the author, contact:
Erinn Hartman | 212-572-2345 | ehartman@penguinrandomhouse.com