{"product_id":"muscle-man-9781646222773","title":"Muscle Man","description":"\u003cb\u003eA hilarious, suspenseful metaphysical thriller following a day in the life of an English professor who would rather be lifting weights from the author of the cult hit \u003ci\u003eThe Novelist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHarold, a middling literature professor at a liberal arts college, lives in a state of dissatisfaction and fear. His colleagues and students evoke nothing but disgust and disdain. None of them understand strength, power, and spiritual actualization like he does. His university's campus--seemingly picturesque--constantly threatens to reveal something sinister. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOver the course of a single afternoon, he wanders the halls, sits in meetings, steals from a student, and goes to the gym--all while reflecting on his professional and existential situation. With every line of Harold's frenetic consciousness, his mundane routine transforms into something more foreboding, culminating in an ingenious twist. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrilliantly imagined and darkly funny, \u003ci\u003eMuscle Man\u003c\/i\u003e is as much a critique of resentment and contemporary masculinity as a satire on the state of higher education, exploring weakness and strength, rationality and irrationality, the spirit and the flesh, and the individual and the collective. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith his minute-to-minute occupation of Harold's existential disquietude, Castro imbues the novel's philosophical inquiries with thrilling suspense. Is Harold a raving lunatic whose disdain stems from his own perilous inadequacies, or is there something truly sinister about his colleagues? When all is said and done, is strength a virtue, or a mirage?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jordan Castro\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Catapult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/09\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.79lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.11h x 5.04w x 1.02d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781646222773","brand":"Catapult","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44567752245385,"sku":"9781646222773","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_5c3969b8-d150-4243-904a-ec5e6373a4a7.jpg?v=1756790736","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/muscle-man-9781646222773","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}