Mt. Diablo Branch Welcomes Josh Braff         

    who will share his ideas on           

How to Create Humor within Serious Fiction         

Josh Braff's debut novel, The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green, chronicles less-than-perfect Jacob Green’s complex relationship with his narcissistic father. Called “witty and energetic” with “wholly original characters” (Adam Langer author of Crossing California) it is set in suburban New Jersey in the late 70’s early 80’s. Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, 2004

As to Braff's knowledge of the subject of this talk, here are snippets from several reviews of his book -
 
 "A funny, heart-twisting story. . . "   
 ". . . storytelling and scenarios equally painful and hysterical."  
 "The . . . debacle, in particular, is a delightful bit of low comedy, even though the entire episode eventually falls deep into emotional tragedy."
"Between the laughter and the tears, the reader will find that . . . "  
"Filled with both humor and heart-wrenching sentiment - a tale where a teen copes with his abusive family situation through humor."

 Joshua Braff was born and raised in New Jersey. He studied education at New York University and graduated in 1991. In 1997 he received an MFA in creative writing/fiction from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. He has also published short fiction in national literary journals. He lives in Oakland with his wife and two children.