Hal Niedzviecki

Look Down, This is Where It Must Have Happened

Hal Niedzviecki

The acclaimed author of The Peep Diaries and Hello, I'm Special returns to fiction, and delivers a mind-altering collection of short stories that confront the hypocrisies, humiliations and hilarities of modern life. The foibles of the 21st-century ego are on full view in this romp through social conventions—imaginative, offbeat stories that confront society's intractable dilemmas and deftly capture the zeitgeist of our fractured times. *An undergraduate gets in way over his head when a class assignment to start a terrorist organization goes viral *A pregnant 10th-grader struggles with her fetus's insistence that she abort him before both their lives are ruined.  *A man trying to come to terms with the death of a friend becomes obsessed with a funeral home's online braodcasts.  *A mortgage broker gets lost between the Web and the real world in pursuit of a pornography-induced fantasy. Look Down, This is Where It Must Have Happened  is a biting satire of nostalgia, a send-up of the way highschool-era friendships can permanently choke off the possibility of adulthood. "Witty and wise."— San Francisco Chronicle "An equally gifted fiction writer and social critic."— Tikkun "There's tons of talent here."— NOW Magazine "Hal Niedzviecki is a remarkable writer."—Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street

The Peep Diaries

Hal Niedzviecki

Niedzviekci's previous book, «Hello, I’m Special,» received much critical recognition and praise. It is now in its third printing, having sold over 10,000 copies. Publications that critically examine pop culture, fame, and digital life will be likely to review this title or publish an interview with Niedzviecki. Niedzviecki's new book will find an audience with readers seeking to understand their place in today's internet-saturated, fame-obsessed society. Niedzviecki examines cultural phenomena that, to date, have yet to be named and truly understood. There is also a personal interest story here: The Peep Diaries documents Niedzviecki’s own “life experiment,” in which he started his own video blog, sold his secrets to Craigslist, and monitored the movements of his toddler. Radio shows like This American Life or The Story may be interested in this angle.