Safety Tips for Living Alone (Kindle Single)

by Jim Shepard, Joshua Ferris (Foreword)

An Amazon.com Best Book of the Month (December 2014)From one of our greatest living storytellers, a remarkable, gut-wrenching tale of love, duty, and peril set at the height of the Cold War.In “Safety Tips for Living Alone,” Jim Shepard weaves the stories of four families whose lives are upended when the men go to work on a dangerous and isolated surveillance platform off the coast of Long Island. After working his way up to Captain, career serviceman Gordon Phelan is offered the command of Texas Tower 4—a wobbly “box over the ocean.” Among the team of military personnel and civilians joining Phelan aboard the platform are Roy Bakke, Wilbur Kovarick and Louie Laino, three strong and dutiful men trying to ensure better lives for their families. But when a powerful storm approaches the Tower, the four men—and everyone on board—must face their increasingly probable deaths.In his introduction, Joshua Ferris writes “There’s no better way to describe the experience of the reader of Shepard’s reimagining of this forgotten, misbegotten episode in American history” than to say one is “moved and appalled.”About the Jim Shepard is the author of seven novels, including the forthcoming The Book of Aron, and four story collections, including Like You’d Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, Harper’s, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Tin House, the New Yorker, Granta, All Story , and Playboy, and five of his stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, two for the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and one for a Pushcart Prize. He teaches at Williams College.About the Guest Joshua Ferris is the bestselling author of three novels, Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed and To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. He was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the Barnes and Noble Discover Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was named one of The New Yorker’s “20 Under 40”writers in 2010. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, and Best American Short Stories. He lives in New York.About the Electric Literature is an independent publisher amplifying the power of storytelling through digital innovation. Electric Literature’s weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction.

Genres: Fiction

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2014

About the author

Jim Shepard is the author of seven novels, including most recently The Book of Aron, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Achievement in Jewish Literature from the American Library Association and the PEN/New England Award for fiction, and five story collections, including his new collection, The World To Come. Five of his short stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, two for the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and one for a Pushcart Prize. He teaches at Williams College.

Reviews

[𝕸𝖎𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖊𝖑 𝕮. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good, tragic read. Don’t skip the note in the front of the book! This story was well written and just great overall. Based on true events..💔💔

[Razan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't skip the editor's note at the start. Contains some crucial context that might have allowed me to appreciate the story more. Based on true events, a tense but insightful read. Have to say, the title is the best/most impactful line in this short story.

[Bill Philibin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.25 Stars)

This was a brilliant short story! The characters were vivid and alive. The drama was intense, and the story telling was superb. I listened to the audiobook on Audible which was narrated by Anthony Haden Salerno.

[Sumaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title has so little to do with the story.

[Maariyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

V Short tragic read

[Danilo DiPietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proxy for ‘The Queen of Bad Influences’ - New Yorker short story discussed w Ann’s book club. Painfully shy Constance and her tortured relationship w Minna.

[Alex Linschoten · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short story version of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea. A little confusing, though some deft characterisations.

[Aditya Mallya · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the late '50s, the US ordered the construction of five surveillance towers along the east coast to detect possible Russian attacks. In 1961, one of these towers succumbed to a storm. 'Safety Tips for Living Alone' is a moving account of this tragedy.

[Marilynokuyiga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short story with a grim finale. I love a grim finale so I gave it 4 stars.

[Child · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado. La historia, cómo lo cuenta, que se lee rápido, todo. <3

[Bálint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great style, enjoyable read.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on a short story kick of late, not bothering to log most of them in here unless part of a collection, but this one was quite good.

[Onto The Next Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful little story. I went from ugh why the Air Force story to what a emotional ride! I am glad this is based on real events to introduce me to a part of history I had never heard of. I became attached to the characters and ached in my heart at the end. Just a small price to pay for a great read that takes about an hour to read.