AMERICAN DAD

A semi-autobiographical first novel about an 11-year-old boy whose parents are divorcing. Earl's father is a psychiatrist--like Janowitz's own father--whose careless behavior is an embarrassment; his mother is a poet--also an autobiographical detail--and together they are so permissive that Earl struggles to find ways to rebel against them. As Earl grows older and his parents move towards divorce--and when Earl's mother dies and his father is convicted of manslaughter before the divorce becomes finalized--Earl must come to terms with his feelings towards his dad.