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A Legendary Corpse, a Notorious Theft, and the Stories that Shape the World
by M. T. Anderson
From NBA, Printz, and Newbery winner M. T. Anderson, a tour de force of research and storytelling that follows the life of a humble young man named Nicholas who became one of the world's most influential figures in religion, government, and commerce—whether you believe in him or not.
M. T. Anderson still believes in Santa Claus—just not in the way you think.
Born of the research for Nicked, his acclaimed adult debut, Stealing Saint Nick is the story of the man who became Father Christmas—but only after surviving the Great Persecution, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the theft of his magically oozing bones (twice).
Anderson traces Nicholas of Myra, future patron saint of consumption, from his humble origins as a child born into a fringe Jewish cult in a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the third century AD through his rise to one of the preeminent saints in all of Christianity to his transformation into an icon of capitalism and unwitting rival to Jesus Christ. Along the way, Anderson shows how human history can only be known and understood by both examining the objective facts and by studying the fantastical stories that people choose to make into myths.
Anderson's full powers as a storyteller and a scholar are on display in this incredibly readable and hugely informative tale about how the stories we believe in common shape the course of humanity.
"Saint Nicholas's enduring legends, Anderson insightfully reflects, challenge us to consider how older ideas of ethics, morality, and heroism relate to our own beliefs and how vitally important it is to listen to others' stories. Historical writing at its most thrilling and thought-provoking." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This information about Stealing Saint Nick was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
New York Times bestselling author M. T. Anderson writes books for children, teens, and adults, including Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award; Elf Dog & Owl Head, a Newbery Honor book; and Feed, winner of the LA Times Book Prize. His nonfiction book Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist. His most recent book, Nicked, is a historical heist story set in the eleventh century. He lives in New England.
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