The Graduate Student, James Polster
The Graduate Student, James Polster
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The Graduate Student

Author: James Polster

Narrator: David Doersch

Unabridged: 6 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/30/2012

Synopsis

When anthropology graduate student Blackwell James returns from a research expedition in the Amazon, he brings home a trunk full of rare hallucinogenic vines…but no research notes. Frustrated by the young man’s lack of progress on his dissertation, Blackwell’s professor finds him a job working on a primate experiment in Los Angeles to spur him along. Trouble is, Blackwell has never set foot in L.A., and he doesn’t know a whit about primates. In fact, for a guy like Blackwell James, venturing into the City of Angels soon proves to be more dangerous than the Amazon ever was. From the moment he is thrust into the bizarre culture of Hollywood, his life becomes a wild, high-octane tale of adventure, suspense, and intrigue. Caught up in the secret ambitions of his new employers, Blackwell begins a strange trip through the surreal world of movie stars, murder, and money. A secret society, a ghost town, two large chimpanzees, and several shamanistic drug-induced journeys round out this outrageous novel, which features “cameos” by Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Depp, and Steven Spielberg. Gleefully continuing the great literary tradition of comic Hollywood novels, The Graduate Student is an exuberant and riveting ride.

About James Polster

James Polster is a movie producer, novelist, and journalist who earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. A National Fellow of the Explorers Club, he has traveled the world profiling international luminaries such as Indira Gandhi and Donald Trump and covering such major athletic events as the Duran/Leonard Superfight and the World Championships of Elephant Polo. His award-winning first book, A Guest in the Jungle, helped focus a spotlight on the disappearing Amazon rainforest, and his second book, Brown, was named by Publishers Weekly as a Best Book of the Year. For his third book, The Graduate Student, Polster drew on his experiences working at Columbia Pictures and NBC.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tim on March 06, 2012

I read James Polster's "Brown" before this. That was good, this did not disappoint. The book follows lead character Blackwell James as he tries to complete his studies but it isn't a boring book about someone attending lectures where they are taught uncomprehensible academic waffle. Instead Blackwel......more

Goodreads review by David on July 05, 2011

The Graduate Student was my first introduction to writer James Polster, so I was uncertain of what to expect. What I discovered was a fun, fast-paced, enjoyable, albeit convoluted, story. The novel begins with anthropology student Blackwell James (can you tell Polster works in Hollywood?) returning......more

Goodreads review by Laura on January 31, 2015

This book started out relatively well but was disappointing in the end. Blackwell James, an anthropology grad student, returns from the Amazon where he was living with and "studying" a tribe. Instead of returning with notes or anything valuable for his dissertation, he returns hallucinogenic roots t......more

Goodreads review by Michael on June 11, 2011

A light-hearted romp that starts in the Amazon Rain forest, meanders up to New England and then spends a lot of time in Hollywood. A bit of a thriller, a touch of adventure, all mixed up with too much money to spend and a Graduate Student who spent his PhD fieldwork year lounging in a hammock and en......more

Goodreads review by Chrisj on June 10, 2012

The best parts of it reminded me of early Woody Allen (who makes an appearance in the book) and the film Being John Malkovitch. The ending and the involvement of the chimpanzees was rather disappointing. It seemed as if the topping and tailing of the book was just a way into what the author really w......more

Quotes

“An Outlandish adventure.” —The New York Times“Outrageously funny.” —NPR“Polster moves to the cutting edge of a new crop of young, talented, West Coast writers.” —San Francisco Review of Books

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