Father’s Day Doesn’t Have to Be Torture

So Dad’s not much of a reader, you say? Well, before you run out to get him yet another set of golf balls (and pray that he doesn’t notice you got him the same thing last year), why not introduce the old man to a fascinating yet easy-to-read celebration of pain and suffering?

Tortured Artists features brisk but illuminating profiles of celebrated figures from literature, music, drama, and visual art, examining the role that anguish and adversity has played in the world’s best-known creative accomplishments.

The best part? If dad gets bored with one story, he can skip to the next. Let’s face it—the man has no idea who Amy Winehouse is, but Brando and Irving Berlin are right up his alley, and if he’s  not careful, he may find himself learning about the personal demons that tortured Picasso, Dante, Plath, and Herzog. Of course, if Dad really has no interest in reading anything longer than a prescription bottle,  he can jump right to the end of the book and skim through the “Tortured Artists Timeline”—our brief and deliberately random history of pain, suffering, and artistic triumphs—which covers everything from cave paintings to Piss Christ in only a few brief pages.

Father’s Day is June 17 this year, so show Dad you care with the gift of creativity and mental anguish. Order your copy of Tortured Artists on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite indie bookstore.