parent while riding shotgun in an old Buick across the expansive highways stretching from Texas to Ohio and beyond. In teaching me how to read books, culture, and even people, he remains by far my best teacher. While writing this book, I came to discover that I have been working my way back to my origins as a writer and scholar that took definitive shape around our relationship. As dry and analytical as this project may seem at times, it remains underpinned by tremendous love for him.