Jack Gladney teaches Hitler studies at a liberal arts college in Middle America where his colleagues include New york expatriates who want to immerse themselves in "American magic and dread." Jack and his fourth wife, Babette, bound by their love, fear of death, and four ultramodern offspring, navigate the usual rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. Then a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives, an "airborne toxic event" unleashed by an industrial accident. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the "white noise" engulfing the Gladney family--radio transmissions, sirens, microwaves, ultrasonic appliances, and TV murmerings--pulsing with life, yet heralding the danger of death. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Chairman of the department of Hitler studies at a Midwestern college, Jack Gladney is accidently exposed to a cloud of noxious chemicals, part of a world of the future that is doomed because of misused technology, artifical products and foods, and overpopulation. PW appreciated DeLillo's ``bleak, ironic'' vision, calling it ``not so much a tragic view of history as a macabre one.'' January From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Don DeLillo was born in New York City on November 20, 1936. He received a bachelor's degree in communication arts from Fordham University in 1958. His novels address late 20th and early 21st century themes such as the paranoia, alienation, and angst engendered by life in modern society. He is a master of language, wit, and the truths of man's search for meaning as he explores various subcultures such as football, rock music, and technology.

His works include Americana, Running Dog, White Noise, and Libra. He also writes short stories and plays. He has received numerous honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1979, an American Academy Award in 1984, and the American Book Award in 1985.

(Bowker Author Biography) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.