Joseph R. Garber (August 14, 1943 – May 27, 2005) was an American author, best known for his 1995 thriller ''

Vertical Run Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down * Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...

'' and for the articles he wrote on technology for

Forbes magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also repo ...

Biography

Garber was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, moving often as an

army brat A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revis ...

. He attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, but quit to join the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

himself, eventually graduating from

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...

in 1968 with a philosophy degree. Garber worked for

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

as a business

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling *Long-distance operator *Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths *Long-distance trail *European long-dista ...

consultant A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servic ...

and a writer for the

in-house magazine. He then worked as a consultant for

Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American management and information technology consulting firm, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in Greater Washington, D.C., with 8 ...

for a decade, writing fiction and non-fiction

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

in his spare time. After a prolonged

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

, he quit his job and moved to

Woodside, California Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States, home to many technology billionaires and investment manager ...

, where he wrote for

and as a consultant in

Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...

until he was laid off. Garber had written a manuscript, ''In Search of Shabbiness'', as a response to the

Tom Peters Thomas J. Peters (born November 7, 1942) is an American writer on business management practices, best known for ''In Search of Excellence'' (co-authored with Robert H. Waterman Jr.) Life and education Peters was born in Baltimore, Maryland. ...

best-seller, ''

In Search of Excellence ''In Search of Excellence'' is a book written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. First published in 1982, it sold three million copies in its first four years, and was the most widely held monograph in the United States from 1989 to 2006. The ...

''. On the advice of literary agents, he rewrote it as the novel ''Rascal Money''. In 1995, his second novel ''

'', a corporate thriller, became an international best-seller. The book's setting is 200

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

, the address of Booz Allen. It was bought by both

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

and

Jon Peters John Peters (born June 2, 1945) is an American film producer and former hairdresser. Early life Peters was born on June 2, 1945 in Van Nuys, California. Peters is of Cherokee (father) and Italian (mother) descent. While growing up in a rough ne ...

in the 1990s only to be shelved in pre-production. His third novel, ''In a Perfect State'', was published in 1999. His fourth novel, ''Whirlwind'', with a retired

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

agent as protagonist, was published in 2004. Garber died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on May 27, 2005.

Books

*Garber, Joseph R. ''Rascal Money : a novel'' / Joseph R. Garber. Chicago : Contemporary Books, c1989. 412 p. ; 25 cm. *Garber, Joseph R. ''Vertical Run'' / Joseph R. Garber. New York : Bantam Books, 1995. 305 p. ; 24 cm. (a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection) *Garber, Joseph R. ''In a Perfect State'' / Joseph R. Garber. Great Britain : Pocket Books, 1999. 384 p. ; 24 cm. *Garber, Joseph R. ''Whirlwind : a novel'' / Joseph R. Garber. 1st ed. New York : HarperCollins, c2004. 313 p. ; 24 cm. (hardcover), (paperback)

Reviews

Review of "Whirlwind" in The New York Times
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Review from Booklist of "Whirlwind" at Amazon.comReview by Publishers Weekly of Vertical Run at Amazon.comReviews by Publishers Weekly and Library Journal of "Rascal Money" at Amazon.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garber, Joseph R. 1943 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Writers from Philadelphia University of Virginia alumni East Tennessee State University alumni People from Woodside, California 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from California Novelists from Pennsylvania

Biography

Books

Reviews

See also

References