**Sam Taylor *was born in 1970 and is the former pop culture correspondent for the Observer *. He is the author of The Republic of Trees, The Island at the End of the World,and The Amnesiac, which both garnered rave reviews and critical acclaim. He lives in France with his young family.

**Sam Taylor *was born in 1970 and is the former pop culture correspondent for the Observer *. He is the author of The Republic of Trees, The Island at the End of the World,and The Amnesiac, which both garnered rave reviews and critical acclaim. He lives in France with his young family.