In People Like Us, which became a bestseller in Holland, Joris Luyendijk tells the story of his five years as a correspondent in the Middle East. Extremely young for a correspondent but fluent in Arabic, he spoke with stone throwers and terrorists, taxi drivers and professors, victims and aggressors, and all of their families. He chronicles first-hand experiences of dictatorship, occupation, terror, and war. His stories cast light on a number of major crises, from the Iraq War to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with less-reported issues such as underage orphan trash-collectors in Cairo.The more he witnessed, the less he understood, and he became increasingly aware of the yawning gap between what he saw on the ground and what was later reported in the media. As a correspondent, he was privy to a multitude of narratives with conflicting implications, and he saw over and over again that the media favored the stories that would be sure to confirm the popularly held, oversimplified beliefs of westerners. In People Like Us, Luyendijk deploys powerful examples, leavened with humor, to demonstrate the ways in which the media gives us a filtered, altered, and manipulated image of reality in the Middle East. Views: 23
(c) 1991 Orson Scott Card v1.0 (24-Jul-1999) If you find and correct errors in the text, please update the version number by 0.1 and redistribute. Views: 23
Second in the Sons of Destiny series—now in mass market.Wolfer is one of eight sexy brothers, exiled to a strange island and struggling with magic, mysterious women, and deadly enemies-both human and not. Views: 23
To be loved by a vampire… I've been called many names in my day. Most of them weren't flattering but they were true. I was a right unholy bastard. Eighteen months ago, I was a fat, nasty, legally blind, computer programmer who decided to try his chubby hand at industrial espionage. I wasn't good at it. I caught the attention of a Vampire Assassin, Marcus. He was just supposed to kill me; but he wanted me instead. I became his toy for a year. During which time he reshaped my body; fixed my vision and broke me psychologically into three pieces. On the anniversary of my kidnapping, he gave me the choice to become an equal or remain a toy. Little did we know that he would never be my equal. It turns out that I was the last of the lost Blue Bloodline of the Royal House. A genetic hybrid hidden within the human race -- Xavier Von Drachenfeld, Lord Emperor of the Vampire Nation. Then we start to find out why there are no Blue bloods left in the Vampire world. Views: 23
In 13th century Europe, political turmoil is the order of the day and the Fool's Guild and its agents - jesters, jugglers, and knaves to a man - works behind the scenes to manipulate events, trying to maintain a balance of power. Theophilos, a member of the Guild known by many names, is still recovering from his last mission during which he was severely wounded and nearly lost his life but, in the person of Viola, found himself an apprentice and a wife. But there is no rest for the wicked. While he is recovering on the Dalmatian coast, the Guild approaches him with another mission. A crusade is being launched, with Venice as the staging ground, but some believe that Venice means to turn it to it's own ends. At the same time, there is trouble in Byzantine throne - a pretender to the throne is gathering European backers. And to make matters worse, all of the Guild's agents in Constantinople have gone suddenly and mysteriously missing. So now, the newly married Theophilos and Viola must go to Constantinople to gather information, thwart the rivals of the Guild, stop the war, and maybe - just maybe - stay alive. From Publishers WeeklyHaving boldly appropriated Shakespeare's Feste and Viola from Twelfth Night for his well-received debut novel, Thirteenth Night (1999), Gordon returns with a cunningly plotted sequel that is sure to be another crowd pleaser. Feste the Fool and his wife, Viola, are off to Constantinople to ensure that the Crusade of 1202 sticks to its goal of capturing the Holy Land. The son of a deposed Byzantine emperor threatens to turn the Crusaders against the Eastern Christian Church in a bid to gain his throne, while certain trading interests want to divert the force to invade the Muslim empire in Egypt. Amid the sometimes confusing but never less than intriguing plots and counterplots, Feste and Viola must resort to sleight of hand, disguise and other tricks in order to unmask the assassin who's been silencing agents trying to preserve peace in ConstantinopleAbefore they themselves become victims. Gordon brings Constantinople and its environs wonderfully alive against the backdrop of the political and religious uncertainty and tension of the time. Like a master juggler, the author puts on a fine show, full of fun and surprises. While there are many medieval historicals in the marketplace, there's always room for another high quality series. An eye-catching "stained-glass window" jacket design will attract browsers. Agent, Jessica Jones. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistGordon's Thirteenth Night [BKL Ja 1 & 15 99] was a clever mystery, a twist on Twelfth Night * in which Feste, a minor character in the Shakespeare play, took center stage. Feste, it turns out, is an operative of the Fools' Guild, a collective of secret agents who roam the countryside, posing as jesters and keeping the Christian world safe from evil. This time the secret agent is sent to Byzantium to find out why six of his colleagues seem to have vanished and, if he's lucky, to stop an attack on Byzantium itself. Too many medieval mysteries are dull conglomerations of period detail and shopworn plots. This one, on the other hand, is exciting, original, and exceedingly well told. Gordon, a New York attorney, has a remarkable grasp of the historical period (the very beginning of the thirteenth century), and he knows how to pack an immense amount of detail into his novels without making readers feel like they are being educated. Fans of historical mysteries will be delighted by this second installment in a charming series. David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved* Views: 23
For readers of Elmore Leonard and Dennis Lehane, a South Florida noir from the best-selling author of Louisiana Power & Light.On Christmas Eve in Eden, Florida, Wylie “Coyote” Melville, therapist and forensic consultant, is summoned to a horrific crime scene. Five members of the Halliday family have been brutally killed. Wylie’s rare talent is an ability to read a crime scene, consider the evidence seen and unseen, and determine what’s likely to have happened. The police are soon convinced that the deaths were a murder-suicide carried out by a broken and desperate Chafin Halliday, but Wylie’s not so sure. As Wylie begins his own investigation with the help of his friend Bay Lettique—a poker-playing sleight-of-hand artist with links to the Everglades County underworld—he discovers a web of corruption involving the police union, Ponzi-scheming lawyers, county politicians, and the Russian mob. What follows is a heart-stopping, edgy novel that introduces a completely original crime solver. Views: 23
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Brenda Jackson brings you the story of Jason Westmoreland. With one convenient proposal, he could have a Southern beauty in his bed and her birthright in his hands. If only the lovely lady would say yes....Plus a Brenda Jackson classic—the first in the Steele family series, Solid Soul. Views: 23
