Based on a true, still-unfolding story, Silence of the Chagos is a powerful exploration of cultural identity, the concept of home, and above all the neverending desire for justice. Shenaz Patel draws on the lives of exiled Chagossians in this tragic example of 20th century political oppression. Every afternoon a woman in a red headscarf walks to the end of the quay and looks out over the water, fixing her gaze "back there": to Diego Garcia, one of the small islands forming the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean. With no explanation, no forewarning, and only an hour to pack their belongings, the Chagossians are deported to Mauritius. Officials tell her that the island is "closed"— there is no going back for any of them. Charlesia longs for life on Diego Garcia, where the days were spent working on a coconut plantation; the nights dancing to sega music. As she struggles to come to terms with her new reality, Charlesia crosses paths with Désiré, a... Views: 605
As an enforcer for the Pagano Brothers, Tony Cioccolanti's life is steeped in violence. For the most part, he feels no burden on his soul for the blood he spills or the pain he inflicts. He is a soldier, and blood and pain are the wages of war.Yet one terrible mistake haunts him, in his dreams and in his waking hours.Billy Jones has moved to Quiet Cove, the place of her happiest memories, to start a business and fulfill a dream. Having summered in the Cove through most of her childhood, she understands about the Pagano Brothers and their control of the town. Their interest in her nightclub doesn't surprise her—nor does the "protection" payment they demand. The glowering goombah who visits her club regularly, however—he surprises her plenty.She was not prepared for the attraction between them.As Tony and Billy draw closer, Tony's violent life, and the Pagano Brothers' brutal world, explodes on the streets of the Cove.War has come,... Views: 605
A brave and hilarious debut set in colonial India, Cow and Company begins with the British Chewing Gum Company setting up shop in Bombay with the mission of introducing chewing gum in the colonies. They declare paan, which is in all mouths at all times, as their enemy. A cow is chosen as the mascot. It is up on all the posters.Religious sentiments are hurt. What begins as a search for a cow ends up in a catastrophe. With laugh-out-loud moments, ingenious use of language, and a spellbinding interplay of fantasy and myth, Cow and Company uses satire to take stock of the state of the nation, religion and capital, then and now. Views: 605
When their parents foil their plan to attend the same college, Jag and Roxy have a choice: try the long-distance thing and risk a messy ending, or let go and hope for a "someday" second chance. Jag hates the friend zone, but bides his time as Roxy's next-best thing: her biggest cheerleader, a shoulder to cry on and her best friend. Six years later, when they've earned what their sacrifices were meant to achieve, Jag is a prodigious composer and Roxy writes for Rolling Stone. But it's hard to revel in their own success when they've lost the one thing they were always meant to be: together. Views: 605
It's the year 2000 and Kev's twenty. He's a proper grown up now. Maybe. He knows what he's doing. And what he's doing isn't what he wants to be doing. He's working in TK Maxx and instead he wants to be singing and dancing and bantering and laughing on stage. He. Loves. It. And they pay him too!Kev's continued search for his Prince Charming leads him to look in all the wrong places for all the wrong men and, inevitably, gets him in something of a pickle: physically, emotionally, and medically too.But his mum and friend Tony are there to help pick up the pieces when it all falls apart as it so often does with Kev.Optimism, a plan, and being really good at performing on stage, drive Kev forward. After all, he's been performing off stage all his life.Contains gay pride marches, multiple incidents of alcohol-induced idiocy, friends and family who stick with you no matter what you do, a lot of showtunes and camp humour, and a complete absence of... Views: 605
"High School. Two words that struck fear into the heart of every armless middle schooler I knew. Which was me. And like two people online." The sequel to the critically acclaimed Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus follows Aven Green as she confronts yet another challenge: high school."Those preparing to 'slay the sucktastic beast known as high school' will particularly appreciate this spirited read." —Kirkus (Starred review) Just as Aven starts to feel comfortable in Stagecoach Pass, with her friends and schoolmates accustomed to her lack of "armage," everything changes once again. She's about to begin high school . . . with 3,000 new kids to stare at her. And no matter how much Aven tries to play it cool, nothing prepares her for the reality. In a year filled with confusion, humiliation, and just maybe love, can Aven manage to stay true to herself? Views: 605
When a hawk snatches up an adventurous squirrel named Phoenix, he's ready to kiss his tail goodbye. But what should have been a death sentence becomes the beginning of a sweeping big-city adventure in this captivating novel by National Book Award–nominated author Tor Seidler.Phoenix is a pretty big deal in his neck of the woods: The biggest in his litter with the most lustrous fur and by far the bushiest tail, he's one of the most sought-after squirrels in New Jersey—which makes his kidnapping by hawk even more dramatic. Luckily, the hawk doesn't have the best grip. Unluckily, he drops Phoenix on a freshly-tarred street in downtown Manhattan. Now stripped of his gorgeous golden-brown coat, Phoenix looks like nothing more than a common sewer rat. Fortunately for Phoenix, it's not a pack of sewer rats that find him (they're a notoriously surly bunch), but rather wharf rats. Taken in by siblings Lucy and Beckett, Phoenix is welcomed into a... Views: 605
