In Modern American Memoirs, two very discerning writers and readers have selected samples from 35 of the finest memoirs written in this century, including contributions by such diverse writers as Margaret Mead, Malcolm X, Maxine Hong Kingston, Loren Eisely, and Zora Neale Hurston. Chosen for their value as excellent examples of the art of biography as well as for their superb writing, the excerpts present a broad range of American life, and offer vivid insight into the real-life events that shaped their authors. Here, readers can learn about the time when Harry Crews, playing as a boy, fell into a vat of boiling water with a dead hog; Chris Offutt joined the circus and watched a tattooed woman swallow a fluorescent light; and Frank Conroy practiced yo-yo tricks. Views: 692
In Beyond Civilization, Daniel Quinn thinks the unthinkable. We all know there's no one right way to build a bicycle, no one right way to design an automobile, no one right way to make a pair of shoes, but we're convinced that there must be only one right way to live -- and the one we have is it, no matter what.
Beyond Civilization makes practical sense of the vision of Daniel Quinn's best-selling novel Ishmael. Examining ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Olmec, as well as modern-day microcosms of alternative living like circus societies, Quinn guides us on a quest for a new model for society, one that is forward-thinking and encourages diversity instead of suppressing it. Beyond Civilization is not about a "New World Order" but a "New Personal World Order" that would allow people to assert control over their own destiny and grant them the freedom to create their own way of life right now -- not in some distant utopian future.
From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 692
On the 10th anniversary of when UN peacekeepers landed in Rwanda, Random House Canada proudly publishes the unforgettable 1st-hand account of the genocide by the leader of the mission. Digging deep into shattering memories, Dallaire has written a powerful story of betrayal, naïveté, racism & international politics. His message is simple, undeniable: Never again.
When Lt-Gen. Roméo Dallaire was called to serve as force commander of the UN intervention in Rwanda in '93, he thought he was heading off on a straightforward peacekeeping mission. Thirteen months later he flew home from Africa, broken, disillusioned & suicidal, having witnessed the slaughter of 800,000 Rwandans in 100 days.
In Shake Hands with the Devil, he takes readers with him on a return voyage into hell, vividly recreating the events the international community turned its back on. This book is an unsparing eyewitness account of the failure by humanity to stop the genocide, despite timely warnings. Woven thru the story of this disastrous mission is his own journey from confident Cold Warrior, to devastated UN commander, to retired general engaged in a painful struggle to find a measure of peace, hope & reconciliation.
This book is a personal account of his conversion from a man certain of his worth & secure in his assumptions to one conscious of his own weaknesses & failures & critical of the institutions he'd relied on. It might not sit easily with standard ideas of military leadership, but understanding what happened to him & his mission to Rwanda is crucial to understanding the moral minefields peacekeepers are forced to negotiate when we ask them to step into dirty wars. Views: 692
The island is nearly deserted, haunting, beautiful. Across a slip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of families on Yamacraw Island, America is a world away. For years the people here lived proudly from the sea, but now its waters are not safe. Waste from industry threatens their very existence–unless, somehow, they can learn a new life. But they will learn nothing without someone to teach them, and their school has no teacher.
Here is PAT CONROY’S extraordinary drama based on his own experience–the true story of a man who gave a year of his life to an island and the new life its people gave him. Views: 691
The twelfth in the fun 12-book collectible series for young readers from survival expert and Chief Scout BEAR GRYLLS.Mia loves to take charge and be a leader - she's not lacking in confidence and throws herself into every experience. Except she's terrible at taking a back seat and letting others have their say. A mysterious compass leads her to an unexpected adventure with Bear Grylls sailing the high seas. Can Bear show Mia the importance of teamwork and how dangerous the ocean can be if the captain doesn't have a crew who will work together?Each book in this fun new 12-book series from BEAR GRYLLS follows a different child on the outdoor activity camp. Once they are given the magical compass, they meet the inspirational adventurer in an amazing place and learn new skills and facts they can take with them back to their real life. Views: 690
It's October, and with Samhain approaching, Ember must enter the Cruharach to face the darkest night of her life. As she gives herself over to the Autumn Stalkers and the Leannan Sidhe, she is plunged deep into the shadows of Annwn to face Cernunnos and the test of the Hallowed Hunt.Meanwhile, the Wild Hunt is trying to contain collateral damage throughout the city. A Fae hate group is terrorizing Seattle, going after shifters and humans alike. In the middle of investigating the deadly cult, Herne takes on a new case.A frantic wolf-shifter mother begs them for help. Her three-year old daughter has been kidnapped. With three other young girls already dead at the hands of a serial killer dubbed the Angel of Mercy, Herne and Ember find themselves in a desperate race to find the girl before the Angel of Mercy claims another victim and strikes again.Reading order of the series:1. The Silver Stag2. Oak & Thorns3. Iron Bones4. A... Views: 690
Thirteen-year-old Barnaby Fletch is a bag-and-bones orphan in London in the late 1700s.
Barnaby lives on his wits and ill-gotten gains, on streets seething with the press of the throng and shadowed by sinister figures. Life is a precarious business.
When he hears of a paradise on the other side of the world – a place called Botany Bay – he decides to commit a crime and get himself transported to a new life, a better life.
To succeed, he must survive the trials of Newgate Prison, the stinking hull of a prison ship and the unknown terrors of a journey across the world.
And Botany Bay is far from the paradise Barnaby has imagined. When his past and present suddenly collide, he is soon fleeing for his life – once again. Views: 689
Annie Nobody thought she was, well, nobody, living in a nowhere town where nothing goes her way. Day 1 at her newest foster home proves to be dreadful, too... and things get even worse when she's chased by something big and scary that definitely wants to eat her.
Luckily for Annie, not everything is what it seems, and she gets swept up-literally-by a sassy dwarf on a hovercraft snowmobile and taken to Aurora, a hidden, magical town on the coast of Maine. There, she finds a new best friend in Jamie Hephastion Alexander--who thought he was a normal kid (but just might be a troll)-and Annie discovers that she's not exactly who she thought she was, either. She's a Time Stopper, meant to protect the enchanted.
Together, Annie and Jamie discover a whole new world of magic, power, and an incredible cast of creatures and characters. But where there's great power, there are also those who want to misuse it, and Aurora is under siege. It's up to the kids to protect their new home, even if it means diving headfirst into magical danger. Views: 689
Collects stories featuring such characters as art critic Victor Wulpy, cheeerful and tragic Hattie Waggoner, and death-bed witness Dr. Braun. Views: 689
'This novel is a jewel ... one of those books that enters the soul, which it is impossible not to be conquered by. It is a masterpiece like few others' Huffington PostMiguel and Alicia fall quietly in love as teenagers, walking back from school together. When Lucas - enigmatic, charismatic - arrives, everything changes, and Miguel is certain he has lost Alicia. Yet, against the odds, she marries him. Now, eleven years later, their marriage has begun to fray, and Alicia sets out to see Lucas again. As each member of this strange love triangle tells their side of what happened, an unforgettable story of desire, deception and tragic misunderstanding unfolds. Views: 689
When you dance with Death, you have to be willing to roll the bones... Still shaken from her run-in with the serial killer, Raven turns to a new and unlikely friend. But the Ante-Fae Trinity has dark secrets in his background, and he threatens to destabilize Raven and Kipa's relationship. When Trinity introduces Raven to a secret garden, it quickly becomes the place of nightmares. Will Raven's recklessness endanger her friends as well as herself? Or will the Wolf Lord and Raven's dearest friends not only put the nightmare to rest, but also drag Raven back from the edge of the chasm? Series Reading Order:The Silver StagOak & ThornsIron BonesA Shadow of CrowsThe Hallowed HuntThe Silver MistWitching HourWitching BonesA Sacred MagicThe Eternal ReturnSun BrokenWitching Moon Views: 689
Thomas Keneally, the bestselling author of The Daughters of Mars and Schindler's List, returns with an exquisite exploration of community and country, love and morality, taking place in both prehistoric and modern Australia.An award-winning documentary filmmaker, Shelby Apple is obsessed with reimagining the full story of the Learned Man—a prehistoric man whose remains are believed to be the link between Africa and ancient Australia. From Vietnam to northern Africa and the Australian Outback, Shelby searches for understanding of this enigmatic man from the ancient past, unaware that the two men share a great deal in common. Some 40,000 years in the past, the Learned Man has made his home alongside other members of his tribe. Complex and deeply introspective, he reveres tradition, loyalty, and respect for his ancestors. Willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, the Learned Man cannot conceive that a man millennia later... Views: 688
Here's a fun article on two obscure but hilarious movies that go into my personal list of Cult Classics.Apollyon, the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, is being hounded by demons. After returning to Earth, Jeremy and Maren take a trip to Leviathan Island where two love triangles collide in the Bermuda Triangle. Will they find romance--or the green-eyed monster?Follow the Haze-crossed lovers as they jump out of the frying pan and into the submarine, pay a heavy price for the company of a hermit, and discover whether the devil they know is better than the ones they don't. Prepare for the pending Apocalypse and watch prophesy unravel in this thrilling sequel to Jeremy Chikalto and The Hazy Souls. Views: 687
