A short flash fiction tale of when desperation meets opportunity aboard a commuter bus.These stories run the gamut of emotions and genres, from outright horror to more subtle drama. With a recurring theme of Christmas, they present a multi-faceted viewpoint on the writer's take on the festive season.Once again, we stand before you to offer our work for your pleasure. The stories contained in this volume, as in the others, have been written for you to read. They may at turns excite you, terrify you or make you think; that is our goal as writers. In keeping with the season, we are pleased to present new author Lorraine Carey in this volume. Views: 586
The Marrow of Tradition (1901) is a historical novel by the African American author Charles Chesnutt, set at the time and portraying a fictional account of the Wilmington Race Riot in North Carolina in 1898. Set in the fictional town of Wellington, The Marrow of Tradition features several interweaving plots that encompass the poles of the racially segregated society of the American South at the turn of the century. Views: 584
One of America's most celebrated lawyers and a Democrat explains why impeachment proceedings would be a bad idea for America―and only intensify the larger problem with our democracy. In the 2018 New York Times bestseller The Case Against Impeaching Trump, Alan Dershowitz lamented how American political discourse has devolved into hypocrisy and the criminalization of political differences in the rush to impeach President Donald Trump. Arguments to impeach Trump failed Dershowitz's "shoe on the other foot test," or his political golden rule: Democratz must do unto Republicans what they would have Republicans do unto them, and vice versa. Since then, we've only become more divided―and the impeachment power wielded by the new Democratic majority in the House of Representative threatens to further polarize the country. The Case Against the Democratic House Impeaching Trump includes and expands upon Dershowitz's... Views: 583
How far are Americans willing to go to force each other to fall in line?According to the establishment media, the intelligentsia, and our political chattering class, the greatest threat to American freedom lies in right-wing authoritarianism. We've heard that some 75 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump represent the rise of American fascism; that conservatives have allowed authoritarianism to bloom in their midst, creating a grave danger for the republic.But what if the true authoritarian threat to America doesn't come from the political right, but from the supposedly anti-fascist left?There are certainly totalitarians on the political Right. But statistically, they represent a fringe movement with little institutional clout. The authoritarian left, meanwhile, is ascendant in nearly every area of American life. A small number of leftists—college-educated, coastal, and uncompromising—have not just taken over the... Views: 579
The woman in the picture was so young she looked like a child. Her hair was loose, eyes wide, blue T-shirt stark against the pale lines of arching collarbones. I felt the air leave me in a quiet rush. Not because of the way the photo captured her fleeting youth, but because of the way it highlighted the bruise.
It was a photo of me.
Rachel Price has just one happy memory from her childhood: the moment her father took her hands while playing outside on a cold, snowy day and called her his angel. It was a rare and sacred moment in her young life, one in which she finally felt safe, loved, and protected.
But it didn’t last long.
Years later, Rachel’s daughter is the only light in what has become a dark life. Rachel repeats the patterns she learned as a child and exposes her own daughter to those same destructive behaviors. Consumed by an abusive marriage, but secure in the safety of the familiar, she is too afraid to escape.
Rachel accepts what her life has become, even as she makes excuses for those who keep her in a constant state of despair and regret. But then, an unexpected phone call from an old friend changes everything. Her ordered world is turned upside down as she’s set on a journey that might be her last chance to salvage the life she’d given up on long ago.
While new friendships tentatively blossom, Rachel realizes that everything she once believed may be nothing but lies and misunderstandings. But knowing the truth is not as easy as it seems. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss. As the snow falls and the promise of Christmas redemption nears, Rachel begins to see her entire childhood in a brand-new light and must now decide what her future holds—and what her past really means. Will knowing the truth set her free, or will it condemn her to a life full of regret and “what ifs”?
The Snow Angel is a poignant tale about family, forgiveness, and the freedom to live a future free of the past. Views: 577
From the bestselling author of The God of Small Things comes a scathing and passionate indictment of big government's
disregard for the individual.
In her Booker Prize-winning novel, The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy turned a compassionate but unrelenting eye on one family in India. Now she lavishes the same acrobatic language and fierce humanity on the future of her beloved country. In this spirited polemic, Roy dares to take on two of the great illusions of India's progress: the massive dam projects that were supposed to haul this sprawling subcontinent into the modern age--but which instead have displaced untold millions--and the detonation of India's first nuclear bomb, with all its attendant Faustian bargains.
Merging her inimitable voice with a great moral outrage and imaginative sweep, Roy peels away the mask of democracy and prosperity to show the true costs hidden beneath. For those who have been mesmerized by her vision of India, here is a sketch, traced in fire, of its topsy-turvy society, where the lives of the many are sacrificed for the comforts of the few. Views: 577
Three is a trio of short stories that defy the scope of other collections. From the wrecked interior of a washed up writer's mind, to the depths of space, to the old city streets.The three stories included are:Fever DreamsStar SlightA Silver RingThree is a trio of short stories that defy the scope of traditional collections. The stories range from the interior of a washed up writer's mind to the cold depths of space.Fever Dreams: A writer spurns his tales from memories he had as a sick young boy. Now, he is out of ideas and is poisoning himself and panning for ideas. His wife hires a hospice service to try to force her husband to recover.Star Slight: Two astronauts and a cartographer are sent on an interstellar mission to map three planets. Disaster places them on a bleak red planet that is as low on hope as it is on water.A Silver Ring: A young boy is promised a heirloom ring by his father. However, his father is killed and his ring taken. Five years later, the boy is a man, and is seeking his birthright. A terrible tale of circular greed. Views: 573
Mike Casey does it again with these short-stories which lure the unsuspecting reader to the cliff edge and leave her laughing at the rocks belowIn the mid-1960's, a teenage, hippie crash-pad scene developed in New York's East Village. Many of the arrivals were escaping repressive or abusive home environments. During this time, I was forced to run away twice before my father would consent for me to grow long hair. Today they call it "The Generation Gap," but it was really a Generation War. However, life in the East Village got increasingly bizarre as hard drug use increased, revealing a dark underbelly to the emerging hippie subculture. Views: 573
The American Revolution comes to vivid life in two dramatic tales of espionage, intrigue, and romance from the author of The Last of MohicansWith his second novel, The Spy:A Tale of the Neutral Ground, in 1821, James Cooper (the Fenimore would come later) found his true voice and what became his most enduring subject matter: the history of his young nation, born of the clash between Old World and New. Set largely in Westchester County—site of the real-life intrigues of Benedict Arnold and Major John Andre—The Spy traces the conflicting allegiances of rebels and loyalists, with the supposed loyalist spy Harvey Birch (actually in the service of George Washington) finding himself caught up in conflicts between friendship and duty as he moves between the two sides. Washington himself makes an incognito appearance as the mysterious "Mr. Harper." Cooper continued in the same vein with Lionel Lincoln; Or, The Leaguer of Boston... Views: 572
The restored text established by the Library of America
The Library of America has insured that most of Wright's major texts are now available as he wanted them to be read - Alfred Kazin, New York Times Book Review
"We have an opportunity to assess Wright's formidable and lasting contribution to American literature. But this time we have texts intended as the author originally wished them to be read. The works that millions know are, as it turns out, expurgated and abbreviated versions of what Wright submitted for publication. By returning to typescripts, galleys, page proofs, the editors have restored deletions and changes demanded by Wright's publisher...They have returned to the 1970 second printing of Uncle Tom's Children>/i> which included one additional story, Bright and Morning Star, and The Ethics of Jim Crow, thus offering us all the selections Wright wished the collection to have." - Charles Johnson, *Chicago Tribune
Cover Illustration: David Diaz* Views: 569
Newly translated and unabridged in English for the first time, Simone de Beauvoir's masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of "woman," and a groundbreaking exploration of inequality and otherness. This long-awaited new edition reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English translation. Vital and groundbreaking, Beauvoir's pioneering and impressive text remains as pertinent today as it was sixty years ago, and will continue to provoke and inspire generations of men and women to come. Views: 567
When life becomes a series of disasters will you still move forward and walk with hope or will you stop the race and end the journey without even trying again?This is a short story about a girl and her losses in life. How she met someone who eventually changed the course of her life and how she had able to handle every circumstances that walked her way.Rape Day Wednesday is an action – adventure love story. General Madid is about to receive a visit from his worst nightmare – Jimmy West. Dear Air Rescue I am Jackie Cots, a nurse for an International Medical Rescue in Somalia. I am writing this letter on behalf of Aisha Hulow, a Somalia woman who lives in the Village of Coato. The lady wants me to tell you about the death of Mary Johnson, who was attacked by soldiers in her medical clinic, repeatedly raped, then shot and left for dead. When the soldiers left, Aisha dragged Mary into her hut where she died several hours later in her arms. Her dying words were to tell Jimmy West, that she still loved him and had never forgotten him. Please find attached a one dollar bill. The lady insists on me sending you the only thing of wealth, she owns. She hopes that you can help her hire someone who can save her little village from these soldiers. It appears that every Wednesday morning, a Renegade General Madid allows his soldiers to come into the village and rape all the women and girls as a treat for loyalty.Please pass on this letter to Jimmy West. Yours truly,Jackie Cots for Aisha Hulow Views: 566
Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than The Missionary Position, Christopher Hitchens's meticulous and searing study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa--and it is now available as a Signal deluxe paperback.
A Nobel Peace Prize recipient canonized by the Catholic Church in 2003, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated by heads of state and adored by millions for her work on behalf of the poor. In his measured critique, Hitchens asks only that Mother Teresa's reputation be judged by her actions--not the other way around.
With characteristic elan and rhetorical dexterity, Hitchens eviscerates the fawning cult of Teresa, recasting the Albanian missionary in a light she has never before been seen in. Views: 566
As a young man, Gerhard Self served as a Nazi prosecutor. After the war he was barred from the judicial system and so became a private investigator. He has never, however, forgotten his complicity in evil.
Hired by a childhood friend, the aging Self searches for a prankish hacker who’s invaded the computer system of a Rhineland chemical plant. But his investigation leads to murder, and from there to the charnel house of Germany’s past, where the secrets of powerful corporations lie among the bones of numberless dead. What ensues is a taut, psychologically complex, and densely atmospheric moral thriller featuring a shrewd, self-mocking protagonist. Views: 562
George Orwell was a tireless and lively correspondent. He communicated with family members, friends and newspapers, figures such as Henry Miller, Cyril Connolly, Stephen Spender and Arthur Koestler, and strangers who wrote to him out of the blue. This carefully selected volume of his correspondence provides an eloquent narrative of Orwell's life, from his schooldays to his final illness.
Orwell's letters afford a unique and fascinating view of his thoughts on matters both personal, political and much in between, from poltergeists, to girls' school songs and the art of playing croquet. In a note home to his mother from school, he reports having 'aufel fun after tea'; much later he writes of choosing a pseudonym and smuggling a copy of *Ulysses *into the country.
We catch illuminating glimpses of his family life: his son Richard's developing teeth, the death of his wife Eileen and his own illness. His talent as a political writer comes to the fore in his descriptions of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, his opinions on bayonets, and on the chaining of German prisoners. And of course, letters to friends and his publisher chart the development and publication of some of the most famous novels in the English language, providing unparalleled insight into his views on his own work and that of his contemporaries.
*A Life in Letters* features previously unpublished material, including letters which shed new light on a love that would haunt him for his whole life, as well as revealing the inspiration for some of his most famous characters. Presented for the first time in a dedicated volume, this selection of Orwell's letters is an indispensible companion to his diaries. Views: 560
