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Life of David Hockney: A Novel
by Catherine CussetWith clear, vivid prose, this meticulously researched novel draws an intimate, moving portrait of the most famous living English painter.Born in 1937 in a small town in the north of England, David Hockney had to fight to become an artist. After leaving his home in Bradford for the Royal College of Art in London, his career flourished, but he continued to struggle with a sense of not belonging, because of his homosexuality, which had yet to be decriminalized, and his inclination for a figurative style of art not sufficiently “contemporary” to be valued. Trips to New York and California—where he would live for many years and paint his iconic swimming pools—introduced him to new scenes and new loves, beginning a journey that would take him through the fraught years of the AIDS epidemic. A compelling hybrid of novel and biography, Life of David Hockney offers an insightful overview of a painter whose art is as accessible as it is compelling, and whose passion to create has never been deterred by heartbreak or illness or loss.
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
by Adeline Yen MahA riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice. Includes 6-page photo insert.From the Hardcover edition.
Sinceramente
by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner«Este libro no es autobiográfico ni tampoco una enumeración de logros personales o políticos, es una mirada y una reflexión retrospectiva para desentrañar algunos hechos y capítulos de la historia reciente y cómo han impactado en la vida de los argentinos y en la mía también.» Del amanecer sin dolor el día después de dejar la Presidencia a la compleja toma de decisiones políticas, económicas y sociales durante doce años que cambiaron la vida de millones de argentinos. Del estado en que recibió la Casa Rosada a la estatización de las AFJP. De la muerte de Nisman al entramado que une a agentes, jueces y fiscales de la causa AMIA con los fondos buitre. Del malentendido que mantuvo alejados a su marido y a Jorge Bergoglio a los elocuentes detalles que revelan el origen de la hoy famosa carta de San Martín a O'Higgins confiscada por el juez Bonadio. De las decisiones consensuadas con Lula a cómo Chávez acortaba los discursos para no aburrir a Néstor. Del origen de su patrimonio a las conversaciones con Magnetto y las causas judiciales en su contra. De manera tan esperada como inesperada, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner presenta Sinceramente, un recorrido íntimo por circunstancias y momentos de su vida, de la del país y de los años del gobierno más discutido y celebrado de la reciente democracia argentina. «Hicieron y siguen haciendo todo lo posible para destruirme. Creyeron que terminarían abatiéndome. Es claro que no me conocen. Por eso les ofrezco una mirada y una reflexión retrospectivas para desentrañar algunos hechos y capítulos de la historia reciente. Hoy que el país está en completo retroceso político, económico, social y cultural espero que al leer estas páginas podamos pensar y discutir sin odio, sin mentiras y sin agravios. Estoy convencida de que es el único camino para volver a tener sueños, una vida mejor y un país que nos cobije a todos y todas.»
Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion
by Anne SomersetShe ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, at age thirty-seven, Britain's last Stuart monarch, and five years later united two of her realms, England and Scotland, as a sovereign state, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain. She had a history of personal misfortune, overcoming ill health (she suffered from crippling arthritis; by the time she became Queen she was a virtual invalid) and living through seventeen miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births in seventeen years. By the end of her comparatively short twelve-year reign, Britain had emerged as a great power; the succession of outstanding victories won by her general, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, had humbled France and laid the foundations for Britain's future naval and colonial supremacy. While the Queen's military was performing dazzling exploits on the continent, her own attention--indeed her realm--rested on a more intimate conflict: the female friendship on which her happiness had for decades depended and which became for her a source of utter torment. At the core of Anne Somerset's riveting new biography, published to great acclaim in England ("Definitive"--London Evening Standard; "Wonderfully pacy and absorbing"--Daily Mail), is a portrait of this deeply emotional, complex bond between two very different women: Queen Anne--reserved, stolid, shrewd; and Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, wife of the Queen's great general--beautiful, willful, outspoken, whose acerbic wit was equally matched by her fearsome temper. Against a fraught background--the revolution that deposed Anne's father, James II, and brought her to power . . . religious differences (she was born Protestant--her parents' conversion to Catholicism had grave implications--and she grew up so suspicious of the Roman church that she considered its doctrines "wicked and dangerous") . . . violently partisan politics (Whigs versus Tories) . . . a war with France that lasted for almost her entire reign . . . the constant threat of foreign invasion and civil war--the much-admired historian, author of Elizabeth I ("Exhilarating"--The Spectator; "Ample, stylish, eloquent"--The Washington Post Book World), tells the extraordinary story of how Sarah goaded and provoked the Queen beyond endurance, and, after the withdrawal of Anne's favor, how her replacement, Sarah's cousin, the feline Abigail Masham, became the ubiquitous royal confidante and, so Sarah whispered to growing scandal, the object of the Queen's sexual infatuation. To write this remarkably rich and passionate biography, Somerset, winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, has made use of royal archives, parliamentary records, personal correspondence and previously unpublished material. Queen Anne is history on a large scale--a revelation of a centuries-overlooked monarch.
Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence
by James R. Clapper Trey BrownThe former Director of National Intelligence's candid and compelling account of the intelligence community's successes--and failures--in facing some of the greatest threats to America <P><P>When he stepped down in January 2017 as the fourth United States director of national intelligence, James Clapper had been President Obama's senior intelligence adviser for six and a half years, longer than his three predecessors combined. He led the U.S. intelligence community through a period that included the raid on Osama bin Laden, the Benghazi attack, the leaks of Edward Snowden, and Russia's influence operation during the 2016 U.S. election campaign. <P>In Facts and Fears, Clapper traces his career through the growing threat of cyberattacks, his relationships with presidents and Congress, and the truth about Russia's role in the presidential election. He describes, in the wake of Snowden and WikiLeaks, his efforts to make intelligence more transparent and to push back against the suspicion that Americans' private lives are subject to surveillance. <P>Finally, it was living through Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and seeing how the foundations of American democracy were--and continue to be--undermined by a foreign power that led him to break with his instincts honed through more than five decades in the intelligence profession to share his inside experience. <P>Clapper considers such controversial questions as, Is intelligence ethical? Is it moral to intercept communications or to photograph closed societies from orbit? What are the limits of what we should be allowed to do? What protections should we give to the private citizens of the world, not to mention our fellow Americans? Are there times when intelligence officers can lose credibility as unbiased reporters of hard truths by inserting themselves into policy decisions? <P>Facts and Fears offers a privileged look inside the U.S. intelligence community and, with the frankness and professionalism for which James Clapper is known, addresses some of the most difficult challenges in our nation's history. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Seven Voices
by Rita GuibertIn-depth and personal interviews by Rita Guibert of Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel Angel Asturias, Octavio Paz, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez and Guillermo Cabrera Infante. The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Pablo Neruda in 1971, Miguel Angel Asturias in 1967, Octavio Paz in 1990 and Gabriel García Márquez in 1982.
The Killer Within: In the Company of Monsters (Playaway Adult Nonfiction Ser.)
by Philip Carlo“A unique and spellbinding memoir” by a New York Times–bestselling true crime writer who suddenly had to face a different kind of killer: ALS (Booklist). In researching his acclaimed true crime books, Philip Carlo interviewed some of the most infamous criminals of our time in prisons and on death rows throughout the country. But what wasn’t known to his many readers is that, while working on The Ice Man, he learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal illness that causes all of the muscles in the body to atrophy over time. Suddenly, after years of penetrating the minds of killers, Carlo found himself being pursued by the grim reaper. But rather than lying down and succumbing to the disease, Carlo continued to work. In The Killer Within, Carlo documents his difficult experiences with ALS and explains how he managed to continue writing prodigiously in the face of adversity. The Killer Within is a gripping, suspenseful book that delves into the netherworld of Mafia bosses, Mafia hit men, and serial killers—as well as the hard realities of dealing with a fatal disease.
Reporting America: The Life of the Nation 1946–2004
by Alistair CookeOver fifty years of reportage from one of the twentieth-century’s greatest broadcasters, showcasing his “masterly discursive approach and splendid humor” (The Independent). Reporting America is a fascinating account of history in the making. His beloved radio show, Letter From America, saw eleven presidents, four wars, and an incredible shift in culture. He adored the United States, as only a naturalized citizen could, and his reports were incisive and often moving. Cooke traveled extensively all over the US to convey the views of citizens in all the nuances of regional opinion, as well as those of the presidents and policy makers to whom he had easy access. Susan Cooke Kittredge’s introduction offers rare insight into the life of her father, the man many knew as the voice of Letter From America and the host of CBS’s Omnibus and PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. Here are the triumphs, disasters, and vicissitudes of American life—from Korea, McCarthyism, the Civil Rights movement, JFK, the moon landings, Watergate, Nixon’s resignation, Clinton’s scandals, the attacks of 9/11, right up to the war with Iraq—as told by one of the century’s most admired reporters. “A peerless observer of the American scene for almost 70 years . . . His observations were not only insightful but also gracefully written and often gently witty.” —The New York Times “This collection reveals all the suppleness of his writing, and his passions . . . As a chronicle of modern America, these newspaper pieces and Radio 4 letters have remarkable immediacy.” —The Telegraph “A fitting tribute to Cooke and his accounts of postwar America.” —Publishers Weekly
P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights)
by Hans RothThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the world's best-known and most translated documents. When it was presented to the United Nations General Assembly in December in 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the writing group, called it a new "Magna Carta for all mankind." The passage of time has shown Roosevelt to have been largely correct in her prediction as to the declaration's importance. No other document in the world today can claim a comparable standing in the international community. <P><P>Roosevelt and French legal expert René Cassin have often been represented as the principal authors of the declaration. But in fact, it resulted from a collaborative effort involving a number of individuals in different capacities. One of the declaration's most important authors was the vice chairman of the Human Rights Commission, Peng Chun Chang (1892-1957), a Chinese diplomat and philosopher whose contribution has been the focus of growing attention in recent years. Indeed, it is Chang who deserves the credit for the universality and religious ecumenism that are now regarded as the declaration's defining features. <P><P>Despite this, Chang's extraordinary contribution has been overlooked by historians.Peng Chun Chang was a modern-day Renaissance man—teacher, scholar, university chancellor, playwright, diplomat, and politician. A true cosmopolitan, he was deeply involved in the cultural exchange between East and West, and the dramatic events of his life left a profound mark on his intellectual and political work. <P><P>P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the first biography of this extraordinary actor on the world stage, who belonged to the same generation as Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Drawing on previously unknown sources, it casts new light on Chang's multifaceted life and involvement with one of modern history's most important documents.
The War at the Shore: Donald Trump, Steve Wynn, and the Epic Battle to Save Atlantic City
by Richard D. Bronson Andrew Meisler A. M. Silver“With Trump and Wynn, Skip Bronson nails the drama and muscle of a Super Bowl Sunday . . . A manual of strategy and tactics, smeared with sweat and blood” (Steve Tisch, chairman of the New York Giants). From 1995 to 2000, two of the world’s best-known companies―Mirage Resorts and Trump Resorts―run by two of the most flamboyant businessmen of our time, fought a bare-knuckled, high-stakes battle over a prime piece of real estate in one of America’s most famous resort towns. No money was spared, no punch was pulled, no invective went unhurled in what became known as “The War at the Shore.” Now Bronson, who was a member of the board of directors of the Mirage and president of New City Development Company, the Mirage subsidiary whose primary purpose was to build a top-level new casino and hotel complex in Atlantic City, tells the inside story of this epic struggle. Along the way, Bronson weaves in fascinating and inspiring anecdotes from his complicated past. Gripping from beginning to end, The War at the Shore is a rare up-close look at the world of casino development and the essential modern chapter in the history of America’s “Boardwalk Empire.” “Two powerful personalities clash in this first-hand account of Steve Wynn’s bid to open a new casino on Donald Trump’s turf. . . . An engaging insider’s account of the down-and-dirty machinations that go into high-stakes real estate development.” —Kirkus Reviews “Marked by casinos, boardrooms, and double-dealings, Bronson’s account is a vivid portrayal of Atlantic City’s revitalization.” —LA Confidential “What an amazing backstage look into the world of casinos, moguls and politics.” —Peter Morton, chairman & founder of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Hard Rock Cafes
Choking on Marlon Brando: A Film Critic's Memoir About Love and the Movies
by Antonia QuirkeIn this witty and bittersweet memoir, the film critic shares her misadventures as a lover of film stars who seeks movie romance in the real world. Antonia Quirke was ten years old when she first saw Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. It was the first film she ever saw, and her reaction was so intense that her parents called an ambulance. So began her lifelong love of movies—an obsession that has brought as much drama and comedy to her actual life as she sees on screen. In Choking on Marlon Brando, Quirke offers a window into her life as a film critic, her unabashed infatuation with male screen idols, and her many real-life romances that never quite make the cut. We learn of her personal ad seeking Tom Cruise, and her bungled interview with Jeff Bridges; the writer boyfriend who never brushed his teeth, and the actor boyfriend whose family showed up nude to a party. Along the way, Quirke provides witty insight into the nature of celebrity, fandom, the movies we all love, and how different they are from reality. “Fans of snappy writing, movie actors and dead-end romance will find Quirke’s book a treat.” —Publishers Weekly
On a Shoestring to Coorg: A Travel Memoir of India (Isis Large Print Ser.)
by Dervla MurphyA “lively travel memoir” by a woman who journeyed to India in 1973 with her five-year-old daughter (Publishers Weekly). “Irish travel writer and memoirist Murphy has in the past bicycled from Ireland to India and traveled Ethiopia by mule. Here, she recounts a perhaps more daunting adventure—taking her five-year-old daughter wandering through southern India with little money and only what they can carry on their backs . . . Leaving behind the vividly described poverty of Bombay, the pair head south. Inland from the Malabar Coast, they come upon the lush, remote, comparatively prosperous region of Coorg: local people are curious and hospitable despite the danger of pollution by associating with casteless foreigners . . . Engaging writing and interesting view of rural India.” —Kirkus Reviews “She is the best kind of traveler: observant, high-spirited, and impervious to discomfort.” —The Sunday Telegraph
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius
by Deirdre O'ConnellThis biography of a musical genius who went from slavery to international stardom is a “vivid, carefully researched narrative reflects the tenor of the” (Publishers Weekly). Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic—and therefore unable to work with other slaves—Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family’s young daughters, and by the time he was four, Tom was playing tunes on the piano. Eventually freed from slavery, “Blind Tom” toured the country and the world, dazzling audiences that included celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England. Considered both a genius and a novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions—a star and a freak, freed from slavery yet still under the control of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century. In this rollicking and heartrending book, O’Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
The Olive Season: Amour, A New Life, and Olives, Too . . . ! (Olive Ser. #2)
by Carol DrinkwaterThe celebrated author of The Olive Farm once again proves to be “a storyteller of great economy and deftness” in this memoir of life in the South of France (The Daily Telegraph). A critically acclaimed actress and star of the BBC series All Things Great and Small, Carol Drinkwater embarked on a life-changing adventure when she bought an abandoned olive farm in Provence. She wrote of transforming her new home into a thriving, working farm in her memoir The Olive Farm. Now, in The Olive Season, Carol is pregnant and their ever-loyal gardener is leaving to oversee the marriage of his son. Often unassisted, and with new challenges to face, Carol takes on the bulk of the farm work alone. Water is, as ever, a costly problem, and she goes in search of a diviner who promises almost magical results. But, as the harvest season approaches, dramatic events cast dark shadows of their olive farm.
Nico: The End
by James YoungThis is the story of the last "scene" of the art rock diva Nico, whose 15 minutes of fame included her tenure with Andy Warhol's Factory, the films Chelsea Girls and La Dolce Vita, and a stint with The Velvet Underground. In 1982, Nico was living in Manchester, England, far from her "15 minutes" and interested only in feeding her heroin habit. Local promoter Dr. Demetrius saw an opportunity, hired musicians to back her, and set off on a disastrous tour of Italy. In a daze of chaotic live shows and necessary heroin scores, she toured the world with assorted thrown-together bands, encountering a wild crew of personalities, including John Cale, Allen Ginsburg, John Cooper Clarke, and Gregory Corso.<P> A tour de force in the literature of failure, this is an unflinching look at the final days of a celebrity in the twilight zone of faded fame. This story of Nico and the characters who orbited around her may be the truest book yet written about life inside the rock world.
Exile within Exiles: Herbert Daniel, Gay Brazilian Revolutionary
by James N. GreenHerbert Daniel was a significant and complex figure in Brazilian leftist revolutionary politics and social activism from the mid-1960s until his death in 1992. As a medical student, he joined a revolutionary guerrilla organization but was forced to conceal his sexual identity from his comrades, a situation Daniel described as internal exile. After a government crackdown, he spent much of the 1970s in Europe, where his political self-education continued. He returned to Brazil in 1981, becoming engaged in electoral politics and social activism to champion gay rights, feminism, and environmental justice, achieving global recognition for fighting discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS. In Exile within Exiles, James N. Green paints a full and dynamic portrait of Daniel's deep commitment to leftist politics, using Daniel's personal and political experiences to investigate the opposition to Brazil's military dictatorship, the left's construction of a revolutionary masculinity, and the challenge that the transition to democracy posed to radical movements. Green positions Daniel as a vital bridge linking former revolutionaries to the new social movements, engendering productive dialogue between divergent perspectives in his writings and activism.
$950 Million in 40 Minutes
by Meshulam RiklisWhat makes a world-class financial genius tick? Enter the mind of a financial mastermind who started from scratch to build a world-wide business empire. Meshulam Riklis invites you on his amazing roller coaster ride to meteoric heights, providing valuable tips for life, for success, and for survival.
The Sapp Brothers' Story: Tough Times, Teamwork, & Faith
by Bill Sapp Lee Sapp Tom OsborneThrough their strong work ethic and faith in God—and in each other—the Sapp brothers rose above early adversity to become some of the most respected and successful leaders in the Midwest. Forming the Sapp Brothers Truck Stops in the 1970s and going on to build the Sapp Brothers Petroleum Company, this family has been a Nebraska legend that built business for the state and invested in many state-sponsored organizations. Their "coffee pot" water tower is a symbol of their first truck stops and a Nebraska icon. Keeping integrity and humility as the focus of their professional and personal lives throughout the years, the Sapp brothers have proven that nice guys can finish first and that the American dream is still alive and well.
Henry Adams: A Biography
by Elizabeth StevensonHenry Brooks Adams was an American historian and member of an elite New England political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents--John Adams and John Quincy Adams. With the publication of his autobiography, "The Education of Henry Adams," in 1907, Henry Adams became the interpreter of his age. His insights and his attacks on the chaos and complexity of modern times stirred people everywhere. Depicting himself as a man seeking the meaning of life, he concluded that the quest ended in failure and predicted universal dissolution. Yet the picture he drew of himself was not complete, and since his death in 1918, he has become one of the most controversial figures in American letters. This is the first biography to give a well-rounded portrait of Adams and to shed a full light on his unique personality and writings.
Life In The Ocean: The Story Of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
by Claire A. NivolaSylvia Earle first lost her heart to the ocean as a young girl when she discovered the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico in her backyard. As an adult, she dives even deeper. Whether she's designing submersibles, swimming with the whales, or taking deep-water walks, Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls "the blue heart of the planet." With stunningly detailed pictures of the wonders of the sea, Life in the Ocean tells the story of Sylvia's growing passion and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world. This picture book biography also includes an informative author's note that will motivate young environmentalists.
Follow The Dream: The Story Of Christopher Columbus
by Peter SísIn a pictorial retelling first published in 1991, Christopher Columbus overcomes a number of obstacles to fulfill his dream of sailing west to find a new route to the Orient. An ALA Notable Children's Book.
The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn
by Margaret WillesAn intimate portrait of two pivotal Restoration figures during one of the most dramatic periods of English history Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn are two of the most celebrated English diarists. They were also extraordinary men and close friends. This first full portrait of that friendship transforms our understanding of their times. Pepys was earthy and shrewd, while Evelyn was a genteel aesthete, but both were drawn to intellectual pursuits. Brought together by their work to alleviate the plight of sailors caught up in the Dutch wars, they shared an inexhaustible curiosity for life and for the exotic. Willes explores their mutual interests—diary-keeping, science, travel, and a love of books—and their divergent enthusiasms, Pepys for theater and music, Evelyn for horticulture and garden design. Through the richly documented lives of two remarkable men, Willes revisits the history of London and of England in an age of regicide, revolution, fire, and plague to reveal it also as a time of enthralling possibility.
De la mano. Testimonios de una enfermera
by Christie WatsonEl conmovedor relato de una enfermera y las vidas que ha tocado a lo largo de veinte años de experiencia. Que «los enfermeros cuidan» es algo que todos hemos oído en algún momento. Asistir, ofrecer cariño y compasión y convertirte en el factor humano indispensable que todo paciente necesita durante su estancia en un hospital es una labor imprescindible... Y también muy dura. Junto a bebés recién nacidos que superan su primera noche de milagro, enfermos de cáncer con quimioterapia, drogadictos y alcohólicos que llegan a urgencias deshechos; en operaciones a corazón abierto y acompañando a los familiares en duelo... siempre hay una enfermera o enfermero. En este libro Christie Watson nos lleva de la mano a hacer sus rondas, a velar sus guardias y a conocer a sus pacientes. Con una sinceridad hermosa y simple estas historias reales nos harán reír, llorar y reflexionar sobre lo quesignifica de verdad vivir. Porque, en nuestros momentos más extremos, cuando luchamos para subsistir, profesionales como Christie están ahí con nosotros, ofreciéndonos su apoyo y cuidándonos, enseñándonos que la vida es mucho más que un tratamiento. «La sanidad sobrevive gracias a la compasión y la amabilidad de personas como ella.»The Times Reseñas:«No es fácil describir la esencia de la enfermería, pero la historia de Christie lo consigue de forma muy satisfactoria. El verdadero valor del enfermero sale a la luz gracias al emotivo testimonio de Watson.»Janet Davies, directora del Colegio de Enfermería de Gran Bretaña «Un libro excepcional. Watson ilustra por qué un enfermero tiene un trabajo más duro que el 99 por ciento de los abogados (lo sé porque yo soy abogado) y merece cobrar más. Absolutamente brillante.»Clive Stafford Smith, abogado de derechos humanos «Watson nosmuestra lo que significa cuidar a diario de los demás y celebra la bondad, que está basada en el auténtico respeto por la dignidad humana y la igualdad. Este libro te hará reír, llorar y ver qué significa de verdad vivir.»Nicky Parker, Amnistía Internacional «Profundamente emotivo. Nos impulsa a todos a llevar una vida más compasiva.»Daily Express «Una reflexión sobresaliente sobre el cuidado, la empatía y la humanidad de impacto emocional asegurado. Por favor, léelo.»The Bookseller «La autora fue premiada por su anterior novela. En esta nos habla de su experiencia de veinte años como enfermera a través de un relato conmovedor.»Sunday Express
Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind
by David CesaraniArthur Koestler, best known for his world-famous novel Darkness at Noon, stands as a cultural beacon in the post-1945 world. Along with Sartre, Camus and Orwell, he helped to shape the ideas of today. This major reassessment, based on groundbreaking and comprehensive research, sets Koestler’s life and thoughts against the tumultuous century he chronicled and explores fully for the first time the continuing drama of his private life as a lover, a husband and a Jew. David Cesarani paints an explosive portrait of Koestler that bridges the gulf separating public and private life, contrasting the work of a genius against the backdrop of his tormented soul and brutal private life. In England, Cesarani’s revelations led to the removal of Koestler’s bust at the University of Edinburgh, so strong were the feelings roused by his dissection of Koestler as a thinker and as a man. A central European Jew born in 1905, Koestler was molded by his times. Uprooted by war and revolution and hounded by prejudice, he struggled to make sense of a world on the edge of apocalypse. His search for meaning, identity and belonging swept him up in the raging ideological torrents of his times--Zionism, Communism, anti-Communism and both hard scientific and esoteric mystical pursuits--and culminated in an idiosyncratic and deeply personal ideological position that has confused and eluded critics and commentators. Equally restless in his personal relationships, Koestler made and broke friendships and marriages. His violent affairs with women were legendary, but until now the shocking details of his private life were hidden from view by loyal friends and obscured by the Olympian prose of his autobiographical writing. Cesarani is the first to make unrestricted use of Koestler's private papers. He also draws on previously secret documents held by the KGB and the FBI, which expose the depth of Koestler’s involvement in the Communist Party and, later, his relations with the CIA. Once a Communist, Koestler eventually rejected Marxism and led the intellectual counterattack that culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. His speculations on human nature and the future of mankind in the atomic age were stamped upon a generation that lived in the shadow of the bomb. But alongside his brilliance and charm was a darker side, fully plumbed here for the first time, which led ultimately to the tragic dual suicide with his third wife, Cynthia, in 1983. With Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind David Cesarani has ensured Koestler’s place in the pantheon of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century as surely as his forceful, provocative and groundbreaking study is guaranteed to reignite the controversy that swirled around Koestler in his life and his death, in his work and his actions.
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel
by C. W. GortnerBONUS: This edition contains a The Confessions of Catherine de Medici discussion guide and an excerpt from C.W. Gortner's The Queen's Vow.The truth is, not one of us is innocent. We all have sins to confess. So reveals Catherine de Medici, the last legitimate descendant of her family's illustrious line. Expelled from her native Florence, Catherine is betrothed to Henri, son of François I of France. In an unfamiliar realm, Catherine strives to create a role for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer. But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children in a kingdom torn apart by the ambitions of a treacherous nobility. Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons, unaware that if she is to save France, she may have to sacrifice her ideals, her reputation, and the secret of her embattled heart. for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer. But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children as regent of a kingdom torn apart by religious discord and the ambitions of a treacherous nobility. Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons. She allies herself with the enigmatic Protestant leader Coligny, with whom she shares an intimate secret, and implacably carves a path toward peace, unaware that her own dark fate looms before her--a fate that, if she is to save France, will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, her reputation, and the passion of her embattled heart. From the fairy-tale châteaux of the Loire Valley to the battlefields of the wars of religion to the mob-filled streets of Paris, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici is the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen. From the Hardcover edition.