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Leon Battista Alberti: Writer and Humanist
by Martin McLaughlinThe first book in English to examine Leon Battista Alberti&’s major literary works in Latin and Italian, which are often overshadowed by his achievements in architectureLeon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) was one of the most prolific and original writers of the Italian Renaissance—a fact often eclipsed by his more celebrated achievements as an art theorist and architect, and by Jacob Burckhardt&’s mythologizing of Alberti as a "Renaissance or Universal Man." In this book, Martin McLaughlin counters this partial perspective on Alberti, considering him more broadly as a writer dedicated to literature and humanism, a major protagonist and experimentalist in the literary scene of early Renaissance Italy. McLaughlin, a noted authority on Alberti, examines all of Alberti&’s major works in Latin and the Italian vernacular and analyzes his vast knowledge of classical texts and culture.McLaughlin begins with what we know of Alberti&’s life, comparing the facts laid out in Alberti&’s autobiography with the myth created in the nineteenth century by Burckhardt, before moving on to his extraordinarily wide knowledge of classical texts. He then turns to Alberti&’s works, tracing his development as a writer through texts that range from an early comedy in Latin successfully passed off as the work of a fictitious ancient author to later philosophical dialogues written in the Italian vernacular (a revolutionary choice at the time); humorous works in Latin, including the first novel in that language since antiquity; and the famous treatises on painting and architecture. McLaughlin also examines the astonishing range of Alberti's ancient sources and how this reading influenced his writing; what the humanist read, he argues, often explains what he wrote, and what he wrote reflected his relentless industry and pursuit of originality.
Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against “the Apocalypse”
by Emily RaboteauAward-winning author and critic Emily Raboteau crafts a powerfully moving meditation on race, climate, environmental justice—and what it takes to find shelter. Lessons for Survival is a probing series of pilgrimages from the perspective of a mother struggling to raise her children to thrive without coming undone in an era of turbulent intersecting crises.With camera in hand, Raboteau goes in search of birds, fluttering in the air or painted on buildings, and city parks where her children may safely play while avoiding pollution, pandemics, and the police. She ventures abroad to learn from Indigenous peoples, and in her own family and community, she discovers the most intimate examples of resilience. Raboteau bears witness to the inner life of Black womanhood, motherhood, the brutalities and possibilities of cities, while celebrating the beauty and fragility of nature. This innovative work of reportage and autobiography stitches together multiple stories of protection, offering a profound sense of hope.
Lessons in Liberty: Thirty Rules for Living from Ten Extraordinary Americans
by Jeremy S. Adams“Smart, patriotic, and readable, this book is what our cynical culture needs.” — Pete Hegseth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Battle for the American MindAmerica is full of inspiring heroes.Greatness is not a chance—it is a choice. George Washington didn’t simply wake up as one of the greatest men in human history. His greatness was the sum of a lifetime of difficult and consequential choices.In Lessons in Liberty, Jeremy S. Adams distills inspiring advice from the lives of extraordinary Americans from our past.George Washington’s lifelong struggle to conquer his temper makes him a model for self-help and self-improvement.Daniel Inouye was a beloved Japanese American senator who carried out daring missions in World War II, despite being subjected to discrimination by the very nation he decided to defend.Eleven-year-old Clara Barton’s role in nursing her injured brother back to health instilled the courage and ferocity that would later empower her to pioneer new nursing techniques during the Civil War.Adams has been an educator for more than a quarter century. Teaching a new generation of students who suffer with anxiety, passivity, and a cynical view of their own nation and its principles has convinced him that a change is urgently needed: The recovery of national greatness requires that we passionately study our heroes. Lessons in Liberty is the first step to discovering the better angels of our nature by restoring the possibilities of individual freedom.In this beautifully written, proudly patriotic, and deeply researched ode to American heroes from a rich variety of eras and backgrounds, Adams reclaims the power of the American story, discovering thirty different and surprising lessons that will inspire modern Americans to lead better and more substantive lives.
Let It Go: Free Yourself from Old Beliefs and Find a New Path to Joy
by Chelene KnightFor readers of Ross Gay and listeners of Therapy for Black Girls, a reflective examination of Black self-love and joy that guides the reader to ditch old beliefs, achieve difficult unlearnings and redefine language, relationships and love to find their own unique path to joy. A warm, candid and essential book that will guide the reader to carve a new path to joy as unique as each individual. Created by the founder of Breathing Space Creative Literary Studio, acclaimed writer and editor Chelene Knight, Let It Go draws on personal experience and the advice of leaders from various Black communities to share hard-won tools for joy-discovery—tools such as how to say no with love; how to call back activities that feel good; how to reshape communication with those closest to you; how to revise language; and most of all, how to learn to let go in order to redefine what we think joy is.Organized around the seasons and the natural cycle of reflection and renewal, Let It Go showcases, through conversation and solitary reflection, the broad spectrum of Black realities and reveals the colourful kaleidoscope of joy and your own ways to find it. From Let It Go:“My own path to joy has been blurred by hardship, but part of my journey is that I refuse to believe that all of my negative experiences are tethered to being a Black woman, even though it can feel like this, even when some people want me to feel like this. And when I feel it, it’s a pain that swells and refuses to subside. I didn’t learn this on my own and I don’t think I can unlearn it on my own. But I’m willing to do the work. I want my joy as I find it; I want my joy as it comes. I’m willing to let the wind push me backwards through the difficult moments. Maybe there’s something big holding you back too. Take a breath. What is it? Maybe we can let go, together.”
The Letters of Emily Dickinson
by Emily DickinsonThe definitive edition of Emily Dickinson’s correspondence, expanded and revised for the first time in over sixty years.Emily Dickinson was a letter writer before she was a poet. And it was through letters that she shared prose reflections—alternately humorous, provocative, affectionate, and philosophical—with her extensive community. While her letters often contain poems, and some letters consist entirely of a single poem, they also constitute a rich genre all their own. Through her correspondence, Dickinson appears in her many facets as a reader, writer, and thinker; social commentator and comedian; friend, neighbor, sister, and daughter.The Letters of Emily Dickinson is the first collected edition of the poet’s correspondence since 1958. It presents all 1,304 of her extant letters, along with the small number available from her correspondents. Almost 300 are previously uncollected, including letters published after 1958, letters more recently discovered in manuscript, and more than 200 “letter-poems” that Dickinson sent to correspondents without accompanying prose. This edition also redates much of her correspondence, relying on records of Amherst weather patterns, historical events, and details about flora and fauna to locate the letters more precisely in time. Finally, updated annotations place Dickinson’s writing more firmly in relation to national and international events, as well as the rhythms of daily life in her hometown. What emerges is not the reclusive Dickinson of legend but a poet firmly embedded in the political and literary currents of her time.Dickinson’s letters shed light on the soaring and capacious mind of a great American poet and her vast world of relationships. This edition presents her correspondence anew, in all its complexity and brilliance.
L'exploration de l'Afrique
by Jack DonahueIl n'y a pas si longtemps, l'intérieur de l'Afrique était un livre scellé pour le monde civilisé. Les fontaines ensoleillées, les sables dorés, les plaines verdoyantes de l'Afrique étaient à retrouver dans les vers du poète ; mais il ne traitait ni de latitude ni de longitude. Les cartes présentaient une terra incognita, où les voyageurs modernes ont découvert des rivières, des lacs et des bassins alluviaux, ou montraient des déserts stériles, où des découvertes récentes trouvent des prairies riches et régulièrement inondées, parsemées de villes et de cités fortifiées, animées par des troupeaux de bétail, ou cultivées dans des plantations de maïs et de coton. Jack Donahue nous ramène au premier plan de l'ère de l'exploration africaine, au milieu du XIXe siècle, avec des récits à la première personne de ceux qui étaient là.
Li Dazhao: China's First Communist (SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)
by Patrick Fuliang ShanAs one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, Li Dazhao (1889–1927) was a key figure in China's transition from empire to republic, from tradition to modernity, and from imperial rule to turbulent revolution. Patrick Fuliang Shan's biography of Li, the first English-language study in over half a century, draws on a wealth of Chinese-language primary and secondary sources to examine Li's early life, family, education, and career; his endeavors to introduce Western civilization to the Chinese; his switch to communism and his leadership role in the early Communist movement; his political maneuvers and revolutionary activities; and his tragic death at the hands of the warlord Zhang Zuolin. While its focus is on Li's personal odyssey and extraordinary journey, the book also presents an in-depth analysis of China's broad national experience and its march towards modernity.
Liberty Equality Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution
by Anne HigonnetThree women led a fashion revolution and turned themselves into international style celebrities. Joséphine Bonaparte, future Empress of France; Térézia Tallien, the most beautiful woman in Europe; and Juliette Récamier, muse of intellectuals, had nothing left to lose. After surviving incarceration and forced incestuous marriage during the worst violence of the French Revolution of 1789, they dared sartorial revolt. Together, Joséphine and Térézia shed the underwear cages and massive, rigid garments that women had been obliged to wear for centuries. They slipped into light, mobile dresses, cropped their hair short, wrapped themselves in shawls, and championed the handbag. Juliette made the new style stand for individual liberty. The erotic audacity of these fashion revolutionaries conquered Europe, starting with Napoleon. Everywhere a fashion magazine could reach, women imitated the news coming from Paris. It was the fastest and most total change in clothing history. Two centuries ahead of its time, it was rolled back after only a decade by misogynist rumors of obscene extravagance. New evidence allows the real fashion revolution to be told. This is a story for our time: of a revolution that demanded universal human rights, of self-creation, of women empowering each other, and of transcendent glamor
Library and Information Sciences in Arctic and Northern Studies (Springer Polar Sciences)
by Spencer AcadiaThe role of library and information sciences (LIS) in, for, and about Arctic and Northern studies is underexplored. This book examines the intersection of LIS and Arctic/Northern scholarship, research, and study by considering the Arctic and North as a global information-knowledge society; demonstrates practical and applied ways that librarians, archivists, curators, and other information scholars and professionals can participate and have participated in real activities within Arctic and Northern environments; explains how LIS – as a discipline focused on data, information, and knowledge – has a significant role to play in Arctic and Northern endeavours; and emphasises the inter-/multi- disciplinary nature of what are Arctic studies and Northern studies and the placement of LIS into that structure. Even though LIS has historically been overlooked in Northern and Arctic matters, this book suggests that LIS is in a remarkable position to add value to future Arctic/Northern studies. Thisbook is of interest to scientists, researchers, scholars, educators, professionals, and students globally working in Northern and Arctic contexts and/or with Northern and Arctic pursuits in mind.
Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House
by Jared CohenNew York Times Bestseller New York Times bestselling author of Accidental Presidents explores what happens after the most powerful job in the world: President of the United States.Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington&’s departure after two terms made him &“the greatest character of the age.&” But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might &“[wander] among the people like ghosts.&” They were both right. Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life. Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency. John Quincy Adams served in Congress and became a leading abolitionist, passing the torch to Abraham Lincoln. Grover Cleveland was the only president in American history to serve a nonconsecutive term. William Howard Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Herbert Hoover shaped the modern conservative movement, led relief efforts after World War II, reorganized the executive branch, and reconciled John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency in American history, advancing humanitarian causes, human rights, and peace. George W. Bush made a clean break from politics, bringing back George Washington&’s precedent, and reminding the public that the institution of the presidency is bigger than any person. Jared Cohen explores the untold stories in the final chapters of these presidents&’ lives, offering a gripping and illuminating account of how they went from President of the United States one day, to ordinary citizens the next. He tells how they handled very human problems of ego, finances, and questions about their legacy and mortality. He shows how these men made history after they left the White House.
Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World
by Bill WeirAward-winning journalist and CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir draws on his years of immersive travel and reporting to share the best ideas and stories of hope and positivity from the people and communities around the world who are thriving in the wake of climate change, and what we can learn from them to build a more promising future.While reporting from every state and every continent, and filming his acclaimed CNN Original Series The Wonder List, Bill Weir has spent decades telling the stories of unique people, places, cultures, and creatures on the brink of change. As the first Chief Climate Correspondent in network news, he’s immersed in the latest science and breakthroughs on the topic, while often on the frontlines of disasters, natural and manmade.In 2020, Bill began distilling these experiences into a series of Earth Day letters for his then-newborn son to read in 2050, to help him better understand the world he will have grown up in and be better prepared to embrace the future. Bill’s work and his letters were the inspiration for Life As We Know It (Can Be), which confronts the worry and wonder of climate change with messages and examples of hope for all of us on how a better future can still be written.Highlighting groundbreaking innovation in fields of clean energy, food and water sources, housing and building materials, and more, and touching on how happiness, resilience, and health and wellness factor into the topic of climate change, Bill’s stories take readers on a global journey, from one community in Florida that took on a hurricane and never lost power, to the Antarctic Peninsula where one species of penguin is showing us the key to survival, to the nuclear fusion labs where scientists are trying to build a star in a box. In these pages, we join a search for ancient wisdom and new ideas.Life As We Know It (Can Be) is a celebration of the wonders of our planet, a meditation on the human wants and needs that drive it out of balance, and an inspiration for communities to galvanize around nature and each other as the very best way to best prepare and plan for what’s next.
The Life Brief: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living
by Bonnie WanLife is a creative act. Let The Life Brief guide you to creating the life of your dreams. &“A brilliant companion on the road to more aliveness. This book is a wonderful invitation. Take it.&” —Dave Evans #1 New York Times bestselling author of Designing Your LifeWe all have moments when we doubt the path we&’re on. Is this the career for me? Am I in the right relationship? Is this as good as it gets? These questions can feel uncomfortable without a method for uncovering the answers. Enter The Life Brief, a simple yet effective playbook for navigating life&’s decisions, crossroads, and curve-balls. Modeled after the creative brief, a tool used by the most innovative companies in the world to unlock clarity and unleash action, The Life Brief carves a path for living with intention and imagination. Designed by leading brand strategist Bonnie Wan, The Life Brief is a practice in three parts: The first phase, Get Messy, is a set of open-ended writing prompts that cut through limiting beliefs and false assumptions about what&’s possible. The second phase, Get Clear, offers prompts for finding clarity around what you truly, deeply want. The third phase, Get Active, catapults you into the steps to making those desires a reality. This is a practice for unpacking complexity with curiosity, shifting attention to drive action, and challenging the limiting beliefs that create friction in your life. This powerfully adaptive tool has transformed thousands of lives, from refining career paths to repairing relationships, rediscovering passion to cutting through overwhelm. Don&’t let another moment pass you by. Discover The Life Brief and unlock your path today.
Life Goes On
by Megan MauriceSimply surviving trauma - whether it be illness, abuse, grief, a family tragedy or any kind - takes everything we have. But what happens after, when you realise that surviving survival might be harder still?'In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on.' These words from Robert Frost, which Megan Maurice first read as a teenager, became the only way for her to make sense of what came after she endured and survived treatment for cancer, which was traumatic and life-changing.After facing her mortality, and all the fear that brought not just for her but for her young daughter, Megan discovered that once the momentum of pure survival was gone, she had to deal with its aftermath - and there were no tools for that. No guidelines, no rule books.What she wanted to know was if she was meant to go on, how did she go on? The world around her had not changed, even if she had. There just didn't seem to be a place for her, so she made one. She went on to research trauma and recovery, and discuss lived experiences with many survivors - how they faced their darkest days and greatest worries.Megan has written the very manual she needed but couldn't find, and in the process has created a moving and illuminating portrait of not only the hardship of survival but its beauty too. For, when life goes on, there is so much to live for.'A hugely compassionate book. Maurice writes with extraordinary beauty and clarity about the less explored side of getting on with things.' Anna Spargo-Ryan, author of A KIND OF MAGIC'Life Goes On is a thoughtful, clear-eyed examination of the aftermath of trauma. It is deeply personal and incredibly relatable. It shines a light into the dark corner of trauma and asks the all-important question of "what now?"' Liz Ellis AO
A Life Impossible: Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence
by Steve Gleason Jeff DuncanFrom NFL player Steve Gleason, a powerful, inspiring memoir of love, heartbreak, resilience, family, and remarkable triumph in the face of ALSIn 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that takes away the ability to move, talk, and breathe. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-three years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date.His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced. Writing using eye-tracking technology, Gleason covers his pre-ALS life through the highs and lows of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, where he made one of the most memorable plays in Saints history, leading to a victory in the first post-Katrina home game, uplifting the city, making him a hero, and reflected in a nine-foot bronze statue outside the Superdome. Then came his heartbreaking diagnosis. Gleason lost all muscle function, he now uses Stephen Hawking-like technology to communicate, and breathes with the help of a ventilator. This book captures Gleason and his wife Michel&’s unmatched resilience as they reinvent their lives, refuse to succumb to despair, and face his disease realistically and existentially.This unsparing portrait argues that a person's true strength does not reside solely in one&’s body but also in the ability to face unfathomable adversity and still be able to love and treasure life.
Life Inside: The Hard Reality of Prison and What It Takes To Survive
by Linda Calvey'One of the best books about prison I've ever read' Kimberley ChambersA chilling look into the brutality of life behind bars and what it's like to be locked away with some of the world's most dangerous criminals.Widely known in the criminal underworld as the 'Black Widow', Linda Calvey spent the first half of her life running with the UK's top gangsters, robbing banks and rubbing shoulders with the Kray twins. That is, until, in 1990, her lover Robbie Cook was murdered at point-blank, and she found herself falsely convicted.Linda was sent away for decades, and would go on to become Britain's longest-serving female prisoner. This is her story of life inside, and how she learnt to survive the many years she spent behind bars.Detailing the systems, characters and rules of prison life, as well as her encounters with notorious criminals Charles Bronson, Rose West and Myra Hindley, Linda gives a full account of her time locked up.Featuring stories of fights, riots, dodgy dealings and what happens when a prison officer gets taken hostage, this is a gritty and eye-opening look at prison life from a woman who has seen it all.
Life of P. T. Barnum, Written By Himself; Including His Golden Rules For Money-Making [Expanded 1888 edition]
by P. T. BarnumStep into the extraordinary life of one of America's most iconic showmen with P.T. Barnum's captivating autobiography, "Life of P.T. Barnum, Written By Himself; Including His Golden Rules For Money-Making." This remarkable memoir provides an intimate look at the life and career of Phineas Taylor Barnum, the mastermind behind "The Greatest Show on Earth," and offers invaluable insights into his philosophy on success and wealth.In his own words, P.T. Barnum recounts his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a legendary entrepreneur and master of entertainment. With wit, charm, and candor, Barnum shares the highs and lows of his career, from his early ventures and failures to his monumental successes in the world of circuses, museums, and public spectacles. His narrative is filled with colorful anecdotes, daring exploits, and behind-the-scenes stories that bring to life the vibrant world of 19th-century entertainment.Beyond the enthralling tales of his adventures, Barnum's autobiography includes his "Golden Rules For Money-Making," a set of practical and timeless principles for achieving financial success. These rules reflect Barnum's shrewd business acumen and his belief in the value of hard work, creativity, and ethical conduct. Readers will find inspiration and guidance in Barnum's advice on risk-taking, innovation, and maintaining a positive reputation."Life of P.T. Barnum" is not just a biography; it is a treasure trove of wisdom and a testament to the power of perseverance and ingenuity. Barnum's story is a celebration of the American spirit, highlighting the possibilities that arise from ambition, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of one's dreams.This book is an essential read for entrepreneurs, history enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the life of a man who transformed the entertainment industry. "Life of P.T. Barnum, Written By Himself" offers a unique blend of autobiography, business manual, and motivational guide, ensuring its place as a timeless classic in the literature of success.Join P.T. Barnum on a journey through his incredible life, and discover the principles that helped him build an empire. This engaging and insightful autobiography will inspire you to think big, embrace opportunities, and create your own path to success.
The Life of the Author: D. H. Lawrence (The Life of the Author)
by Andrew HarrisonTHE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR D. H. LAWRENCE Addresses the whole of D. H. Lawrence’s life and writing career—integrating biography, critical analysis, and recent scholarship in a single volume The Life of the Author: D. H. Lawrence is a focused exploration of the whole of the author’s life and writing career. Combining biographical detail and close readings of works in different genres, the book illuminates the complexities of Lawrence’s writing through a careful, questioning approach to biographical sources and recent scholarship. Andrew Harrison provides original insights into Lawrence’s relationship to working-class experience, his anti-suffragist feminist views, his reaction to the Great War, his responses to racial and cultural difference, his attitudes towards sex, sexuality, and sexual identity, and much more. Nine accessible chapters address important subjects in the author’s life and writing, including his treatment of taboo topics, his conflicted relationship with the literary marketplace, and the ways in which his writing challenged English middle-class values. Each chapter draws upon the biographical record to provide an interpretive context while highlighting aspects of Lawrence’s work that relate to present-day concerns, such as his critical responses to wartime propaganda and censorship, his critique of heteronormativity, and his lifelong concern with issues around mental health and wholeness of being. Designed to help readers develop a fresh understanding of Lawrence’s writing, The Life of the Author: D. H. Lawrence: Investigates Lawrence’s wartime experiences, tracing his transformation from an author who wished to change the attitudes of his readers into a radical anti-establishment figure Addresses Lawrence’s explorations of gender fluidity and non-normative sexual identities in his fictionDiscusses Lawrence’s concern with post-war social reconstruction and his risk-taking exploration of revolutionary political and religious movements in his novels of the 1920s Engages with psychoanalytic criticism on the attachment issues that shaped Lawrence’s life and writing, showing how he attempted to confront the psychic wounds of his childhood Based on materials and approaches the author has developed teaching Lawrence for more than two decades, The Life of the Author: D. H. Lawrence is an excellent textbook for undergraduate students taking English and English Literature courses, as well as graduate students discussing Lawrence in the contexts of early twentieth-century literature, literary modernism, and sexualities in modern literature.
Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf
by Ann Liguori12 legendary players in golf share life lessons they learned from the game. Interviewed by award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster Ann Liguori, a select list of champions including Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Jan Stephenson, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Nancy Lopez, and more, talk about their personal journeys and wisdom they gleaned from their time playing the game of golf. Life on the Green appeals to all, going in-depth with exclusive content for die-hard fans while providing amusing anecdotes and inspirational content for everyone, humanizing and helping us understand a little bit more about each star and their success story. Each person&’s story highlights a different, central theme, allowing readers to have key takeaways and a clearer understanding of how the subject became so successful, and in turn, be inspired to utilize those life lessons towards their own lives and legacy. Encompassing universal themes like patience, goal setting, staying positive, pursuing one's passions, treating people right, never giving up, practicing humility, and more, Life on the Green inspires, entertains and enriches in equal measure.
Life Writing, Representation and Identity: Global Perspectives
by Mukul ChaturvediThis book focuses on varied forms of self-referential storytelling or life writing and its emergence as a democratic and inclusive genre, both globally and in India, and its intersections with history, fiction, memory, truth and identity. The book examines the practice of life writing and its scope for accommodating diverse voices, distinct identities, collaborations and non-hierarchical connections as it gives voice to oral, silenced and marginalized communities. It explores forms like auto/biographical fiction, digital storytelling, graphic memoirs, and testimonies of migration and exile, among others. The eclectic collection of essays in this volume draws attention towards the transformative possibilities of life writing as it engages with issues of resistance, recuperation, re-inscribing individual and collective memories, histories, and promotes an understanding of multicultural others. Focusing on the multiple ways in which the production, circulation, and consumption of life writing has helped to reimagine and redefine individual and collective identities in different cultural and geopolitical contexts, the collection breaks new ground by initiating a cross-cultural perspective in life writing studies. The book aims to encourage critical engagement with a vastly growing body of literature that has seen a publishing and translation boom in contemporary times, both globally and in India. With life writing emerging as a robust area of research, this edited collection provides a much-needed impetus to critically engage with issues of self-representation, memory and identity in recent times. This volume will serve as a significant and rich resource for university students, researchers, and academics of literature, comparative studies, cultural studies, history, indigenous studies and digital and media studies.
Life's Too Short: A Memoir
by Darius RuckerA raw, heartfelt memoir from Darius Rucker, the Grammy Award– winning country music sensation and multiplatinum-selling lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish <P><P> In 1986 Darius Rucker cofounded Hootie & The Blowfish at the University of South Carolina. What began as a party band playing frat houses and dive bars quickly became a global pop rock phenomenon through their multiplatinum-selling debut album, cracked rear view, which featured era-defining hit songs like “Only Wanna Be with You,” “Let Her Cry,” and “Hold My Hand.” Later, Darius would chart a pioneering path as a solo country music artist, with classic anthems like “Wagon Wheel” and “Alright.” <P><P> Nearly forty years after the band’s formation, Darius tells his remarkable story through the lens of the songs that shaped him—from Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and KISS to Lou Reed, Billy Joel, Nanci Griffith, and so many more. <P><P> Set against the soundtrack of his life, Darius recounts his childhood as the son of a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina. He traces the unlikely ascent of his band and shares wild tales of life on the road—but he also faces his missteps, defeats, and demons. As moving as it is entertaining, Life’s Too Short is a timeless book about a man and his music. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Lifting as They Climb: Black Women Buddhists and Collective Liberation
by Toni Pressley-SanonThe lives and writings of six leading Black Buddhist women—Jan Willis, bell hooks, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, angel Kyodo williams, Spring Washam, and Faith Adiele—reveal new expressions of Buddhism rooted in ancestry, love, and collective liberation.Lifting as They Climb is a love letter of freedom and self-expression from six Black women Buddhist teachers, conveyed through the voice of author Toni Pressley-Sanon, one of the innumerable people who have benefitted from their wisdom. She explores their remarkable lives and undertakes deep readings of their work, weaving them into the broader tapestry of the African diaspora and the historical struggle for Black liberation. Black women in the U.S. have adapted Buddhist practice to meet challenges ranging from the injustices of the Jim Crow South to sexual violence, social discrimination, and bias within their Buddhist communities. Using their voices through the practice of memoir and other forms of writing, they have not only realized their own liberation but carried forward the Black tradition of leading others on the path toward collective awakening.
A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy
by Kathy Kleiner Rubin Emilie Le Beau LucchesiTHE FIRST BOOK BY A CONFIRMED SURVIVOR OF TED BUNDY, AND THE ONLY MEMOIR TO CHALLENGE THE POPULAR NARRATIVE OF BUNDY AS A HANDSOME KILLER WHO CHARMED HIS VICTIMS INTO TRUSTING HIM In January 1978, I slept in my bed at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University as Ted Bundy stalked nearby. He grabbed an oak log from a stack of firewood, slipped through a back door with a broken padlock, and headed upstairs.He began twisting doorknobs. Room 9 was open, and he quietly and quickly killed one of my sleeping sorority sisters. Across the hall, he found another unlocked door and murdered again. Then, he turned the knob to my bedroom and found it was open. I remember the attack vividly. Bundy bashed me once in the head with the log and then attacked my roommate. He heard me moaning and came to finish me off. He never let his victims live. But he stopped suddenly when a bright light filled the room. He fled the sorority house and the light disappeared. Bundy wasn't my first brush with death, and he wasn't my last. I've long been a survivor. I was born into a Cuban American family in 1957 in Florida. I had a happy childhood until I received my first death sentence at the age of thirteen. Physicians weren't sure why I was always so exhausted and running a low-grade fever. The prognosis was grim after my left kidney started to fail. Then, a physician from Cuba saved my life with a surprise diagnosis—lupus—and treatment plan: chemotherapy. I endured chemotherapy again in my early thirties when I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. This is my story of surviving three death sentences and finding love and happiness along the way. I was saved by a bright light, and I hope my story is one for people who are experiencing their own dark times. I am a victim, but I am also a survivor, and I want to speak up for all the women and girls whom Bundy murdered. He has become a legend, and our voices have been muted or ignored. It's time we were heard.
A Light in the Darkness: The Music and Life of Joaquín Rodrigo
by Javier Suárez-Pajares Walter Aaron ClarkA composer of singular vision. Joaquín Rodrigo (1901–1999) is best known as the composer of one of the most popular works of music in the twentieth century—the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra. It’s been featured in movies and television commercials and remains a staple of concert programs for orchestras around the world. Miles Davis said, “After listening to it for a couple of weeks…I couldn’t get it out of my mind,” and he used it as inspiration for his album Sketches of Spain. But as Javier Suárez-Pajares and Walter Aaron Clark reveal in this musical biography—the first complete study in English—Rodrigo’s work and influence extend far beyond that singular composition. A Light in the Darkness takes us through Rodrigo’s childhood in Valencia, the onset of blindness at the age of three, and the beginnings of his musical education. He achieved some early success in Spain as a composer before moving to Paris in 1927 to advance his studies, following in the footsteps of other eminent Spanish composers like Isaac Albéniz, Joaquín Turina, and Manuel de Falla. There he enrolled in courses with composer Paul Dukas, met the woman who would become his wife, and earned the respect and friendship of Falla, who became his champion. Along the way, Rodrigo’s musical voice developed and matured as his horizons widened. Suárez-Pajares and Clark present a definitive account of the making of Rodrigo’s celebrated guitar concerto, even as they capture the breadth of Rodrigo’s compositional output, from solo works for piano and guitar through chamber music and vocal works to concertos and orchestral pieces. As they demonstrate, Rodrigo’s music is unmistakably Spanish, but with his own unique accent. Rodrigo’s life and career spanned a period of great tumult in Spain, and he had to navigate strong, shifting political and cultural currents—before, during, and after Franco. An authoritative life of one of the twentieth century’s great musical geniuses, A Light in the Darkness becomes a stunning tale of how art gets made under even the most challenging circumstances.
The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower
by Michel ParadisA thrilling new biography of Dwight Eisenhower set in the months leading up to D-Day, when he grew from a well-liked general into one of the singular figures of American history."This is hands-down the most deeply researched, sensitive, intimate, and nuanced portrait of Eisenhower." —DAVID KENNEDY, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for History | "A masterly portrait." —General WESLEY CLARK | "Gorgeously written. The only must-read book to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day." —ALEX KERSHAW, New York Times bestselling author | STARRED reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Library JournalOn June 6, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower addressed the thousands of American troops preparing to invade Normandy, exhorting them to embrace the “Great Crusade” they faced. Then, in a fleeting moment alone, he drafted a resignation letter in case the invasion failed.In The Light of Battle, Michel Paradis, acclaimed author of Last Mission to Tokyo, paints a vivid portrait of Dwight Eisenhower as he learns to navigate the crosscurrents of diplomacy, politics, strategy, family, and fame with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance. In a world of giants—Churchill, Roosevelt, De Gaulle, Marshall, MacArthur—it was a barefoot boy from Abilene, Kansas, who would master the art of power and become a modern-day George Washington.Drawing upon meticulous research and a voluminous body of newly discovered records, letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts from three continents, Paradis brings Eisenhower to life, as a complicated man who craved simplicity, a genial cipher whose smile was a lethal political weapon.With a page-turning pace and an eye for the overlooked, Paradis interweaves the grand arc of history with more human concerns, bringing readers into the private moments that led to Eisenhower’s most pivotal decisions. By deftly integrating the personal and the political, he reveals how Eisenhower’s rise both reflected and was integral to America’s rise as a global superpower.An unflinching look at how character is forged, and leadership is learned, The Light of Battle breathes new life into the man who made “the leader of the free world” the mantle of the American presidency.
Lion of the League: Bob Emslie and the Evolution of the Baseball Umpire
by Larry R. GerlachRobert Dean Emslie (1859–1943) spent fifty-six of his eighty-four years in professional baseball—eight as a player and forty-nine as an umpire. When arm problems ended his career as a Major League pitcher, he turned to umpiring, serving in that capacity for thirty-five seasons, then as an umpire supervisor for thirteen years. His longevity is all the more remarkable considering he toiled during the three most contentious and difficult decades umpires ever faced: the years from 1890 to 1920, when baseball transitioned from amateur to professional sport and from regional business to commercial entertainment industry. Emslie endured the rough-and-tumble umpire-baiting 1890s, the Deadball era, injuries from thrown and batted balls, physical and verbal assaults from players and fans, and criticism in the press. Among his most notable games, he called four no-hitters and worked as the base umpire in the famous Merkle&’s Boner game between the New York Giants and the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds in 1908. He often clashed with Giants manager John McGraw, who nicknamed him &“Blind Bob.&” Yet he was widely praised by players and his peers. Honus Wagner, the great Pittsburgh shortstop, ranked Emslie the best National League umpire he had seen during his twenty-year career. Umpires Bill McGowan and Billy Evans respectively regarded him as &“the greatest base umpire of all time&” and &“one of the greatest umpires the game ever produced.&” Emslie was also the acknowledged master of baseball&’s rules such that National League presidents regularly consulted with him on controversial calls and protests. Emslie accepted a position as the chief of National League umpires, serving as an adviser to the National League president.Lion of the League is the biography of an umpire whose career spanned the formative years of modern baseball.