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The Tsarina's Daughter: A Novel
by Ellen AlpstenEllen Alpsten's stunning new novel, The Tsarina's Daughter, is the dramatic story of Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great, who ruled Russia during an extraordinary life marked by love, danger, passion and scandal.Born into the House of Romanov to the all-powerful Peter the Great and his wife, Catherine, a former serf, beautiful Tsarevna Elizabeth is the envy of the Russian empire. She is insulated by luxury and spoiled by her father, who dreams for her to marry King Louis XV of France and rule in Versailles. But when a woodland creature gives her a Delphic prophecy, her life is turned upside down. Her volatile father suddenly dies, her only brother has been executed and her mother takes the throne of Russia.As friends turn to foes in the dangerous atmosphere of the Court, the princess must fear for her freedom and her life. Fate deals her blow after blow, and even loving her becomes a crime that warrants cruel torture and capital punishment: Elizabeth matures from suffering victim to strong and savvy survivor. But only her true love and their burning passion finally help her become who she is. When the Imperial Crown is left to an infant Tsarevich, Elizabeth finds herself in mortal danger and must confront a terrible dilemma--seize the reins of power and harm an innocent child, or find herself following in the footsteps of her murdered brother.Hidden behind a gorgeous, wildly decadent façade, the Russian Imperial Court is a viper’s den of intrigue and ambition. Only a woman possessed of boundless courage and cunning can prove herself worthy to sit on the throne of Peter the Great.
Germ Hunter: A Story about Louis Pasteur
by Elaine Marie AlphinGrowing up in the 1830s, Louis Pasteur saw the horrifying effects of diseases like rabies and tuberculosis. Filled with curiosity and imagination, Pasteur began a lifelong search for answers to his many questions about diseases. Although many scientists disagreed with his unusual ideas, his discoveries made him famous. Through his dedication and insight, Pasteur saved millions of lives and laid the groundwork for future medical advancements.
The Shattered Lens: A War Photographer's True Story of Captivity and Survival in Syria
by Jonathan Alpeyrie Stash LuczkiwDiscover a gripping and harrowing tale of war and torture from the man who lived it in this powerful memoir by the celebrated war journalist who not only documented over a dozen conflict zones worldwide but was also captured and held hostage by Syrian rebels in 2013.Capturing history was Jonathan Alpeyrie’s job but he never expected to become a news story himself. For a decade, the French‑American photojournalist had weaved in and out of over a dozen conflict zones. He photographed civilians being chased out of their homes, military trucks roving over bullet‑torn battlefields, and too many bodies to count. But on April 29, 2013, during his third assignment to Syria, Alpeyrie was betrayed by his fixer and handed over to a band of Syrian rebels. For eighty‑one days he was bound, blindfolded, and beaten. Not too far away, President Bashar al‑Assad’s forces and those in opposition continued their bitter and bloody civil war. Over the course of his captivity, Alpeyrie kept his spirits up and strived to see, without his camera lenses, the humanity in his captors. He took part in their activities, taught them how to swim, prayed with them, and tried learning their language and culture. He also discovered a dormant faith within himself, one that strengthened him throughout the ordeal. The Shattered Lens is the firsthand account of a photojournalist who has always answered the next adrenaline‑pumping assignment. Yet, during his headline‑making kidnapping, he was left to consider the value and risks of his career, ponder the violent conflicts he had seen, and put the historical events over which we have no control into perspective.
Emotional Memoirs and Short Stories
by Lani AlpertGrammy Award-winning vocalist Lani Hall Alpert brings the passion of her voice to the printed page, penning ten short works of fiction and non-fiction alike, all set against the living, breathing backdrop of Chicago. The characters crackle with energy: intelligent, modern women struggling to navigate the uncertain waters of adultery, therapy, cosmetic surgery, postpartum depression, and even their own sexuality. <p><p>Each story is woven into the next via a winding personal narrative, as the author takes a refreshingly honest look back at her own life. Lani takes us from memories of her upbringing, through her teenage years amidst the heady heyday of 1960s Beatnik culture, and gives us a rare glimpse at the double-edged sword that is the life of an artist.
Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch
by Svetlana AlpersA magisterial study of celebrated photographer Walker EvansWalker Evans (1903–75) was a great American artist photographing people and places in the United States in unforgettable ways. He is known for his work for the Farm Security Administration, addressing the Great Depression, but what he actually saw was the diversity of people and the damage of the long Civil War. In Walker Evans, renowned art historian Svetlana Alpers explores how Evans made his distinctive photographs. Delving into a lavish selection of Evans’s work, Alpers uncovers rich parallels between his creative approach and those of numerous literary and cultural figures, locating Evans within the wide context of a truly international circle.Alpers demonstrates that Evans’s practice relied on his camera choices and willingness to edit multiple versions of a shot, as well as his keen eye and his distant straight-on view of visual objects. Illustrating the vital role of Evans’s dual love of text and images, Alpers places his writings in conversation with his photographs. She brings his techniques into dialogue with the work of a global cast of important artists—from Flaubert and Baudelaire to Elizabeth Bishop and William Faulkner—underscoring how Evans’s travels abroad in such places as France and Cuba, along with his expansive literary and artistic tastes, informed his quintessentially American photographic style.A magisterial account of a great twentieth-century artist, Walker Evans urges us to look anew at the act of seeing the world—to reconsider how Evans saw his subjects, how he saw his photographs, and how we can see his images as if for the first time.
Unvarnished: A Gimlet-eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar
by Eric Alperin Deborah StollA Kitchen Confidential for the cocktail profession, Unvarnished is a fly-on-the-wall narrative peek at the joys, pains, and peculiarities of life “behind the stick.”When it opened a decade ago, the acclaimed Los Angeles speakeasy The Varnish—owned, designed, and managed by award-winning cocktail aficionado Eric Alperin—quickly became the stylish standard bearer for modern bars. Unvarnished is a candid, voice-driven, no-holds-barred look at the workings of a bar, and the foundation of The Varnish’s success: attention to hospitality and an abiding belief in the nobility of service. Alperin and veteran bartender and writer Deborah Stoll push back against the prevailing conceit that working in the service industry is something people do because they failed at another career. They offer fascinating meditations on ice as the bartender’s flame; the good, the bad, and the sad parts of vice; one’s duty to their community as a local; the obsessive, compulsive deliberations of building a bar (size matters); lessons from Sasha Petraske—Eric’s late partner, mentor, and the forefather of the modern day classic cocktail renaissance—and the top ten reasons not to date a bartender. At the book’s center are the 100 recipes a young Jedi bartender must know before their first shift at The Varnish, along with examples of building drinks by the round, how to Mr. Potato Head cocktails, and what questions to ask when crafting a Bartender’s Choice. A sexy, gritty, honest look at the glamour-less work of a glamorous job, written with the intimate honesty of The Tender Bar, the debauched inside view of Kitchen Confidential, and the social commentary of Waiter Rant, Unvarnished will take its place among these classics of the service set.
Alou: My Baseball Journey
by Felipe Alou Peter Kerasotis Pedro MartínezGrowing up in a tiny shack in the Dominican Republic, Felipe Alou never dreamed he would be the first man to go from his country to play and manage in Major League Baseball—and also the first to play in the World Series. Today, the Dominican Republic produces more Major League players than any country outside the United States. In this extraordinary autobiography, Alou tells of his real dream: to become a doctor. An uncle was funding his university education when an improbable turn of events intervened at the 1955 Pan American Games. There as a track and field athlete, Alou was pressed into service on the baseball field to replace a player sent home for disciplinary reasons. A scout noticed Alou and offered him two hundred pesos to sign a pro contract. Knowing his father owed the grocer exactly two hundred pesos, Alou signed. Battling racism in the United States and political turmoil in his home country, Alou persevered, paving the way for younger brothers Matty and Jesús and scores of other Dominicans, including his son Moisés. A fourth Alou brother, Juan, might have joined the historic trio if not for the improbable direction his own life took. Alou played seventeen years in the Major Leagues, accumulating more than two thousand hits and two hundred home runs, and then managed another fourteen—four with the San Francisco Giants and ten with the Montreal Expos, where he became the winningest manager in franchise history. Alou became a special friend of Roberto Clemente, roomed with Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, and Joe Torre, and suffered the tragic death of his firstborn son. Alou’s pioneering journey is embedded in the history of baseball, the Dominican Republic, and a remarkable family.
Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up
by Cristela AlonzoIn this memoir full of humor and heart, comedian, writer, and producer Cristela Alonzo shares personal stories of growing up as a first-generation Mexican-American in Texas and following her dreams to pursue a career in comedy. When Cristela Alonzo and her family lived as squatters in an abandoned diner, they only had two luxuries: a television and a radio, which became her pop cultural touchstone and a guiding light. Cristela shares her experiences and struggles of being a first-generation American, her dreams of becoming a comedian, and how it feels to be a creator in a world that often minimizes people of color and women. Her stories range from the ridiculous—like the time she made her own tap shoes out of bottle caps or how the theme song of The Golden Girls landed her in the principal’s office—to the sobering moments, like how she turned to stand-up comedy to grieve the heartbreaking loss of her mother and how, years later, she’s committed to giving back to the community that helped make her. Each significant moment of the book relates to a song, and the resulting playlist is deeply moving, resonant, and unforgettable. Music to My Years will make you laugh, cry, and even inspire you to make a playlist of your own.
La música en mi vida: Memorias, canciones y sueños cumplidos (Atria Espanol)
by Cristela AlonzoEn este libro de memorias llenas de humor y sentimiento, la comediante, escritora y productora Cristela Alonzo comparte relatos personales de su formación como una mexicoestadounidense de primera generación que creció en Texas y persiguió sus sueños para dedicarse a la comedia.Cuando Cristela Alonzo y su familia vivían como invasores en una cafetería abandonada, solo tenían dos lujos: una televisión y una radio, que se convirtieron en la piedra de toque de la cultura pop y la fuente de inspiración para la futura comediante. Cristela comparte sus experiencias y luchas al ser una estadounidense de primera generación; sus sueños de convertirse en comediante; y lo que se siente al ser creadora en un mundo que a menudo minimiza a la gente que no es blanca y a las mujeres. Sus historias van de lo ridículo—como cuando hizo sus propios zapatos de tap con corcholatas o cuando, por el tema musical de Las chicas de oro, acabó en la oficina de la directora de su escuela- hasta momentos aleccionadores, como cuando incursionó en la comedia de monólogos para sobrellevar el terrible dolor por la pérdida de su madre y cómo, años después, se ha comprometido para apoyar a la comunidad que la ayudó a formarse. Cada momento significativo del libro se relaciona con una canción y la lista de reproducción es profundamente conmovedora, resonante e inolvidable. La música en mi vida te hará reír, llorar e, incluso, te inspirará para que hagas tu propia selección de música.
Yip Harburg: Legendary Lyricist and Human Rights Activist (Music/Interview)
by Harriet Hyman AlonsoKnown as "Broadway's social conscience," E. Y. Harburg (1896-1981) wrote the lyrics to the standards, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?," "April in Paris," and "It's Only a Paper Moon," as well as all of the songs in The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow." Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism, poverty, and war. Interweaving close to fifty interviews (most of them previously unpublished), over forty lyrics, and a number of Harburg's poems, Harriet Hyman Alonso enables Harburg to talk about his life and work. He tells of his early childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, his public school education, how the Great Depression opened the way to writing lyrics, and his work on Broadway and Hollywood, including his blacklisting during the McCarthy era. Finally, but most importantly, Harburg shares his commitment to human rights and the ways it affected his writing and his career path. Includes an appendix with Harburg's key musicals, songs, and films.
El sol del pacífico
by Camilo Marks AlonsoComo "una biografía imaginaria" define Camilo Marks este nuevo libro de recuerdos Combinando felizmente la memoria con su fascinante impulso fabulador, Marks se concentra acá en sus últimos veinticinco años de vida para repasar su labor como crítico literario, profesor y escritor, sus viajes y relaciones, sus lecturas, relecturas y amistades. Tal como en Indemne todos estos años (sus memorias de 2015, reconocidas con el Premio MOL Escrituras de la Memoria) #donde contó su infancia y juventud y los años de su vida en dictadura#, en El sol del Pacífico Marks pone siempre en el centro los detalles, no los grandes episodios, alternando con gran astucia narrativa la digresión con la concentración y la intensidad. La crítica ha dicho... "Sus memorias tienen el encanto natural de lo que escribe Marks, ese encanto dicharachero y gracioso." The Clinic
The Shaykh of Shaykhs: Mithqal al-Fayiz and Tribal Leadership in Modern Jordan
by Yoav AlonShaykh Mithqal al-Fayiz's life spanned a period of dramatic transformation in the Middle East. Born in the 1880s during a time of rapid modernization across the Ottoman Empire, Mithqal led his tribe through World War I, the development and decline of colonial rule and founding of Jordan, the establishment of the state of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict that ensued, and the rise of pan-Arabism. As Mithqal navigated regional politics over the decades, he redefined the modern role of the shaykh. In following Mithqal's remarkable life, this book explores tribal leadership in the modern Middle East more generally. The support of Mithqal's tribe to the Jordanian Hashemite regime extends back to the creation of Jordan in 1921 and has characterized its political system ever since. The long-standing alliances between tribal elites and the royal family explain, to a large extent, the extraordinary resilience of Hashemite rule in Jordan and the country's relative stability. Mithqal al-Fayiz's life and work as a shaykh offer a notable individual story, as well as a unique window into the history, society, and politics of Jordan.
Wright and New York: The Making of America's Architect
by Anthony AlofsinAn “immensely valuable” dual biography of the iconic American architect and the city that transformed his career in the early twentieth century (Francis Morrone, New Criterion).Frank Lloyd Wright took his first major trip to New York in 1909, fleeing a failed marriage and artistic stagnation. He returned a decade later, his personal life and architectural career again in crisis. Booming 1920s New York served as a refuge, but it also challenged him and resurrected his career. The city connected Wright with important clients and commissions that would harness his creative energy and define his role in modern architecture, even as the stock market crash took its toll on his benefactors.Anthony Alofsin has broken new ground by mining the Wright archives held by Columbia University and the Museum of Modern Art. His foundational research provides a crucial and innovative understanding of Wright’s life, his career, and the conditions that enabled his success. The result is at once a stunning biography and a glittering portrait of early twentieth-century Manhattan.
The Fruit Cure: The story of extreme wellness turned sour
by Jacqueline AlnesHow one woman&’s search to regain her health led her to the troubling outer fringes of the Queensland wellness industry. A university athlete, Jacqueline Alnes&’s season was cut short by a series of inexplicable neurological symptoms. What started with a cough escalated to a collapse on the track and months of episodes that stole her ability to walk and even speak. Two years after quitting the team to heal, Alnes&’s symptoms returned with a severity that led to months in a wheelchair but left doctors mystified. Desperate for answers, she turned to an online community centred around two wellness gurus – Queensland&’s &‘Durianrider&’ and his then-girlfriend &‘Freelee the Banana Girl&’ – who claimed that a strict, all-fruit diet could cure conditions like depression, addiction, anxiety and vision problems. Alnes wasn&’t alone. From all over the world, people in pain, doubted or dismissed by medical authorities, or seeking a miracle diet, turned to fruit in hope of a cure. In The Fruit Cure, Jacqueline Alnes takes readers on a spellbinding and unforgettable journey through the fringe world of fruitarianism. A powerful personal narrative, it is also a damning inquiry into the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people&’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams and diets masquerading as hope.
The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour
by Jacqueline Alnes"lucid and elegant" - The Washington Post"A deeply compelling read ... Spellbinding ...." - BookPage "Her journey from desperation to self-acceptance is moving and well rendered. In the crowded medical memoir field, this stands out." -- Publishers Weekly A powerful critique of the failures in our healthcare system and an inquiry into the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people&’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams, and diets.Jacqueline Alnes was a Division One runner during her freshman year of college, but her season was cut short by a series of inexplicable neurological symptoms. What started with a cough, escalated to Alnes collapsing on the track and experiencing months of unremembered episodes that stole her ability to walk and speak. Two years after quitting the team to heal, Alnes&’s symptoms returned with a severity that left her using a wheelchair for a period of months. She was admitted to an epilepsy center but doctors could not figure out the root cause of her symptoms. Desperate for answers, she turned to an online community centered around a strict, all-fruit diet which its adherents claimed could cure conditions like depression, eating disorders, addiction, anxiety, and vision problems. Alnes wasn&’t alone. From all over the world, people in pain, doubted or dismissed by medical authorities, or seeking a miracle diet that would relieve them of white, Western expectations placed on their figures, turned to fruit in hopes of releasing themselves from the perceived failings of their bodies.In The Fruit Cure, Jacqueline Alnes takes readers on a spellbinding and unforgettable journey through the world of fruitarianism, interweaving her own powerful narrative with the popularity and problematic history of fruit-based, raw food lifestyles. For readers plagued by mysterious symptoms, inundated by messages from media about how to attain &“the perfect body,&” or caught in the grips of a fast-paced culture of capitalism, The Fruit Cure offers a powerful critique of the failures of our healthcare system and an inquiry into the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people&’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams, and diets masquerading as hope.
Out of the Desert: My Journey From Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil
by Ali Al-NaimiThe extraordinary memoir of global oil's former central bankerAli Al-Naimi is the former Saudi oil minister - and OPEC kingpin - a position he held for the two decades between August 1995 and May 2016. In this time, Al-Naimi's briefest utterances moved markets. But it wasn't always that way.Al-Naimi was born into abject poverty as a nomadic Bedouin in the 1930s, just as US companies were discovering vast quantities of oil under the baking Arabian deserts. From his first job as a shepherd boy, aged four, to his appointment to one of the most powerful political and economic jobs in the world, Out of the Desert charts Al-Naimi's extraordinary rise to power. Described by Alan Greenspan as 'the most powerful man you've never heard of', Al-Naimi's incredible journey proves that anyone can make it - even a poor Bedouin shepherd boy. This is his exclusive inside story of power, politics and oil.His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi is the former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One of the most powerful economic and political jobs in the world, he held this post from August 1995 to May 2016.Prior to that he held a wide range of leadership positions in the Kingdom's national oil company, Saudi Aramco. He was the first Saudi national to be named President of the company in 1984 and became the first Saudi CEO in 1988. Al-Naimi joined the company, then called Aramco, as an office boy in 1947. A Bedouin, he was born in the deserts of eastern Arabia in 1935.
A British Achilles: The Story of George, 2nd Earl Jellicoe KBE DSO MC FRS
by Lorna Almonds Windmill&“Intriguing . . . describes a modest but exceptional man from whom the contemporary soldier, politician, and citizen can learn how to enjoy life (and how not to).&” —The Spectator Son of the victor of Jutland, George Jellicoe has enjoyed power and privilege but never shirked his duty. His war exploits are legendary and, as a founder member of Stirling&’s SAS and first commander of the Special Boat Service, he saw action a-plenty. A brigadier at twenty-six with a DSO and MC, he liberated Athens as the Germans withdrew and saved Greece from a Communist revolution. After the war, Jellicoe joined the Foreign Office and worked with spies Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, and Donald Maclean in Washington and on the Soviet Desk. His political life saw him in the Cabinet of the Heath Government and he is frank with his biographer over the issues and characters of his fellow ministers. Jellicoe&’s Achilles heel is his weakness for, and attraction to, women. His resignation over an involvement with a prostitute was a national scandal, but he is refreshingly honest and devoid of self-justification. He remained an active member of the Lords pursuing a top-level business career. A British Achilles is a superb biography of a major public figure and exemplary wartime soldier.
Mad Ducks and Bears: Football Revisited
by Steve Almond George PlimptonGeorge Plimpton's follow-up to Paper Lion, one of his personal favorites among his classic books--now repackaged and including a foreword from Steve Almond and photographs from the Plimpton archives.In MAD DUCKS AND BEARS, George Plimpton's engaging companion to Paper Lion, Plimpton focuses on two of the most entertaining and roguish linemen and former teammates--Alex Karras ("Mad Ducks") and John Gordy ("Bears"), both of whom went on to achieve brilliant post-football success. A more reflective, less madcap book than Plimpton's other work, MAD DUCKS AND BEARS is no less truthful and searching. In this fond exploration of football's values and follies, Plimpton rejoins his two teammates to discuss their careers in this brutal but captivating game. The result is an astute exploration into the fascinating lives and motivations of the players at home, in the locker room, and on the field.
Against Football
by Steve Almond"Powerful...an important read." --Publishers WeeklyNew York Times bestselling author Steve Almond takes on America's biggest sacred cow: footballIn Against Football, Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions:* Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia?* What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry?* How did a sport that causes brain damage become such an important emblem for our institutions of higher learning?There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game with such searing candor.From the Hardcover edition.n-dollar industry?* How did a sport that causes brain damage become the leading signifier of our institutions of higher learning?* Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia?There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game with such searing candor.From the Hardcover edition.
Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life: A Book by and for the Fanatics Among Us (with Bitchin’ Soundtrack)
by Steve AlmondDrooling fanatic, n. 1. One who drools in the presence of beloved rock stars. 2. Any of a genus of rock-and-roll wannabes/geeks who walk around with songs constantly ringing in their ears, own more than 3,000 albums, and fall in love with at least one record per week. With a life that's spanned the phonographic era and the digital age, Steve Almond lives to Rawk. Like you, he's secretly longed to live the life of a rock star, complete with insane talent, famous friends, and hotel rooms to be trashed. Also like you, he's content (sort of) to live the life of a rabid fan, one who has converted his unrequited desires into a (sort of) noble obsession. Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life traces Almond's passion from his earliest (and most wretched) rock criticism to his eventual discovery of a music-crazed soul mate and their subsequent production of two little superfans. Along the way, Almond reflects on the delusional power of songs, the awkward mating habits of drooling fanatics, and why Depression Songs actually make us feel so much better. The book also includes: * sometimes drunken interviews with America's finest songwriters* a recap of the author's terrifying visit to Graceland while stoned* a vigorous and credibility-shattering endorsement of Styx's Paradise Theater * recommendations you will often choose to ignore* a reluctant exegesis of the Toto song "Africa" * obnoxious lists sure to piss off rock critics But wait, there's more. Readers will also be able to listen to a special free mix designed by the author, available online at www.stevenalmond.com, for the express purpose of eliciting your drool. For those about to rock--we salute you!From the Hardcover edition.
Riding the Lightning: A Year in the Life of a New York City Paramedic
by Anthony Almojera“An intense look at the high-stakes world of a NYC paramedic in the months before and after COVID-19 altered our landscape.”—Damon Tweedy, MD, author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and MedicineThe education of a New York City paramedic, whose tales of tragedy and transcendence over a single year culminate in the greatest challenge the city’s emergency medical system has ever faced: COVID-19.As a seasoned paramedic and union leader, Anthony Almojera thought he could handle anything his job threw at him. Like many medical first responders, he came from a troubled background and carried the traumas of the city as well as its triumphs. He had grown up in the rough-and-tumble Park Slope of the 1980s, been homeless for a time, and had watched murder, addiction, and hopelessness consume those closest to him. But he had dedicated his life to helping people in need, and while every day was filled with tragedy—stabbings, shootings, accidents, suicides—it also brought moments of uplift: births, resuscitations, and rescues that reminded Anthony and his coworkers why EMS was the most thrilling job on earth, even if the pay was lousy and the hours were long. So when a strange new virus began spreading in New York, Anthony and his fellow medics were ready. They had done the biohazard drills; they knew the procedures, and how to handle the sick and the bereaved. They believed that their lives and training had prepared them for this new challenge. But the months ahead would prove them wrong, and would push New York’s EMS workers, and Anthony himself, to the breaking point—and beyond.Following one paramedic into hell and back, Riding the Lightning tells the story of New York City’s darkest days through the eyes of its frontline medical workers and the community they serve: ordinary people who will continue to make New York an extraordinary place long after it has been reborn from the ashes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dolor y gloria
by Pedro AlmodóvarLa película más personal de Pedro Almodóvar. El libro más repleto de extras. Salvador Mallo es un veterano director de cine aquejado de múltiples dolencias, pero el peor de sus males es la incapacidad para seguir rodando. La mezcla de medicamentos y drogas hace que Salvador pase la mayor parte del día postrado. Este estado de duermevela le traslada a una época de su vida que nunca visitó como narrador: su infancia en los años sesenta, cuando emigró con sus padres a un pueblo de Valencia en busca de prosperidad. También se le vuelve a aparecer su primer amor adulto, ya en el Madrid de los ochenta, y el dolor que supuso la ruptura. Salvador se refugia en la escritura como única terapia para olvidar lo inolvidable. Ese ejercicio lo devuelve al temprano descubrimiento del cine, cuando las películas se proyectaban sobre un muro encalado, al aire libre, con olor a pis, a jazmín y a brisa de verano. De nuevo, descubrirá que el cine puede ser su única salvación frente al dolor, la ausencia y el vacío. Esta edición contiene, además del guion original de la película (que incluye escenas que no se vieron en el cine), un sustancioso apartado de comentarios sobre su proceso creativo y el rodaje, firmado por el propio Almodóvar, y un precioso epílogo de Gustavo Martín Garzo. Además, está profusamente ilustrada a todo color con fotografías y fragmentos del storyboard. Un libro perfecto para todos los amantes del cine y la cultura.
El último sueño
by Pedro AlmodóvarEl libro más personal de Pedro Almodóvar: un autorretrato articulado en doce relatos que revelan su pasión secreta por la escritura «Un libro de hallazgos. Que Almodovar era un gran escritor ya lo sabía, sólo hacía falta descubrir desde cuando. De la infancia hasta anteayer, su escritura nos lleva de la mano por un bosque sorprendente. Nacer al revés, (al final), y vivir para atrás es sólo uno de sus talentos. Hay más, avanzar también como un tranvía (de deseo). Al leer estos relatos uno no sabe si ha sido invitado a su cabeza o a su alma. En cualquier caso, es un regalo. Y una dulce intromisión».Ray Loriga «Este libro es lo más parecido a una autobiografía fragmentada. [...] El lector acabará obteniendo la máxima información de mí como cineasta, como fabulador y el modo en que mi vida hace que una cosa y las otras se mezclen». Así define el autor este volumen, en una brillante introducción que sirve también de puesta en perspectiva: los doce relatos que lo componen abarcan varias épocas, desde finales de la década de los sesenta hasta la actualidad, y en ellos se reflejan algunas de sus obsesiones más íntimas, además de su evolución como artista. Los oscuros años escolares, la influencia de la ficción en la vida, los efectos inesperados del azar, la sofisticación del humor, los inconvenientes de la fama, la fascinación por los libros o la experimentación con los géneros narrativos son algunos de los temas que pueblan este libro imprescindible, que contiene múltiples capas de lectura. En librerías el 13 de abril de 2023 La crítica ha dicho...«Tesoro encontrado, objeto de coleccionista, álbum de cromos en el que brillan los destellos del imaginario de un genio».Sabina Urraca «La prosa de Almodóvar es tan hábil e ingeniosa como sus películas. [...] Es, por así decirlo, como un Warhol con chispa y, desde luego, con más vigor».The Times «Un maestro en el arte de contar historias desenfrenadas y atrevidas».Le Quotidien du cinéma«Un aviso para los amantes de los directores de cine que escriben. Esto no es ni Woody Allen ni mucho menos Werner Herzog, sino más bien un William Burroughs con mucho humor: ese es Pedro Almodóvar».Buchkritik - Deutschlandfunk Kultur«Con la humilde e ingeniosa atención de quien mira las pasiones humanas para conjugarlas en la inescrutable lógica de la vida, Almodóvar visita todo el espectro de colores de nuestra alma: el dolor, la tristeza, el cariño, la nostalgia, la euforia, la disforia, el impulso incontenible de comunicar, la frustración del silencio».Antonio Tabucchi
Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out
by Muzoon Almellehan Wendy PearlmanWhen her family had to flee Syria, 14-year-old Muzoon was told to pack only the most essential things—and so she packed her schoolbooks. <p><p> This is the inspiring true story of a Syrian refugee who fought hard for what she needed—and grew into one of the world’s leading advocates for education. <p><p> This eye-opening memoir tells the story of a young girl’s life in Syria, her family’s wrenching decision to leave their home, and the upheaval of life in a refugee camp. Though her life had utterly changed, one thing remained the same. She knew that education was the key to a better future—for herself, and so that she could help her country. She went from tent to tent in the camp, trying to convince other kids, especially girls, to come to school. And her passion and dedication soon had people calling her the “Malala of Syria.” <p><p>Muzoon has grown into an internationally recognized advocate for refugees, for education, and for the rights of girls and women, and is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador—the first refugee to play that role. <p><p>Muzoon’s story is absolutely riveting and will inspire young readers to use their own voices and stand up for what they believe in.
The Girl Who Fell to Earth: A Memoir
by Sophia Al-MariaAward-winning filmmaker and writer Sophia Al-Maria’s The Girl Who Fell to Earth is a funny and wry coming-of-age memoir about growing up in between American and Gulf Arab cultures. Part family saga and part personal quest, The Girl Who Fell to Earth traces Al-Maria’s journey to make a place for herself in two different worlds.When Sophia Al-Maria's mother sends her away from rainy Washington State to stay with her husband's desert-dwelling Bedouin family in Qatar, she intends it to be a sort of teenage cultural boot camp. What her mother doesn't know is that there are some things about growing up that are universal. In Qatar, Sophia is faced with a new world she'd only imagined as a child. She sets out to find her freedom, even in the most unlikely of places.The Girl Who Fell to Earth takes readers from the green valleys of the Pacific Northwest to the dunes of the Arabian Gulf and on to the sprawling chaos of Cairo. Struggling to adapt to her nomadic lifestyle, Sophia is haunted by the feeling that she is perpetually in exile: hovering somewhere between two families, two cultures, and two worlds. She must make a place for herself—a complex journey that includes finding young love in the Arabian Gulf, rebellion in Cairo, and, finally, self-discovery in the mountains of Sinai.The Girl Who Fell to Earth heralds the arrival of an electric new talent and takes us on the most personal of quests: the voyage home.