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Concertina: The Life and Loves of a Dominatrix
by Susan WinemakerWhat happens when a professional chef becomes a dominatrix, swapping the heat of the kitchen for the intensity of a dungeon? A memoir in three parts, Concertina spans five years of the author's life as she makes the extraordinary transition from culinary expert to professional dominatrix. Taking the reader into the secret, hidden world of suburban sado-masochism, Winemaker introduces us to a fascinating array of colourful characters, before she breaks the code of domination: falling in love with a client. Honest, brave and beautifully written, Concertina is a memoir that finds passion and tenderness in the most unlikely places.
Concha García Campoy: La gran ilusión
by Miguel DalmauCon motivo del quinto aniversario de la muerte de una de las periodistas más queridas de nuestro país, esta biografía autorizada es un apasionante y muy entretenido relato de su vida. A los cinco años de su muerte, la figura de Concha García Campoy sigue viva en el recuerdo de todos nosotros. Desde su aparición en los Informativos de TVE a mediados de los años ochenta, procedente de su querida Ibiza, hasta su último programa en un magacín, la periodista se mantuvo en la cumbre durante tres décadas, desarrollando una carrera excepcional caracterizada por el máximo rigor, la cercanía con el público y la independencia. Pero tras esa trayectoria coronada por el éxito, había una mujer de origen humilde cuya infancia estuvo marcada por la tragedia. Este libro, escrito por uno de los biógrafos más solventes del país, cuenta la apasionante historia de una mujer de nuestro tiempo -amable, generosa, sencilla, divertida-, y aborda libremente aspectos íntimos muy poco conocidos de su vida amorosa y profesional. Para ello ha contado con el valioso testimonio de su familia; de sus parejas; de sus grandes amigas, Ángeles Caso, María Escario, Elena Sánchez y Olga Viza, entre otras, así como compañeras de trabajo y personas de su entorno, donde aparecen figuras tan dispares como Alfonso Guerra, Mariano Rajoy, Juan Cruz, Iñaki Gabilondo, Luis del Olmo, Manuel Campo Vidal, Fernando Delgado, David Trueba, Santiago Segura o Pilar Eyre. Todas ellas se dan cita en esta biografía, que cautiva al instante al lector, porque nos devuelve con toda su luz a una mujer que dedicó gran parte del tiempo a vivir con gozo y a transmitir esa alegría a los demás. El libro incluye también fragmentos del Diario personal de la periodista donde se sincera a corazón abierto hablando de sus sentimientos más profundos y de su heroica lucha contra el cáncer. Al final la enseñanza que Concha García Campoy nos transmite es inolvidable: «Es bueno sentir, sufrir, querer, reaccionar a lo que te da la vida. Eso es estar vivo». Sus amigos hablan de ella...«Era una matriarca. Le encantaba proteger. No dejaba a nadie tirado. Siempre estaba pendiente de todo el mundo.» Ángeles Caso «Su atractivo es de naturaleza estival, y tiene un componente mediterráneo muy acusado. [...] Ella nos mira y se comporta como si viviera en otro mundo, más feliz y risueño.»Juan Marsé «Ella tenía una virtud como periodista que a mi juicio resaltaba sobre todo lo demás: era una persona que escuchaba a quien estaba entrevistando, le oía, y sus preguntas venían precisamente porque te estaba escuchando.»Alfonso Guerra «La aportación de Concha fue extraordinaria porque hizo una radio en tecnicolor. Me refiero al tecnicolor de la nueva sociedad española.»Iñaki Gabilondo «No hacía distinción de clases sino todo lo contrario. Venía de abajo y le gustaba sentirse de abajo, aunque circulaba por arriba.»Manuel Campo Vidal «A lo largo de su vida Concha mantuvo una independencia total, sin veleidades ni concesiones.»Luis Del Olmo «Tenía la cabeza sobre los hombros. No hacía nada que pudiera romper la estabilidad de los otros.»Olga Viza «Merece la pena escribir una novela para que te entreviste Concha García Campoy.»Javier Tomeo «Yo creo que Concha sintió enseguida que Andrés Vicente Gómez sacaba lo mejor de ella, y él sintió que ella sacaba lo mejor de él. Ésa fue una de las claves de su gran historia de amor.»Luis Alegre «Era la mejor anfitriona que he visto nunca, pero no sólo con nosotros sino con mucha gente.»Santiago Segura «Concha era nuestra novia soñada.»David Trueba
Concorde, A Designer's Life: The Journey to Mach 2
by Ted TalbotDo you remember the time we used to do New York in three hours?Even twenty years after its final flight, Concorde remains the pinnacle of aviation design. The aircraft is still unmatched, which has led to a vast swathe of material being written about the aeroplane itself. However, relatively little has been said about the people who designed it.Concorde, A Designer’s Life is an autobiography peppered with anecdotes from the team, humorous life stories and several ‘technibits’, all covering the design period of Concorde. Ted Talbot, who began his career at BAC as an aerodynamicist and later became chief design engineer, has combined the technical narrative with personal and family reminiscences to remind the reader that engineers have lives too.The path to Mach 2 was bumpy, with threats of cancellation and opposition from the Americans and the Russians, but this generally indicated to the Concorde team that they were on the right path! This informative, witty and thoroughly enjoyable peek into an unusual life is a valuable addition to any bookshelf.
Concrete Century: Julius Kahn and the Construction Revolution
by Michael G SmithAt the turn of the 20th century, industrial manufacturing was expanding dramatically while factory buildings remained fire-prone relics of an earlier age. That is, until a 28-year-old civil engineer finally achieved what engineers around the world had unsuccessfully attempted. Working in his brother’s basement in Detroit, Julius Kahn invented the first practical and scientific method of reinforcing concrete with steel bars, which finally made it possible to construct strong, fireproof buildings. After Kahn founded a company in 1903 to manufacture and sell his reinforcement bars, his system of construction became the most widely used throughout the world. Drawing upon Kahn’s personal correspondence, architectural drawings, company records, and contemporary news and journal articles, Michael G. Smith reveals how this man—whose family had immigrated to the US to escape antisemitism in Germany—played an important role in the rise of concrete. Concrete not only turned the tide against widespread destruction of buildings by fire, it also paved the way for our modern economy. Concrete Century will delight readers intrigued by architecture and construction technology alike with the true origin story of modern concrete buildings.
Concrete Dreamland: Coming of Age in Underground New York
by Patrick DougherFrom an award-winning artist who was featured in Humans of New York comes a bold personal narrative about overcoming family trauma, addiction, poverty—and forging a creative life in the greatest city in the world. Born in Brooklyn in 1963, Patrick Dougher grew up in some of the most turbulent and culturally impactful periods of NYC's history. Often neglected as a child by his parents—a father who struggled with alcohol addiction and an overworked mother who struggled to make ends meet—he learned to fend for himself. Now a renowned visual artist, musician, actor and writer, Dougher brings to the page his memories, struggles, personal revelations, and a life intimately tied to the realities of growing up Black and disenfranchised on the streets of one of the most remarkable cities in the world.Concrete Dreamland is tragic and triumphant, gritty and hard, poetic and outrageously funny. Told in Dougher's brutally raw and courageously honest voice, these stories act as snapshots of a life lived in extremes: from gangsters to God, street style to sexuality, to recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. He tells of his adventures as a pre-hip hop &“hard rock' and an original Black punk rocker surviving during the dangerous days of the crack and AIDS epidemic in NYC, while also sharing tales of racism, homelessness, and his many brushes with fame and death. Audacious, unique, and moving, Concrete Dreamland is an unforgettable story of addiction, redemption, and life on the streets of a vanishing New York.
Concussion
by Jeanne Marie Laskas<P>Soon to be a major motion picture starring Will Smith, Concussion is the riveting, unlikely story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the pathologist who made one of the most significant medical discoveries of the twenty-first century, a discovery that challenges the existence of America's favorite sport and puts Omalu in the crosshairs of football's most powerful corporation: the NFL. <P>Jeanne Marie Laskas first met the young forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2009, while reporting a story for GQ that would go on to inspire the movie Concussion. Omalu told her about a day in September 2002, when, in a dingy morgue in downtown Pittsburgh, he picked up a scalpel and made a discovery that would rattle America in ways he'd never intended. <P>Omalu was new to America, chasing the dream, a deeply spiritual man escaping the wounds of civil war in Nigeria. The body on the slab in front of him belonged to a fifty-year-old named Mike Webster, aka "Iron Mike," a Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the greatest ever to play the game. After retiring in 1990, Webster had suffered a dizzyingly steep decline. Toward the end of his life, he was living out of his van, tasering himself to relieve his chronic pain, and fixing his rotting teeth with Super Glue. <P>How did this happen?, Omalu asked himself. How did a young man like Mike Webster end up like this? The search for answers would change Omalu's life forever and put him in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful corporations in America: the National Football League. <P>What Omalu discovered in Webster's brain--proof that Iron Mike's mental deterioration was no accident but a disease caused by blows to the head that could affect everyone playing the game--was the one truth the NFL wanted to ignore. <P> Taut, gripping, and gorgeously told, Concussion is the stirring story of one unlikely man's decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar colossus, and to tell the world the truth. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Condi vs. Hillary
by Dick Morris Eileen McgannWho will be president in 2008? Many believe that the White House is Hillary Clinton's to lose. As long-time strategists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann reveal in Condi vs. Hillary, however, Hillary's plans for higher office are vulnerable to a challenge from a most unexpected quarter: the Bush administration's secretary of state and former national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice. Rice is the only figure on the national scene who has the credentials, the credibility, and the charisma to lead the GOP in 2008. And, as this first book on the subject demonstrates, a race between these two commanding, but very different, women is a very real possibility -- and would inevitably prove one of the most fascinating and important races in American history. Blending insider insight and political foresight, Condi vs. Hillary surveys the strengths and weaknesses of the two candidates, finding persuasive clues about what we might expect from each of them as a chief executive. It traces their very different childhoods -- Hillary Rodham's in unchallenging suburban comfort, Condi Rice's in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights era -- and finds in each the roots of their latter-day selves. It explores their career in public life -- Hillary's as an ambitious liberal who attached herself to a governor on the rise, Condi's as a woman of broad and deep talents who has earned her own way. It turns a discerning eye on how each has spent her time in government, contrasting Condi's growth and maturation in office with Hillary's record of underachievement as both first lady and senator from New York. And it reveals how a draft-Condi movement could sweep the secretary of state into the presidency even as she forgoes campaigning to address her responsibilities as secretary of state. America, in short, may be on the verge of a perfect storm of twenty-first-century politics, pitting two of America's most popular -- and controversial -- women against each other, and offering Americans a choice between fulfilling the ambitions of one of our most polarizing figures . . . or changing history by electing not just the first woman, but also the first African American woman, to lead the free world into the future.
Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story
by Antonia FelixThis is the remarkable and galvanizing true story of Condoleezza Rice—sixty-sixth United States Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, who once said about his close confidante, "Dr. Rice is not only a brilliant person, she is an experienced person. . . . America will find that she is a wise person."With the current release of her own long-awaited memoir, Condoleezza Rice is more fascinating than ever. Drawing from exclusive interviews with dozens of friends, relatives, colleagues, and teachers, as well as scores of previous articles and interviews, this thoroughly researched and detailed biography paints a compelling portrait of a born leader of resolute character who broke all barriers to excel as a black woman in an arena usually dominated by white men.From her childhood in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, where her parents fostered a love of learning and excellence at an early age, to her calling to the arts as an outstanding classical pianist, to her rise through the political ranks to the halls of power in Washington, D.C., Condi is a revealing look at the most gifted and influential woman in American political history.
Condi: The Life of a Steel Magnolia
by Mary Beth BrownAn in-depth look at the life, faith, and achievements of one of America’s most fascinating women.“One day I’ll be in that house,” said ten-year-old Condoleezza Rice as she gazed across the White House’s expansive front lawn.Of course, Condi made good on that promise. With poise and gracefulness—combined with an iron will and determination—rarely seen in Washington, Rice has become one of the most iconic and influential figures on the world stage. This is her story.Condi provides an in-depth study of the life, faith, and achievements of one of America’s most fascinating women. From her humble beginnings in segregated Alabama to her academic career, from her first days in Washington to her appointment as Secretary of State and beyond, Condi investigates Rice’s rise to political prominence. Drawing from in-depth research, Mary Beth Brown explores how Condi’s parents, mentors, faith, and defining moments have helped her grow into a position of power and global influence.Here is a story of inspiration, of principle, and of the limitless opportunities for those who pursue their dreams with unfailing hope and dogged determination.
Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America
by Laila LalamiWhat does it mean to be American? <P><P>In this starkly illuminating and impassioned book, Pulitzer Prize–finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to U.S. citizen, using it as a starting point for her exploration of the rights, liberties, and protections that are traditionally associated with American citizenship. Tapping into history, politics, and literature, she elucidates how accidents of birth—such as national origin, race, and gender—that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still their shadows today. Lalami poignantly illustrates how white supremacy survives through adaptation and legislation, with the result that a caste system is maintained that keeps the modern equivalent of white male landowners at the top of the social hierarchy. <P><P>Conditional citizens, she argues, are all the people with whom America embraces with one arm and pushes away with the other. Brilliantly argued and deeply personal, Conditional Citizens weaves together Lalami’s own experiences with explorations of the place of nonwhites in the broader American culture.
Condoleezza Rice: A Biography
by Elisabeth BumillerCondoleezza Rice, one of most powerful and controversial women in the world, has until now remained a mystery behind an elegant, cool veneer. In this stunning new biography, a "New York Times" reporter peels back the layers and presents a revelatory portrait of the first black female secretary of state.
Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me
by Condoleezza RiceIn this captivating memoir for young people, looking back with candor and affection, Condoleezza Rice evokes in rich detail her remarkable childhood.Her life began in the comparatively placid 1950s in Birmingham, Alabama, where black people lived in a segregated parallel universe to their white neighbors. She grew up during the violent and shocking 1960s, when bloodshed became a part of daily life in the South. Rice's portrait of her parents, John and Angelena, highlights their ambitions and frustrations and shows how much they sacrificed to give their beloved only child the best chance for success. Rice also discusses the challenges of being a precocious child who was passionate about music, ice skating, history, and current affairs. Her memoir reveals with vivid clarity how her early experiences sowed the seeds of her political beliefs and helped her become a vibrant, successful woman.Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Parents and Me is a fascinating and inspirational story for young people.From the Hardcover edition.
Condor: An E-book Original Story (Mysterious Profiles #25)
by James GradyDecades after his adventure in the classic Six Days of the Condor, the eponymous spy reflects on his life while awaiting his next target in this tense novella. Ronald Malcolm, codename Condor, is still in the spy game. He may be older now, but in a world where hardly anybody sees anybody, nobody sees old. He&’s the perfect choice to sit in New York City&’s Penn Station and wait for what he calls &“the killing train.&” And while he waits for someone to take a life, he reflects on his own life. He wonders what has brought him to this moment. He looks back over memories of his childhood, his recruitment to the CIA, and that bloody day at the American Literary Historical Society that changed everything for him. But he must be careful not to get too lost on memory lane. The clock is ticking, and targets are on the move. He can&’t afford to get caught with his head in the clouds . . .Praise for James Grady &“A chilling novel of top security gone berserk . . . Breakneck . . . Not a slow minute.&” —Library Journal on Six Days of the Condor &“Grady&’s writing has changed dramatically over the years, evolving into a literary, impressionistic style . . . [It] is a perfect fit for the aging, unhinged, yet still-lethal Condor. This is an author writing at the top of his, or anyone else&’s, game.&” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Condor: The Short Takes
Conduct Under Fire
by John A. GlusmanThe fierce, bloody battles of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines are legendary in the annals of World War II. Those who survived faced the horrors of life as prisoners of the Japanese. In Conduct Under Fire, John A. Glusman chronicles these events through the eyes of his father, Murray, and three fellow navy doctors captured on Corregidor in May 1942. Here are the dramatic stories of the fall of Bataan, the siege of "the Rock," and the daily struggles to tend the sick, wounded, and dying during some of the heaviest bombardments of World War II. Here also is the desperate war doctors and corpsmen waged against disease and starvation amid an enemy that viewed surrender as a disgrace. To survive, the POWs functioned as a family. But the ties that bind couldn't protect them from a ruthless counteroffensive waged by American submarines or from the B-29 raids that burned Japan's major cities to the ground. Based on extensive interviews with American, British, Australian, and Japanese veterans, as well as diaries, letters, and war crimes testimony, this is a harrowing account of a brutal clash of cultures, of a race war that escalated into total war. Like Flags of Our Fathers and Ghost Soldiers, Conduct Under Fire is a story of bravery on the battlefield and ingenuity behind barbed wire, one that reveals the long shadow the war cast on the lives of those who fought it.
Conduct Under Fire: Four American Doctors and Their Fight for Life as Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945
by John A. GlusmanThe fierce, bloody battles of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines are legendary in the annals of World War II. Those who survived faced the horrors of life as prisoners ofthe Japanese.In Conduct Under Fire, John A. Glusman chronicles these events through the eyes of his father, Murray, and three fellow navy doctors captured on Corregidor in May 1942. Here are the dramatic stories of the fall of Bataan, the siege of "the Rock," and the daily struggles to tend the sick, wounded, and dying during some of the heaviest bombardments of World War II. Here also is the desperate war doctors and corpsmen waged against disease and starvation amid an enemy that viewed surrender as a disgrace. To survive, the POWs functioned as a family. But the ties that bind couldn't protect them from a ruthless counteroffensive waged by American submarines or from the B-29 raids that burned Japan's major cities to the ground. Based on extensive interviews with American, British, Australian, and Japanese veterans, as well as diaries, letters, and war crimes testimony, this is a harrowing account of a brutal clash of cultures, of a race war that escalated into total war.Like Flags of Our Fathers and Ghost Soldiers, Conduct Under Fire is a story of bravery on the battlefield and ingenuity behind barbed wire, one that reveals the long shadow the war cast on the lives of those who fought it.
Condé Nast: The Man and His Empire: A Biography
by Susan RonaldThe first biography in over thirty years of Condé Nast, the pioneering publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair and main rival to media magnate William Randolph Hearst.Condé Nast’s life and career was as high profile and glamorous as his magazines. Moving to New York in the early twentieth century with just the shirt on his back, he soon became the highest paid executive in the United States, acquiring Vogue in 1909 and Vanity Fair in 1913. Alongside his editors, Edna Woolman Chase at Vogue and Frank Crowninshield at Vanity Fair, he built the first-ever international magazine empire, introducing European modern art, style, and fashions to an American audience. Credited with creating the “café society,” Nast became a permanent fixture on the international fashion scene and a major figure in New York society. His superbly appointed apartment at 1040 Park Avenue, decorated by the legendary Elsie de Wolfe, became a gathering place for the major artistic figures of the time. Nast launched the careers of icons like Cecil Beaton, Clare Boothe Luce, Lee Miller, Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. He left behind a legacy that endures today in media powerhouses such as Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, and Graydon Carter.Written with the cooperation of his family on both sides of the Atlantic and a dedicated team at Condé Nast Publications, critically acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the life of an extraordinary American success story.
Conexión de perdedores: Memorias de un hueón Z
by Sebastián ZumelzuUna novela autobiográfica que describe las vicisitudes de un joven millenial de manera crítica e hilarante Recién egresado del colegio, Z duda si seguir una carrera tradicional u otra más creativa. Finalmente logra convencer a sus padres de seguir su vocación de realizador audiovisual y, ya inserto en el mundo universitario, rompe la burbuja social y abre los ojos ante el mundo y, sobre todo, ante el espejo. Dueño de un gran oído y léxico, Zumelzu construye con mucho vértigo, humor y calle una radiografía de una generación marcada por la falta de compromiso y conformidad. Un estupendo debut narrativo de un autor dotado de velocidad y frescura.
Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography by Dave Gibbons
by Dave GibbonsThis comprehensive, in-depth, and personal journey through the eyes of one of the world&’s most famous comics creators, Dave Gibbons, spans his earliest years copying Superman and Batman comics as a kid, to co-creating the bestselling graphic novel of all-time, Watchmen, and beyond.Presented alphabetically, with informally written anecdotes that can be read from cover-to-cover or simply dipped into, Gibbons reveals unseen comics&’ pitches, life as the first Comics Laureate, and going from being a fanzine artist to infiltrating DC Comics in the 1970s. The book covers everything from working on Doctor Who and meeting Tom Baker to being inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame. Gibbons also discusses, for the first time anywhere, the reasons why he and fellow Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore no longer speak. Packed with over 300 iconic, rarely seen, and unpublished art pieces and photographs, Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography not only entertains, but peels back the layers of a fascinating career in comics.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker
by Gesine Bullock-PradoA former Hollywood insider trades the Hollywood Hills for Green Acres--and lives to tell about it in this hilarious, poignant treat of a memoir.As head of her celebrity sister's production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret hobby: baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from her oven, Gesine took one step away from her glittery, empty existence--and one step closer to her true destiny. Before long, she and her husband left the trappings of their Hollywood lifestyle behind, ending up in Vermont, where they started the gem known as Gesine Confectionary. And they never looked back. Confections of a Closet Master Baker follows Gesine's journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider to reluctant master baker. Chock-full of eccentric characters, beautifully detailed descriptions of her baking process, ceaselessly funny renditions of Hollywood nonsense, and recipes, the ingredients of her story will appeal to anyone who has ever considered leaving the life they know and completely starting over.From the Hardcover edition.
Confederacy of Silence: A True Tale of the New Old South
by Richard RubinDiscussion of the New South by a news correspondent on a Southern paper.
Confederate General Stephen Elliott: Beaufort Legend, Charleston Hero (Civil War Ser.)
by D. Michael ThomasThis Civil War biography offers a lively account of the Confederate brigadier general whose defense of Fort Sumter was honored by the Union Army. General Stephen Elliott rose from captain of a militia artillery battery to command of an infantry brigade. His early war reputation as a daring raider and superb artilleryman grew to true hero status through his exemplary service at Fort Sumter. Handpicked to defend Sumter to the last extremity, Elliott performed so well that his Yankee foes saluted him by dipping the Union flag in recognition of his courage and steadfastness. Wounded on five separate occasions, Elliott exemplified courage and inspirational leadership that justified promotions advocated by Generals Robert E. Lee, P.G.T. Beauregard, and President Jefferson Davis. In the first in-depth study of Elliott, D. Michael Thomas presents the life of a renowned soldier with fresh, previously unpublished material.
Confederate Generals of North Carolina: Tar Heels in Command (Civil War Ser.)
by Joe A MobleyA look at the generals who were either born in the state or directly commanded its troops, including Braxton Bragg, Louis Addison Armistead, and others. Confederate Generals of North Carolina provides a brief but compelling biography of each of the forty-six Confederate Generals who served from North Carolina during the Civil War. Each biography includes, in addition to the war service, a summary of a general&’s prewar and postwar careers. Author Joe Mobley (editor of the North Carolina Historical Review) also discusses the generals collectively: how many were killed or wounded, who attended West Point before the war, who achieved the highest levels of success both on and off the battlefield, and more. &“The Old North State could also boast some of the finest general officers in the Confederate army. Mobley provides a biographical sketch of each general&’s life with emphasis on his Confederate service record—as well as a wartime image of each.&” —Civil War News
Confederate Generals of the Civil War (Collective Biographies)
by Carl R. Green William R. SanfordAmong the ten generals who led the the armies of the South are the very famous and the little known. Included here are: Robert E. Lee, Nathan Forrest, William Hardee, Ambrose Hill, John Hood, "Stonewall" Jackson, Joseph Johnston, James Longstreet, George Pickett of Pickett's charge, and "Jeb" Stuart. Their childhoods, education, and military training are given along with their roles in the Civil War.
Confesiones
by Henry MarshEl eminente cirujano británico Henry Marsh comparte en este libro vivencias de su etapa de estudiante, de los casos más impactantes de sus primeros años y nos invita a reflexionar sobre lo que de verdad importa y el sentido de la vida. Un libro imprescindible. Con la publicación de Ante todo no hagas daño, el brillante neurocirujano conmovió a lectores de todo el mundo al relatar en primera persona su dilatada experiencia clínica en una de las especialidades menos conocidas de la práctica médica. En un inusitado gesto de valentía y honestidad intelectual, reveló sin ambages las dos caras de una profesión que suscita un abanico de emociones intensas, desde momentos de máxima exaltación hasta fracasos devastadores. En este libro, tan apasionante como el anterior, el doctor Marsh, retirado ya tras haber ejercido durante más de tres décadas en un hospital público de Londres, comparte vivencias de su etapa de estudiante, de los casos más impactantes de sus primeros años y también de su labor altruista en Nepal y Ucrania, llevada a cabo en unas condiciones especialmente precarias. Marsh desgrana un episodio tras otro, pintando un fresco memorable de un oficio colmado de incertidumbres y en el que, a menudo, el empeño por prolongar la vida al precio que sea implica un sufrimiento innecesario para los pacientes y sus familias. Así pues, la voz íntima y generosa de Henry Marsh compone un ideario humanista que nos aporta nuevas razones para dotar de sentido a la existencia. Su visión de la realidad, rigurosa pero afable, es un bálsamo en un ámbito, el de la medicina y la sanidad, cada día más impersonal e hipertecnificado. Reseñas:«Soberbio. [...] No quería que este libro se acabase. [...] Sus frases se nos antojan obra de la más delicada ejecución, realizadas con el mismo amor que Marsh destina a la carpintería y la cirugía.»The Daily Telegraph «Sensacional. [...] Nos encontramos con un Marsh cascarrabias, atrevido, flemático, competitivo, en ocasiones desdeñoso e invariablemente guiado por la curiosidad.»The Sunday Times «Marsh se ha jubilado, y eso significa que ha iniciado un inventario exhaustivo de su vida. Las reflexiones y recuerdos del autor hacen que Confesiones sea un libro más introspectivo, si cabe, que el anterior.»The New York Times «Un libro muy entretenido. [...] Abunda en él la honestidad, una cualidad tan rara y admirable entre los cirujanos de élite como, supongo, entre los escritores de libros de memorias.»The Guardian
Confesiones de un burgués
by Sándor MáraiA la temprana edad de treinta y cuatro años, Sándor Márai escribía un libro de memorias de una madurez sorprendente. Fruto de una vida intensa y viajera, las asombrosas páginas de Confesiones de un burgués contienen la raíz de toda la obra del gran escritor húngaro. Aquí están sus lecturas, su obsesión por escribir, su pasión por el periodismo, sus amantes, su matrimonio, los encuentros con autores célebres, los viajes, el sentimiento de desarraigo, el fantasma del alcoholismo. Descendiente de una rica familia de origen sajón, afincada desde hacía siglos en Hungría, Márai inicia su relato con una descripción de la próspera y confiada burguesía a la que pertenece, que parece vivir en un mundo ideal en el que reinan la cultura y la tolerancia. Esta plácida existencia se verá truncada abruptamente el verano de 1914, en Sarajevo, con el asesinato del heredero al trono de los Habsburgo. Márai es llamado a filas con diecisiete años y, al finalizar la guerra, su familia lo envía a Alemania a estudiar periodismo. Allí, como periodista del prestigioso diario alemán Frankfurter Zeitung, Márai comienza un peregrinaje por la Europa de los años veinte: de Leipzig a Weimar, de Fráncfort a Berlín, será testigo de la rápida transformación de un continente que, entregado a la frivolidad y el desenfreno, ignora las corrientes de odio que crecen en su seno y que lo conducirán irremediablemente a la catástrofe. Florencia, Londres, Oriente Medio y, por supuesto, París, eje central de la vida bohemia y cosmopolita, serán parte del itinerario de Márai, hasta que, por fin, desaparecida su familia y su clase social y desmembrado su país, opta por recluirse en la única patria posible para un escritor, «la patria verdadera, que quizá sea la lengua o quizá la infancia». Así pues, su destino iba a ser dejar constancia de una cultura cuyo esplendor y ocaso había vivido en carne propia, yrelatar la historia de esa dolorosa ruptura como último narrador de un universo «que creí aen la fuerza de la inteligencia y el espíritu». Reseñas:«Uno de los rescates literarios más afortunados de los últimos años.»Babelia «Un autor de soledades claustrofóbicas que, con franqueza, me conmueve.»La Vanguardia «El trayecto iniciático personal y la historia colectiva, vertido en un texto impresionista de alta calidad que todavía hoy conserva intacta su frescura y subyuga y arrastra al lector.»Robert Saladrigas, Culturas «Un libro capital para conocer, desde la perspectiva de aquel mismo momento, la convulsa Europa de entreguerras.»Ángel Rodríguez Abad, Revista de Libros