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A Guide to Western Civilization, or My Story
by Joe Bob BriggsThis book will change your life. It's got chapters in here about how Joe Bob invented the American topless bar, how he solved the Kennedy assassination, how he learned to sin with fat girls, and of course how he became the monstrous country-western star he is today. This book also contains a complete history of the world.
Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys Into Race, Motherhood, And History
by Camille T. DungyA National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist A 2018 Colorado Book Award Finalist As a working mother and poet-lecturer, Camille Dungy’s livelihood depended on travel. She crisscrossed America and beyond with her daughter in tow, history shadowing their steps, always intensely aware of how they were perceived, not just as mother and child but as black women. From the San Francisco of settlers’ dreams to the slave-trading ports of Ghana, from snow-white Maine to a festive yet threatening bonfire in the Virginia pinewoods, Dungy finds fear and trauma but also mercy, kindness, and community. Penetrating and generous, this is an essential guide for a troubled land.
Guided by Voices: A Brief History
by James GreerThe true story of the fourth-grade teacher in Dayton, Ohio, who created one of the most influential bands of our times. Devoted fans have followed Guided by Voices for decades—and critics around the world have lauded the band’s brain trust, Robert Pollard, as a once-in-a-generation artist. Pollard has been compared by the New York Times to Mozart, Rossini, and Paul McCartney (in the same sentence) and everyone from P. J. Harvey, Radiohead, R.E.M., the Strokes, and U2 has sung his praises and cited his music as an influence. But it all started rather prosaically when Pollard, a fourth-grade teacher in his early thirties, began recording songs with drinking buddies in his basement. In this book, James Greer, an acclaimed music writer and former Spin editor—who also played in the band for two years—provides unparalleled insight and complete access to the workings of Pollard’s muse.
A Guided Tour of Hell: A Graphic Memoir
by Pema Namdol Thaye Samuel BercholzTake a trip through the realms of hell with a man whose temporary visitor's pass gave him a horrifying--and enlightening--preview of its torments. This true account of Sam Bercholz's near-death experience has more in common with Dante's Inferno than it does with any of the popular feel-good stories of what happens when we die. In the aftermath of heart surgery, Sam, a longtime Buddhist practitioner and teacher, is surprised to find himself in the lowest realms of karmic rebirth, where he is sent to gain insight into human suffering. Under the guidance of a luminous being, Sam's encounters with a series of hell-beings trapped in repetitious rounds of misery and delusion reveal to him how an individual's own habits of fiery hatred and icy disdain, of grasping desire and nihilistic ennui, are the source of horrific agonies that pound consciousness for seemingly endless cycles of time. Comforted by the compassion of a winged goddess and sustained by the kindness of his Buddhist teachers, Sam eventually emerges from his ordeal with renewed faith that even the worst hell contains the seed of wakefulness. His story is offered, along with the modernist illustrations of a master of Tibetan sacred arts, in order to share what can be learned about awakening from our own self-created hells and helping others to find relief and liberation from theirs.
Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life
by Erick LiuAs Liu shares his own journey of discovery, he asks the reader to observe who is teaching the reader and whom the reader is teaching. Teaching, Liu believes, is the core of our humanity, and in this book he, through prose that often flows like poetry, explores that influence.
Guiding Missal: Fifty Years. Three Generations of Military Men. One Spirited Prayer Book.
by Nancy PankoIn 1944, a U.S. Army baker volunteers as a forward observer to carry out covert operations behind German lines in World War II. In the early 1960s, a focused nineteen-year-old Airman is responsible for decoding critical top secret messages during the height of the Berlin Crisis. In 1993, an army sniper overcomes a debilitating condition only to fight for survival in the streets of war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, when a Blackhawk helicopter is shot down. When each of these men face a crisis, this very special prayer book, My Military Missal, provides the comfort and encouragement of divine power. Based on actual events, Guiding Missal’s timeless journey of faith, patriotism and miracles will touch your heart as the missal and the men call out to God for guidance, protection, and a safe return home.
Guido Goldman: Transatlantic Bridge Builder
by Martin KlingstThe son of Nahum Goldmann, who was the founder of the World Jewish Congress, Guido Goldman was one of the most distinguished protagonists of the reintegration of Germany into the international community after the defeat of Nazism in 1945. Later he helped establish the German Marshall Fund and created Harvard University’s Center for European Studies as one of the pre-eminent research institutes and meeting places in the world for scholars, graduate students, prominent politicians, and artists. His large network of friends and interlocutors included Willy Brandt and Helmut Kohl, Henry Kissinger and Ronald Reagan, Harry Belafonte and Marlene Dietrich. His generous philanthropy extended to the preservation of non-Western cultures threatened by extinction, such as the IKAT project through which he revived the unique ancient textile arts of Central Asia. All this comes alive in Martin Klingst’s careful reconstruction of Goldman's life.
Guillermo del Toro: Su cine, su vida y sus monstruos
by Leonardo García Tsao«La obra singular de Guillermo del Toro lo ha convertido en un cineasta clave de fin del siglo pasado y principios del presente.» -del prólogo de Felipe Cazals En una amena conversación informal junto a su amigo Leonardo García Tsao, crítico de cine con una larga trayectoria , Guillermo del Toro recorre en estas páginas sus tempranas influencias, sus inquietudes infantiles y sus primeras aventuras creativas en Guadalajara; una historia de pasión juvenil que da paso a una de las carreras cinematográficas más celebradas de nuestro tiempo. Desde la odisea que significó la filmación del cortometraje Doña Lupe, para la que él mismo tuvo que conducir, cargar y descargar el camión con el equipo de filmación, hasta la universal celebración de su más reciente filme, La forma del agua, somos testigos de la lucha, los obstáculos, las alegrías y los obsesivos métodos de trabajo que hacen de Guillermo del Toro una de las mentes más singularmente auténticas del cine internacional, y somos recompensados con las pistas definitivas que unifican el imaginario de su universo fílmico.
Guillermo Tell
by Friedrich SchillerEl héroe suizo Guillermo Tell es el protagonista de este título de Friedrich Von Schiller, el más popular del autor alemán. Tell reside con su familia en Burglen, su lucha por la emancipación de su país se plantea en este relato, que ejemplifica con las acciones y personajes el espíritu libertario del ser humano.
Guilt by Matrimony: A Memoir of Love, Madness, and the Murder of Nancy Pfister
by Daleen Berry Nancy StylerIn February 2014, Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister was murdered in her own home-brutally bludgeoned, wrapped in a sheet, and stuffed inside a locked closet. The question was: Who did it? Fewer than twelve hours after her body was found and without any evidence, police decided a married couple from Denver had killed her. Within a few days, they arrested and charged Nancy Styler, a friend of Pfister's who'd had a falling out with her after a business deal went sour, and Dr. Trey Styler, Nancy's disabled husband, who recently lost the family home, his medical practice, and any hope of a peaceful retirement for himself and his wife. Eleven days later, police also arrested and charged Kathy Carpenter, Pfister's underpaid and overworked personal assistant and closest friend.Months later, Trey Styler, who was slowly losing his grip on reality as he battled with mental illness, confessed to the crime. Rampant speculation spread about whether he was involved at all-or if his confession was that of a man on his deathbed-because a medical condition appeared to have left him barely able to walk, much less carry out such a heinous crime.In Guilt by Matrimony, Styler's widow, Nancy, reveals the answers to the biggest mysteries of this case and recounts the trauma of being falsely accused and imprisoned for a first-degree murder she had no knowledge of. And, in the only interview before his death, Trey gives his account of that fateful day.New York Times bestselling author Daleen Berry covers this compelling story from the inside, following the Stylers from their fairy-tale life in Denver to the morning of their simultaneous arrest to Nancy's release from jail and her attempts to rebuild her shattered life. Filled with details from exclusive interviews, a close look at the botched small-town police work, and first-person accounts of what really happened, Guilt by Matrimony is the definitive look at a shocking murder that rocked Aspen.
Guilty
by Lance Bilton Douglas LochheadThis is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. A Canadian story from real life. It is part of the Toronto reprint library of Canadian prose and poetry series.
Guilty?
by Teri Kanefield"An extraordinary book . . . that could well be mind-blowing to the thoughtful young reader who is ready to move beyond the black-and-white notion that a particular act is wrong simply because it is illegal." --Richie Partington When does strategy become cheating? Can good luck be theft? Is killing always a crime? Real-world cases show there are often no clear-cut answers in this fascinating look at the ever-evolving world of law and order, and crime and punishment. When some people kill, they are jailed or even executed. When others do, they are celebrated as heroes. Though this example is extreme, it's just one of many that author and lawyer Teri Kanefield explores in depth. From an examination of what constitutes a crime, why and how we punish people who commit crimes, how the government determines these rules, to how citizens have reacted when they feel laws aren't fair, this book will challenge young readers' thinking about law and order, crime and punishment, while giving them specific legal cases to ponder along the way. For ages 12 and up, this examination of the legal system will also include historical photography to help bring each legal case to life.
Guilty as Sin: Uncovering New Evidence of Corruption and How Hillary Clinton and the Democrats Derailed the FBI Investigation
by Edward KleinA New York Times Bestseller!When FBI Director James Comey announced in July that Hillary Clinton would not be indicted for mishandling classified information, America was stunned. Had the scandal-happy Clintons escaped justice once again? Not so fast, says investigative reporter and bestselling author Ed Klein. There is far more behind Comey's shocking press conference than meets the eye -- and a minefield of email evidence between Hillary and the White House.In his astonishing new book, Klein uncovers the real story behind Hillary's email scandals and the dirty political games that have kept her one step ahead of the law - for now. Klein reveals what the FBI's team of 150+ investigators really found on Clinton's server. How Comey originally threatened to resign over White House attempts to intervene in the investigation, and his secret plan to go around the Justice Department if needed. How an unprecedented Congressional investigation during an election year is uncovering new shocking evidence of corruption on a level some would call treason. And what Bill and Hillary still have left in their bag of tricks in their desperate quest to get back into the Oval Office.
Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas De Quincey
by Frances WilsonNational Book Critics Circle Award, Biographers International Organization Plutarch Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize FinalistNew York Times Book Review, Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian Best Books of 2016Thomas De Quincey was an obsessive. He was obsessed with Wordsworth and Coleridge, whose Lyrical Ballads provided the script to his life, and by the idea of sudden death. Running away from school to pursue the two poets, De Quincey insinuated himself into their world. Basing his sensibility on Wordsworth’s and his character on Coleridge’s, he forged a triangle of unusual psychological complexity.Aged twenty-four, De Quincey replaced Wordsworth as the tenant of Dove Cottage, the poet’s former residence in Grasmere. In this idyllic spot he followed the reports of the notorious Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811, when two families, including a baby, were butchered in their own homes. In his opium-soaked imagination the murderer became a poet while the poet became a murderer. Embedded in On Murder as One of the Fine Arts, De Quincey’s brilliant series of essays, Frances Wilson finds the startling story of his relationships with Wordsworth and Coleridge.Opium was the making of De Quincey, allowing him to dissolve self-conflict, eliminate self-recrimination, and divest himself of guilt. Opium also allowed him to write, and under the pseudonym “The Opium-Eater” De Quincey emerged as the strangest and most original journalist of his age. His influence has been considerable. Poe became his double; Dostoevsky went into exile with Confessions of an English Opium-Eater in his pocket; and Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, George Orwell, Alfred Hitchcock, and Vladimir Nabokov were all De Quincey devotees. There have been other biographies of Thomas De Quincey, but Guilty Thing is the first to be animated by the spirit of De Quincey himself. Following the growth of his obsessions from seed to full flowering and tracing the ways they intertwined, Frances Wilson finds the master key to De Quincey’s vast Piranesian mind. Unraveling a tale of hero worship and revenge, Guilty Thing brings the last of the Romantics roaring back to life and firmly establishes Wilson as one of our foremost contemporary biographers.
Guinea Pig in White Wine Sauce
by Alan RochfordAlan Rochford was living the dream when he started Stone Cottage, an idyllic French restaurant nestled in the Adelaide Hills. He had everything going for him apart from experience, money, and the first idea about what he was doing. After two years and one divorce, he began to see the funny side, fed on an endless diet of characters and occurrences so crazy that you couldn’t make them up.Australia’s answer to Basil Fawlty, Alan serves up a degustation of lip-smacking anecdotes, from his side-line in snail trading across the French countryside, to the time two customers got a touch too ‘intimate’ in the middle of his dining room.Guinea Pig in White Wine Sauce is the tale of one man trying to keep his head in the certifiably insane world of fine dining.
The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal
by Emily HouricanFollowing the bestselling success of The Glorious Guinness Girls, comes a stunning new novel following the three emignatic sisters as they set out on married life.It's the dawn of the 1930s and the three privileged Guinness sisters, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh, settle into becoming wives and mothers: Aileen in Luttrellstown Castle outside Dublin, Maureen in Clandeboye in Northern Ireland, and Oonagh in Rutland Place in London.But while Britain becomes increasingly politically polarised, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh discover conflict within their own marriages.Oonagh's dream of romantic love is countered by her husband's lies; the intense nature of Maureen's marriage means passion, but also rows; while Aileen begins to discover that, for her, being married offers far less than she had expected.Meanwhile, Kathleen, a housemaid from their childhood home in Glenmaroon, travels between the three sisters, helping, listening, watching - even as her own life brings her into conflict with the clash between fascism and communism.As affairs are uncovered and secrets exposed, the three women begin to realise that their gilded upbringing could not have prepared them for the realities of married life, nor for the scandals that seem to follow them around.(P)2021 Hachette Books Ireland
The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal
by Emily Hourican'An utterly captivating insight into these fascinating women and the times they lived in ... it's an absolute page-turner' Irish Independent'Masterfully and glamorously told ... essential reading for history and gossip lovers alike' Sunday Business Post'An enthralling tale that will dazzle and delight ... If you loved the drama of The Crown, then you will adore The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal' Swirl and Thread'Engrossing and page-turning ... I loved it' Louise O'NeillAs Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh - the three privileged Guinness sisters, darlings of 1930s society - settle into becoming wives and mothers, they quickly discover that their gilded upbringing has not prepared them for the realities of married life.At Dublin's Luttrellstown Castle, practical Aileen has already run out of things to say to her husband. Outspoken Maureen is very much in love but feels isolated at the crumbling Clandeboye estate in Northern Ireland. And, as romantic Oonagh's dreams of happiness in London are crushed by her husband's lies, she seeks comfort in her friends - but can they be trusted?As the sisters deal with desire and betrayal amidst vicious society gossip, their close friends, the Mitfords, find themselves under the media glare - and the Guinness women are forced to examine their place in this quickly-changing world.Inspired by true-life events, The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal is a dazzling, page-turning novel about Ireland and Britain in the grip of change, and a story of how three women who wanted for nothing were about to learn that they couldn't have everything.
El guionista de la Transición: Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, el profesor del Rey
by Juan Fernández-MirandaLa primera biografía dedicada a Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, figura imprescindible de la Transición Una de las definiciones más acertadas que se han hecho de la Transición es aquella popularizada por Rodolfo Martín Villa en la que se la describe como un montaje teatral en el que «el Rey fue el empresario, Torcuato Fernández-Miranda el guionista y Adolfo Suárez el actor que interpretaba el guion escrito por Torcuato». Si bien son muchos los libros dedicados a las figuras del empresario y el actor, resulta sorprendente saber que no existe una sola biografía dedicada al guionista, por lo que este libro viene a llenar un injusto silencio acerca de otro protagonista esencial de este reparto: Torcuato Fernández-Miranda. Suya fue la responsabilidad de educar al joven príncipe desde 1960 y de diseñar un plan que le condujera a la corona, sorteando los obstáculos que en su camino sembraban los fieles del búnker franquista; suya fue la Presidencia del gobierno en los decisivos días que siguieron al asesinato de Carrero Blanco y que pudieron dar al traste con la hoja de ruta prevista para la llegada de la democracia; suya fue la decisión de renunciar a su mayor ambición política, ser presidente del Gobierno, al considerar que sería más valioso para los planes del Rey desde la presidencia de las Cortes; suya fue la astuta maniobra que logró la terna de candidatos que llevó a Suárez a la presidencia del Gobierno, y que, en sus propias palabras, incluía «lo que el Rey me ha pedido»; y por último, suya fue también la redacción de la ley fundamental que entregó a Suárez diciéndole «aquí tienes esto, que no tiene padre», y que se convirtió en la pieza definitiva para conseguir el desmantelamiento del Régimen franquista sin provocar un nuevo enfrentamiento civil. Como atractivo adicional, este libro está prologado por S. M. el Rey Don Juan Carlos I. Por primera vez el rey emérito escribe un prólogo para un libro, lo que supone un claro gesto de gratitud hacia quien fuera su preceptor y hombre de confianza. Los protagonistas de la época opinan... «A mí la suerte me sonríe a menudo. Tengo el don de atraparla al paso, incluso de provocarla. Pero la suerte tiene toda clase de rostros. La mía ha consistido en tener siempre a mi lado al hombre que hacía falta en las situaciones delicadas. Sin duda Torcuato ha sido uno de esos hombres.» Juan Carlos I «Torcuato Fernández-Miranda fue el político más relevante del siglo XX.» Adolfo Suárez «La transición tuvo, sin duda, una gran fortuna: contar con las personas adecuadas en el momento apropiado. Una de ellas, y fundamental, fue Torcuato. También procedente del régimen anterior, esa circunstancia fue superada por sus capacidades: la técnica, el conocimiento de las claves del Estado, el saber moverse entre las nieblas de la política, una extraordinaria imaginación, un sutil dominio de las voluntades, una formación jurídica extraordinaria y una posición de confianza al lado de Su Majestad el Rey.» Fernando Ónega «Fue Fernández-Miranda el estadista que se sirvió del arrojo -a veces temerario- de Adolfo Suárez para ese brinco aparentemente imposible que consistió en transitar de una dictadura a una democracia.» José Antonio Zarzalejos
Guitar: An American Life
by Tim BrookesFrom humble folk instrument to American icon, the story of the guitar is told in this “exceptionally well-written” memoir by the NPR commentator (Guitar Player). In this blend of personal memoir and cultural history, National Public Radio commentator Tim Brookes narrates the long and winding history of the guitar in the United States as he recounts his own quest to build the perfect instrument. Pairing up with a master artisan from the Green Mountains of Vermont, Brookes learns how a perfect piece of cherry wood is hued, dovetailed, and worked on with saws, rasps, and files. He also discovers how the guitar first arrived in America with the conquistadors before being taken up by an extraordinary variety of hands: miners and society ladies, lumberjacks and presidents’ wives. In time, the guitar became America’s vehicle of self-expression. Nearly every immigrant group has appropriated it to tell their story. “Part history, part love song, Guitar strikes just the right chords.” —Andrew Abrahams, People
Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life in the Blues
by David DannA Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2019, this biography of blues-rock legend Mike Bloomfield &“draws you in the way a novel does&” (The Wall Street Journal). Named one of the world&’s great blues-rock guitarists by Rolling Stone, Mike Bloomfield remains beloved by fans forty years after his untimely death. Taking readers backstage, onstage, and into the recording studio with this legendary virtuoso, David Dann tells the riveting stories behind Bloomfield&’s work in the seminal Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the mesmerizing Electric Flag, as well as on the Super Session album with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan&’s Highway 61 Revisited, and soundtrack work with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. Drawing from meticulous research, including more than seventy interviews with the musician&’s friends, relatives, and band members, music historian David Dann brings to life Bloomfield&’s worlds, from his struggles to fit in on Chicago&’s wealthy North Shore with his Jewish family to the gritty taverns and raucous nightclubs where this self-taught guitarist helped transform the sound of contemporary blues and rock music. With scenes that are as electrifying as Bloomfield&’s solos, this is the story of a life lived at full volume. &“Feels like one of the last great untold classic-rock tales, right up through Bloomfield&’s mysterious passing.&” ―Rolling Stone &“Reveals the depths of Bloomfield's musical passions, genius and personal despair . . . Guitar King establishes his pivotal role in American music history.&” ―Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Guitar King: Michael Bloomfield's Life in the Blues
by David DannA Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2019, this biography of blues-rock legend Mike Bloomfield &“draws you in the way a novel does&” (The Wall Street Journal). Named one of the world&’s great blues-rock guitarists by Rolling Stone, Mike Bloomfield remains beloved by fans forty years after his untimely death. Taking readers backstage, onstage, and into the recording studio with this legendary virtuoso, David Dann tells the riveting stories behind Bloomfield&’s work in the seminal Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the mesmerizing Electric Flag, as well as on the Super Session album with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills, Bob Dylan&’s Highway 61 Revisited, and soundtrack work with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. Drawing from meticulous research, including more than seventy interviews with the musician&’s friends, relatives, and band members, music historian David Dann brings to life Bloomfield&’s worlds, from his struggles to fit in on Chicago&’s wealthy North Shore with his Jewish family to the gritty taverns and raucous nightclubs where this self-taught guitarist helped transform the sound of contemporary blues and rock music. With scenes that are as electrifying as Bloomfield&’s solos, this is the story of a life lived at full volume. &“Feels like one of the last great untold classic-rock tales, right up through Bloomfield&’s mysterious passing.&” ―Rolling Stone &“Reveals the depths of Bloomfield's musical passions, genius and personal despair . . . Guitar King establishes his pivotal role in American music history.&” ―Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Guitar World The Life & Genius of Kurt Cobain
by Editors of Guitar WorldKurt Cobain--rock visionary, godfather of grunge, voice of the disaffected--was also a powerful and influential guitarist. From the editors of Guitar World, the #1 guitar magazine, The Life and Genius of Kurt Cobain examines his impact on American music--and why a man who had everything came to the terrible conclusion that he had nothing. Collected here are the stories and interviews exclusively published by Guitar World, chronicling Cobain's dramatic ascent on the Seattle music scene, the making of Nirvana's albums, Cobain's personal demons, and his far-reaching legacy.
Gujarat na Sirchatra Sardar
by Mukulbhai Kalarthi“તમે તમારું સાચું અને મજબૂત સંગઠન ખડું કરો. ઉપરાંત મેં જે નબળાઈઓ ચીંધી છે તે દૂર કરો, આળસ છોડી દો, વહેમો ફગાવી દો, કોઈનો ડર ન રાખો, કુસંપનો ત્યાગ કરો, કાયરતા ખંખેરી નાખો, હિંમત રાખો, બહાદુર બનો અને આત્મવિશ્વાસ રાખતાં શીખો.” “આટલું કરશો તો તમે જે ઇચ્છો છો તે એની મેળે આવી મળશે. જગમાં જેને માટે જે લાયક હોય છે તેને મળે જ છે. આપણી ઉમેદ મોટી છે. આપણે ગુલામીની બેડીઓ તોડી, સ્વતંત્રતા મેળવી રાજસત્તાની લગામ આપણા હાથમાં લેવા માગીએ છીએ. આવી મોટી ઉમેદ રાખવાનો આપણો અધિકાર છે. આવો મોટો અધિકાર પ્રાપ્ત કરવા માટે આપણે ભગીરથ પ્રયત્ન કરવો જોઈએ. પ્રયત્ન કરનારને પ્રભુ મદદ કરે છે. પ્રભુ તમારું ભલું કરો!”
The Gulag Archipelago
by Alexander SolzhenitsynThis combines history, autobiography, documentary and political analysis as it examines the Soviet apparatus of repression from its inception following the October Revolution of 1917.
Gulag Letters
by Arsenii Formakov Emily D. JohnsonA poignant collection of letters written by the Latvian poet, novelist, and newspaper editor Arsenii Formakov while interned in Soviet labor camps Emily Johnson has translated and edited a fascinating collection of letters written by Arsenii Formakov, a Latvian Russian poet, novelist, and journalist, during two terms in Soviet labor camps, 1940 to 1947 in Kraslag and 1949 to 1955 in Kamyshlag and Ozerlag. This correspondence, which Formakov mailed home to his family in Riga, provides readers with a firsthand account of the workings of the Soviet penal system and testifies to the hardships of daily life for Latvian prisoners in the Gulag.