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The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy
by Michael MccarthyThe moth snowstorm, a phenomenon Michael McCarthy remembers from his boyhood when moths "would pack a car's headlight beams like snowflakes in a blizzard," is a distant memory. Wildlife is being lost, not only in the wholesale extinctions of species but also in the dwindling of those species that still exist.The Moth Snowstorm is unlike any other book about climate change today; combining the personal with the polemical, it is a manifesto rooted in experience, a poignant memoir of the author's first love: nature. McCarthy traces his adoration of the natural world to when he was seven, when the discovery of butterflies and birds brought sudden joy to a boy whose mother had just been hospitalized and whose family life was deteriorating. He goes on to record in painful detail the rapid dissolution of nature's abundance in the intervening decades, and he proposes a radical solution to our current problem: that we each recognize in ourselves the capacity to love the natural world.Arguing that neither sustainable development nor ecosystem services have provided adequate defense against pollution, habitat destruction, species degradation, and climate change, McCarthy asks us to consider nature as an intrinsic good and an emotional and spiritual resource, capable of inspiring joy, wonder, and even love. An award-winning environmental journalist, McCarthy presents a clear, well-documented picture of what he calls "the great thinning" around the world, while interweaving the story of his own early discovery of the wilderness and a childhood saved by nature. Drawing on the truths of poets, the studies of scientists, and the author's long experience in the field, The Moth Snowstorm is part elegy, part ode, and part argument, resulting in a passionate call to action.
The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest
by Ed Caesar&“An outstanding book.&” —The Wall Street Journal * &“Gripping at every turn.&” —Outside * &“A hell of a ride.&” —The Times (London) An extraordinary true story about one man&’s attempt to salve the wounds of war and save his own soul through an audacious adventure. In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Mount Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceives his own crazy, beautiful plan: he will fly a plane from England to Everest, crash-land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit—completely alone. Wilson doesn&’t know how to climb. He barely knows how to fly. But he has the right plane, the right equipment, and a deep yearning to achieve his goal. In 1933, he takes off from London in a Gipsy Moth biplane with his course set for the highest mountain on earth. Wilson&’s eleven-month journey to Everest is wild: full of twists, turns, and daring. Eventually, in disguise, he sneaks into Tibet. His icy ordeal is just beginning. Wilson is one of the Great War&’s heroes, but also one of its victims. His hometown of Bradford in northern England is ripped apart by the fighting. So is his family. He barely survives the war himself. Wilson returns from the conflict unable to cope with the sadness that engulfs him. He begins a years-long trek around the world, burning through marriages and relationships, leaving damaged lives in his wake. When he finally returns to England, nearly a decade after he first left, he finds himself falling in love once more—this time with his best friend&’s wife—before depression overcomes him again. He emerges from his funk with a crystalline ambition. He wants to be the first man to stand on top of the world. Wilson believes that Everest can redeem him. This is the &“rollicking&” (The Economist) tale of an adventurer unlike any you have ever encountered: complex, driven, wry, haunted, and fully alive. He is a man written out of the history books—dismissed as an eccentric and gossiped about because of rumors of his transvestism. The Moth and the Mountain restores Maurice Wilson to his rightful place in the annals of Everest and tells an unforgettable story about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
The Mother Code: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Myths That Shape Us
by Ruthie AckermanIn this propulsive memoir, an award-winning journalist blends history, science, and cultural criticism to uncover whether motherhood outside of society&’s rigid rules and expectations is possible—and whether she fits the mold for what a mother should be.&“This tender, generous book does the hard work of redefining &‘motherhood&’ and &‘family&’ so that they honor all aspects of a woman&’s life.&”—Christie Tate, author of the New York Times bestseller GroupRuthie Ackerman had long believed that the decision to not have children was a radical act. She&’d grown up being told that she came from a long line of women who had abandoned their kids and feared she would pass on her half-brother&’s rare genetic disorder. So when she marries a man who doesn&’t want children, she hopes she can be happy without any. But a voice in her head keeps returning to the question: What if mothering can be a radical act too? When her marriage veers off course, she goes searching through the twists and turns of her DNA to decide once and for all whether she should become a mother.By the time Ruthie finally determines that she desperately wants a child, she learns that motherhood won&’t happen the way she thought it would. Now she must enter the hall of mirrors where biology, genetics, and philosophy collide as she wonders what it means to both create and nurture a life. What does inheritance really entail? What does it mean to be a &“good&” mother? When it comes down to it, how important is nature versus nurture? And where are the models for what a &“good life&” can look like for women, both with and without children?Synthesizing reportage and memoir, The Mother Code unravels how we&’ve come to understand the institution of motherhood. What emerges is a groundbreaking new vision for what it means to parent: a mother code that goes beyond our bloodlines and genetics and instead urges us to embrace inheritance as the legacy we want to leave behind for those we love.
The Mother Knot: A Memoir
by Kathryn HarrisonIn this dark gem of a book by the author of The Kiss, a complex mother-daughter relationship precipitates a journey through depression to greater understanding, acceptance, freedom, and love,. Spare and unflinching,The Mother Knot is Kathryn Harrison's courageous exploration of her painful feelings about her mother, and of her depression and recovery. Writer, wife, mother of three, Kathryn Harrison finds herself, at age forty-one, wrestling with a black, untamable force that seems to have the power to undermine her sanity and her safety, a darkness that is tied to her relationship with her own mother, dead for many years but no less a haunting presence. Shaken by a family emergency that reveals the fragility of her current happiness, Harrison falls prey to despair and anxiety she believed she'd overcome long before. A relapse of anorexia becomes the tangible reminder of a youth spent trying to achieve the perfection she had hoped would win her mother's love, and forces her to confront, understand, and ultimately cast out--in startling physical form--the demons within herself. Powerful, insightful, unforgettable, by "a writer of extraordinary gifts" (Tobias Wolff), Kathryn Harrison's The Mother Knot is a knockout.
The Mother of All Field Trips: Homeschooling Two Kids in 14 Countries
by Jeannie RalstonWhen her two boys were 9 and 11, this adventure journalist and her National Geographic photographer husband decided to hell with boring old school: what better way to learn about history, culture, languages—and each other—than traveling together around the world? So the family set out on what turned into a three-year adventure that included the Great Wall of China, Egypt during the Arab Spring, leopard-spotting in Serengeti, the heights of Machu Picchu, World War II landmarks in Normandy, a civil rights lesson in Selma, and so much more. By the end, not only were they closer as a family, they became true global citizens and explorers, bonded by a priceless trove of memories and experiences.
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir
by Jenifer Lewis<p>From her more than three hundred appearances for film and television, stage and cabaret, performing comedy or drama, as an unforgettable lead or a scene stealing supporting character, Jenifer Lewis has established herself as one of the most respected, admired, talented, and versatile entertainers working today. <p>This “Mega Diva” and costar of the hit sitcom black-ish bares her soul in this touching and poignant—and at times side-splittingly hilarious—memoir of a Midwestern girl with a dream, whose journey took her from poverty to the big screen, and along the way earned her many accolades. <p>With candor and warmth, Jenifer Lewis reveals the heart of a woman who lives life to the fullest. This multitalented “force of nature” landed her first Broadway role within eleven days of her graduation from college and later earned the title “Reigning Queen of High-Camp Cabaret.” <p>In the audaciously honest voice that her fans adore, Jenifer describes her transition to Hollywood, with guest roles on hits like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Friends. Her movie Jackie’s Back! became a cult favorite, and as the “Mama” to characters portrayed by Whitney Houston, Tupac Shakur, Taraji P. Henson, and many more, Jenifer cemented her status as the “Mother of Black Hollywood.” <p>When an undiagnosed menatl illness stymies Jenifer’s career, culminating in a breakdown while filming The Temptations, her quest for wholeness becomes a harrowing and inspiring tale, including revelations of bipolar disorder and sex addiction. <p>Written with no-holds-barred honesty and illustrated with more than forty color photographs, this gripping memoir is filled with insights gained through a unique life that offers a universal message: “Love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes.”</p>
The Mother of Us All: A History of Queen Nanny, Leader of the Windward Jamaican Maroons
by Karla Lewis GottliebThe author analyzes the importance of Queen Nanny from cultural, military, historical, and religious point of view. This book marks an attempt to integrate a key figure of New World history into her rightful place as the leader of a critical resistance movement in Jamaica in the first part of the 18th century.
The Mother of the Brontës: When Maria Met Patrick
by Sharon WrightThis biography of the mysterious Maria Branwell &“portrays a woman of intelligence, social savvy, wit and strength as well as a love for books . . . engrossing&” (Historical Novel Society). They were from different lands, different classes, different worlds almost. The chances of Cornish gentlewoman Maria Branwell even meeting the poor Irish curate Patrick Brontë in Regency England, let alone falling passionately in love, were remote. Yet Maria and Patrick did meet, making a life together as devoted lovers and doting parents in the heartland of the industrial revolution. An unlikely romance and novel wedding were soon followed by the birth of six children. They included Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, the most gifted literary siblings the world has ever known. Her children inherited her intelligence and wit and wrote masterpieces such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Yet Maria has remained an enigma while the fame of her family spread across the world. It is time to bring her out of the shadows, along with her overlooked contribution to the Brontë genius. Untimely death stalked Maria as it was to stalk all her children. But first there was her fascinating life story, told here for the first time by Sharon Wright.
The Motherhood Affidavits: A Memoir
by Laura Jean Baker“Laura Jean Baker has written a beautiful and brave memoir of motherhood and its discontents, which are indistinguishable from its joys. This is a warmly intimate yet intellectually provocative personal document of originality and considerable charm.” —Joyce Carol Oates With the birth of her first child, soon-to-be professor Laura Jean Baker finds herself electrified by oxytocin, the “love hormone”—the first effective antidote to her lifelong depression. Over the next eight years, her “oxy” cravings, and her family, only grow—to the dismay of her husband, Ryan, a freelance public defender. As her reckless baby–making threatens her family’s middle–class existence, Baker identifies more and more with Ryan’s legal clients, often drug–addled fellow citizens of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Is she any less desperate for her next fix? Baker is in an impossible bind: The same drive that sustains her endangers her family; the cure is also the disease. She explores this all–too–human paradox by threading her story through those of her local counterparts who’ve run afoul of the law—like Rob McNally, the lovable junkie who keeps resurfacing in Ryan’s life. As Baker vividly reports on their alleged crimes—theft, kidnapping, opioid abuse, and even murder—she unerringly conjures tenderness for the accused, yet increasingly questions her own innocence. Baker’s ruthless self–interrogation makes this her personal affidavit—her sworn statement, made for public record if not a court of law. With a wrenching ending that compels us to ask whether Baker has fallen from maternal grace, this is an extraordinary addition to the literature of motherhood.
The Motherhood of Art
by Marissa Huber Heather KirtlandLike brunch with girlfriends, provides encouragement and tips for balancing family life and your creative workFeatures 30+ artistic mothers in varied circumstances who share creative ways of balancing family lifeEncouragement from women immersed in motherhood, determined to carve out time for their creative pursuits
The Motherload: Episodes from the Brink of Motherhood
by Sarah HooverAn unflinching motherhood memoir that dares to ask what happens when &“what to expect when you&’re expecting&” turns out to be months of rage, anguish, brain fog, and a total surrender of sex, career, and identity. &“A long overdue reality check.&” —Oprah Daily &“Honest, unapologetic, and brutally funny.&” —Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter A Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by Oprah Daily, Town & Country, and Brit + Co&“The kid was objectively a tiny worm, even worse, a worm with my nose.&” Welcome to Sarah Hoover&’s candid and propulsive take on motherhood where she turns the ecstatic narrative women have been fed—one of immediate connection to your child followed by a joyful path of maternal discovery—on its head. Like most of us, Sarah Hoover grew up imagining a certain life for herself, and when she moved from Indiana to New York City to study art history, the life she&’d imagined began falling into place. She got her degree in art history, landed a job in a gallery, made friends, and met interesting artists, one of whom became her husband. But when Hoover got pregnant, everything in her life began to unravel. She felt like an imposter in her own body. She grew distant from her friends and husband. Anxiety, fear, guilt, and shame threatened to swallow her. She also experienced trauma at the hands of one of her doctors—a stark trigger. And when her son was born, there was no… joy. Her despair was persistent, even with help, therapy, and pills. Grieving a lost identity and angry at the world around her, she found herself despising her baby, her husband, and herself. She was afraid it might not end. With the help of a doctor&’s diagnosis, Hoover began to understand the cluster of symptoms that informed her experience—she was drowning in postpartum depression—and that she wasn&’t a bad mother or a failed woman. At its core, The Motherload is about learning to forgive yourself. It&’s a rejection of the cultural idea of the mother as a perfect being. And it&’s an honest, propulsive, and often funny take on the vicissitudes of marriage, life, and parenting—a motherhood memoir unlike any other.
The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak: Lessons on Faith from Nine Biblical Families
by Shannon BreamGod always keeps His promises, but not always in the way we expect….“Have faith” is a phrase we hear all the time. But what does it actually look like to live it out? In The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream examines the lives of biblical women to see how God’s plans can turn our worlds upside down. She tells the story of Jochebed, a mother who took enormous risks to protect her son, Moses, from Pharaoh. Could Jochebed have imagined that God’s actual design for her son involved flight into exile and danger? And yet this was all part of the master plan to deliver Israel from slavery. Another biblical mother, Rebekah, made terrible choices in an attempt to ensure her son’s place in history. And a daughter, Michal, struggled to keep her faithless father, Saul, from sin, while battling pride in herself.Through these stories, Shannon explains the intimate connection between faith and family—and how God’s unexpected agenda can redefine the way we think about family. Not all of these mothers and daughters in the Bible were paragons of virtue. Like us, they were human beings who faltered and struggled to do their best. While some heard God’s voice, others chose their own paths. Through the lens of their imperfections, we can see how God used their stories to bring about His divine plans. He’s still doing the same work in our lives today.The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak shows that faith is more often a twisting road than a straight line. Yet, as the stories of biblical families attest, at the end of these journeys lies greater peace and joy than we could ever imagine.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
The Motion of Light in Water: Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village
by Samuel R. DelanyThis Hugo Award–winning memoir is &“a very moving, intensely fascinating literary autobiography from an extraordinary writer&” (William Gibson, Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author of Neuromancer). With the poet Marilyn Hacker, Delany moves into a tenement on a dead-end street that the landlord reserves for interracial couples. Between playing folk music in the evenings at the same Greenwich Village coffee shop as Bob Dylan and preparing shrimp curry for W. H. Auden and Chester Khalman, who have accepted an invitation that night for dinner, Delany takes a stab at writing science fiction. This young prodigy would complete and sell five novels before he turned twenty-two! (And then have a nervous breakdown . . .) This beautifully written memoir is a testament to a neighborhood where experimentation was a way of life. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Samuel R. Delany including rare images from his early career.
The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife
by Janna Cawrse EsareyChoosing a mate is like picking house paint from one of those tiny color squares: You never know how it will look across a large expanse, or how it will change in different light. Meet Janna and Graeme. After a decade-long tango (together, apart, together, apart), they're back in love -- but the stress of nine-to-five is seriously hampering their happiness. So they quit their jobs, tie the knot, and untie the lines on a beat-up old sailboat for a most unusual honeymoon: a two-year voyage across the Pacific. But passage from first date to first mate is anything but smooth sailing. From the rugged Pacific Northwest coast to the blue lagoons of Polynesia to bustling Asian ports, Janna and Graeme find themselves at the mercy of poachers, under the spell of crossdressers, and under the gun of a less-than-sober tattooist. And they encounter do-or-die moments that threaten their safety, their sanity, and their marriage. Join Janna and Graeme's 17,000-mile journey and their quest to resolve the uncertainties so many couples face: How do you know if you've really found the One? How do you balance duty to others while preserving space for yourself? And, when the waters get rough, do you jump ship, or do you learn to navigate the world...together?
The Motorcycle Diaries
by Ernesto Che Guevara Aleida GuevaraThe book of the popular movie STARRING GAEL GARCIA BERNALNOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe young Che Guevara's lively and highly entertaining travel diary, now a popular movie and a New York Times bestseller. This new, expanded edition features exclusive, unpublished photos taken by the 23-year-old Ernesto on his journey across a continent, and a tender preface by Aleida Guevara, offering an insightful perspective on the man and the icon."A journey, a number of journeys. Ernesto Guevara in search of adventure, Ernesto Guevara in search of America, Ernesto Guevara in search of Che. On this journey of journeys, solitude found solidarity, 'I' turned into 'we'."--Eduardo Galeano"When I read these notes for the first time, I was quite young myself and I immediately identified with this man who narrated his adventures in such a spontaneous manner... To tell you the truth, the more I read, the more I was in love with the boy my father had been."--Aleida Guevara"Our film is about a young man, Che, falling in love with a continent and finding his place in it." --Walter Salles, director of "The Motorcycle Diaries.""As his journey progresses, Guevara's voice seems to deepen, to darken, colored by what he witnesses in his travels. He is still poetic, but now he comments on what he sees, though still poetically, with a new awareness of the social and political ramifications of what's going on around him."--January MagazineAlso available in Spanish: DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA (978-1-920888-11-4)Features of this edition include:--A preface by Che Guevara's daughter Aleida--Introduction by Cintio Vintier, well-known Latin American poet--Photos & maps from the original journey--Che's personal reflections on his formative years: "A child of my environment."Published in association with the Che Guevara Studies Center, Havana
The Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey around South America
by Anne Wright Ernesto Che GuevaraThe diaries are written by Che Guevara during his riotous motorcycle odyssey around South America at the age of twenty-three.
The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey
by Ernesto Che GuevaraA New York Times bestsellerWith a new introduction by The Motorcyle Diaries filmmaker Walter Salles, and featuring 24 pages of photos taken by Che.The Motorcycle Diaries is Che Guevara's diary of his journey to discover the continent of Latin America while still a medical student, setting out in 1952 on a vintage Norton motorcycle together with his friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist. It captures, arguably as much as any book ever written, the exuberance and joy of one person's youthful belief in the possibilities of humankind tending towards justice, peace and happiness. After the release in 2004 of the exhilarating film of the same title, directed by Walter Salles, the book became a New York Times and international bestseller. This edition includes a new introduction by Walter Salles and an array of new material that was assembled for the 2004 edition coinciding with the release of the film, including 24 pages of previously unpublished photos taken by Che, notes and comments by his wife, Aleida Guevara March, and an extensive introduction by the distinguished Cuban author, Cintio Vitier."A journey, a number of journeys. Ernesto Guevara in search of adventure, Ernesto Guevara in search of America, Ernesto Guevara in search of Che. On this journey, solitude found solidarity. 'I' turned into 'we.'"—Eduardo Galeano"As his journey progresses, Guevara's voice seems to deepen, to darken, colored by what he witnesses in his travels. He is still poetic, but now he comments on what he sees, though still poetically, with a new awareness of the social and political ramifications of what's going on around him."—January Magazine"Our film is about a young man, Che, falling in love with a continent and finding his place in it."—Walter Salles, director of the film version of The Motorcycle Diaries"All this wandering around 'Our America with a Capital A' has changed me more than I thought."—Ernesto Che Guevara, from The Motorcycle Diaries
The Mottled Lizard
by Elspeth HuxleyA story of a young lady returning to her beloved Africa after World War II. She has to deal with what is left after the war, with her houseboy, local help, other European friends. She learns that there are diseases and emergencies that can't be dealt with, this far from Nairobi.
The Mountain Family: An Appalachian Family Of 12 -- And Their Fascinating Journey To Judaism
by Tzirel Rus Berger Penina NeimanFrom the Appalachian backwoods comes a family so amazing, a true story so incredible, and a light so bright - it will illuminate our own lives as well. When Sheryl Youngs married John Massey, she looked forward to a life based on the Biblical principles her parents, members of a small but fervently religious congregation, had instilled in her. What she didn't expect was to be making that life in a shack on a mountain in impoverished Appalachia. And she didn't expect that she would end up living on that mountain, homeschooling her ten children. And she most certainly didn't expect that somehow, incredibly, miraculously, she and her entire family would discover the truth of Judaism, the beauty of Torah - and the Jewish People the entire family would ultimately come to join. This is the story of the pastor's daughter who became a Jew, mother of ten Jews, all devoted to Torah learning and mitzvah observance. It is a story of struggle and search, of searing disappointment and unlooked for hopes, of questions asked and prayers answered. Most of all, it is the story, told in her own words, of a woman whose deep love of Torah is an inspiration to us all.
The Mountain Knows No Expert: George Evanoff, Outdoorsman and Contemporary Hero
by Mike NashShort-listed for the 2010 Banff Mountain Book Festival Competition The Mountain Knows No Expert epitomizes George Evanoff’s philosophy towards the outdoors, while presenting an intriguing contrast with the man himself. Widely regarded as an "expert," he was a knowledgeable, experienced, and practical outdoorsman, teacher, and mentor, yet ironically lost his life in the mountains in an encounter with a grizzly. Son of a Macedonian immigrant family, George was raised in Alberta, and went on to become a mountaineer, guide, avalanche specialist, and pioneer in ecotourism in British Columbias North Rockies. The many themes embedded in Evanoff’s life experiences encompass self-propelled backcountry travel, outdoor safety, avalanche safety and rescue, ski patrol leader, exploration and discovery, outdoor ethics, and public involvement with respect to land and resource use. George Evanoff was honoured in several tangible ways after his death, culminating in the naming of Evanoff Provincial Park in the Hart Ranges of the Rockies.
The Mountain Never Cries: A Mother's Diary
by Ann HoladayFor three days Ann Holaday waited at the mountain—Oregon’s Mount Hood—while rescuers searched for a missing climbing party of which her son Giles was a member. Miraculously, he survived three days in a snow cave. She had to wait again by his hospital bed while he fought for his life.
The Mountain War: A Doctor's Diary of the Italian Campaign 1914-1918
by Isaak BaraschThe diary Dr Isaak Barasch kept while serving in the Austro-Hungarian army on the Italian front during the First World War gives the reader a remarkable insight into the conflict and into the man himself. Few personal accounts of service on the Italian front have been published in English and diaries from the Habsburg side are rarer still, so his writing is exceptional. He doesn’t record military actions and manoeuvres in detail, but concentrates on his own reflections and feelings as he coped with the sick and wounded on the front line. He is often angry with the army and the war, but never expresses jingoistic hatred of the enemy. His indignation is directed at superiors, at commanders and politicians who know nothing of the terror of the fighting. When reproached for being too sensitive and insufficiently hardened, he noted that his biggest worry was how to remain untouched – how to retain his humanity. Eventually Barasch’s sensitivity – and his resistance to authority – led to his being placed in a psychiatric hospital, and he died during the influenza pandemic of 1918. But his unique account has been preserved and is now available in English for the first time. It is engrossing reading. It shows one man’s honest, often emotional response to the experience of the war on the Italian front and offers a very rare inside view of life in the Austro-Hungarian army.
The Mountain Within
by Anna Brailovsky Alexander HuberOne of the best mountaineers of our generation ?nally reveals the details of his many exciting extreme alpine ascents-ascents in which his only equipment is a pair of shoes and a small bag for holding chalk. Clinging to the crevasses in mountain walls, with muscles bulging as he makes his free ascent, Huber has become one of the world's most recognized and photographed extreme alpine climbers. Along with many other legendary ascents detailed here, he and his brother set a new record of 2 hours and 46 minutes on El Capitan, The Nose, Yosemite Park in the Fall of 2007-a climb that usually takes three days.When he free-soloed the Kommunist's famous peaks, Alexander Huber declared, "Why? For me, it is the search for my limits. On the other side, I am aware that the time is limited." With major corporate sponsors like Adidas and Atmoic, this is a fascinating insight into one of the world's best mountaineers.
The Mountain and the Fathers: Growing Up on The Big Dry
by Joe WilkinsThe Mountain and The Fathers explores the life of boys and men in the unforgiving, harsh world north of the Bull Mountains of eastern Montana in a drought afflicted area called the Big Dry, a land that chews up old and young alike. Joe Wilkins was born into this world, raised by a young mother and elderly grandfather following the untimely death of his father. That early loss stretches out across the Big Dry, and Wilkins uses his own story and those of the young boys and men growing up around him to examine the violence, confusion, and rural poverty found in this distinctly American landscape. Ultimately, these lives put forth a new examination of myth and manhood in the American west and cast a journalistic eye on how young men seek to transcend their surroundings in the search for a better life. Rather than dwell on grief or ruin, Wilkins' memoir posits that it is our stories that sustain us, and The Mountain and The Fathers, much like the work of Norman MacClean or Jim Harrison, heralds the arrival of an instant literary classic.
The Mountain of the Women: Memoirs of an Irish Troubadour
by Liam ClancyIn an irresistible tale of a life lived fully, if not always wisely, Liam Clancy, of the legendary Irish group the Clancy Brothers, describes his eventful journey from a small town in Ireland in the 1930s into the heart of the New York music scene in the 1950s and '60s. Following in the grand tradition of such Irish memoirs as Angela's Ashes and Are You Somebody?, Liam Clancy relates his life's story in a raucously funny and star-studded account of moving from provincial Ireland to the bars and clubs of New York City, to the cusp of fame as a member of Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers. Born in 1935, the eleventh out of as many children, young Liam was a naive and innocent lad of the Old Country. His memories of childhood include bounding over hills, streams, and the occasional mountain, getting lost, and eventually found, and making mischief in the way of a typical Irish boy. As an aimless nineteen-year-old, Clancy met a strange and wonderfully energetic lover of music, Ms. Diane Guggenheim, an American heiress. She and a colleague from America had set out to record regional Irish folk music, and their undertaking led them to Carrick-on-Suir in the shadow of Slievenamon, "The Mountain of the Women," where Mammie Clancy had been known to carry a tune or two in her kitchen. Guggenheim fell for young Liam and swept him along on her travels through the British Isles, the American Appalachians, and finally Greenwich Village, the undisputed Mecca for aspiring artists of every ilk in the late 1950s. Clancy was in New York to become an actor. But on the side, he played and sang with his brothers, Paddy and Tom, and fellow countryman Tommy Makem, in pubs like the legendary White Horse Tavern. In the heady atmosphere of the Village, Clancy's life was a party filled with music, sex, and McSorley's. His friendships with then-unknown artists such as Bob Dylan, Maya Angelou, Robert Redford, Lenny Bruce, Pete Seeger and Barbra Streisand form the backdrop of the charming adventures of a small-town boy making it big in the biggest of cities. In music circles, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are known as the Beatles of Irish music. The band's music continues to play on jukeboxes in pubs and bars, in living rooms of folk music fans, and in Irish American homes throughout the country. Liam Clancy's lively memoir captures their wild adventures on the road to fame and fortune, and brings to life a man who never lets himself off the hook for his sins, and happily views his success as a blessing.