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To You We Shall Return: Lessons About Our Planet from the Lakota
by Joseph M. MarshallThe Lakota philosopher offers a personal account of how Native Americans adapted to the environment—and what we can learn from their example.Part memoir, part cultural manifesto, To You We Shall Return offers a comparison between Euro-American and Native American approaches to the environment. Lakota philosopher Joseph M. Marshall discusses how native cultures adapted to fit within the environment, as opposed to changing it drastically to fit human needs and comforts. Through personal anecdote, detailed history, and Lakota tales, Marshall takes us back to his childhood and shows us how we, too, can learn to love our planet.Suggesting a shift in our contemporary thinking, Marshall argues that relating to the earth in a less harmful way does not require a drastic change in lifestyles. Instead, revisiting the methods of adaptation and coexistence with the earth will foster a renewed respect which will ultimately benefit mankind as well.
To A Young Jazz Musician: Letters From The Road
by Wynton Marsalis Selwyn Seyfu HindsInTo a Young Jazz Musician,the renowned jazz musician and Pulitzer Prize—winning composer Wynton Marsalis gives us an invaluable guide to making good music–and to leading a good life. Writing from the road “between the bus ride, the sound check, and the gig,” Marsalis passes on wisdom gained from experience, addressed to a young musician coming up–and to any of us at any stage of life. He writes that having humility is a way to continue to grow, to listen, and to learn; that patience is necessary for developing both technical proficiency and your own art rather than an imitation of someone else’s; and that rules are indispensable because “freedom lives in structure. ” He offers lessons learned from his years as a performer and from his great forebears Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and others; he explores the art of swing; he discusses why it is important to run toward your issues, not away; and he talks about what to do when your integrity runs up against the lack thereof in others and in our culture. He poetically expresses our need for healers: “All of it tracks back to how you heal your culture, one patient at a time, beginning with yourself. ” This is a unique book, in which a great artist offers his personal thoughts, both on jazz and on how to live a better, more original, productive, and meaningful life. To a Young Jazz Musician is sure to be treasured by readers young and old, musicians, lovers of music, and anyone interested in being mentored by one of America’s most influential, generous, and talented artists. From the Hardcover edition.
Toast
by Nigel SlaterA deliciously evocative story of childhood in 1960s suburban England from one of the United Kingdom's best-loved writers, Nigel Slater Toastis the truly extraordinary story of a childhood remembered through food. In each chapter, as Nigel Slater takes us on a tour of the contents of his family's pantry-rice pudding, tinned ham, cream soda, mince pies, lemon drops, bourbon biscuits-we are transported...His mother is a chops-and-peas sort of cook, exasperated by the highs and lows of a temperamental stove, a finicky little son, and the asthma that would prove fatal. His father is a honey-and-crumpets man with an unpredictable temper. When he is widowed, Nigel's father takes on a housekeeper with social aspirations and a talent in the kitchen and the following years become a heartbreaking cooking contest for his affections. As he slowly loses, Nigel finds a new outlet for his culinary gifts and we witness the birth of a lifelong passion for food. Nigel's likes and dislikes, aversions and sweet-toothed weaknesses, form a fascinating backdrop to this exceptionally moving memoir of childhood, adolescence, and sexual awakening. With a new preface and glossary for American readers, this British bestseller and national award winner is sure to delight foodies and memoir enthusiasts on this side of the pond. Possessed of the subtlety and wit of Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Boneand the disarming frankness of Anthony Bourdain's page-turning Kitchen Confidential, Toastis a treat to be savored. BACKCOVER: "Nigel Slater at his unpretentious, delicious best. " -Nigella Lawson, author of How to Be a Domestic Goddess "His writing could not be more palate-cleansing... his acidic riffs put you in mind of Nick Hornby, Martin Amis and Philip Larkin all at the same time. " -The New York Times "Nigel is a genius. " -Jamie Oliver, author of Jamie's Kitchen, The Naked Chef, and Happy Days with the Naked Chef "Nigel Slater's Toastis an exceptional book. It brilliantly weaves hungers together: belly hunger, sexual hunger, and the hunger for love and loss. I loved every page and the poignancy of being a child is dead on. " -Jane Stern, author of Ambulance Girl, coauthor of Roadfood, and contributing editor at Gourmetmagazine "I enjoyed every moment of reading Nigel Slater's Toast. It's hard to imagine a more elegantly rendered memoir of growing up. Funny, poignant, artful, erotic, sad, a story conveyed through intelligent and unsentimental prose-the book is a jewel. " -Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef "Toastis a remarkable story of a young man's life, and the food that nourished it. Well written, lively and engaging. " -Marie Simmons, author of Fig Heaven "The genius of his food writing comes from an obvious belief that food and happiness share the same organ in the brain. " -Lynne Truss "Convincing, engaging, and rich with detail, Slater's prose lets readers taste the pink marshmallows, smell the freshly baked oat cookies, and feel the crunch of the green beans. Paced as superbly as a seven-course meal, [Toast is] able to engage the heart and the memory as well as the taste buds. --Publishers Weekly "A banquet of unlikely delectations... England's answer to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. " -Daily Telegraph(UK) "No one writes more temptingly about food. " -The Independent(UK) "An inspired memoir, boil-in-the-bag Proust!" -Tim Adams, Observer(UK) "This artful, disconcerting, endearing book deserves a place in the literature of childhood unhappiness and survival against the odds. " -Daily Telegraph(UK)
Toast & Marmalade: Stories From the Kitchen Dresser, A Memoir
by Emma Bridgewater'Emma Bridgewater, queen of kitchenware, proves herself to be queen of the memoir too.' Stephen Fry'What a great read - a true British inspiration story - I loved it!' Cath Kidston'Emma Bridgewater's captivating recipe for a happy family life: food, passion, work, love.' Meg RosoffPlunge into the world of pottery, family, childhood, work, motorway service stations, holidays, beaches, markets, recipes, dressing-up boxes, patchworking, country & western music, picnics, camping and the lost world of telephone calls costing 2p. Emma Bridgewater looks back on her life and work, with a wonderful patchwork of stories that show the inspirations behind the Bridgewater business and how it all started after a failed attempt to find the perfect birthday present...This is the black and white ebook edition of Toast & Marmalade and Other Stories, published in hardback in 2014 by Saltyard Books. If you would like the original colour illustrated version of Toast & Marmalade it is available in hardback and as an ebook.
Toast & Marmalade: and Other Stories
by Emma BridgewaterEmma Bridgewater's cheerfully distinctive kitchen pottery - manufactured and traditionally hand-decorated in the Staffordshire Potteries, just as it would have been 200 years ago - has found its way onto the dresser shelves and kitchen tables of homes all over Britain and beyond. Her designs are jaunty, friendly, sometimes quietly funny. They call to mind childhood picnics, summer gardens and busy kitchens, with their motifs of Sweet Peas and Figs or bold calligraphic patterns such as Toast & Marmalade. Above all the name Emma Bridgewater suggests home and welcome. This book combines beautiful photographs of Emma's life and designs with a collection of warm stories of her family, along with the inspirations for and characters involved in the success of this particularly English brand.
Toast & Marmalade: Stories From the Kitchen Dresser, A Memoir
by Emma Bridgewater'Emma Bridgewater, queen of kitchenware, proves herself to be queen of the memoir too.' Stephen Fry 'What a great read - a true British inspiration story - I loved it!' Cath Kidston 'Emma Bridgewater's captivating recipe for a happy family life: food, passion, work, love.' Meg Rosoff Plunge into the world of pottery, family, childhood, work, motorway service stations, holidays, beaches, markets, recipes, dressing-up boxes, patchworking, country & western music, picnics, camping and the lost world of telephone calls costing 2p. Emma Bridgewater looks back on her life and work, with a wonderful patchwork of stories that show the inspirations behind the Bridgewater business and how it all started after a failed attempt to find the perfect birthday present...
Toast & Marmalade: and Other Stories
by Emma BridgewaterEmma Bridgewater's cheerfully distinctive kitchen pottery - manufactured and traditionally hand-decorated in the Staffordshire Potteries, just as it would have been 200 years ago - has found its way onto the dresser shelves and kitchen tables of homes all over Britain and beyond. Her designs are jaunty, friendly, sometimes quietly funny. They call to mind childhood picnics, summer gardens and busy kitchens, with their motifs of Sweet Peas and Figs or bold calligraphic patterns such as Toast & Marmalade. Above all the name Emma Bridgewater suggests home and welcome. This book combines beautiful photographs of Emma's life and designs with a collection of warm stories of her family, along with the inspirations for and characters involved in the success of this particularly English brand.
Toast of the Town: The Life and Times of Sunnie Wilson (Great Lakes Books Series)
by Sunnie Wilson John Cohassey
Toby and Sox: The heartwarming tale of a little boy with autism and a dog in a million
by Vikky Turner Neil Turner“I just feel better now Sox is here. Before, I felt like I wanted to die. I couldn't even go to parties. Then Sox came along. It feels like our hearts are connected – I love him so much.” TobyWhen Toby Turner was excluded from school for the third time for hitting and kicking his teachers, his family hit rock bottom. Toby, who has autism, felt so upset by his own aggression, he told his parents they would be better off without him.Terrified, Toby’s mum gave up her job as a nursery nurse to teach him at home while they found a place for him in a special school. Eventually, the only way the family could get Toby out of the house was by giving him headphones, sunglasses and a cap to block out the world.After a difficult few years, the family was thrown a lifeline by the charity Dogs for Good, which introduced Toby to Sox. The adorable three-year-old Labrador Golden Retriever was trained by the charity to help children with autism. Within two weeks, he had turned Toby’s life around. Together, as a family unit, and with Sox by their side, the Turners have learned to enjoy life again.
Toby Jug
by Denis John O'ConnorFrom the bestselling author of Paw Tracks in the Moonlight comes a new adventure with Denis O’Connor and his beloved cat Toby Jug. When Denis receives a call to help an abused and starved racehorse called Lady May, he has no idea how this new bond of friendship will shape his life. Toby, Denis and Lady May’s adventures through the Northumberland countryside tells a special story filled with love, laughter and loss.
Tocqueville: The Aristocratic Sources of Liberty
by Lucien JaumeA major intellectual biography of Toqueville that restores democracy in America to its essential contextMany American readers like to regard Alexis de Tocqueville as an honorary American and democrat—as the young French aristocrat who came to early America and, enthralled by what he saw, proceeded to write an American book explaining democratic America to itself. Yet, as Lucien Jaume argues in this acclaimed intellectual biography, Democracy in America is best understood as a French book, written primarily for the French, and overwhelmingly concerned with France. "America," Jaume says, "was merely a pretext for studying modern society and the woes of France." For Tocqueville, in short, America was a mirror for France, a way for Tocqueville to write indirectly about his own society, to engage French thinkers and debates, and to come to terms with France's aristocratic legacy.By taking seriously the idea that Tocqueville's French context is essential for understanding Democracy in America, Jaume provides a powerful and surprising new interpretation of Tocqueville's book as well as a fresh intellectual and psychological portrait of the author. Situating Tocqueville in the context of the crisis of authority in postrevolutionary France, Jaume shows that Tocqueville was an ambivalent promoter of democracy, a man who tried to reconcile himself to the coming wave, but who was also nostalgic for the aristocratic world in which he was rooted—and who believed that it would be necessary to preserve aristocratic values in order to protect liberty under democracy. Indeed, Jaume argues that one of Tocqueville's most important and original ideas was to recognize that democracy posed the threat of a new and hidden form of despotism.
Tocqueville and His America
by Arthur KaledinArthur Kaledin's groundbreaking book on Alexis de Tocqueville offers an original combination of biography, character study, and wide-ranging analysis of Tocqueville'sDemocracy in America, bringing new light to that classic work. The author examines the relation between Tocqueville's complicated inner life, his self-imagination, and his moral thought, and the meaning of his enduring writings, leading to a new understanding of Tocqueville's view of democratic culture and democratic politics. With particular emphasis on Tocqueville's prescient anticipation of various threats to liberty, social unity, and truly democratic politics in America posed by aspects of democratic culture, Kaledin underscores the continuing pertinence of Tocqueville's thought in our own changing world of the twenty-first century.
Tocqueville's Discovery of America
by Leo DamroschAlexis de Tocqueville is more quoted than read; commentators across the political spectrum invoke him as an oracle who defined America and its democracy for all times. But in fact his masterpiece, Democracy in America, was the product of a young man's open-minded experience of America at a time of rapid change. In Tocqueville's Discovery of America, the prizewinning biographer Leo Damrosch retraces Tocqueville's nine-month journey through the young nation in 1831–1832, illuminating how his enduring ideas were born of imaginative interchange with America and Americans, and painting a vivid picture of Jacksonian America.Damrosch shows that Tocqueville found much to admire in the dynamism of American society and in its egalitarian ideals. But he was offended by the ethos of grasping materialism and was convinced that the institution of slavery was bound to give rise to a tragic civil war.Drawing on documents and letters that have never before appeared in English, as well as on a wide range of scholarship, Tocqueville's Discovery of America brings the man, his ideas, and his world to startling life.
Tod is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling
by Tod Gordon Sean OliverThe uncensored inside story of ECW&’s founder Tod Gordon&’s journey from jewelry store owner to one of the three most powerful promoters in pro wrestling.&“An incredible, entertaining and insightful story of one of the most important—and also underappreciated—promoters in wrestling history. A must-read for any wrestling fan, promoter, executive or any of the boys looking to laugh and learn.&” —Alfred Boima Konuwa III, Forbes Extreme Championship Wrestling was the revolutionary, industry-redefining wrestling federation of the &’90s, and founder and owner Tod Gordon is telling his story for the first time. Gordon went from local Philadelphia businessman to the third most influential man in wrestling as ECW became the fiery challenger to WWE and WCW. ECW&’s young roster featured inventive risk-taking talent that both major federations sought to emulate but could never duplicate. Chants of &“E-C-W!&” rang out in wrestling arenas across all federations for decades. &“…a must-read story detailing the colorful history of ECW.&” —Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated In Tod is God—so named for a chant the ECW fans created to honor the founder—Gordon chronicles each step of the company&’s meteoric rise to prominence, as well as the elements that led to his removing himself from the company before its demise. Gordon&’s former partnership with ECW booker Paul Heyman made for magical TV and in-ring moments. The friendship between Gordon and Heyman, both a blessing and curse, was the once-in-a-lifetime bond responsible for so many of history&’s greatest teams, bands, and partners. Gordon has stayed silent on the causes for the split and, by doing so, assumed blame for it. Until now. "The true, raw and unvarnished journey of an extreme influencer who changed the entire trajectory of the professional wrestling industry. The letters ECW never cease to fascinate fans and Tod Gordon finally reveals all the inner workings and machinations that came with the creation, rise and fall of the most influential wrestling company of the 1990s.&” —Mike Johnson, PWInsider Tod is God is the closest you&’ll ever get to living ECW&’s ride to the top. Come sit beside Sandman, Sabu, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and other ECW stars as Gordon brings you inside the locker rooms, hotel rooms, and car rides. From the triumphs and breakthroughs to the frustrations and tragedies, you&’ll live it all alongside the man who started it all. &“ECW was figuratively (and occasionally literally) the match and accelerant that took the wrestling business from being a niche product to a staple of broadcast and cable television. Without Tod Gordon, there never would have been a WWF Attitude Era. He ended up changing an entire industry.&” —Dave Scherer, PWInsider
Todas las historias de amor son historias de fantasmas: David Foster Wallace. Una biografía
by D. T. MaxLa biografía de David Foster Wallace del escritor más influyente de los últimos veinte años, prematuramente desaparecido en septiembre de 2008. David Foster Wallace es a la literatura contemporánea lo que Kurt Cobain a la música o James Dean al cine. Murió tan joven que su prometedor talento y sus logros han cristalizado en una leyenda. Incluso tenía un símbolo icónico propio: la bandana. Para miles de jóvenes de su edad, se convirtió en alguien a quien había que leer, admirar, seguir. David Foster Wallace era el faro literario de su generación, un autor que no solo seducía a los lectores con su prosa sino que además los deslumbraba con la brillantez de su mente. En la primera de David Foster Wallace, D.T. Max describe la atormentada, angustiosa y con frecuencia triunfante lucha de Wallace por imponerse como novelista mientras combatía la depresión y las adicciones para lograr su obra maestra, La broma infinita. Desde su prematura muerte en septiembre de 2008, a los cuarenta y seis años, Wallace se ha convertido en algo más que el escritor por antonomasia de su generación (como Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Heller o Pynchon lo fueron de las suyas): ha pasado a ser un símbolo de sinceridad y franqueza en la era del cinismo. Al final, como demuestra Max, lo más interesante de Wallace no es solo lo que escribió, sino lo que nos enseñó sobre cómo vivir. Escrita con la colaboración de su familia y sus amigos y tras consultar su correspondencia inédita, manuscritos y grabaciones, el retrato de este escritor extraordinariamente dotado es tan fresco como un diario, tan íntimo como una carta de amor, tan doloroso como una despedida. Reseñas:«Una extraordinaria investigación; un libro tan compasivo como doloroso de leer.»Dave Eggers. «Un modelo ejemplar de biografía literaria.»James Atlas, autor de Bellow: A Biography. «Hay que darle este libro a todos los que quieran escribir, aunque solo sea para advertir al aspirante a escritor que convertirse en una importante voz de tu generación apenas sirve de protección ante la angustia, el miedo y la desesperación. Si admiras la obra de Wallace, es obvio que has de leer este libro; pero si no admiras la obra de Wallace es especialmente importante que leas este libro.»Tom Bissell
TODAVÍA PUEDO: Relatos de una vida
by KimboDisfrutando del placer de plasmar en papel lo que me dicta mi mente, dejándola a su libre albedrío, he decidido escribir este segundo libro de relatos de una vida. ¡La mía! Es una continuación autobiográfica de su primer libro Sí, yo puedo en diversos y amenos relatos sobre su ajetreada vida, desde su llegada a España a la edad de cinco años. Cada cual al morir, enseña al cielo su obra acabada, su libro escrito, su arado luciente, y el árbol que plantó ¡Triste el que muere sin haber hecho obra!
Today I'm Alice: Nine Personalities, One Tortured Mind
by Alice JamiesonWhen Alice was a teenager, strange things started happening to her. Hours of her life simply disappeared. She'd hear voices shouting at her, telling her she was useless. And the nightmares that had haunted her since early childhood, scenes of men abusing her, became more detailed . . . more real. Staring at herself in the mirror she'd catch her face changing, as if someone else was looking out through her eyes. In Today I'm Alice, she describes her extraordinary journey from a teenage girl battling anorexia and OCD, drowning the voices with alcohol, to a young woman slipping further and further into mental illness. It was only after years lost in institutions that she was correctly diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. When her alternative personalities were revealed in therapy she discovered how each one had their own memories of abuse and a full picture of her childhood finally emerged. As she learned to live with her many 'alters', she set out to confront the man who had caused her unbearable pain. Moving and ultimately inspiring, this is a gripping account of a rare condition, and the remarkable story of a courageous woman.
Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Zátopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time
by Richard AskwithFor a decade after the Second World War, Emil Zátopek-"the Czech Locomotive"-redefined his sport, pushing back the frontiers of what was considered possible in terms of training, record-setting, and medal winning. He won five Olympic medals, set 18 world records, and went undefeated over 10,000 metres for six years. His dominance has never been equaled. And in the darkest days of the Cold War, he stood for a spirit of generous friendship that transcended nationality and politics. Zátopek was an energetic supporter of the Prague Spring in 1968, championing "socialism with a human face" in Czechoslovakia.But for this he paid a high price. After the uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks, the hardline Communists had their revenge. Zátopek was expelled from the army, stripped of his role in national sport, and condemned to years of hard and degrading manual labor: cleaning toilets in a uranium mine. Only the protests of the sporting world saved him from a worse fate. By the time he was rehabilitated in 1989, he was old and broken, a shadow of the man he had been. Based on interviews with people across the world who knew him, as well as his widow, fellow Olympian Dana Zátopková, journalist Richard Askwith breathes new life into the man and the myth and uncovers a glorious age of athletics and an epoch-defining time in world history.
Todd Bolender, Janet Reed, and the Making of American Ballet
by Martha WestMartha Ullman West illustrates how American ballet developed over the course of the twentieth century from an aesthetic originating in the courts of Europe into a stylistically diverse expression of a democratic culture. West places at center stage two artists who were instrumental to this story: Todd Bolender and Janet Reed. Lifelong friends, Bolender (1914–2006) and Reed (1916–2000) were part of a generation of dancers who navigated the Great Depression, World War II, and the vibrant cultural scene of postwar New York City. They danced in the works of choreographers Lew and Willam Christensen, Eugene Loring, Agnes de Mille, Catherine Littlefield, Ruthanna Boris, and others who West argues were just as responsible for the direction of American ballet as the legendary George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The stories of Bolender, Reed, and their contemporaries also demonstrate that the flowering of American ballet was not simply a New York phenomenon. West includes little-known details about how Bolender and Reed laid the foundations for Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet in the 1970s and how Bolender transformed the Kansas City Ballet into a highly respected professional company soon after. Passionate in their desire to dance and create dances, Bolender and Reed committed their lives to passing along their hard-won knowledge, training, and work. This book celebrates two unsung trailblazers who were pivotal to the establishment of ballet in America from one coast to the other.
The Todd Glass Situation: A Bunch of Lies about My Personal Life and a Bunch of True Stories about My 30-Year Career in Stand-Up Comedy
by Jonathan Grotenstein Todd GlassA hilarious, poignant memoir from comedian Todd Glass about his decision at age forty-eight to finally live openly as a gay man—and the reactions and support from his comedy pals, from Louis CK to Sarah Silverman.<P> Growing up in a Philadelphia suburb in the 1970s was an easy life. Well, easy as long as you didn’t have dyslexia or ADD, or were a Jew. And once you added gay into the mix, life became more difficult. So Todd Glass decided to hide the gay part, no matter how comic, tragic, or comically tragic the results.<P> It might have been a lot easier had he chosen a profession other than stand-up comedy. By age eighteen, Todd was opening for big musical acts like George Jones and Patti LaBelle. His career carried him through the Los Angeles comedy heyday in the 1980s, its decline in the 1990s, and its rebirth via the alternative comedy scene and the explosion in podcasting. But the harder he worked at his craft, the more difficult it became to manage his “situation.” There were the years of abstinence and half-hearted attempts to “cure” himself. The fake girlfriends so that he could tell relationship jokes onstage. The staged sexual encounters to burnish his reputation offstage. It took a brush with death to cause him to rethink the way he was living his life; a rash of suicides among gay teens to convince him that it was finally time to come out to the world.<P> Now, Todd has written an open, honest, and hilarious memoir in an effort to help everyone—young and old, gay and straight—breathe a little more freely. Peppered with anecdotes from his life among comedy’s greatest headliners and tales of the occasionally insane lengths Todd went through to keep a secret that—let’s face it—he probably didn’t have to keep for as long as he did, The Todd Glass Situation is a front-row seat to the last thirty plus years of comedy history and a deeply personal story about one man’s search for acceptance.
Todd Haynes: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series)
by Julia LeydaA pioneer of the New Queer Cinema, Todd Haynes (b. 1961) is a leading American independent filmmaker. Whether working with talking dolls in a homemade short (Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story) or with Oscar-winning performers in an HBO miniseries (Mildred Pierce), Haynes has garnered numerous awards and nominations and an expanding fan base for his provocative and engaging work. In all his films, Haynes works to portray the struggles of characters in conflict with the norms of society. Many of his movies focus on female characters, drawing inspiration from genres such as the woman's film and the disease movie (Far from Heaven and Safe); others explore male characters who transgress sexual and other social conventions (Poison and Velvet Goldmine). The writer-director has drawn on figures such as Karen Carpenter, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Bob Dylan in his meditations on American and British music, celebrity, and the meaning of identity. His 2007 movie I'm Not There won a number of awards and was notable for Haynes's decision to cast six different actors (one of whom was a woman) to portray Dylan. Gathering interviews from 1989 through 2012, this collection presents a range of themes, films, and moments in the burgeoning career of Todd Haynes.
Todd Haynes (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Rob WhiteTodd Haynes's films are intricate and purposeful, combining the intellectual impact of art cinema with the emotional accessibility of popular genres. They are also underpinned by a serious commitment to feminism and queer theory. From his 1985 student film about Arthur Rimbaud to his shapeshifting portrait of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007) and the riveting HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011), Haynes has made films whose complex weave of stories and characters reveals dark, painful intensities. His taste for narrative experimentation and pastiche is haunted by anguish. Rob White's highly readable book, which includes a major new interview with Haynes, is the first comprehensive study of the director's work. Special attention is paid to the fascination with music culture (from the Carpenters to glam rock) and to the rich pattern of allusions to, or affinity with, predecessor filmmakers (Fassbinder, Ophuls, Sirk, and many more). But White's chief concern is the persistence of a queer impulse to explore social coercion and the possibility that there may be some way of escaping its cruelty.
Todd Solondz (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Julian MurphetFilms like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness established Todd Solondz as independent cinema's premier satirist. Blending a trademark black humor into atmospheres of grueling bleakness, Solondz repeatedly takes moviegoers into a bland suburban junk space peopled by the damaged, the neglected, and the depraved.Julian Murphet appraises the career of the controversial, if increasingly ignored, indie film auteur. Through close readings and a discussion with the director, Murphet dissects how Solondz's themes and techniques serve stories laden with hot-button topics like pedophilia, rape, and family and systemic cruelty. Solondz's uncompromising return to the same motifs, stylistic choices, and characters reject any idea of aesthetic progression. Instead, he embraces an art of diminishing returns that satirizes the laws of valuation sustaining what we call cinema. It also reflects both Solondz's declining box office fortunes and the changing economics of independent film in an era of financial contraction.
The Toddler in Chief: What Donald Trump Teaches Us about the Modern Presidency
by Daniel W. Drezner“It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room. . . . And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”—An anonymous senior administrative official in an op-ed published in a New York Times op-ed, September 5, 2018 Every president faces criticism and caricature. Donald Trump, however, is unique in that he is routinely characterized in ways more suitable for a toddler. What’s more, it is not just Democrats, pundits, or protestors who compare the president to a child; Trump’s staffers, subordinates, and allies on Capitol Hill also describe Trump like a small, badly behaved preschooler. In April 2017, Daniel W. Drezner began curating every example he could find of a Trump ally describing the president like a toddler. So far, he’s collected more than one thousand tweets—a rate of more than one a day. In The Toddler-in-Chief, Drezner draws on these examples to take readers through the different dimensions of Trump’s infantile behavior, from temper tantrums to poor impulse control to the possibility that the President has had too much screen time. How much damage can really be done by a giant man-baby? Quite a lot, Drezner argues, due to the winnowing away of presidential checks and balances over the past fifty years. In these pages, Drezner follows his theme—the specific ways in which sharing some of the traits of a toddler makes a person ill-suited to the presidency—to show the lasting, deleterious impact the Trump administration will have on American foreign policy and democracy. The “adults in the room” may not be able to rein in Trump’s toddler-like behavior, but, with the 2020 election fast approaching, the American people can think about whether they want the most powerful office turned into a poorly run political day care facility. Drezner exhorts us to elect a commander-in-chief, not a toddler-in-chief. And along the way, he shows how we must rethink the terrifying powers we have given the presidency.
Todo cuenta: Del pasado remoto al futuro incierto
by Saul BellowUna recopilación de ensayos, artículos, ponencias y apuntes de viaje de Saul Bellow que abarca, prácticamente, toda la vida del autor. Más de treinta textos publicados en revistas y periódicos en los que la astuta mirada de Bellow recoge desde un magnífico retrato de la ciudad de Chicago, la firma del tratado de paz entre Egipto e Israel, o impresiones sobre sus colegas, hasta una descripción de la sociedad española de posguerra. Pero es, sobre todo, su lamento por la pérdida de responsabilidad del novelista en la tarea de construir una literatura que sea vehículo de «impresiones verdaderas» lo que compone el corazón de este libro. Una crítica devastadora a sus contemporáneos que ejemplifica a la perfección el texto leído en la recepción del Nobel. Y como colofón, tres entrevistas en las que reflexiona sobre la lectura, la escritura, la enseñanza y la vida. Reseña: «Frase a frase, página a página, Bellow es, simplemente, el mejor escritor que tenemos.»The New York Times Book Review