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Why Bob Dylan Matters
by Richard F. Thomas“The coolest class on campus” – The New York TimesWhen the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, a debate raged. Some celebrated, while many others questioned the choice. How could the world’s most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter who wouldn’t even deign to attend the medal ceremony?In Why Bob Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. Dylan’s Nobel Prize brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today, through his wildly popular Dylan seminar—affectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"—Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bard’s work. This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomas’s famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic?", Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan’s modern relevance, while interpreting and decoding Dylan’s lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume on Dylan in decades, Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylan’s work for the Dylan neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike. You’ll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.
Why Coolidge Matters
by Charles C. JohnsonImagine a country in which strikes by public-sector unions occupied the public square; where foreign policy wandered aimlessly as America disentangled itself from wars abroad and a potential civil war on its southern border; where racial and ethnic groups jostled for political influence; where a war on illicit substances led to violence in its cities; where technology was dramatically changing how mankind communicated and moved about-and where the educated harbored increasing contempt for the philosophic underpinnings of our republic.That country, the America of the 1920s, looked a lot like America today. One would think, then, that the President who successfully navigated these challenges, Calvin Coolidge, might be esteemed today. Instead, Coolidge's record is little known, the result of efforts by both the left and right to distort his legacy.Why Coolidge Matters revisits the record of our most underrated president, examining Coolidge's views on governance, public sector unions, education, race, immigration, and foreign policy. Most importantly, Why Coolidge Matters explains what lessons Coolidge-the last president to pay down the national debt-can offer the limited government movement in the post-industrial age.
Why Did Hitler Hate the Jews?: The Origins of Adolf Hitler's Anti-Semitism and its Outcome
by Peter den HertogThis investigation into the Nazi leader’s mindset is “an inherently fascinating study . . . a work of meticulously presented and seminal scholarship”(Midwest Book Review).Adolf Hitler’s virulent anti-Semitism is often attributed to external cultural and environmental factors. But as historian Peter den Hertog notes in this book, most of Hitler’s contemporaries experienced the same culture and environment and didn’t turn into rabid Jew-haters, let alone perpetrators of genocide. In this study, the author investigates what we do know about the roots of the German leader’s anti-Semitism. He also takes the significant step of mapping out what we do not know in detail, opening pathways to further research.Focusing not only on history but on psychology, forensic psychiatry, and related fields, he reveals how Hitler was a man with highly paranoid traits, and clarifies the causes behind this paranoia while explaining its connection to his anti-Semitism. The author also explores, and answers, whether the Führer gave one specific instruction ordering the elimination of Europe’s Jews, and, if so, when this took place.Peter den Hertog is able to provide an all-encompassing explanation for Hitler’s anti-Semitism by combining insights from many different disciplines—and makes clearer how Hitler’s own particular brand of anti-Semitism could lead the way to the Holocaust.
Why Did I Get a B?: And Other Mysteries We're Discussing in the Faculty Lounge
by Shannon Reed&“Funny...revealing....So send this book to your favorite teacher. They&’ll know you&’re sucking up. They&’ll thank you anyway.&” —People, Book of the Week This hilarious, inspirational, and wise collection of personal essays and humor from a longtime educator explores all the joys, challenges, and absurdities of being a teacher, following in the footsteps of such classics as Teach Like Your Hair&’s on Fire, The Courage to Teach, and Up the Down Staircase. Shannon Reed did not want to be a teacher, but now, after twenty years of working with children from preschool to college, there&’s nothing she&’d rather be. In essays full of humor, heart, and wit, she illuminates the highs and lows of a job located at the intersection of youth and wisdom. Bringing you into the trenches of this most important and stressful career, she rolls her eyes at ineffectual administrators, weeps with her students when they experience personal tragedies, complains with her colleagues about their ridiculously short lunchbreaks, and presents the parent-teacher conference from the other side of the tiny table. From dealing with bullies and working with special needs students to explaining the unwritten rules of the teacher&’s lounge, Why Did I Get a B? is full of as much humor and heart as the job itself.
Why Did You Lie?
by Yrsa SigurdardottirA chilling thriller from the author of THE SILENCE OF THE SEA, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for best Scandinavian Crime Novel.A journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide. An ordinary couple return from a house swap in the states to find their home in disarray and their guests seemingly missing. Four strangers struggle to find shelter on a windswept spike of rock in the middle of a raging sea. They have one thing in common: they all lied.And someone is determined to punish them...WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale of long-delayed retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.(P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton. Published by arrangement with Salomonsson Agency.
Why Did You Stay?: A memoir about self-worth (Karen Pirie #59)
by Rebecca Humphries'Fierce. Game-changing. Urgently necessary. Brilliant, brilliant and did I say brilliant?' EMMA THOMPSON 'Pacy, vivid, compelling and very, VERY funny ... it will help so many' MARIAN KEYES 'A fucking classic. Required reading for all women and men and I believe it's going to be the book of 2022' BRYONY GORDON 'Fuck, this is good. Every page feels important' LUCY VINE Actor, writer and hopeless romantic Rebecca Humphries had often been called crazy by her boyfriend. But when paparazzi caught him kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner, she realised the only crazy thing was believing she didn't deserve more.Forced into victimhood by the story, Rebecca chose to reclaim her power, posting her thoughts on social media, including advice for other women who might be experiencing what she realised she'd managed to escape: a toxic, oppressive relationship. A flood of support poured in, but amongst the well-wishes was a simple question with an infinitely complex answer: 'If he was so bad, why did you stay?' Empowering, unflinching and full of humour, this book takes that question and owns it. Using her relationship history, coming of age stories and experiences since the scandal during Strictly, Rebecca explores why good girls are drawn to darkness, whether pop culture glamourises toxicity, when a relationship 'rough patch' becomes the start of a destructive cycle, if women are conditioned for co-dependency, and - ultimately - how to reframe disaster into something magical. 'The best [book] about relationships since Three Women' CAROLINE SANDERSON, THE BOOKSELLER 'So funny and heart-breaking. So stunningly written. For any woman who has been asked 'why did you stay?', Rebecca Humphries' book is a hilarious and brilliant read' SUSAN WOKOMA 'Very, very good' PANDORA SYKES 'A magical, magical book' GLAMOUR 'So thoughtful and moving and funny and sad and great, I love it so, so much. I resented having to put it down' DAISY BUCHANAN 'Her thought-provoking story should be required reading for anyone in a relationship' DAILY MIRROR 'A memoir every woman needs to read' RED MAGAZINE 'This book isn't an ice-cold revenge opus; it's a diary of self-discovery, a celebration of friendship, resilience and finding one's self-worth...is it worth the hype? Absolutely: I had to stop myself from reading it one grateful gulp' LAURA PULLMAN, STYLE
Why Didn't You Tell Me?: A Memoir
by Carmen Rita WongAn immigrant mother&’s long-held secrets upend her daughter&’s understanding of her family, her identity, and her place in the world in this powerful and dramatic memoir&“This is the Carmen Rita Wong I know—fierce and true. Her story broke my heart and filled it up at the same time.&”—Sunny Hostin, three-time Emmy Award–winning co-host of ABC&’s The View and New York Times bestselling author of I Am These TruthsMy mother carried a powerful secret. A secret that shaped my life and the lives of everyone around me in ways she could not have imagined. Carmen Rita Wong has always craved a sense of belonging: First as a toddler in a warm room full of Black and brown Latina women, like her mother, Lupe, cheering her dancing during her childhood in Harlem. And in Chinatown, where her immigrant father, &“Papi&” Wong, a hustler, would show her and her older brother off in opulent restaurants decorated in red and gold. Then came the almost exclusively white playgrounds of New Hampshire after her mother married her stepfather, Marty, who seemed to be the ideal of the white American dad.As Carmen entered this new world with her new family—Lupe and Marty quickly had four more children—her relationship with her mother became fraught with tension, suspicion, and conflict, explained only years later by the secrets her mother had kept for so long.And when those secrets were revealed, bringing clarity to so much of Carmen&’s life, it was too late for answers. When her mother passed away, Carmen wanted to shake her soul by its shoulders and demand: Why didn&’t you tell me?A former national television host, advice columnist, and professor, Carmen searches to understand who she really is as she discovers her mother&’s hidden history, facing the revelations that seep out. Why Didn&’t You Tell Me? is a riveting and poignant story of Carmen&’s experience of race and culture in America and how they shape who we think we are.
Why Didn't You Tell Me? \ ¿Por qué no me lo dijiste? (Spanish edition)
by Carmen Rita WongLos secretos guardados durante mucho tiempo de una madre inmigrante alteran la comprensión de su hija sobre su familia, su identidad y su lugar en el mundo en este poderoso y dramático libro de memorias.Mi madre guardaba un poderoso secreto. Un secreto que moldeó mi vida y la vida de todos los que me rodeaban de maneras que ella no podría haber imaginado. Carmen Rita Wong siempre ha anhelado un sentido de pertenencia: primero cuando era una niña pequeña en una habitación cálida llena de mujeres latinas negras y morenas, como su madre, Lupe, animándola bailando durante su infancia en Harlem. Y en Chinatown, donde su padre inmigrante, “Papi” Wong, un estafador, la exhibiría a ella y a su hermano mayor en opulentos restaurantes decorados en rojo y dorado. Luego vinieron los patios de recreo casi exclusivamente blancos de New Hampshire después de que su madre se casara con su padrastro, Marty, quien parecía ser el ideal del padre estadounidense blanco.Cuando Carmen ingresó a este nuevo mundo con su nueva familia (Lupe y Marty pronto tuvieron cuatro hijos más), su relación con su madre se volvió tensa, suspicaz y conflictiva, explicada solo años después por los secretos que su madre había guardado durante tanto tiempo. Y cuando esos secretos fueron revelados, aportando claridad a gran parte de la vida de Carmen, ya era demasiado tarde para obtener respuestas.Cuando su madre falleció, Carmen quiso sacudir su alma por los hombros y exigir: ¿Por qué no me dijiste? Ex presentadora de televisión nacional, columnista de consejos y profesora, Carmen busca entender quién es ella realmente mientras descubre la historia oculta de su madre, enfrentándose a las revelaciones que se filtran. ¿Por qué no me dijiste? es una historia fascinante y conmovedora de la experiencia de Carmen sobre la raza y la cultura en Estados Unidos y cómo dan forma a lo que creemos que somos.
Why Do I Love These People?
by Po BronsonWe all have an imaginary definition of a great family. We imagine what it would be like to belong to such a family. No fights over the holidays. No getting on one another's nerves. Respect for individual identity. Mutual support, without being intrusive. So many people believe they are disqualified from having a better family experience, primarily because they compare their own family with the mythic ideal, and their reality falls short. Is that a fair standard to judge against?" In the pages of Why Do I Love These People?, Po Bronson takes us on an extraordinary journey. It begins on a river in Texas, where a mother gets trapped underwater and has to bargain for her own life and that of her kids. Then, a father and his daughter return to their tiny rice-growing village in China, hoping to rekindle their love for each other inside the walls of his childhood home. Next, a son puts forth a riddle, asking us to understand what his first experience of God has to do with his Mexican American mother.Every step-and every family-on this journey is real. Calling upon his gift for powerful nonfiction narrative and philosophical insight, Bronson explores the incredibly complicated feelings that we have for our families. Each chapter introduces us to two people-a father and his son, a daughter and her mother, a wife and her husband-and we come to know them as intimately as characters in a novel, following the story of their relationship as they struggle resiliently through the kinds of hardships all families endure. Some of the people manage to save their relationship, while others find a better life only after letting the relationship go. From their efforts, the wisdom in this book emerges. We are left feeling emotionally raw but grounded-and better prepared to love, through both hard times and good time.In these twenty mesmerizing stories, we discover what is essential and elemental to all families and, in doing so, slowly abolish the fantasies and fictions we have about those we fight to stay connected to.In Why Do I Love These People?, Bronson shows us that we are united by our yearnings and aspirations: Family is not our dividing line, but our common ground.From the Hardcover edition.
Why Do I Say These Things?
by Jonathan RossWhy is catalogue shopping responsible for Jonathan Ross's inimitable sense of style?Why might wearing cape and mask be a fast track to heaven?Why does Jonathan wince every time he sees a Hoover?And why did he fall in love with a deep-sea diver?Why? Because this is Jonathan Ross. And nothing is out of bounds when it comes to talking about life as he knows it. From sex and pugs to rock 'n' roll and genital warts, Jonathan holds forth as only he can. This sharply observed, laugh-out-loud, outrageous page-turner will leave you asking just one question . . . Why didn't he write it sooner?
Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?: Teaching Lessons from the Bronx
by Ilana GaronAccording to Ilana Garon, popular books and movies are inundated with the myth of the "hero teacher"--the one who charges headfirst into dysfunctional inner city schools like a firefighter into an inferno, bringing the student victims to safety through a combination of charisma and innate righteousness. The students are then "saved" by the teacher's idealism, empathy, and willingness to put faith in kids who have been given up on by society as a whole."Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?" is not that type of book.In this book, Garon reveals the sometimes humorous, oftentimes frustrating, and occasionally horrifying truths that accompany the experience of teaching at a public high school in the Bronx today. The overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, and abundance of mice, cockroaches, and drugs weren't the only challenges Garon faced during her first four years as a teacher. Every day, she'd interact with students such as Kayron, Carlos, Felicia, Jonah, Elizabeth, and Tonya--students dealing with real-life addictions, miscarriages, stints in "juvie," abusive relationships, turf wars, and gang violence. These students also brought with them big dreams and uncommon insight--and challenged everything Garon thought she knew about education.In response, Garon--a naive, suburban girl with a curly ponytail, freckles, and Harry Potter glasses--opened her eyes, rolled up her sleeves, and learned to distinguish between mitigated failure and qualified success. In this book, Garon explains how she learned that being a new teacher was about trial by fire, making mistakes, learning from the very students she was teaching, and occasionally admitting that she may not have answers to their thought-provoking (and amusing) questions.
Why Do They Hate Me?: Young Lives Caught In War And Conflict
by Laurel HollidayTrue stories. . . Real voices. . . "The day for deportation arrived. We knew our end was near. " -- Janina Heshele, Poland From the centuries-old enmities of Northern Ireland, to the Holocaust and World War II, to the Israel-Palestine conflict, young people share their innermost secrets of growing up. "I'm not allowed to go out with Neil, but the attraction is there between us. I realise that here in Northern Ireland relationships between Catholics and Protestants are strained. But should religion affect how you view a person?" -- Lisa Burrows, Northern Ireland Unable to talk openly, these young people took refuge in writing. Often they had to hide their journals and set down their thoughts in secret. "The Intifada -- that was the start of my grown-up life. . . . The echoes, the ghosts, and the voices make me wonder: Will I ever be able to forgive and forget? Will time ever bury such a tragedy and help me to start over again as a normal human being?" -- Ghareeb, the West Bank On these pages they vividly record their experiences and offer eyewitness accounts of fear and courage, tragedy and triumph.
Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad?
by Jude MorrowWhy Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a poignant and honest memoir detailing Jude Morrow&’s journey to parenthood, and how his autism profoundly affected that journey, for both better and worse, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum.I knew that Jupiter has seventy-nine known moons and where the swimming pool was located on the Titanic, yet I didn&’t know how to connect with this beautiful child who called me &“Daddy.&” Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a candid view of life and love through the eyes of an autistic adult—who went from being a nonverbal and aggressive child to a hard working and responsible father to a non-autistic son. Growing up autistic, Jude Morrow faced immense challenges and marginalization, but he was able to successfully—though not without difficulty—finish university and transition into a successful career and eventually parenthood. Those with autism can have difficulty understanding the world around them and can find it hard to find their voice, but in this poignant and honest memoir, Jude defiantly uses his found voice to break down the misconceptions and societal beliefs surrounding autism, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum. Jude views his autism as a gift to be shared, not a burden to be pitied, and as he demonstrates through his honest recollections and observations, autistic people&’s lives can be every bit as happy and fulfilling as those not on the spectrum.
Why Don't We: In the Limelight
by Why Don'T WeIn the Limelight is the official Why Don’t We autobiography, full of never-before-seen photos and behind-the-scenes info about one of today’s hottest bands.When five guys decided to form a band, they never imagined that they would go from playing music online to playing tours across the world so quickly. Why Don’t We has been together for less than two years, and they’ve already headlined sold out shows, played at Madison Square Garden, and amassed millions of fans. And this is all just the beginning.This is the official Why Don’t We story, full of never-before-seen photos and everything you need to know about Corbyn, Daniel, Zach, Jonah, and Jack. Find out the secrets they’ve never shared with fans before, their embarrassing childhood stories, what they look for in a girlfriend, and how it felt to have their lives completely changed by this incredible journey.
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?
by Jean FritzIn the early days of America when men wore ruffles, rode horseback, and obeyed the King, there lived a man in Boston who cared for none of these things. No one expected Samuel Adams to wear ruffles or pledge allegiance to the King of England, but his friends did think that he might get on a horse. But would he? Never! he said. An ALA Notable Children's Book.
Why The Dutch Are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
by Ben Coates*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR*Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good.In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance.Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil.He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous.A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.
Why The Dutch Are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
by Ben Coates*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR*Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good.In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance.Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil.He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous.A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.
Why The Dutch Are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
by Ben Coates*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR*Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good.In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance.Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil.He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous.A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.
Why The Dutch Are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
by Ben Coates*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR*Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good.In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance.Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil.He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous.A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.
Why, Father?
by Toni Maguire Gerri MayoBetrayed by Those Meant to Love Her, This is Gerri Mayo’s True Story of Survival For fans of Cathy Glass and #1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a true story of abuse and survival Toni Maguire is the author of twelve books sold over 1.5 million worldwide, including her own bestselling memoirs Don't Tell Mummy and When Daddy Comes Home. Telling her own story encouraged others who had kept their childhood secrets hidden to approach her. Now she writes for those who need a voice too. Gerri Mayo was only a young girl when she was first abused by her father. Growing up in a small village in Northern Ireland, in the tumultuous time of the Troubles, she had no one to turn to. He father’s evil acts were followed by abuse from her local priest, arranged by her father. After her mother found out about the abuse, and believing there was nothing she could do to help her child, she committed suicide. Gerri and her siblings were split up and placed in different foster homes. The children knew they were unlikely to see each other ever again. Told that her mother had committed a grave sin, Gerri’s foster parents were far from kind to her. She experienced years of loneliness, feeling completely abandoned.The abuse Gerry experienced was so extensive it required an operation to repair the damage to her body. When asked who or what had been responsible, she responded “the priest”. But she was not believed in her small Northern Ireland town in the 1960s, where everyone believed a priest took his orders directly from God. After finally meeting her kind and caring husband a few years ago, and after celebrating her 60th birthday, Gerry decided it was time for her story to be told. This is her true story of survival. If you’re a fan of Cathy Glass and books like Tears of the Silenced, If You Tell, or Spilled Milk, you will want to read Toni Maquire’s Why, Father?
Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life
by Lulu MillerA wondrous debut from an extraordinary new voice in nonfiction, Why Fish Don&’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder. David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand of his discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life&’s work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don&’t Exist reads like a fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.
Why France?: American Historians Reflect on an Enduring Fascination
by Roger ChartierFrance has long attracted the attention of many of America's most accomplished historians. The field of French history has been vastly influential in American thought, both within the academy and beyond, regardless of France's standing among U.S. political and cultural elites. Even though other countries, from Britain to China, may have had a greater impact on American history, none has exerted quite the same hold on the American historical imagination, particularly in the post-1945 era. To gain a fresh perspective on this passionate relationship, Laura Lee Downs and Stéphane Gerson commissioned a diverse array of historians to write autobiographical essays in which they explore their intellectual, political, and personal engagements with France and its past. In addition to the essays, Why France? includes a lengthy introduction by the editors and an afterword by one of France's most distinguished historians, Roger Chartier. Taken together, these essays provide a rich and thought-provoking portrait of France, the Franco-American relationship, and a half-century of American intellectual life, viewed through the lens of the best scholarship on France.
Why God Hates Me: A Memoir
by Patricia BartonGrowing up poor, fatherless and unwanted in a small Canadian town in the 1950&’s, Patricia Barton had plenty be sorry about. Spitting out the host at her Holy Communion it seemed that she had even failed God. &‘Shame on you – You should be ashamed of yourself.&’ I was ashamed. Ashamed of all the things I have done wrong and ashamed of all the things I should have done. Life was hard. I tried not to make mistakes. After years of abuse and neglect, Patricia ran away from home at the age of 13, searching for her father and a better life. Instead she finds herself in an orphanage, alone and abandoned again. Refusing to give up on her dreams, her persistence and passion for learning win her a scholarship. At 16, when released from the Home, she goes to live with her older sister in a tiny room. Life still has challenges but she is making her own way. Patricia&’s journey is a heart-warming and at times confronting. It is a series of adventures - picaresque, interesting and sometimes even bizarre - but through it all she never loses sight of her dreams. She wins a beauty contest, travels to Europe, becomes an actress and moves to Australia with her new husband where she becomes a successful model and furthers her education. Where she once seemed destined to be homeless and alone she has now built a fulfilling life in the &“Lucky Country&” with a dream home, opportunities and family of her own.A beautifully written and inspiring memoir, Why God Hates Me is the before and after story of a gutsy teenager who succeeds despite the odds. It is a story that shows what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own happiness and let hope and optimism shine through. It is a Cinderella story that has stood the test of time with the ultimate prize – happiness!
Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead... But Gutsy Girls Do: Nine Secrets Every Working Woman Must Know
by Kate WhiteFor years Kate White lived as a good girl - a rule follower, a people pleaser, a busy beaver - until she was passed over for the job of editor-in-chief of a magazine she had been running for months. She finally realized that being gutsy, not good, was the only way to succeed. And did she ever! Kate went on to create a bold new editorial position at one magazine, she accepted the top spot at another when she was seven months pregnant, and she became editor-in-chief at McCall's magazine as a working mother who intended to spend time with her kids. Today she is the editor-in-chief of Redbook, one of the hottest magazines in the country. Now Kate White tells you how she changed her style and self-image - and gives you specific, straight-from-the-shoulder advice about how to put your life in high gear and make your own career dreams come true. Based on how the real world works, her nine-step program shows you how to get ahead and get what you want. Beginning with a revealing self-test for you to determine how good, or gutsy, you are right now, White reveals the nine strategies every career woman must know, while she shares the inside stories of how other gutsy women - like Revlon's Andrea Robinson, television host Nancy Glass, renowned decorator Alexandra Stoddard, Easy Spirit shoe exec Claire Brinker, and former Reagan media advisor Merrie Spaeth - became stars in their fields.
Why Haiti Needs New Narratives: A Post-Quake Chronicle
by Gina Athena Ulysse Robin D.G. KelleyMainstream news coverage of the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010, reproduced longstanding narratives of Haiti and stereotypes of Haitians. Cognizant that this Haiti, as it exists in the public sphere, is a rhetorically and graphically incarcerated one, the feminist anthropologist and performance artist Gina Athena Ulysse embarked on a writing spree that lasted over two years. As an ethnographer and a member of the diaspora, Ulysse delivers critical cultural analysis of geopolitics and daily life in a series of dispatches, op-eds and articles on post-quake Haiti. Her complex yet singular aim is to make sense of how the nation and its subjects continue to negotiate sovereignty and being in a world where, according to a Haitian saying, tout moun se moun, men tout moun pa menm (All people are human, but all humans are not the same). This collection contains thirty pieces, most of which were previously published in and on Haitian Times, Huffington Post, Ms Magazine, Ms Blog, NACLA, and other print and online venues. The book is trilingual (English, Kreyòl, and French) and includes a foreword by award-winning author and historian Robin D.G. Kelley.