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Home Signs: An Ethnography of Life beyond and beside Language
by Joshua O. RenoAn intimate account of an anthropologist’s relationship with his non-verbal son and how it has shaped and transformed his understanding of closeness and communication. Home Signs grew out of the anthropologist Joshua Reno’s experience of caring for and trying to communicate with his teenage son, Charlie, who cannot speak. To manage interactions with others, Charlie uses what are known as “home signs,” gestures developed to meet his need for expression, ranging from the wiggle of a finger to a subtle sideways glance. Though he is nonverbal, he is far from silent: in fact, he is in constant communication with others. In this intimate reflection on language, disability, and togetherness, the author invites us into his and Charlie’s shared world. Combining portraits of family life and interviews with other caregivers, Reno upends several assumptions, especially the idea that people who seem not to be able to speak for themselves need others to speak on their behalf. With its broad exploration of nonverbal communication in both human and nonhuman contexts, Home Signs challenges us to think harder about what it means to lead a “normal” life and to connect with another person.
Home Workplace: A Handbook for Employees and Managers
by Brendan ReadReap the benefits of the home workplace revolution with this practical resource that guides managers and employees through working from home either full or part-time. If you are charged with establishing or executing a home-work policy in your business, t
Homeland
by Dale Maharidge Michael WilliamsonHomeland is Pulitzer Prize winning author Maharidge's biggest and most ambitious book yet, weaving together the disparate and contradictory strands of contemporary American society-common decency alongside race rage, the range of dissenting voices, and the roots of discontent that defy political affiliation. Here are American families who can no longer pay their medical bills, who've lost high-wage-earning jobs to NAFTA. And here are white supremacists who claim common ground with progressives. Maharidge's approach is rigorously historical, creating a tapestry of today as it is lived in America, a self-portrait that is shockingly different from what we're used to seeing and yet which rings of truth.
Homeplug AV and IEEE 1901
by Larry Yonge Sherman Gavette Srinivas Katar Haniph A. LatchmanThe only authorized book explaining the HomePlug networking standardsHomePlug is a growing technology for creating high-speed Power Line Communication (PLC) networks by transmitting data over in-home or in-office power lines. Users only need to plug adapters into wall outlets to create an instant network of computers, printers, routers, home entertainment devices, and appliance control systems.HomePlug AV and IEEE 1901: A Handbook for PLC Designers and Users provides for the first time an opportunity for non-members of the HomePlug Alliance to gain in-depth insight into the design and operation of the HomePlug standards. Offering a clear and simple description of the standards, this groundbreaking resource presents HomePlug AV and the associated IEEE 1901 standards in terms more readily understood by a much wider audience, including nontechnical managers, engineers, students, and HomePlug designers.The book details the many benefits of HomePlug AV, including:An affordable, secure alternative or complement to WiFi--especially in buildings where WiFi reception is poor or running new network wires is impracticalHigher potential data transmission rates up to 200 MbpsSupport for multimedia applications such as HDTV and VoIPThe book also provides an overview of the HomePlug Green PHY standard that is targeted for use in smart energy applications, and the HomePlug AV 2.0 standard that operates at up to 1.5 Gbps.An essential tool for designers of HomePlug devices, network administrators, and individual users of HomePlug networks who need to understand the features and capabilities of HomePlug, HomePlug AV and IEEE 1901: A Handbook for PLC Designers and Users will also prove useful for researchers in academia and the power line communications industry.
Homer Simpson Goes To Washington: American Politics Through Popular Culture
by Joseph J. Foy&“Informative and entertaining . . . convincingly argue[s] that an interest in popular culture can counterbalance the growing tide of political apathy.&” —Publishers Weekly While pundits may accuse popular culture of brainwashing, indoctrinating, distracting, or dumbing down the masses, the fact is that Americans have long turned to entertainment sources to make sense of politics, through television shows such as The Simpsons, The West Wing, The Daily Show, and Chappelle&’s Show and films such as Election, Bulworth, and Wag the Dog. In Homer Simpson Goes to Washington, Joseph J. Foy has assembled a multidisciplinary team of scholars with backgrounds in political science, philosophy, law, cultural studies, and music. Their essays tackle common assumptions about government and explain fundamental concepts such as civil rights, democracy, and ethics—through the lens of drama and comedy.
Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture
by Timothy M. Dale and Joseph J. FoyA volume of enlightening essays on how TV shows, movies, and music can change hearts and minds. Amid all its frenetic humor, the long-running animated hit The Simpsons has often questioned what is culturally acceptable, wading into controversial subjects like gay rights, the war on terror, religion, and animal rights. This subtle form of political analysis is effective in changing opinions and attitudes on a large scale. Homer Simpson Marches on Washington explores the transformative power that enables popular culture to influence political agendas, frame the consciousness of audiences, and create profound shifts in values and ideals. To investigate the full spectrum of popular culture in a democratic society, editors Timothy M. Dale and Joseph J. Foy gather a top-notch team of scholars who use television shows such as Star Trek, The X-Files, All in the Family, The View, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report, as well as movies and popular music, to investigate contemporary issues in American popular culture.
Homo Interrogans: Questioning and the Intentional Structure of Cognition
by John BruinEmerging from the Brentano-Husserl tradition, this volume charts new ground in the conceptual discourse of questioning and answering. John Bruin examines the "logic" of interrogation and makes the case that intentionality itself has the structure of question and answer. Here, he breaks rank with the better known and more traditional and sets out to explore questioning from a phenomenological perspective.
Homomorphic Encryption and Applications
by Xun Yi Russell Paulet Elisa BertinoThis book introduces the fundamental concepts of homomorphic encryption. From these foundations, applications are developed in the fields of private information retrieval, private searching on streaming data, privacy-preserving data mining, electronic voting and cloud computing. The content is presented in an instructional and practical style, with concrete examples to enhance the reader's understanding. This volume achieves a balance between the theoretical and the practical components of modern information security. Readers will learn key principles of homomorphic encryption as well as their application in solving real world problems.
Homophones Visualized
by Bruce WordenA witty illustrated guide to words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings. Do ewe no what homophones are? They&’re words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings—it&’s knot always easy to get it right. Based on his blog Homophones, Weakly, Bruce Worden&’s Homophones Visualized uses simple but clever graphics to help illustrate the differences between 100 pairs (or triplets or quadruplets) of words that sound alike. From beat and beet to flee and flea, baron and barren to golf and gulf, each spread contains a pair or group of homophones and corresponding illustrations that provide context for each word. Word lovers, educators, and kids all will delight in this witty and useful homophone guide to understanding which word is witch. Praise for Homophones Visualized &“My daughters and I read through the entire book together in one sitting, enjoying the clever wordplay. I particularly liked it when Worden was able to make similar-looking illustrations for a pair of homophones, with just subtle changes to reflect the differences in meanings. Whether you enjoy wordplay and puns, or if you just have a hard time remembering the difference between &“affect&” and &“effect,&” this book is for you!&” —GeekDad
Honest Answers: Interview and Negotiation Skills to Get to the Truth
by Lena SiscoBECOME A MASTER AT NEGOTIATION AND COMMUNICATIONNever go into an important conversation feeling unheard, unprepared, or uninformed again—apply the proven SISCO method for communication to become a master negotiator, trusted interviewer, and engaging conversationalist. No matter the conversation, detecting honesty and persuading others to be honest are some of the most valuable skills you can learn. With these skills, you can master your daily conversations and interactions with others. The Strategic Interviewing Skills and Competencies (SISCO) Method will help you see the full picture, have all the facts, and make effective decisions.Former Navy interrogator, Lena Sisco, created this method during challenging investigative and information-gathering interviews. Her 5-step program focuses human-to-human interaction. When you can gain someone&’s trust you can get truth in any scenario. She teaches readers how to validate their gut feeling when they think someone is lying, unassumingly control a conversation, and persuade others to be honest.These skills are not only applicable in an interrogation room, but they can be relevant in everyday life. In this book, you will learn how to:Apply the strategic interviewing skills behind the SISCO method to your everyday life to discover the information and the honest answers you need.Create an environment of trust that will facilitate the fact finding necessary to be more effective at your job while encouraging others to be more accountable.Control the signals you may or may not be inadvertently sending to others.Know the right words to say during a disagreement in order to de-escalate conflict, gain respect, and create a win-win situationNot only does she teach you techniques and methods to negotiate and interview with confidence, she shares the neuroscience behind why they are effective. You will be able to interpret patterns of behavior and influence positive behaviors in others, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of your communication practices; both verbal and nonverbal.
Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Alex PentlandHow understanding the signaling within social networks can change the way we make decisions, work with others, and manage organizations.How can you know when someone is bluffing? Paying attention? Genuinely interested? The answer, writes Alex Pentland in Honest Signals, is that subtle patterns in how we interact with other people reveal our attitudes toward them. These unconscious social signals are not just a back channel or a complement to our conscious language; they form a separate communication network. Biologically based “honest signaling,” evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms, offers an unmatched window into our intentions, goals, and values. If we understand this ancient channel of communication, Pentland claims, we can accurately predict the outcomes of situations ranging from job interviews to first dates.Pentland, an MIT professor, has used a specially designed digital sensor worn like an ID badge—a “sociometer”—to monitor and analyze the back-and-forth patterns of signaling among groups of people. He and his researchers found that this second channel of communication, revolving not around words but around social relations, profoundly influences major decisions in our lives—even though we are largely unaware of it. Pentland presents the scientific background necessary for understanding this form of communication, applies it to examples of group behavior in real organizations, and shows how by “reading” our social networks we can become more successful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or closing a deal. Using this “network intelligence” theory of social signaling, Pentland describes how we can harness the intelligence of our social network to become better managers, workers, and communicators.
Honest Signals
by Alex Sandy PentlandHow can you know when someone is bluffing? Paying attention? Genuinely interested? The answer, writes Sandy Pentland in Honest Signals,is that subtle patterns in how we interact with other people reveal our attitudes toward them. These unconscious social signals are not just a back channel or a complement to our conscious language; they form a separate communication network. Biologically based "honest signaling," evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms, offers an unmatched window into our intentions, goals, and values. If we understand this ancient channel of communication, Pentland claims, we can accurately predict the outcomes of situations ranging from job interviews to first dates. Pentland, an MIT professor, has used a specially designed digital sensor worn like an ID badge--a "sociometer"--to monitor and analyze the back-and-forth patterns of signaling among groups of people. He and his researchers found that this second channel of communication, revolving not around words but around social relations, profoundly influences major decisions in our lives--even though we are largely unaware of it. Pentland presents the scientific background necessary for understanding this form of communication, applies it to examples of group behavior in real organizations, and shows how by "reading" our social networks we can become more successful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or closing a deal. Using this "network intelligence" theory of social signaling, Pentland describes how we can harness the intelligence of our social network to become better managers, workers, and communicators.
Honor Your Anger: How Transforming Your Anger Style Can Change Your Life
by Beverly EngelFrom a leading expert, a guide to changing your anger style and successfully communicating your feelings. Do you act out your anger in destructive or underhanded ways? Or do you suppress your anger and turn other people&’s abuse and criticism against yourself? Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. But if it&’s channeled in negative directions, anger can do real damage to you and your loved ones. In this provocative, healing book, psychotherapist Beverly Engel explains why your personal anger style may be hurting your relationships, your career, and yourself. She then shows you step by step how to transform a negative anger style into a positive one. Once you've discovered how to express your anger in healthy ways, you'll find that anger can empower you, motivate you to make important changes, and help you gain a sense of control over your life. &“You can indeed learn to understand and manage your anger, and this book will show you how.&” —Robert Epstein, Ph.D., West Coast Editor, Psychology Today, Director Emeritus, Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, University Research Professor, California School of Professional Psychology &“A critical first step for people who have trouble getting in touch with their anger and expressing it in direct and appropriate ways.&” —Virginia Williams, Ph.D., coauthor of Anger Kills and Lifeskills
Hooked
by Yamini Naidu Gabrielle DolanHow to use storytelling to move people to actionIn today's hyper-competitive business environment, leaders who can engage and inspire their teams and organisations have a distinct advantage. Using the art of effective storytelling, leaders can defeat information overload to inspire the emotion and effort needed to adopt new strategies, attract new clients, or win new business.Dry facts and data fade from memory over time, but an engaging story is difficult to forget. In Hooked, communication and business storytelling experts Gabrielle Dolan and Yamini Naidu use real-world examples and proven, effective techniques to teach the skill of great business storytelling. They explain what good storytelling is, why business leaders need to learn it, how to create effective stories, and how to practice for perfection.Offers proven advice on telling engaging, inspiring storiesIncludes real-world examples and case studies of what to do and not to doFeatures tips, lists, checklists, business models, worksheets, links to online quizzes, and other valuable resourcesFor CEOs and other business leaders who need to communicate more effectively and persuasively, Hooked offers effective techniques and valuable guidance.
Hope Indeed: Remarkable Stories Of Peacemakers
by N. ShenkGerald Shenk has traveled to and lived in many difficult places. He goes to teach-and to spot people who act out of hope. When he began to feel fortified by what he discovered, even foolishly rich, he wrote what he had witnessed and heard for the rest of us. Hope Indeed! is his collection of stories of stunningly ordinary people behaving with extraordinary hope. Here are the stories of- Ned Wyse, a farmer/pastor in Michigan, chosen randomly for a violent beating by some neighborhood kids, and what he did about it. The Palestinian parents who gave their young murdered son's organs to ill Jewish children. The Amish, who subverted the vicious violation of their innocent children in the Nickel Mines school by refusing to multiply the horror, and instead offered forgiveness and generosity. Jewish Cantor Michael Weisser and his family who took carry-out food to the white supremacists who had harassed them mercilessly. The German Lutheran pastor couple who offered their home to recently desposed and homeless Erich Honecker, who had ruthlessly ruled East Germany. Brother Ivo who kept bringing former Catholic and Muslim neighbors together as war escalated in Bosnia. Says Shenk, "Here are stories to rehearse if we want to become people who subvert vengeance with kindness."
Horace Walpole (The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts #9)
by Wilmarth Sheldon LewisAn illuminating biographical study of the eighteenth-century English man of letters and patron of the artsHorace Walpole (1717–1797) was a collector, printer, novelist, arbiter of taste, and renowned writer of letters. In this book, eminent scholar Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis provides an unprecedented look at the life and work of one of England’s greatest men of letters. Lewis sheds light on Walpole’s relationships with his family and friends, his politics, his writings and printmaking activities, and his correspondence. Featuring portraits of Walpole, his relatives, and friends; images of Walpole's sketches and manuscripts; pages from books printed at Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Press; and views and plans of Strawberry Hill, the house, its rooms and furnishings, and its grounds, and accompanied by Lewis’s extensive annotations, this book provides an invaluable history of an extraordinary man.
Horizonte der Kommunikation
by Alois HahnÜber Kommunikation ist viel kommuniziert worden. Watzlawick schreibt sogar, man könne nicht nicht kommunizieren. Die hier vorgelegte Aufsatzsammlung vereint eine Reihe von Beiträgen, die im Laufe der Jahre in höchst unterschiedlichen Kontexten entstanden sind. Das Thema Kommunikation war oft nicht das Zentrum. Viele Texte entstanden ursprünglich auch in interdisziplinären Kolloquien. Die Arbeiten hier zusammenzufügen entspringt der Absicht, eine vorher teilweise latente Sinnlinie freizulegen. Man könnte von einer Transformation von Publikationen in Spolien sprechen. Das Hauptanliegen ist, einige bislang eher wenig behandelte Horizonte des Themas ins Auge zu fassen, Ränder sozusagen oder Sonderaspekte. Dieser Horizont erscheint bisweilen als Kaleidoskop.
Horror Films: Current Research on Audience Preferences and Reactions (Routledge Communication Series)
by Iii James B. Weaver Ron TamburiniWhy do so many of us enjoy being told frightening stories? What are some of the consequences that result from such exposure? In light of the considerable popularity of horror films over the last three decades, these questions have become the focus of growing attention for many scholars. However, research on audience preferences for, and reactions to, horror films has been performed eclectically by investigators from varied theoretical and methodological backgrounds. As a result, the information has not been effectively integrated. This volume was written to address this problem and to position the study of audience responses to frightening fiction as a significant research topic.
Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others and Raise Performance
by George Kohlrieser Andrew KohlrieserDiscover how to boldly lead, address conflict and inspire others in your business and personal life In the newly revised second edition of Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others and Raise Performance, clinical psychologist, distinguished leadership professor, and veteran hostage negotiator George Kohlrieser comes together with his son Andrew Kohlrieser, an experienced leadership, negotiation and conflict resolution consultant, to deliver another incisive and practical discussion of how to use the proven psychological techniques used in hostage negotiations to enhance your leadership skills both professionally and personally. Step-by-step, the authors explain the seven key factors that anyone can use to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of resolving interpersonal, business and leadership issues. You’ll: ● Discover proven techniques for interpersonal and business conflict management ● Become a secure base for your team, establish trust, and learn how to bond with anyone ● Explore how to identify where you are holding yourself hostage in your life and learn how to reclaim your agency and move toward a more empowered future A fascinating and hands-on presentation of how to take the lessons drawn from tense, high-stakes hostage situations and apply them to the interpersonal and leadership problems you face every day, Hostage at the Table is a must-read resource for managers, executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders seeking the latest research, the most engrossing real-world negotiation examples, and the most effective solutions.
The Hot Seat: Love, War, and Cable News
by Piers MorganFrom ultimate media insider Piers Morgan, an adrenaline-fueled account of life at CNN, exclusive stories about his celebrity encounters, and details about his high-profile decision to take on the issue of gun control at its historical tipping point.When Piers Morgan arrived in the US, he was a thoughtful outsider and observer of our country--a modern-day Alexis de Tocqueville, if a limousine-chasing British tabloid editor could be called that. From rushing to the roof of the studio that filmed America's Got Talent so that he could broadcast live breaking news about the tsunami in Japan, only to rush back and judge a singing, dancing Christmas tree; from being snubbed by Bill O'Reilly, who pretended not to recognize him (despite the largest cable news marketing campaign in television history) to, moments later, consenting to take a picture with O'Reilly's daughter, who happened to be a big fan of America's Got Talent (Bill was immediately scolded by security for "photographing the talent," which is a comeuppance more artful than one could make up); from declaring in no uncertain terms that the 2011 shooting of Gabby Giffords would change American guns laws as surely as the 1996 massacres in Dunblain, Scotland, and Tasmania, Australia, had done, only to rail in disbelief the following year at the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre in 2012, and the gun lobby's insistence that it was "too soon" to discuss the problem of guns in America.The hit HBO series Newsroom posits that America needs a newsman who has a point of view, who does not suffer fools, and who does not give "equal time" to idiocy. Watching Piers Morgan, one gets the sense that he is as close to the character Will McAvoy as we have in this country presently. A scrappier version of Anderson Cooper. A thinking man's bruiser.Piers gives an adrenaline-fueled account of life at CNN and a reflective and heartfelt account of his continuing love affair with America, including his high profile participation in the gun debate. He is also happy to weave personal material on his wife and family, so you have a sense of really knowing the man.
Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook
by Dan ShapiroWhat avoidable problem destroys more young startups than any other?Why is it a mistake to ask for introductions to investors?When do you play the CEO card?Should you sell out?Author and four-time founder/CEO Dan Shapiro tells the stories of dozens of startups whose companies lived and died by the advice in these pages. From inception to destruction and triumph to despair, this rollercoaster read takes aspiring entrepreneurs from the highs of billion-dollar payouts and market-smashing success to the depths of impostor syndrome and bankruptcy.Hot Seat is divided into the five phases of the startup CEO experience:Founding explains how to formulate your idea, allocate equity, and not argue yourself to deathFunding provides the keys to venture capital, angels, and crowdfunding, plus clear advice on which approach to chooseLeadership lays out a path to build a strategy and culture for your team that will survive good times and badManagement reveals how to manage your board, argue with your team, and play the CEO cardEndgame explains how to finish a company's existence with grace, wealth, and minimal litigation
Hotel Florida: Truth, Love, and Death in the Spanish Civil War
by Amanda VaillA spellbinding story of love amid the devastation of the Spanish Civil WarMadrid, 1936. In a city blasted by a civil war that many fear will cross borders and engulf Europe—a conflict one writer will call "the decisive thing of the century"—six people meet and find their lives changed forever. Ernest Hemingway, his career stalled, his marriage sour, hopes that this war will give him fresh material and new romance; Martha Gellhorn, an ambitious novice journalist hungry for love and experience, thinks she will find both with Hemingway in Spain. Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, idealistic young photographers based in Paris, want to capture history in the making and are inventing modern photojournalism in the process. And Arturo Barea, chief of the Spanish government's foreign press office, and Ilsa Kulcsar, his Austrian deputy, are struggling to balance truth-telling with loyalty to their sometimes compromised cause—a struggle that places both of them in peril. Beginning with the cloak-and-dagger plot that precipitated the first gunshots of the war and moving forward month by month to the end of the conflict. Hotel Florida traces the tangled and disparate wartime destinies of these three couples against the backdrop of a critical moment in history: a moment that called forth both the best and the worst of those caught up in it. In this noir landscape of spies, soldiers, revolutionaries, and artists, the shadow line between truth and falsehood sometimes became faint indeed—your friend could be your enemy and honesty could get you (or someone else) killed. Years later, Hemingway would say, "It is very dangerous to write the truth in war, and the truth is very dangerous to come by." In Hotel Florida, from the raw material of unpublished letters and diaries, official documents, and recovered reels of film, the celebrated biographer Amanda Vaill has created a narrative of love and reinvention that is, finally, a story about truth: finding it, telling it, and living it—whatever the cost.*INCLUDES 16 PAGES OF BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS
Hotel Kitsch: A Pretty Cool Tour of America's Fantasy Getaways
by Margaret Bienert Corey BienertA visual celebration of the best fantasy suites and honeymoon hotels across America and beyond, from the creators of A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour In 1963, the savvy owners of the Cove Haven Resort in the Poconos unveiled their heart-shaped tub. Like Elvis Presley and Playboy magazine, it launched a postwar phenomenon that defined a new era of pop pleasure: the honeymoon hotel. Destinations across the country were soon racing to catch up, installing not just heart-shaped tubs but all types of over-the-top design flourishes, from pink shag carpeting to immersive worlds worthy of a Broadway stage set, in order to create a sense of romance, fantasy, even adventure. From the photographers and inveterate travelers behind the social media sensation A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour, Hotel Kitsch celebrates dozens of creative, nostalgic, one-of-a-kind hotels that span the heart of the Poconos and across the United States to Mexico, Spain, and the UK. Discover, in the middle of Iowa, a jungle room with fake trees and foliage surrounding the bed as if it had taken its cue from Where the Wild Things Are. Or Jules&’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo where the rooms are reached by scuba diving. An Arctic Cave room at a hotel in Kentucky with its carved blue walls and not a window to be found. And on the California coast, the iconic Madonna Inn featuring 110 rooms, each themed and no two alike. Along the way, authors Margaret and Corey Bienert uncover too many wild details to mention, including unconventional beds (a Cadillac, a clamshell, a sandwich), mirrors on mirrors on mirrors, in-room swimming pools, full suits of armor, and fiber-optic star ceilings. While it&’s not a travel guide, every destination in Hotel Kitsch is open for business. Time to check in.
A House in the Sky
by Sara Corbett Amanda LindhoutThe spectacularly dramatic memoir of a woman whose curiosity about the world led her from rural Canada to imperiled and dangerous countries on every continent, and then into fifteen months of harrowing captivity in Somalia--a story of courage, resilience, and extraordinary grace.At the age of eighteen, Amanda Lindhout moved from her hardscrabble Alberta hometown to the big city--Calgary--and worked as a cocktail waitress, saving her tips so she could travel the globe. As a child, she escaped a violent household by paging through National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. Now she would see those places for real. She backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and emboldened by each experience, went on to travel solo across Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a TV reporter. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia--"the most dangerous place on earth"--to report on the fighting there. On her fourth day in the country, she and photojournalist Nigel Brennan were abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. An astoundingly intimate and harrowing account of Lindhout's fifteen months as a captive, A House in the Sky illuminates the psychology, motivations, and desperate extremism of her young guards and the men in charge of them. She is kept in chains, nearly starved, and subjected to unthinkable abuse. She survives by imagining herself in a "house in the sky," looking down at the woman shackled below, and finding strength and hope in the power of her own mind. Lindhout's decision, upon her release, to counter the violence she endured by founding an organization to help the Somali people rebuild their country through education is a wrenching testament to the capacity of the human spirit and an astonishing portrait of the power of compassion and forgiveness.
A House in the Sky
by Amanda Lindhout Sara CorbettBREAKING NEWS: Amanda Lindhout's lead kidnapper, Ali Omar Ader, has been caught. Amanda Lindhout wrote about her fifteen month abduction in Somalia in A House in the Sky. It is the New York Times bestselling memoir of a woman whose curiosity led her to the world's most remote places and then into captivity: "Exquisitely told...A young woman's harrowing coming-of-age story and an extraordinary narrative of forgiveness and spiritual triumph" (The New York Times Book Review).As a child, Amanda Lindhout escaped a violent household by paging through issues of National Geographic and imagining herself visiting its exotic locales. At the age of nineteen, working as a cocktail waitress, she began saving her tips so she could travel the globe. Aspiring to understand the world and live a significant life, she backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and emboldened by each adventure, went on to Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a television reporter. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Somalia--"the most dangerous place on earth." On her fourth day, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda survives on memory--every lush detail of the world she experienced in her life before captivity--and on strategy, fortitude, and hope. When she is most desperate, she visits a house in the sky, high above the woman kept in chains, in the dark. Vivid and suspenseful, as artfully written as the finest novel, A House in the Sky is "a searingly unsentimental account. Ultimately it is compassion--for her naïve younger self, for her kidnappers--that becomes the key to Lindhout's survival" (O, The Oprah Magazine).