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Florentine Histories
by Niccolo Machiavelli Harvey C. Mansfield Laura F. BanfieldA new tranlation by Laura F. Banfield and Harvey C. Mansfield of Niccolo Machiavelli's Florentine Histories.
Florentine Political Writings from Petrarch to Machiavelli (Haney Foundation Series)
by Mark Jurdjevic John P. McCormick Natasha PianoIn the fifteenth-century republic of Florence, political power resided in the hands of middle-class merchants, a few wealthy families, and powerful craftsmen's guilds. The intensity of Florentine factionalism and the frequent alterations in its political institutions gave Renaissance thinkers ample opportunities to inquire into the nature of political legitimacy and the relationship between authority and its social context.This volume provides a selection of texts that describes the language, conceptual vocabulary, and issues at stake in Florentine political culture at key moments in its development during the Renaissance. Rather than presenting Renaissance political thought as a static set of arguments, Florentine Political Writings from Petrarch to Machiavelli instead illustrates the degree to which political thought in the Italian City revolved around a common cluster of topics that were continually modified and revised—and the way those common topics could be made to serve radically divergent political purposes.Editors Mark Jurdjevic, Natasha Piano, and John P. McCormick offer readers the opportunity to appreciate how Renaissance political thought, often expressed in the language of classical idealism, could be productively applied to pressing civic questions. The editors expand the scope of Florentine humanist political writing by explicitly connecting it with the sixteenth-century realist turn most influentially exemplified by Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini. Presenting nineteen primary source documents, including lesser known texts by Machiavelli and Guicciardini, several of which are here translated into English for the first time, this useful compendium shows how the Renaissance political imagination could be deployed to think through methods of electoral technology, the balance of power between different social groups, and other practical matters of political stability.
Florida Founder William P. DuVal: Frontier Bon Vivant
by James M. DenhamThe first full-length biography of the well-connected, but nearly forgotten frontier politician of antebellum America.The scion of a well-to-do Richmond, Virginia, family, William Pope DuVal (1784–1854) migrated to the Kentucky frontier as a youth in 1800. Settling in Bardstown, DuVal read law, served in Congress, and fought in the War of 1812.In 1822, largely because of the influence of his lifelong friend John C. Calhoun, President James Monroe appointed DuVal the first civil governor of the newly acquired Territory of Florida. Enjoying successive appointments from the Adams and Jackson administrations, DuVal founded Tallahassee and presided over the territory’s first twelve territorial legislative sessions, years that witnessed Middle Florida’s development into one of the Old Southwest’s most prosperous slave-based economies. Beginning with his personal confrontation with Miccosukee chief Neamathla in 1824 (an episode commemorated by Washington Irving), DuVal worked closely with Washington officials and oversaw the initial negotiations with the Seminoles.A perennial political appointee, DuVal was closely linked to national and territorial politics in antebellum America. Like other “Calhounites” who supported Andrew Jackson’s rise to the White House, DuVal became a casualty of the Peggy Eaton Affair and the Nullification Crisis. In fact he was replaced as Florida governor by Mrs. Eaton’s husband, John Eaton. After leaving the governor’s chair, DuVal migrated to Kentucky, lent his efforts to the cause of Texas Independence, and eventually returned to practice law and local politics in Florida. Throughout his career DuVal cultivated the arts of oratory and story-telling—skills essential to success in the courtrooms and free-for-all politics of the American South. Part frontiersman and part sophisticate, DuVal was at home in the wilds of Kentucky, Florida, Texas, and Washington City. He delighted in telling tall tales, jests, and anecdotes that epitomized America’s expansive, democratic vistas. Among those captivated by DuVal’s life and yarns were Washington Irving, who used DuVal’s tall tales as inspiration for his “The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood,” and James Kirke Paulding, whose “Nimrod Wildfire” shared Du Val’s brashness and bonhomie.“In large brushstrokes, but with great attention to detail, Denham embeds DuVal’s life in a wider portrait of the young Republic, and particularly in issues affecting the western states and the former Spanish borderlands Readers will find in this book a well-researched and well-written history that informs on many levels.” —The Historian“Relying on a variety of sources extending well beyond DuVal’s papers, Denham’s work provides an intriguing account of a southerner immersed in the dynamics of politics at both the local and national levels. The study will be a definitive must for any student of antebellum regional and national history.” —The Journal of Southern History
Florida Governors: Lasting Legacies
by Gov. Wayne Mixson Robert BuccellatoThe state of Florida has a unique place in the annals of national history and has been a constant contributor to the country's identity. The 51 men who have served as the state's governors are an essential part of its complex identity and have produced resonant material for historians of all ages. They have been farmers, generals, boat captains, restaurant owners, presidents, and sons of presidents. They have been given the office by both popular mandate and the happenstance of fate. These individuals have represented virtually every category of what it means to be a Floridian. Their lasting legacies can be felt every day by the state's citizens. Since the drainage of the Everglades and the transformation of swamplands into beachfront paradises, Florida has lured Americans from various states to its sunny shores. It has seceded from the Union, determined the final verdict in many presidential elections, was the site of railroad monopolies, developed into a playground of the rich, and is the birthplace of a new kind of theme park--all while being led by these distinct individuals who, at their core, were Floridians first.
Florida's Megatrends: Critical Issues in Florida
by David Colburn Lance deHaven-SmithIn the first edition of Florida Megatrends, David Colburn and Lance deHaven-Smith revealed the state for what it is: a bellwether for the nation. The intervening years have only confirmed their analyses, as Florida and the U.S. have been battered and transformed by the housing collapse, the great economic recession that began in 2008, record-high gas prices, withering tourism, the 2004 hurricane season, and much more. This completely revised and updated edition brings the story up-to-date.
Florida's Minority Trailblazers: The Men and Women Who Changed the Face of Florida Government (Florida Government and Politics)
by Susan MacManus"Saves a piece of Florida political history by narrating the personal stories of the state's 'minority trailblazers' from the Civil Rights Movement to the present day."--Richard E. Foglesong, author of Immigrant Prince: Mel Martinez and the American Dream "Captures Florida's ongoing political transition from a 'yellow-dog,' lily-white state to one where diversity is beginning to make an impact on politics."--Doug Lyons, former senior editorial writer, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida experienced a population surge during the 1960s that diversified the state and transformed it into a microcosm of the nation, but discrimination remained pervasive. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, along with later rulings on redistricting and term limits, the opportunity to participate in government became more and more possible for previously silenced voices. Drawing primarily from personal interviews, Susan MacManus recounts the stories of the first minority men and women--both Democrat and Republican--who were elected or appointed to state legislative, executive, and judicial offices and to the U.S. Congress since the 1960s. She reveals what drove these leaders to enter office, how they ran their campaigns, what kinds of discrimination they encountered, what rewards each found during their terms, and what advice they would share with aspiring politicians. In addition to the words of the officeholders themselves, MacManus provides helpful timelines, photos, biographical sketches of each politician, and election results from path-breaking victories. The book also includes comprehensive rosters of minority individuals who have held state offices and those who have gone on to represent Florida in the federal government. Full of inspiring stories and informative statistics, Florida's Minority Trailblazers is an in-depth rendering of personal struggles--guided by opportunity, ambition, and idealism--that have made Florida the vibrant, diverse state it is today. Susan A. MacManus is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida and the coauthor of Politics in Florida and Politics in States and Communities. A volume in the series Florida Government and Politics, edited by David R. Colburn and Susan A. MacManus
Florizella and the Wolves
by Philippa GregoryPrincess Florizella is no ordinary fairy-tale princess. She doesn't sit around the palace looking pretty and waiting for her prince to come. She's far too busy riding her horse, Jellybean, and looking for adventure with her best friend, Prince Bennett. One day, while out riding in the Purple Forest, Florizella is caught in a storm and takes shelter in a cave, where she meets some surprisingly friendly wolf cubs. When she realizes they're starving, she decides to take them home. But feeding four hungry, growing wolves and hiding them from her parents proves to be more of a challenge than Florizella expected ... Florizella and the Wolves is a fairy tale full of adventure, suspense, and a delightful cast of royal characters that will charm middle-grade readers everywhere.
Flourishing Thought: Democracy in an Age of Data Hoards
by Ruth A. MillerChallenging the posthumanist canon that celebrates the preeminence of matter, Ruth Miller, in Flourishing Thought contends that what nonhuman systems contribute to democracy is thought. Drawing on recent feminist theories of nonhuman life and politics, Miller shows that reproduction and flourishing are not antithetical to contemplation and sensitivity. After demonstrating that processes of life and processes of thought are indistinguishable, Miller finds that four menacing accumulations of matter and information--global surveillance, stored embryos, human clones, and reproductive trash--are politically productive rather than threats to democratic politics. As a consequence, she questions the usefulness of individual rights such as privacy and dignity, contests the value of the rational metaphysics underlying human-centered political participation, and reevaluates the gender relations that derive from this type of participation. Ultimately, in place of these human-centered structures, Miller posits a more meditative mode of democratic engagement. Miller's argument has shattering implications for the debates over the proper use and disposal of embryonic tissue, alarms about data gathering by the state and corporations, and other major ethical, social, and security issues.
Flucht – Bildung – Integration?: Bildungspolitische und pädagogische Herausforderungen von Fluchtverhältnissen
by Meike Sophia Baader Tatjana Freytag Darijusch WirthIn diesem Band werden Fluchtverhältnisse aus Sicht verschiedener wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen beleuchtet. Zudem wird die Erfahrungsperspektive von Praktiker_innen in unterschiedlichen Handlungsfeldern aufgenommen. Theoretische, historische und bildungspolitische Rahmungen, Formen von Verletzlichkeiten im Kontext von Fluchtverhältnissen sowie Möglichkeiten der Teilhabe und Bildung stehen im Zentrum.
Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne's Urban Waterfront
by Kim DoveyFluid City traces the transformation of the urban waterfront of Melbourne, the re-vitalization of the Yarra River waterfront, Melbourne Docklands and Port Philip Bay. As the financial and industrial centre of Australia, in the late nineteenth century, Melbourne developed a new world exuberance. Yet the twentieth century saw Melbourne suffering from a declining industrial and economic base. The city in the 1980s was de-industrialising, and the re-facing of the city to the water was a key urban strategy of the 1980s and 90s and a catalyst for economic transformation. This book bridges significant gaps between different discourses about the city and to challenge singular ways of viewing the city.
Fluid Geographies: Water, Science, and Settler Colonialism in New Mexico
by K. Maria LaneAn unprecedented analysis of the origin story of New Mexico’s modern water management system. Maria Lane’s Fluid Geographies traces New Mexico’s transition from a community-based to an expert-led system of water management during the pre-statehood era. To understand this major shift, Lane carefully examines the primary conflict of the time, which pitted Indigenous and Nuevomexicano communities, with their long-established systems of irrigation management, against Anglo-American settlers, who benefitted from centralized bureaucratic management of water. The newcomers’ system eventually became settled law, but water disputes have continued throughout the district courts of New Mexico’s Rio Grande watershed ever since. Using a fine-grained analysis of legislative texts and nearly two hundred district court cases, Lane analyzes evolving cultural patterns and attitudes toward water use and management in a pivotal time in New Mexico’s history. Illuminating complex themes for a general audience, Fluid Geographies helps readers understand how settler colonialism constructed a racialized understanding of scientific expertise and legitimized the dispossession of nonwhite communities in New Mexico.
Fluid Jurisdictions: Colonial Law and Arabs in Southeast Asia
by Nurfadzilah YahayaThis wide-ranging, geographically ambitious book tells the story of the Arab diaspora within the context of British and Dutch colonialism, unpacking the community's ambiguous embrace of European colonial authority in Southeast Asia. In Fluid Jurisdictions, Nurfadzilah Yahaya looks at colonial legal infrastructure and discusses how it impacted, and was impacted by, Islam and ethnicity. But more important, she follows the actors who used this framework to advance their particular interests. Yahaya explains why Arab minorities in the region helped to fuel the entrenchment of European colonial legalities: their itinerant lives made institutional records necessary. Securely stored in centralized repositories, such records could be presented as evidence in legal disputes. To ensure accountability down the line, Arab merchants valued notarial attestation land deeds, inheritance papers, and marriage certificates by recognized state officials. Colonial subjects continually played one jurisdiction against another, sometimes preferring that colonial legal authorities administer Islamic law—even against fellow Muslims.Fluid Jurisdictions draws on lively material from multiple international archives to demonstrate the interplay between colonial projections of order and their realities, Arab navigation of legally plural systems in Southeast Asia and beyond, and the fraught and deeply human struggles that played out between family, religious, contract, and commercial legal orders.
Fluid Modernity: The Politics of Water in the Middle East (Routledge Focus on Modern Subjects)
by Gilberto CondeFluid Modernity offers an innovative, encompassing, historical grasp of the politics of water in the Middle East in the context of modern capitalism and world politics. Drawing upon conceptions of power by Foucault and Agamben, it examines how water, through its modern capitalist production, is transformed into a water apparatus that binds people to power. In trans-boundary watercourses, states get involved in the formation of international governmentalities. The book revisits the history of fluid modernity in the Middle East from late Ottoman times to the present. It focuses on water conflict and cooperation between states (Israel and Arab states and Turkey, Syria and Iraq), on state policies towards subaltern subjects (Israel and Turkey in relation to Palestinians and Kurds, respectively) and on the water politics of rebellious movements. After a conceptual chapter discussing fluid modernity, the book traces water politics in the region in a diachronic perspective. It explores how water diplomacy, infrastructure loans, reservoir construction, discourses of sovereignty and conflict have weighed on the development of governance and governmentality in the region. Fluid Modernity will be of great interest to postgraduates, researchers, academics and intellectuals interested in Middle East Studies, Hydropolitics, Water and Society, Geopolitics, Political Theory, Resistance as well as to NGOs dealing with water.
Fluid New York: Cosmopolitan Urbanism and the Green Imagination
by May JosephHurricane Sandy was a fierce demonstration of the ecological vulnerability of New York, a city of islands. Yet the storm also revealed the resilience of a metropolis that has started during the past decade to reckon with its aqueous topography. In Fluid New York, May Joseph describes the many ways that New York, and New Yorkers, have begun to incorporate the city's archipelago ecology into plans for a livable and sustainable future. For instance, by cleaning its tidal marshes, the municipality has turned a previously dilapidated waterfront into a space for public leisure and rejuvenation. Joseph considers New York's relation to the water that surrounds and defines it. Her reflections reach back to the city's heyday as a world-class port--a past embodied in a Dutch East India Company cannon recently unearthed from the rubble at the World Trade Center site--and they encompass the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They suggest that New York's future lies in the reclamation of its great water resources--for artistic creativity, civic engagement, and ecological sustainability.
Fluid Russia: Between the Global and the National in the Post-Soviet Era (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)
by Vera Michlin-ShapirFluid Russia offers a new framework for understanding Russian national identity by focusing on the impact of globalization on its formation, something which has been largely overlooked. This approach sheds new light on the Russian case, revealing a dynamic Russian identity that is developing along the lines of other countries exposed to globalization. Vera Michlin-Shapir shows how along with the freedoms afforded when Russia joined the globalizing world in the 1990s came globalization's disruptions.Michlin-Shapir describes Putin's rise to power and his project to reaffirm a stronger identity not as a uniquely Russian diversion from liberal democracy, but as part of a broader phenomenon of challenges to globalization. She underlines the limits of Putin's regime to shape Russian politics and society, which is still very much impacted by global trends. As well, Michlin-Shapir questions a prevalent approach in Russia studies that views Russia's experience with national identity as abnormal or defective, either being too week or too aggressive.What is offered is a novel explanation for the so-called Russian identity crisis. As the liberal postwar order faces growing challenges, Russia's experience can be an instructive example of how these processes unfold. This study ties Russia's authoritarian politics and nationalist rallying to the shortcomings of globalization and neoliberal economics, potentially making Russia "patient zero" of the anti-globalist populist wave and rise of neo-authoritarian regimes. In this way, Fluid Russia contributes to the broader understanding of national identity in the current age and the complexities of identity formation in the global world.
Fluid Security in the Asia Pacific
by Sharon Pickering Claudia Tazreiter Leanne Weber Marie Segrave Helen MckernanThis book explores the experiences of temporary migrants in the Asia-Pacific region. It develops the original concept of 'fluid security' to analyse the way in which persons carry a set of tools, strategies and attitudes across spatial, temporal and imagined borders. This concept applies a mobilities lens to human security in order to take into account the aspirations and needs of mobile populations appropriate for a globalising world. The book brings to light the diverse experiences of mobility and the multiple vulnerabilities experienced by individuals that intersect with, and sometimes challenge, national security domains. The authors analyse mobility patterns that are diversifying at a rate far outstripping the capacity of governments to adapt to the human security needs of mobile populations. While the idea of global citizenship may be held up as an ideal through which access to rights is not an arbitrary lottery, it remains far from a reality for the majority of migrants. They are excluded from the migratory flows global elites engage in almost at will. This important book advances the idea that mobile individuals can generate their own security when they have agency and the ability to plan; that experiences of security are not necessarily tied to permanence; that mobile populations benefit from policies that support transnational life; and that fluid security is enhanced when individuals are able to carry a bundle of rights with them.
Fluke: A Novel
by Martin BlinderPresident Harding&’s young mistress narrates her life in the shadows of political corruption in this historical novel &“of considerable dash and charm&” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). President Warren G. Harding was a strikingly handsome man with little political ambition. But in the United States, anyone can be president—especially during the chicanery of the Roaring Twenties. At the center of his presidency was the young Nan Britton. Although she was only half his age, their passionate affair began in 1917 in a New York hotel room, and continued for six and a half years during his time in the Senate and then in the White House. Harding and Britton kept the affair secret, meeting in closets and private offices, including a small anteroom in the West Wing. Eventually, they conceived a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, born in October 1919. Fluke is a story of corruption, obsessive love, a doomed presidency, and the lengths a woman will go to support the man she loves. Before Lucy Mercer, Kay Summersby, and Monica Lewinsky, there was Nan Britton, whose stories of carnal adventures in the White House coat closet scandalized the nation.
Flunking Democracy: Schools, Courts, and Civic Participation
by Michael A. RebellThe 2016 presidential election campaign and its aftermath have underscored worrisome trends in the present state of our democracy: the extreme polarization of the electorate, the dismissal of people with opposing views, and the widespread acceptance and circulation of one-sided and factually erroneous information. Only a small proportion of those who are eligible actually vote, and a declining number of citizens actively participate in local community activities. In Flunking Democracy, Michael A. Rebell makes the case that this is not a recent problem, but rather that for generations now, America’s schools have systematically failed to prepare students to be capable citizens. Rebell analyzes the causes of this failure, provides a detailed analysis of what we know about how to prepare students for productive citizenship, and considers examples of best practices. Rebell further argues that this civic decline is also a legal failure—a gross violation of both federal and state constitutions that can only be addressed by the courts. Flunking Democracy concludes with specific recommendations for how the courts can and should address this deficiency, and is essential reading for anyone interested in education, the law, and democratic society.
Fly By Night: The Sequel To Fly By Night
by Frances HardingeThe award-winning author of The Lie Tree “has created a distinctly imaginative world full of engaging characters, robust humor, and true suspense” (School Library Journal, starred review).Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad. Mosca Mye’s father insisted on teaching her to read—even in a world where books are dangerous, regulated things. Eight years later, Quillam Mye died, leaving behind an orphaned daughter with an inauspicious name and an all-consuming hunger for words. Trapped for years in the care of her cruel uncle and aunt, Mosca leaps at the opportunity for escape, though it comes in the form of sneaky swindler Eponymous Clent. As she travels the land with Clent and her pet goose, Mosca begins to discover complicated truths about the world she inhabits and the power of words.“Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite wordcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world.” ?The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)“Hardinge’s stylish way with prose gives her sprawling debut fantasy a literate yet often silly tone that calls to mind Monty Python.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Mosca’s ferocity and authentic inner turmoil [are] both reminiscent of Philip Pullman’s Lyra Belacqua.” ?Booklist“Incredibly well written.” ?The Seattle Times
Fly Fishing with Darth Vader: And Other Adventures with Evangelical Wrestlers, Political Hitmen, and Jewish Cowboys
by Matt LabashIn this debut collection, beloved journalist Matt Labash chronicles the outsized and outrageous characters who populate America's murky periphery.
Fly Like a Girl: One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front
by Mary Jennings HegarA Young Readers Edition of a compelling story of courage and triumph, this is the inspiring true story of Major Mary Jennings Hegar--a brave and determined woman who gave her all for her country, her sense of justice, and for women everywhere. Soon to be a major motion picture!On July 29, 2009, Air National Guard Major Mary Jennings Hegar was shot down while on a Medevac mission in Afghanistan. Despite being wounded, her courageous actions saved the lives of her crew and their patients, earning her the Purple Heart as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device. That day also marked the beginning of a new mission: convincing the U.S. Government to allow women to serve openly on the front line of battle for the first time in American history. With exclusive photographs throughout, Fly Like a Girl tells the inspiring true story of Mary Jennings Hegar--a brave and determined woman who gave her all for her country, her sense of justice, and for women everywhere. Includes exclusive photographs throughout, a discussion guide, and a Q&A with the author written specifically for teen readers.Praise for Fly Like a Girl:"An honest portrayal of one woman's battles in and out of combat zones."--Kirkus Reviews
Fly Trap: The Sequel to Fly by Night
by Frances HardingeHaving successfully wreaked revolution upon the City of Mandelion, the pair find themselves escaping catastrophe by the skin of their teeth and seeking refuge in Toll. In this strange, aptly named gateway town, visitors may neither enter nor exit without paying a steep price. By day, the city is well-mannered and orderly; by night, chaotic and debaucherous. Each resident, visitor, and passerby is allowed out in public only during one of these phases, with the segregation dependent on their name. When Mosca and Clent are separated by this quirky law, they hatch a plot to escape. But wherever there’s a plot, there’s sure to be treachery, and wherever there’s treachery, there’s sure to be trouble—and trouble is what Mosca, Clent, and Saracen the Goose love best. With each trip around the clock, past deeds catch up with them and old enemies reappear. This time, it seems as if there’s no way out . . .
Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
by Peter RobisonFrom the award-winning reporter for Bloomberg, a suspenseful behind-the-scenes look at the dysfunction that contributed to one of the worst tragedies in modern aviation: the 2018 and 2019 crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX.Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The planemaker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company&’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever. How did things go so horribly wrong at Boeing? Flying Blind is the definitive exposé of the disasters that transfixed the world. Drawing from exclusive interviews with current and former employees of Boeing and the FAA; industry executives and analysts; and family members of the victims, it reveals how a broken corporate culture paved the way for catastrophe. It shows how in the race to beat the competition and reward top executives, Boeing skimped on testing, pressured employees to meet unrealistic deadlines, and convinced regulators to put planes into service without properly equipping them or their pilots for flight. It examines how the company, once a treasured American innovator, became obsessed with the bottom line, putting shareholders over customers, employees, and communities. By Bloomberg investigative journalist Peter Robison, who covered Boeing as a beat reporter during the company&’s fateful merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late &‘90s, this is the story of a business gone wildly off course. At once riveting and disturbing, it shows how an iconic company fell prey to a win-at-all-costs mentality, threatening an industry and endangering countless lives.
Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia (Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History)
by Michael W. HankinsFlying Camelot brings us back to the post-Vietnam era, when the US Air Force launched two new, state-of-the art fighter aircraft: the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It was an era when debates about aircraft superiority went public—and these were not uncontested discussions. Michael W. Hankins delves deep into the fighter pilot culture that gave rise to both designs, showing how a small but vocal group of pilots, engineers, and analysts in the Department of Defense weaponized their own culture to affect technological development and larger political change.The design and advancement of the F-15 and F-16 reflected this group's nostalgic desire to recapture the best of World War I air combat. Known as the "Fighter Mafia," and later growing into the media savvy political powerhouse "Reform Movement," it believed that American weapons systems were too complicated and expensive, and thus vulnerable. The group's leader was Colonel John Boyd, a contentious former fighter pilot heralded as a messianic figure by many in its ranks. He and his group advocated for a shift in focus from the multi-role interceptors the Air Force had designed in the early Cold War towards specialized air-to-air combat dogfighters. Their influence stretched beyond design and into larger politicized debates about US national security, debates that still resonate today. A biography of fighter pilot culture and the nostalgia that drove decision-making, Flying Camelot deftly engages both popular culture and archives to animate the movement that shook the foundations of the Pentagon and Congress.
Flying Hero Class: A Novel
by Thomas KeneallyFrom the author of Man Booker Prize-winning Schindler's Ark Palestinian terrorists hijack a flight from New York bound for Frankfurt that holds an unusual group of passengers: a troupe of dancers from the aboriginal Australian Barramatjara tribe. The hijackers single out Frank McCloud, the troupe's Caucasian manager, as an "Exploiter of Landless People" and attempt to persuade the dancers to join their cause. Whose side will they take? What do the other passengers--a conservative Japanese-American woman, a Fleet Street-journalist, and a Jewish software engineer--have to say about the hijackers message? As the airliner searches for a landing place in the Mediterranean, Keneally examines how the hijackers and hijacked alike respond under pressure in this explosive novel, which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.