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Library and Information Sciences in Arctic and Northern Studies (Springer Polar Sciences)
by Spencer AcadiaThe role of library and information sciences (LIS) in, for, and about Arctic and Northern studies is underexplored. This book examines the intersection of LIS and Arctic/Northern scholarship, research, and study by considering the Arctic and North as a global information-knowledge society; demonstrates practical and applied ways that librarians, archivists, curators, and other information scholars and professionals can participate and have participated in real activities within Arctic and Northern environments; explains how LIS – as a discipline focused on data, information, and knowledge – has a significant role to play in Arctic and Northern endeavours; and emphasises the inter-/multi- disciplinary nature of what are Arctic studies and Northern studies and the placement of LIS into that structure. Even though LIS has historically been overlooked in Northern and Arctic matters, this book suggests that LIS is in a remarkable position to add value to future Arctic/Northern studies. Thisbook is of interest to scientists, researchers, scholars, educators, professionals, and students globally working in Northern and Arctic contexts and/or with Northern and Arctic pursuits in mind.
The Library at Night
by Alberto Manguel"The starting point is a question," Alberto Manguel writes in the introduction toThe Library at Night: since few can doubt that the universe is ultimately meaningless and purposeless, why do we try to give it order? After all, our efforts are surely doomed to failure. It’s hard to think of a more profound or serious subject to start with – butThe Library at Night,Alberto Manguel says, is by no means a systematic answer. Rather, it is the story of the search for one. In the tradition ofA History of Reading, this book is an account of Manguel’s astonishment at the variety, beauty and persistence of our efforts to shape the world and our lives, most notably through something almost as old as reading itself: libraries. The result is both intimately personal and incredibly wide-ranging: it is a fascinating study of the mysteries of libraries, a thorough analysis of their history throughout the world and an esoteric, enchanting celebration of reading. It is, perhaps most of all, a book that only Alberto Manguel could have written. The Library at Nightbegins with the design and construction of Alberto Manguel’s own library at his house in western France – a process that raises puzzling questions about his past and his reading habits, as well as broader ones about the nature of categories, catalogues, architecture and identity. Exploring these themes with a deliberately unsystematic brilliance, Manguel takes us to the great Library at Alexandria, and Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library in Florence; we sit with Jorge Luis Borges in his office at the National Library in Argentina, travel with donkeys carrying books into the Colombian hinterland, and discover theFihrist, a chaotic and delightful bibliographic record of medieval Arab knowledge. There seem to be no limits to Manguel’s learning, or his ability to illuminate his investigations with magical, telling details from the past. Thematically organized and beautifully illustrated, this book considers libraries as treasure troves and architectural spaces; it looks on them as autobiographies of their owners and as statements of national identity. It examines small personal libraries and libraries that started as philanthropic ventures, and analyzes the unending promise – and defects – of virtual ones. It compares different methods of categorization (and what they imply) and libraries that have built up by chance as opposed to by conscious direction. Although it is encyclopedic (and discusses encyclopedias assembled by Diderot and fifteenth-century Chinese scholars alike) and full of concrete historical analysis (including a brief investigation of the prejudices underlying the Dewey Decimal System) this book is animated throughout by a gentle, even playful sensibility: it is governed by the browser’s logic of association and pleasure, rather than the rigid lines of scholarly theory. After all, everything in a library is connected: "As the librarians of Alexandria perhaps discovered, any single literary moment necessarily implies all others. " In part this is because this is about the libraryat night, not during the day: this book takes in what happens after the lights go out, when the world is sleeping, when books become the rightful owners of the library and the reader is the interloper. Then all daytime order is upended: one book calls to another across the shelves, and new alliances are created across time and space. And so, as well as the best design for a reading room and the makeup of Robinson Crusoe’s library, this book dwells on more "nocturnal" subjects: fictional libraries like those carried by Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster; shadow libraries of lost and censored books; imaginary libraries of books not yet written.
The Library Book
by Susan Orlean<P><P>On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. <P><P> As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? <P><P>Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. <P><P>In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. <P><P>Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves. <P><P>Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Library of Greek Mythology
by Apollodorus Robin HardThe Library of Greek Mythology is a complete summary of early Greek myth, telling the story of each of the great families of heroic mythology, and the various adventures associated with the main heroes and heroines, from Jason and Perseus to Heracles and Helen of Troy. Using the ancient system of detailed histories of the great families, it contains invaluable genealogical diagrams for maximum clarity.
Libre Acceso: Latin American Literature and Film through Disability Studies (SUNY series in Latin American and Iberian Thought and Culture)
by Susan Antebi; Beth E. JörgensenLibre Acceso stages an innovative encounter between disciplines that have remained quite separate: Latin American literary, film, and cultural studies and disability studies. It offers a much-needed framework to engage the representation, construction, embodiment, and contestation of human differences, and provides tools for the urgent resignification of a robust and diverse Latin American literary and filmic tradition. The contributors discuss such topics as impairment, trauma, illness and the body, performance, queer theory, subaltern studies, and human rights, while analyzing literature and film from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru. They explore these issues through the work of canonical figures Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, João Guimarães Rosa, and others, as well as less well-known figures, including Mario Bellatin and Miriam Alves.
Libres: Ciudadanas del mundo
by Alborch, CarmenEste es un libro lleno de esperanza contra la vulgaridad y el fatalismo, que se plantea como un ejercicio de libertad desde la diversidad y la admiración. Las nueve protagonistas de este libro son mujeres que anhelan la libertad y rechazan la dominación. Sus vidas se nos presentan plenas de creatividad, valentía, dignidad y coherencia. Ellas asumen riesgos, compromisos y elecciones que marcan su vida entera. Son mujeres cuya aproximación nos hace sentir más libres, más fuertes y más capaces. Estas ciudadanas del mundo han alzado su voz nueva en las artes, las ciencias, la ecología y la política, y reivindican con su vida y sus logros la justa y necesaria presencia de las mujeres en un nuevo modelo de sociedad que, con sus convicciones y saberes, contribuyen a configurar en beneficio de la humanidad.
El libro de los filósofos muertos
by Simon Critchley«Critchley es probablemente el filósofo más perspicaz y lúcido del mundo anglosajón actual. Aunque lo haga con humor, tiene algo realmente serio que decir.»London Review of Books «¿La muerte? No pienso en ella». <P><P>Si este comentario, atribuido a Jean-Paul Sartre, es cierto, entonces él era único entre los filósofos. <P><P>Ya que, como Simon Critchley muestra en este original y estimulante libro, la cuestión de qué puede considerarse un «buena muerte» ha sido, desde tiempos muy remotos, la preocupación central de la filosofía. Pero ¿qué hay de las propias muertes de los filósofos? De las 190 que aquí se relatan, muchas son extravagantes, y abundan las historias de locura, asesinatos, suicidio y padecimiento. <P><P>Heráclito murió asfixiado en el estiércol; Empédocles se zambulló en el Etna esperando convertirse así en un dios; las últimas palabras de Hegel, refiriéndose a sí mismo, fueron: «sólo un hombre me ha comprendido en la vida, y aun él creo que no me comprendió»; Jeremy Bentham se hizo disecar, y se halla, a la vista de todos, en el University College de Londres; Nietzsche sufrió una lenta y estúpida muerte a raíz de haber besado a un caballo en Turín... <P><P>Desde la autoburla de los maestros zen en los haikus en su lecho de muerte hasta las últimas palabras de los santos cristianos o de los sabios contemporáneos, El libro de los filósofos muertos inspira tanto diversión como reflexión. Como Critchley demuestra con brillantez, observar de cerca lo que los grandes pensadores dijeron de la muerte resulta ser una optimista indagación sobre el significado y la viabilidad de la felicidad humana. Para aprender a vivir hay que saber morir.
Libya: Agriculture And Economic Development (Routledge Library Editions: The Economy of the Middle East)
by J. A. Allan K. S. McLachlan Edith T. PenroseOil revenues have made Libya rich since 1961, when oil exports began. This new wealth has affected all sectors of the economy and especially the agricultural sector; there have been considerable movements of population, changes in the use of land, and, possibly most important, there has been a profound change in the expectations of the Libyan people. Agriculture was the major contributor to GDP before oil and even in 1968 it was still the major sector in terms of employment, occupying 32 per cent of the employed population; as such it has always been given prominence in government planning. This study begins by introducing the major economic and geographical features relevant to agricultural development and examines the extension of agricultural activity in the twentieth century, prior to independence in 1951. The later chapters deal with the changes which have taken place since the discovery of oil with respect to land use in all parts of Libya, and deals in detail with agricultural investment and wages. First published in 1973.
Libya: Continuity and Change (The Contemporary Middle East #No. 33)
by Ronald Bruce St John Ronald Bruce St JohnRetaining the conceptual framework of the first edition through emphasis on the dual themes of continuity and change, the second edition of Libya is revised and updated to include discussion of key developments since 2010, including: The February 17 Revolution and the death of Muammar al-Qaddafi. The political process which evolved in the course of the February 17 Revolution and led to General National Congress elections in July 2012, Constitutional Assembly elections in February 2014, and House of Representative elections in June 2014. Post-Qaddafi economic policy from the National Transitional Council through successive interim transitional governments. Post-Qaddafi foreign policy. The on-going process of drafting a new constitution which will be followed by the election of a Parliament and a President. Providing a comprehensive overview of the Libyan uprising, seen to be the exception to the Arab Spring, and highlighting the issues facing contemporary Libya, this book is an important text for students and scholars of History, North Africa and the Middle East as well as the non-specialist with an interest in current affairs.
Libya Since Independence: Economic and Political Development (Routledge Library Editions: The Economy of the Middle East)
by J. A. AllanSince its independence in 1951, Libya has experienced rapid economic and social change. Many of these developments, though dramatic, have not been comprehensively documented until now. One of the problems that Libya has had to face has been the absorption of burgeoning oil revenues, and here the Libyan experience accords with that of other oil-rich states. The country has embarked on ambitious policies based on oil wealth; this book charts the development of traditional agricultural way of life, and the growth of new industrial projects and transport systems. The effect of Libya’s new wealth on its social and political systems is also considered in detail. In conclusion, the importance of Libya’s frontiers are discussed; although Libyan international interests have been wide-ranging in recent years, its real external interests are to extend its natural resource base, for its future developments will be founded on Libya’s perception of its territorial entitlement. First published in 1982.
Libyan Stories: A Research And Anthology
by FagihFirst Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Libya's Foreign Policy In North Africa
by Mary-jane DeebSince 1969 when Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhafi came to power through a military coup, Libya has been the focus of a great deal of attention. Its experiments with nation building have been viewed with curiosity and its foreign policy with dismay by Western analysts. Much has been written to explain Libya's international and domestic behavior, but des
License Plate Readers for Law Enforcement: Opportunities and Obstacles
by Keith Gierlack Shara Williams Tom Latourrette James M. Anderson Lauren A. Mayer Johanna ZmudBecause license plate reader (LPR) technology is relatively new in the United States, opportunities and obstacles in its use in law enforcement are still under exploration. To examine issues about this technology, RAND conducted interviews with law enforcement personnel, police officers, and others responsible for procuring, maintaining, and operating the systems.
License To Steal: How Fraud Bleeds America's Health Care System, Updated Edition
by Malcolm K. SparrowThis book brings an unusual opportunity to explore the peculiarities of America's health care industry's approach to fraud control, when compared with the financial services sector, credit card companies, or the Internal Revenue Service—all of which have to defend themselves against fraud.
License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport
by Patrick BixbyThis surprising global history of an indispensable document reveals how the passport has shaped art, thought, and human experience while helping to define the modern world. Narrow escapes and new starts, tearful departures and hopeful arrivals, unwanted scrutiny in the backrooms of officialdom: some of our most memorable experiences involve a passport. In License to Travel, Patrick Bixby examines the passports of artists and intellectuals, ancient messengers and modern migrants to reveal how these seemingly humble documents implicate us in larger narratives about identity, mobility, citizenship, and state authority. This concise cultural history takes the reader on a captivating journey from pharaonic Egypt and Han-dynasty China to the passport controls and crowded refugee camps of today. Along the way, the book connects intimate stories of vulnerability and desire with vivid examples drawn from world cinema, literature, art, philosophy, and politics, highlighting the control that travel documents have over our bodies as we move around the globe. With unexpected discoveries at every turn, License to Travel exposes the passport as both an instrument of personal freedom and a tool of government surveillance powerful enough to define our very humanity.
License to Wed: What Legal Marriage Means to Same-Sex Couples
by Kimberly D. RichmanA critical reader of the history of marriage understands that it is an institution that has always been in flux. It is also a decidedly complicated one, existing simultaneously in the realms of religion, law, and emotion. And yet recent years have seen dramatic and heavily waged battles over the proposition of including same sex couples in marriage. Just what is at stake in these battles? License to Wed examines the meanings of marriage for couples in the two first states to extend that right to same sex couples: California and Massachusetts. The two states provide a compelling contrast: while in California the rights that go with marriage--inheritance, custody, and so forth--were already granted to couples under the state's domestic partnership law, those in Massachusetts did not have this same set of rights. At the same time, Massachusetts has offered civil marriage consistently since 2004; Californians, on the other hand, have experienced a much more turbulent legal path. And yet, same-sex couples in both states seek to marry for a variety of interacting, overlapping, and evolving reasons that do not vary significantly by location. The evidence shows us that for many of these individuals, access to civil marriage in particular--not domestic partnership alone, no matter how broad--and not a commitment ceremony alone, no matter how emotional--is a home of such personal, civic, political, and instrumental resonance that it is ultimately difficult to disentangle the many meanings of marriage. This book attempts to do so, and in the process reveals just what is at stake for these couples, how access to a legal institution fundamentally alters their consciousness, and what the impact of legal inclusion is for those traditionally excluded.
Licensed to Kill
by Robert Young PeltonRobert Young Pelton first became aware of the phenomenon of hired guns in the War on Terror when he met a covert team of contractors on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border in the fall of 2003. Pelton soon embarked on a globe-spanning odyssey to penetrate and understand this shadowy world, ultimately delivering stunning insights into the way private soldiers are used.Enter a blood-soaked world of South African mercenaries and tribal fighters backed by ruthless financiers. Drop into Baghdad's Green Zone, strap on body armor, and take a daily high-speed ride with a doomed crew of security contractors who dodge car bombs and snipers just to get their charges to the airport. Share a drink in a chic hotel bar with wealthy owners of private armies who debate the best way to stay alive in war zones.Licensed to Kill spans four continents and three years, taking us inside the CIA's dirty wars; the brutal contractor murders in Fallujah and the Alamo-like sieges in Najaf and Al Kut; the Deep South contractor training camps where ex-Special Operations soldiers and even small town cops learn the ropes; the contractor conventions where macho attendees swap bullet-punctuated tales and discuss upcoming gigs; and the grim Central African prison where contractors turned failed mercenaries pay a steep price.The United States has encouraged the use of the private sector in all facets of the War on Terror, placing contractors outside the bounds of functional legal constraints. With the shocking clarity that can come only from firsthand observation, Licensed to Kill painstakingly deconstructs the most controversial events and introduces the pivotal players. Most disturbingly, it shows that there are indeed thousands of contractors--with hundreds more being produced every month--who've been given a license to kill, their services available to the highest bidder.From the Hardcover edition.
Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror
by Robert Young PeltonWhile it is not an entirely new phenomenon, a distinctive feature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been the number of military "private contractors" that have been employed by the Pentagon in order to carry out traditional military tasks such as protecting infrastructure and individuals. Investigative journalist Pelton offers a partial window into the world of the private contractor that focuses primarily on the men who carry the guns and there experiences in carrying out their duties. He tells the tales of the contractors that died in Fallujah in an event that set the stage for the later US assault on that Iraqi city, his own former bodyguard now serving time for involvement in an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, and the man accused of maintaining his own private prison in Afghanistan (who claims that he was acting on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency), among other guns-for-hire in the "War on Terror. " Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
The Licit Life of Capitalism: US Oil in Equatorial Guinea
by Hannah AppelThe Licit Life of Capitalism is both an account of a specific capitalist project—U.S. oil companies working off the shores of Equatorial Guinea—and a sweeping theorization of more general forms and processes that facilitate diverse capitalist projects around the world. Hannah Appel draws on extensive fieldwork with managers and rig workers, lawyers and bureaucrats, the expat wives of American oil executives and the Equatoguinean women who work in their homes, to turn conventional critiques of capitalism on their head, arguing that market practices do not merely exacerbate inequality; they are made by it. People and places differentially valued by gender, race, and colonial histories are the terrain on which the rules of capitalist economy are built. Appel shows how the corporate form and the contract, offshore rigs and economic theory are the assemblages of liberalism and race, expertise and gender, technology and domesticity that enable the licit life of capitalism—practices that are legally sanctioned, widely replicated, and ordinary, at the same time as they are messy, contested, and, arguably, indefensible.
The Lie About the Truck: Survivor, Reality TV, and the Endless Gaze
by Sallie TisdaleThe author of the acclaimed Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them) brings &“her singular sensibility, her genius for language, her love of our deeply imperfect world&” (Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women) to this insightful exploration of reality TV and the shifting definitions of truth in America.What is the truth? In a world of fake news and rampant conspiracy theories, the nature of truth has increasingly blurry borders. In this clever and timely cultural commentary, award-winning author Sallie Tisdale tackles this issue by framing it in a familiar way—reality TV, particularly the long-running CBS show Survivor. With humor and in-depth superfan analysis, Tisdale explores the distinction between suspended disbelief and true authenticity both in how we watch shows like Survivor, and in how we perceive the world around us. With her &“bold and wise, galvanizing and grounding&” (Chloe Caldwell, author of I&’ll Tell You in Person) writing, Tisdale has created an unputdownable, thoroughly entertaining, and groundbreaking book that we will be talking about for years to come.
Lie Detection and the Law: Torture, Technology and Truth (Law, Science and Society)
by Andrew BalmerThis book develops a sociological account of lie detection practices and uses this to think about lying more generally. Bringing together insights from sociology, social history, socio-legal studies and science and technology studies (STS), it explores how torture and technology have been used to try to discern the truth. It examines a variety of socio-legal practices, including trial by ordeal in Europe, the American criminal jury trial, police interrogations using the polygraph machine, and the post-conviction management of sex offenders in the USA and the UK. Moving across these different contexts, it articulates how uncertainties in the use of lie detection technologies are managed, and the complex roles they play in legal spaces. Alongside this story, the book surveys some of the different ways in which lying is understood in philosophy, law and social order. Lie Detection and the Law will be of interest to STS researchers, socio-legal scholars, criminologists and sociologists, as well as others working at the intersections of law and science.
Lie Machines: How to Save Democracy from Troll Armies, Deceitful Robots, Junk News Operations, and Political Operatives
by Philip N. HowardTechnology is breaking politics—what can be done about it? Artificially intelligent &“bot&” accounts attack politicians and public figures on social media. Conspiracy theorists publish junk news sites to promote their outlandish beliefs. Campaigners create fake dating profiles to attract young voters. We live in a world of technologies that misdirect our attention, poison our political conversations, and jeopardize our democracies. With massive amounts of social media and public polling data, and in-depth interviews with political consultants, bot writers, and journalists, Philip N. Howard offers ways to take these &“lie machines&” apart. Lie Machines is full of riveting behind-the-scenes stories from the world&’s biggest and most damagingly successful misinformation initiatives—including those used in Brexit and U.S. elections. Howard not only shows how these campaigns evolved from older propaganda operations but also exposes their new powers, gives us insight into their effectiveness, and explains how to shut them down.
Liebe im Konsumkapitalismus (essentials)
by Burkhard BierhoffBurkhard Bierhoff geht in diesem essential von der These aus, dass der Konsumkapitalismus die sexuelle Revolution der 1960er Jahre vollendet hat, indem er die Liebe hinter dem Konsum zum Verschwinden brachte und die Liebe als Konsum vereinseitigte. Der Autor stellt dar, dass die konsumistische F#65533;gsamkeit, die sich in Nacktdating-Shows und Pornografie genauso wie im Swinging und Speeddating zeigt, ein Angriff auf die befreiende Kraft der Liebe ist. Der durch die allgemeine Kommodifizierung nicht erstickbare Kern der Liebe k#65533;nnte zum Ausgangspunkt einer neuen Revolution der Liebe werden.
Liebe ohne Ende: Liebesbiografische Erzählungen vom Leben
by Johanna L. Degen Jo Reichertz Andrea Kleeberg-NiepageIst Liebe romantisch und hält ein Leben lang oder ist sie ein fragiles, potenziell toxisches Konstrukt? Lässt sich Liebe als neurochemischer Prozess (Biologie), als marktkonforme Idee (Soziologie) oder als Möglichkeit zur Erweiterung des Selbst (Psychologie) verstehen? Und wie leben Menschen mit der Liebe, welche Bedeutung hat oder gibt sie ihrem Leben, welche Vorstellungen, Träume aber auch Ängste verbinden sie mit ihr? Anhand von biografischen Interviews mit Menschen aus verschiedenen Altersgruppen, Milieus und sexuellen Orientierungen fragt dieses Buch nach der Bedeutung der Liebe im Leben und danach, ob sich die Vorstellung von Liebe in den letzten Jahrzehnten wesentlich verändert hat. Deutlich wird dabei die zentrale Kraft der Liebe im Leben, die jenseits medial geglätteter Idealisierungen antreibt, hart erarbeitet oder unerreichbar ist, Leiden und Verzweiflung, aber auch Erfüllung und Sinn zu bringen vermag. Die Liebesbiografien bieten tiefe Einblicke in das subjektive Erleben von Liebe, begleitende interdisziplinäre Einordnungen differenzieren und ergänzen aktuelle Theoretisierungen von Liebe.
Lies About My Family: A Memoir
by Amy HoffmanThis well-crafted family memoir is about the stories that are told and the ones that are not told, and about the ways the meanings of the stories change down the generations. It is about memory and the spaces between memories, and about alienation and reconciliation. All of Amy Hoffman's grandparents came to the United States during the early twentieth century from areas in Poland and Russia that are now Belarus and Ukraine. Like millions of immigrants, they left their homes because of hopeless poverty, looking for better lives or at the least a chance of survival. Because of the luck, hard work, and resourcefulness of the earlier generations, Hoffman and her five siblings grew up in a middle-class home, healthy, well fed, and well educated. An American success story? Not quite--or at least not quite the standard version. Hoffman's research in the Ellis Island archives along with interviews with family members reveal that the real lives of these relatives were far more complicated and interesting than their documents might suggest. Hoffman and her siblings grew up as observant Jews in a heavily Catholic New Jersey suburb, as political progressives in a town full of Republicans, as readers in a school full of football players and their fans. As a young lesbian, she distanced herself from her parents, who didn't understand her choice, and from the Jewish community, with its organization around family and unquestioning Zionism. However, both she and her parents changed and evolved, and by the end of this engaging narrative, they have come to new understandings, of themselves and one another.