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Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Leader (Black Americans of Achievement Legacy Edition)
by Mary Hull Gloria Blakely Dale Evva GelfandOn December 1, 1955, seamstress Rosa Parks took a stand by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Her defiance against an unjust system triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped spark the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Parks demonstrated the effectiveness of unified peaceful protests, and throughout her life she advocated an end to violence, discrimination, and injustice, eventually establishing the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. Rosa Parks, Updated Edition, includes fresh insights on the life and legacy of the woman known as the "mother of the civil rights movement."
Rose: Love in Violent Times
by Inga MuscioWith trademark precision and razor-sharp wit, Inga Muscio explores the impacts of passive violence, abuse, war, and cultural trauma on our most intimate lives in order to uncover a path toward healthy and imaginative sex and love.Rose breaks new ground in answering a fundamental question in most feminist and antiracist writing: how do we identify, witness, and then recover from trauma--as individuals, as families, as communities, and as a country? Muscio's ability to address dire topics with a unique freshness and bravery allows her readers to confront the true brutality of a violent culture, then to react powerfully with righteous rage and hopeful determination.Chilling, eye-opening, and thoroughly enjoyable, Rose offers a fresh and exhilarating perspective on achieving empowerment and self-possession.
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland: First Lady and Literary Scholar
by Sirpa SaleniusRose Elizabeth Cleveland was the First Lady of the United States when she assisted her brother, Grover Cleveland. She was also a literary scholar, novelist, and a poet who published work that empowered women. This book positions Cleveland in the historical context of the early twentieth century, when she helped shape female subjectivity and agency.
A Rose For Her Grave And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files #1)
by Ann RuleAnn Rule's Crime Files books have delivered the very best in true crime reading since A Rose for Her Grave, first in the acclaimed series, made its debut. Distinguished by the former Seattle policewoman's razor-sharp eye for telling detail and her penetrating analysis of the criminal mind, this gripping collection of accounts drawn from her personal files features the twisting case of Randy Roth, who married -- and murdered -- for profit. In her trademark narrative style, Ann Rule weaves a tale that is riveting, enraging, and heartbreaking all at once, and brilliantly chronicles the fateful confluence of a killer and his female victims, as well as the shattering investigation into Roth's heinous crimes.
Rosemary Nyirumbe: Sewing Hope in Uganda (People of God)
by Maria Ruiz ScaperlandaSister Nyirumbe's 62 years of life provide a powerful testament to God’s presence, love, and hope amidst unimaginable violence. Throughout these many years, her native Uganda and southern Sudan (now South Sudan) have suffered the devastating effects of war and military clashes. Children, as the most vulnerable population, have suffered the most—being orphaned, kidnapped, forced to become child soldiers and sex-slaves. In Rosemary Nyirumbe: Sewing Hope in Uganda, María Ruiz Scaperlanda brings to light Sister Rosemary’s vocation of loving presence to these youth in the midst of this cultural and societal obliteration. As a Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for over 45 years, Sister Rosemary, even at great risk to herself, continues to minister to children enduring the violence around them, teaching practical skills, while helping them to heal, forgive, and hope. Her work taking in girls escaping captivity by Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has earned her international recognition. She has been named one of TIME magazine’s "100 Most Influential People in the World."
Rosenfeld's Lives: Fame, Oblivion, and the Furies of Writing
by Steven J. ZippersteinBorn in Chicago in 1918, the prodigiously gifted and erudite Isaac Rosenfeld was anointed a "genius" upon the publication of his "luminescent" novel, Passage from Home and was expected to surpass even his closest friend and rival, Saul Bellow. Yet when felled by a heart attack at the age of thirty-eight, Rosenfeld had published relatively little, his life reduced to a metaphor for literary failure. In this deeply contemplative book, Steven J. Zipperstein seeks to reclaim Rosenfeld's legacy by "opening up" his work. Zipperstein examines for the first time the "small mountain" of unfinished manuscripts the writer left behind, as well as his fiercely candid journals and letters. In the process, Zipperstein unearths a turbulent life that was obsessively grounded in a profound commitment to the ideals of the writing life. Rosenfeld's Lives is a fascinating exploration of literary genius and aspiration and the paradoxical power of literature to elevate and to enslave. It illuminates the cultural and political tensions of post-war America, Jewish intellectual life of the era, and--most poignantly--the struggle at the heart of any writer's life.
Rosewood: Endangered Species Conservation and the Rise of Global China
by Annah Lake ZhuA riveting study of the booming rosewood trade between China and Madagascar uncovers an alternative approach to environmentalism that disrupts Western models. Rosewood is the world’s most trafficked endangered species by value, accounting for larger outlays than ivory, rhino horn, and big cats put together. Nearly all rosewood logs are sent to China, fueling a $26 billion market for classically styled furniture. Vast expeditions across Asia and Africa search for the majestic timber, and legions of Chinese ships sail for Madagascar, where rosewood is purchased straight from the forest. The international response has been to interdict the trade, but in this incisive account Annah Lake Zhu suggests that environmentalists have misunderstood both the intent and the effect of China’s appetite for rosewood, causing social and ecological damage in the process. For one thing, Chinese consumers are understandably seeking to reclaim their cultural heritage, restoring a centuries-old tradition of home furnishing that the Cultural Revolution had condemned. In addition, Chinese firms are investing in environmental preservation. Far from simply exploiting the tree, businesses are carefully managing valuable forests and experimenting with extensive new plantings. This sustainable-use paradigm differs dramatically from the conservation norms preferred by Western-dominated NGOs, whose trade bans have prompted speculation and high prices, even encouraging criminal activity. Meanwhile, attempts to arm conservation task forces—militias meant to guard the forests—have backfired. Drawing on years of fieldwork in China and Madagascar, Rosewood upends the pieties of the global aid industry. Zhu offers a rigorous look at what environmentalism and biodiversity protection might look like in a world no longer dominated by the West.
The Rosewood Massacre: An Archaeology and History of Intersectional Violence (Cultural Heritage Studies)
by Edward González-TennantDrawing on new methods and theories, Edward González-Tennant uncovers important elements of the forgotten history of Rosewood. He uses a mix of techniques such as geospatial analysis, interpretation of remotely sensed data, analysis of census data and property records, oral history, and the excavation and interpretation of artifacts from the site to reconstruct the local landscape. González-Tennant interprets these and other data through an intersectional framework, acknowledging the complex ways class, race, gender, and other identities compound discrimination. This allows him to explore the local circumstances and broader sociopolitical power structures that led to the massacre, showing how the event was a microcosm of the oppression and terror suffered by African Americans and other minorities in the United States. González-Tennant connects these historic forms of racial violence to present-day social and racial inequality and argues that such continuities demonstrate the need to make events like the Rosewood massacre public knowledge. A volume in the series Cultural Heritage Studies, edited by Paul A. Shackel
Rosicrucian America: How a Secret Society Influenced the Destiny of a Nation
by Steven SoraAn in-depth history of Rosicrucianism, its key members, and their roles in the formation and settling of America • Explores Sir Francis Bacon and Dr. John Dee&’s deep influence on England&’s colonization of America as well as the Rosicrucian influence on the Founding Fathers and on cities such as Philadelphia and Williamsburg • Explains how Bacon was the author of many anonymous Rosicrucian texts and how he envisioned America as the &“New Atlantis&” • Reveals the connections of the Order of the Rosy Cross to the Knights of the Golden Circle and to the Georgia Guidestones Dr. John Dee and his polymath protégé Sir Francis Bacon were the most influential men in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, part of an elite group with invisible control throughout Europe. And, as Steven Sora reveals, not only were they key members of the Rosicrucians, they were the driving force behind England&’s colonization of the New World and the eventual establishment of the United States. From Avalon in Newfoundland to New England to Pennsylvania and Virginia, Sora shows how Bacon and Dee&’s Rosicrucian impact is felt throughout North America. He details Bacon&’s possible authorship of the anonymous Rosicrucian texts of the early 1600s, his connections with Sir Walter Raleigh&’s School of Night, and the origins of Rosicrucianism in Bacon&’s Order of the Helmet. He explains how Bacon envisioned America as the New Atlantis, a utopia where liberty and freedom of learning prevailed--a key tenet of the &“Invisible College&” of the Rosicrucian Order--and how Dee convinced the Queen that England had rightful claims in the New World by drawing on legends of both King Arthur and Welsh Prince Madoc voyaging West to America. Sora looks at Rosicrucian influences on the Founding Fathers and earliest settlers of America, such as Washington, Franklin, and William Penn of Pennsylvania, on the American Revolution, and on American colonies, such as the Williamsburg colony. He details how Penn invited Rosicrucians to Philadelphia and how the city&’s layout follows esoteric principles, including a direct reference to Bacon&’s New Atlantis. Moving into the 1800s and beyond, he reveals how a handful of Rosicrucians served as the Inner Sanctum of the Knights of the Golden Circle and how Rosicrucians are behind the Georgia Guidestones, carved granite monoliths with messages in ancient languages. Providing a thorough and expansive view of Rosicrucianism, its occult origins, and its deep imprint on America, Sora shows how this secret society still continues to exert invisible influence on the modern world.
The Rosicrucians: The History, Mythology, and Rituals of an Esoteric Order
by Christopher McIntoshAn introduction to the spiritual movement that influenced Western esoteric tradition—from alchemy and Freemasonry to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.This scholarly work traces the mysterious Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, from its inception upon the discovery of Father Christian Rosenkreuz’s perfectly preserved body in a seven-sided vault to present-day organizations in America. McIntosh includes a survey of Rosicrucianism in America, exploring the latter day survivals of Bacon’s New Atlantis. Perfect for students of the Western Mystery tradition who want an introduction to Rosicrucianism, with good resources for further study.
Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach (Images of America)
by Gerrie SchipskeDuring World War II, an unprecedented number of womentook jobs at aircraft plants, shipyards, munitions factories, and other concerns across the nation to produce material essential to winning the war. Affectionately and collectively called "Rosie the Riveter" after a popular 1943 song, thousands of these women came to the U.S. Army-financed Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, the largest wartime plane manufacturer, to help produce an astonishing number of the aircraft used in the war. They riveted,welded, assembled, and installed, doing man-sized jobs, making attack bombers, other war birds, and cargo transports. They trained at Long Beach City Schools and worked 8- and 10-hour shifts in a windowless, bomb-proof plant. Their children attended Long Beach Day Nursery, and their households ran on rations and victory gardens. When the men came home after the war ended, most of these resilient women lost their jobs.
Rosslyn: The Story of the Rosslyn Chapel and the True Story Behind the Da Vinci Code
by Andrew SinclairThe mysterious history of Rosslyn Chapel and the Knights Templar is revealed in this authoritative volume by a descendent of its first patrons. In the 15th century, William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness and Baron of Roslin, built a Catholic chapel in the Midlothian region of Scotland. Famous for its esoteric symbolism, this flamboyant Gothic church was of great importance to the Knights Templar, who formed a third Temple of Solomon with the patronage of the Sinclair lairds. Historian Andrew Sinclair, whose own family lineage traces back to William, explores the rise and fall of Rosslyn over the course of centuries. It is a tale of religious conflicts and ancient relics, of epic battles and secret societies. Along the way, he dispels the many myths and misinterpretations that have grown up around Rosslyn, as the fortunes of the Sinclair family declined and the Church and Castle fell into ruin.
El rostro de la guerra: Crónicas en primera línea 1937-1985
by Martha GellhornLas crónicas de la mítica corresponsal Martha Gellhorn, desde la guerra civil española hasta los conflictos de Centroamérica de los años noventa. Martha Gellhorn, periodista y escritora estadounidense, vivió como corresponsal de guerra los conflictos bélicos más importantes de la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Este libro recoge los sentimientos, las impresiones y el testimonio directo de Gellhorn en la Guerra Civil española, las guerras de Finlandia, de China, la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la guerra de Java, las guerras y conflictos en Oriente Próximo, Centroamérica y Vietnam. «Escribí muy deprisa [...] -diría Gellhorn-, siempre temía olvidar el sonido, el olor, las palabras, los gestos exactos que eran propios de ese momento y ese lugar». Los reportajes aquí reunidos se muestran como un reflejo de esos intensos momentos. Recuentos sinceros que revelan laprofunda empatíade una mujer que supo comprenderla vulnerabilidad del ser humano y transmitirla en sus crónicas. Acompañados al final de una serie de textos escritos por la autora con la perspectiva que da el paso del tiempo y de una visión general propia que refleja su actitud contra las armas nucleares y su amenaza de la guerra, las crónicas de Martha Gellhorn son un clásico en su género y han creado escuela en todo el mundo. Críticas:«Un brillante libro anti-guerra.»The New York Times «El estilo de Gellhorn es simplemente fascinante.»The Guardian «Una colección excepcional de crónicas punzantes pero compasivas de la tragedia y el sufrimiento de la guerra.»Library Thing
Roswell: The Ultimate Cold Case
by Thomas J. Carey Donald R. Schmitt“[The authors] have, like each whistleblower before them, paid a price for their . . . amplification of the truth. . . . The most profound event in human history.” —Joseph G. Buchman, Ph.D, moderator for the Citizen Hearing on DisclosureTwo of the world’s leading investigators declare definitively that the Roswell Incident happened and present their closing arguments.For more than seventy years, the crash at Roswell and its ensuing controversies and cover-ups have been investigated. Yet despite continually mounting evidence, there are still disbelievers. Roswell: The Ultimate Cold Case is Carey and Schmitt’s final and commanding word on the case in which they declare victory once and for all.The government has changed their official story on Roswell more than a dozen times, but the witnesses have not recanted. The evidence has not gone away. And won’t go away. The Roswell Incident is the most hotly debated and investigated UFO crash in history with seemingly endless evidence, and eyewitnesses coming forward even years later. Finally, late in life people feel safe enough or feel duty bound to reveal what they know, saw, and heard.Roswell: The Ultimate Cold Case will bring all new exclusive eye witness testimonies to light as well as cover the:Connection of astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Neil Armstrong to Roswell.Connection of Clinton, Carter, Goldwater, Schiff, and Richardson to Roswell.First time artist conception of impact site with craft and bodies based on firsthand testimony.First time full-size model of crash survivor based on eyewitness testimony.And more eyewitness corroboration.“There is no one on this planet who knows more about the Roswell incident than these two guys.” —Larry Landsman, director of special projects for the Syfy Channel
The Roth Family, Anthropology, and Colonial Administration (Univ Col London Inst Arch Pub Ser.)
by Russell McDougall Iain DavidsonNo family better represents the overlapping roles of administrator and scientist in the British empire than the Roths. Descended from a Hungarian emigrant to Australia, two generations of Roths served the empire on four continents and, at the same time, produced ethnographic, archaeological, and linguistic studies that form the basis for much modern research. This volume assesses the often-conflicting roles and contributions of the Roths as government servants and anthropologists. Most of the volume deals with Walter E. Roth, who developed foundational studies of both the Australian Aborigines—considered to be among the first systematic ethnographies anywhere—and South American tribes while serving as Chief Protector of Aborigines in Queensland and later medical officer, magistrate, museum curator and indigenous relations officer in British Guyana. Henry Ling Roth’s contributions to the anthropology of Tasmania, Benin, Sarawak, and New Zealand are also enumerated, as are the publications and administrative activities of the succeeding generation of Roths. This volume serves the reader as a family biography, a slice of the English colonial history, and an important introduction to the history of anthropology.
Rothschild Buildings: Life in an East-End Tenement Block 1887 - 1920
by Jerry WhiteWinner of the Jewish Chronicle Harold H. Wingate Literary Award.Rothschild Buildings were typical of the 'model dwellings for the working classes' which were such an important part of the response to late-Victorian London's housing problem. They were built for poor but respectable Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, and the community which put down roots there was to be characteristic of the East End Jewish working class in its formative years. By talking to people who grew up in the Buildings in the 1890s and after, and using untapped documentary evidence from a wide range of public and private sources, the author re-creates the richly detailed life of that community and its relations with the economy and culture around it. The book shows how cramped and austere housing was made into homes; how the mechanism of class domination, of which the Buildings were part, was both accepted and fought against; how a close community was riven with constantly shifting tensions; and how that community co-existed in surprising ways with the East End casual poor of 'outcast London'. It provides unique and fascinating insights into immigrant and working-class life at the turn of the last century.
Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series
by David PietruszaHistory remembers Arnold Rothstein as the man who fixed the 1919 World Series, an underworld genius. The real-life model for The Great Gatsby's Meyer Wolfsheim and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls, Rothstein was much more--and less--than a fixer of baseball games. He was everything that made 1920s Manhattan roar. Featuring Jazz Age Broadway with its thugs, speakeasies, showgirls, political movers and shakers, and stars of the Golden Age of Sports, this is a biography of the man who dominated an age. Arnold Rothstein was a loan shark, pool shark, bookmaker, thief, fence of stolen property, political fixer, Wall Street swindler, labor racketeer, rumrunner, and mastermind of the modern drug trade. Among his monikers were "The Big Bankroll," "The Brain," and "The Man Uptown. " This vivid account of Rothstein's life is also the story of con artists, crooked cops, politicians, gang lords, newsmen, speakeasy owners, gamblers and the like. Finally unraveling the mystery of Rothstein's November 1928 murder in a Times Square hotel room, David Pietrusza has cemented The Big Bankroll's place among the most influential and fascinating legendary American criminals.
Rotten Days in Late Summer
by Ralf WebbA TELEGRAPH AND IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST COLLECTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN POLLARD FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 'Impressive . . . tender, unflinching' Guardian'This is poetry in the grand tradition of annihiliation by desire. It's what the young are always learning, and the old, if they are wise, never forget' Anne Boyer, author of The Undying'Brilliant . . . heralds the arrival of a frank and vital poetic voice' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti'Frank and alert . . . an important voice in British poetry' Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary'Direct and heart-breaking' Alex Dimitrov, author of Love and Other Poems'A rare thing . . . razor-sharp' Julia Copus, author of This Rare Spirit: A Life of Charlotte MewIn Rotten Days in Late Summer, Ralf Webb turns poetry to an examination of the textures of class, youth, adulthood and death in the working communities of the West Country, from mobile home parks, boyish factory workers and saleswomen kept on the road for days at a time, to the yearnings of young love and the complexities of masculinity.Alongside individual poems, three sequences predominate: a series of 'Love Stories', charting a course through the dreams, lies and salt-baked limbs of multiple relationships; 'Diagnostics', which tells the story of the death from cancer of the poet's father; and 'Treetops', a virtuosic long poem weaving together grief and mental health struggles in an attempt to come to terms with the overwhelming data of a life.The world of these poems is close, dangerous, lustrous and difficult: a world in which whole existences are lived in the spin of almost-inescapable fates. In searching for the light within it, this prodigious debut collection announces the arrival of a major new voice in British poetry.
Rotten to the Core?: The Life and Death of Neville Heath (Routledge Revivals)
by Francis SelwynThe Second World War created heroes and scoundrels in good measure. Few men shifted from role to role with the insolent ease of Neville Heath. Exchanging one alias for another, he was at various times Lord ‘Jimmy’ Dudley, Captain Bruce Lockhart, ‘The Cambridge Blue’, Group-Captain Rupert Brooke, and Lieutenant-Colonel James Rupert Cadogan Armstrong, DFC, AFC. In reality Neville Heath was the product of public school and Borstal, an officer and a gentleman dismissed by three armed services and four times convicted in the civilian courts. His final conviction in 1946 was for the most notorious murder of the post-war world.Originally published in 1988, Rotten to the Core? asks who was the real Neville Heath? As Francis Selwyn describes him, the masks he adopted corresponded to a distorted truth. He had been a pilot on active service, but his deeds of heroism were accomplished by log-book forgeries. Yet he was a daredevil, a driver of fast and stolen cars, a would-be cat-burglar, apparently impervious to fear. He lived on the edge of discovery and disgrace, as if exhilarated by the tension. But the escapism of the daydreamer and pilot was allied to a deep inner corruption. With some women who fell for his matinée-idol good looks and debonair charm, he was the perfect gentleman. To some he proved a cold-hearted swindler. With others, he was a sadist who delighted in causing pain. His moral aberration drove him to murder. Neville Heath ended his life on the gallows, playing the officer and gentleman to the last.Francis Selwyn’s tense and vividly written book was a fine successor to Hitler’s Englishman, his biography of William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw), another misfit from the pre-war world. Rotten to the Core? deals with Heath the psychopath, but it also depicts the curious post-war society which allowed him to take root and to flourish, showing that Heath the confidence trickster – and murderer – was a man of his time.
Rough: How violence has found its way into the bedroom and what we can do about it
by Rachel Thompson**AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S WOMEN'S HOUR**Rough is a revolutionary non-fiction work exploring the narratives of sexual violence that we don't talk about.A bad sexual experience.A grey area. Not rape but... A violation .These are the terms we use to describe the experiences we don't have words for. The way we talk about topics such as sex, consent, assault aren't fit for purpose.Through powerful testimony from 50 women and non-binary people, this book shines a light on the sexual violence that takes place in our bedrooms and beyond, sometimes at the hands of people we know, trust, or even love. Rough investigates violations such as 'stealthing,' non-consensual choking, and non-consensual rough sex acts that our culture is only starting to recognise as sexual violence.The book explores the ways in which systems of oppression manifest in our sexual culture - from racist microaggressions, to fatphobic acts of aggression, and ableist dehumanising behaviour. An intersectional, sex-positive, kink-positive work, the book also examines how white supremacy, transphobia, biphobia, homophobia, and misogyny are driving forces behind sexual violence.Rough is an urgent, timely call for change to the systems that oppress us all.'An incredible investigation into a frighteningly common part of our sexual experience,' Dr Fern Riddell'Rough speaks to how many women often feel after sexual encounters ...This book is excellent and demonstrates just how valid those feelings are,' Adele Walton, founder of Humanitarian Hotgirl
Rough and Tumble: An Autobiography of a West Texas Judge
by William Paul MossThis is the autobiography of West Texas judge William Paul Moss, which was first published in 1954, and predominantly explores his youthful adventures on his ranches in Texas and New Mexico, where he loved to raise cattle and hunt. Judge Moss describes his life as having consisted of three parts: cattle, law, and oil. In describing his job as a judge, he portrays himself as a conscientious lawyer and judge and proclaims his love for his adopted city and state, observing that “the judge passes upon all questions of law, subject to the right of appeal to the appellate courts.” His jurisdiction included both civil and criminal matters. Though not required by law he would appoint lawyers for those who could not afford them. Moss believed that a judge should try “to make his courthouse into a temple of justice” and he believed this involved keeping his mind “on the spirit of the law rather than its technicalities.” He observed: “A country judge is, in many respects, like a country lawyer. He has to know a little bit about everything. There are times when he may not even know much about the law.”
Rough and Tumble: Aggression, Hunting, and Human Evolution
by Travis Rayne PickeringTravis Rayne Pickering argues that the advent of ambush hunting approximately two million years ago marked a milestone in human evolution, one that established the social dynamic that allowed our ancestors to expand their range and diet. He challenges the traditional link between aggression and human predation, however, claiming that while aggressive attack is a perfectly efficient way for our chimpanzee cousins to kill prey, it was a hopeless tactic for early human hunters, who--in comparison to their large, potentially dangerous prey--were small, weak, and slow-footed. Technology that evolved from wooden spears to stone-tipped spears and ultimately to the bow and arrow increased the distance between predator and prey and facilitated an emotional detachment that allowed hunters to stalk and kill large game. Based on studies of humans and of other primates, as well as on fossil and archaeological evidence, Rough and Tumble offers a new perspective on human evolution by decoupling ideas of aggression and predation to build a more realistic understanding of what it is to be human.
Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
by Simon SchamaFor Schama, the neglect of African American experiences -- at the time of the American Revolution -- is particularly regretful because within the fires of that conflict one can locate an important episode in the struggle for black freedom. He describes how African-American slaves by the thousands responded to the British offer of emancipation by escaping from their plantations and making the arduous journey northward to Canada. He also describes how authorities on both sides of the war responded to this phenomenon as they struggled to gain advantage in the war.
Rough Likeness: Essays
by Lia PurpuraLia Purpura's essays are full of joy in the act of intense observation; they're also deliciously subversive and alert to the ways language gets locked and loaded by culture. These elegant, conversational excursions refuse to let a reader slide over anything, from the tiniest shards of beach glass to barren big-box wastelands. They detonate distractedness, superficiality, artificiality. In the process, Purpura inhabits many stances: metaphysician and biologist, sensualist and witness-all in service of illuminating that which Virginia Woolf called "moments of being"-previously unworded but palpably felt states of existence and knowing. Rough Likeness finds worlds in the minute, and crafts monuments to beauty and strangeness.
Rough Metaphysics: The Speculative Thought and Mediumship of Jane Roberts
by Peter SkafishA powerful case for why anthropology should study outsiders of thought and their speculative ideas What sort of thinking is needed to study anomalies in thought? In this trenchantly argued and beautifully written book, anthropologist Peter Skafish explores this provocative question by examining the writings of the medium and &“rough metaphysician&” Jane Roberts (1929–1984). Through a close interpretation of her own published texts as well as those she understood herself to have dictated for her cohort of channeled personalities—including one, named &“Seth,&” who would inspire the New Age movement—Skafish shows her intuitive and dreamlike work to be a source of rigorously inventive ideas about science, ontology, translation, and pluralism. Arguing that Roberts&’s writings contain philosophies ahead of their time, he also asks: How might our understanding of speculative thinking change if we consider the way untrained writers, occult visionaries, and their counterparts in other cultural traditions undertake it? What can outsider thinkers teach us about the limitations of even our most critical intellectual habits?Rough Metaphysics is at once an ethnography of the books of a strange and yet remarkable writer, a commentary on the unlikely philosophy contained in them, and a call for a new way of doing (and undoing) philosophy through anthropology, and vice versa. In guiding the reader through Roberts&’s often hallucinatory &“world of concepts,&” Skafish also develops a series of original interpretations of thinkers—from William James to Claude Lévi-Strauss to Paul Feyerabend—who have been vital to anthropologists and their fellow travelers.Seductively written and surprising in its turns of thought, Rough Metaphysics is a feast for anyone who wants to learn how to think something new, especially about thought.