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Performance Coaching Skills for Social Work (Post-Qualifying Social Work Leadership and Management Handbooks)
by Richard Field Jane HolroydWithin health and social care settings, high levels of sustained performance from individuals, teams, organisations and multi-agency collaborations are required. In order to achieve this, both management and leadership have to take a clear and defined role. This book looks at the ′how to′ of performance coaching - from establishing objectives, determining frameworks, processes and systems, to monitoring and taking corrective action as necessary. Coaching in its various forms offers a means by which those involved in public service can be supported and challenged to perform.
Sharing Assessment in Health and Social Care: A Practical Handbook for Interprofessional Working
by Michelle Davies Carolyn Wallace"This is an accessible and important text. It is to be commended for bringing together policy and practice on assessment and information sharing across England, Scotland and Wales." - Professor Michael Preston-Shoot, University of Bedfordshire "This new text is a welcome addition to the literature relating to inter-professional working. It offers students from a range of professions a comprehensive guide to current social policy and authoritative guidance on how to conduct a safe and effective assessment." - Soo Moore, City University, London Shared assessment is the standardised approach to assessment and the sharing of information and documentation within and between health and social care. This book offers students and practitioners a step-by-step guide to the process, helping them to overcome some of the anxieties of change and providing realistic guidance on the process. Key features of the book include: - Comprehensive coverage - follows a logical structure looking at context, policy, and practice - A focus on the practitioner′s understanding of an individual′s experience and the roles of staff within the process - Discussion of confidentiality and anti-discriminatory practice - Four chapter-long case studies that take the reader through the stages of assessment and subsequent roles and responsibilities. The book includes pedagogical features such as a glossary of terms, a Comparative Grid for Standardised Assessment Frameworks, examples of carers′ assessments, reflective questions and further reading. It is essential reading for students and practitioners working across health and social care, particularly in social work, nursing and mental health.
The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Communication: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice
by John G. Oetzel and Stella Ting-ToomeyThis second edition of the award-winning The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Communication emphasizes constructive conflict management from a communication perspective, identifying the message as the focus of conflict research and practice. Editors John G. Oetzel and Stella Ting-Toomey, along with expert researchers in the discipline, have assembled in one resource the knowledge base of the field of conflict communication; identified the best theories, ideas, and practices of conflict communication; and provided the opportunity for scholars and practitioners to link theoretical frameworks and application tools. Fully updated with the latest research throughout, the second edition offers new chapters on qualitative and quantitative research methods for conflict, intimate partner violence, family dynamics, mental health, negotiation, workplace bullying, healthcare conflict, identity and intercultural conflict, the middle way approach, conflict in the global workplace, the culture-based situational conflict model, community ethics and engagement, spirituality and conflict, and trust in academic-community partnerships.
Managing Nonprofit Organizations in a Policy World
by Shannon K. Vaughan Shelly ArsneaultIf nonprofits influence policy, make policy, are affected by policy, and are subject to policy, then shouldn′t every nonprofit manager fully understand the policy world in which they operate? In explicitly tying the policy realm to management skills, Vaughan and Arsneault′s foundational book sheds new light on how nonprofit managers can better navigate policymaking and regulatory contexts to effectively lead their organizations. Vaughan and Arsneault provide a comprehensive overview of the nonprofit sector and the policy environment, with a focus on skills and strategies managers can use to advance the causes of their organizations. Abundant examples and rich case studies explore the complexity of the policy-nonprofit relationship and highlight both management challenges and successes. While coverage of the nuts-and-bolts is in here, what sets this book apart is tying everyday management to the broader view of how nonprofits can thrive within the policy ecosystem.
Researching Young People′s Lives
by Elizabeth Cleaver Eleanor Ireland Rachel Brooks Sue Heath′Researching young people′s lives will be useful to both the novice researcher and anyone interested in learning about new methods of practice′ - Youth Studies Australia Researching Young People′s Lives provides an overview of some of the key methodological challenges facing youth researchers and an introduction to the broad repertoire of methods used in youth-orientated research. The book is split into two sections. In the first half of the book, the authors consider the broad methodological and contextual concerns of relevance to the design and conduct of youth research, including ethical issues, the importance of context, and the rise of participatory approaches to youth research. The second part of the book focuses on the use of specific research methods in the conduct of youth research, ranging from surveys and secondary analysis through to interviewing, ethnography, visual methods, and the use of the internet in youth research. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on research in practice, and examples are drawn from recent youth research projects from a wide range of disciplines and substantive areas, and from a range of both UK and non-UK contexts. This is an ideal introduction to the field for novice researchers, in particular students studying and researching in the broad area of youth studies. It should also appeal to practitioners engaged in evaluation of service provision to young people, and to established youth researchers who might wish to explore the potential of using a different set of methods to those with which they are already familiar.
Social Work with Children, Young People and their Families in Scotland (Transforming Social Work Practice Series)
by Steve HothersallThis fully-updated and revised third edition addresses the changes to law and practice in relation to adoption and permanency, the children’s hearing system and the implications of the provisions of the Children and Young People (S) Act 2014 and other related matters, including the National Practice Model of GIRFEC. This is the only text to provide coverage of the new legal, policy and practice landscape of social work with children and families in Scotland, and as such, it is an indispensable guide for students, newly-qualified social workers, managers and practice teachers and a range of other professionals in health, education, the police and others in cognate disciplines.
Improving Personal and Organisational Performance in Social Work (Post-Qualifying Social Work Leadership and Management Handbooks)
by Jane HolroydWithin health and social care settings, high levels of sustained performance from individuals, teams, organisations and multi-agency collaborations are required. This book offers a service-oriented leadership approach for Social Work managers and looks to enhance personal effectiveness and ultimately organisational performance through human behaviour, thought and communication. It is designed to support the development of aspiring and front line managers in social work and care through the introduction of key concepts such as understanding the Self, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, self-leadership and communication.
Family Violence From a Global Perspective: A Strengths-Based Approach
by Sylvia M. Asay John DeFrain Marcee Metzger Bob MoyerThis one-of-a-kind edited collection draws on the expertise of authors from 16 countries representing 17 cultures to tell the story of domestic violence in their respective parts of the world. The book incorporates a strengths-based approach, including individual, relationship, community, and societal strengths. The collection draws on multiple perspectives (academics, counselors, organizers, activists, and victims) to determine strengths and analyze how they can translate into greater safety for victims, increased accountability of perpetrators, and improved policy formation and research. Each chapter focuses on the lived experiences of victims of intimate partner violence, child abuse, or elder abuse and includes information about the abuser, the family, the community, and the culture.
Social Work and ICT
by Ian Shaw Andrew HillInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become an integral part of social and working lives. Within social work ICTs play a vital role, helping professionals to store and share information and contributing to new forms of practice. This book goes a step further than simply describing ICT skills, but asks why ICT is used and how this affects practice and the experience of people who use services. The book has a practical focus and includes guidance on: Best Practice for Social Work and ICT ICT Use in Social Work Service Users, Carers and ICT Technology and Professional Practice ICT and Social Work Agencies Social Work Programmes in the Virtual World ICT and Practice Based Learning Written in a student-friendly style, Social Work and ICT is interspersed with activities and exercises to enable students to develop their skills and knowledge. Each chapter also includes a ′Taking it Further′ section with useful websites, suggestions for further reading and ideas to improve practice. The book has been designed to enhance professional practice and it will be essential reading for all undergraduate programmes in social work.
Qualitative Methods for Family Studies and Human Development
by Kerry J. Daly"Daly has crafted one of the most accessible, comprehensive, and functional texts in research methods that students, scholars, and practitioners concerned with understanding family and development will immensely appreciate."—Carla L. Fisher, The Pennsylvania State University"I love this book! It is thoroughly excellent—accessible and clear. … What an accomplishment: an inviting research methods book written with intelligence and humility—makes you want to dive right into your next research project."—Katherine R. Allen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityThis book is a masterpiece. Kerry Daly has written the finest and most profound volume on qualitative research available in print. From the opening chapter to the last, it is clear that we are in the hands of a master scholar who brings great depth and wisdom to his work. . . . A tour de force by any standard. —David Dollahite, Brigham Young UniversityQualitative Methods for Family Studies and Human Development serves as a step-by-step, interdisciplinary, qualitative methods text for those working in the areas of family studies, human development, family therapy, and family social work. Providing a systematic outline for carrying out qualitative projects from start to finish, author Kerry J. Daly uniquely combines epistemology, theory, and methodology into a comprehensive package illustrated with specific examples from family relations and human development research.Key Features:Outlines different analytic procedures: The most commonly used methodological traditions are covered, including ethnography, interpretive phenomenology, grounded theory methodology, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, and participatory action research.Offers examples from both hypothetical and actual research studies: Attention is given to the unique challenges associated with qualitative research on couples and families, ethics procedures, and credibility issues. Allows readers to make informed choices within clear guidelines: Balances breadth of topic coverage with sufficient detail to equip students to make informed decisions about methodologies and to be able to design and implement a qualitative research project.Cultivates good perceptual skills: Several pedagogical text boxes, tips and guidelines for data collection, examples, and illustrations encourage students to reflect on their own preferences, values, and experiences.
Employment and Work (The SAGE Reference Series on Disability: Key Issues and Future Directions)
by Susanne Marie Bruyère Linda BarringtonThis volume in The SAGE Reference Series on Disability explores issues facing people with disabilities in employment and the work environment. It is one of eight volumes in the cross-disciplinary and issues-based series, which incorporates links from varied fields making up Disability Studies as volumes examine topics central to the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. With a balance of history, theory, research, and application, specialists set out the findings and implications of research and practice for others whose current or future work involves the care and/or study of those with disabilities, as well as for the disabled themselves. The presentational style (concise and engaging) emphasizes accessibility. Taken individually, each volume sets out the fundamentals of the topic it addresses, accompanied by compiled data and statistics, recommended further readings, a guide to organizations and associations, and other annotated resources, thus providing the ideal introductory platform and gateway for further study. Taken together, the series represents both a survey of major disability issues and a guide to new directions and trends and contemporary resources in the field as a whole.
Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach
by James Dignan Mick Cavadino′Cavadino and Dignan′s Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach looks across national boundaries to see how penal systems differ and why. It is hands-down the most comprehensive and up-to-date book on the subject and should become a staple textbook for use in law and social science courses on comparative penal policy and practice′ - Michael H. Tonry, University of Minnesota ′This book is an important addition to the literature on punishment. It is a highly readable and very well researched overview of some of the major differences in punitiveness between neo-liberal, corporatist and social democratic countries… This is a major contribution to comparative penology by two of the leading authors in this field′ - Alison Liebling, Director of the Prisons Research Centre, UK ′A major and seminal work′ - David Downes, Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics Penal Systems: A Comparative Approach is a comprehensive and original introduction to the comparative study of punishment. Analysing twelve countries, Cavadino and Dignan offer an integrated and theoretically rigorous approach to comparative penology. They draw upon material provided by a team of eminent penologists to produce an important and highly readable contribution to scholarship in this area. Early chapters introduce the reader to comparative penology, set out the theoretical framework and consider whether there is currently a ′global penal crisis′. Each country is then discussed in turn. Chapters on comparative youth justice and the privatization of prisons follow. Comparisons between countries are drawn within each chapter, giving the reader a synoptic and truly comparative vision of penality in different jurisdictions.
Professional Lives of Community Corrections Officers: The Invisible Side of Reentry
by Faith E. LutzeOne of the first contemporary works to bring together research focused on community corrections officers, Professional Lives of Community Corrections Officers: The Invisible Side of Reentry, by Faith E. Lutze, helps readers understand the importance of community corrections officers to the success of the criminal justice system. The author brings the important work of these officers out from the shadows of the prison and into the light of informed policymaking, demonstrating how their work connects to the broader political, economic, and social context. Arguing that they are "street-level boundary spanners" who are in the best position to lead effective reentry initiatives built on interagency collaboration, the author shows how community corrections officers can effectively lead a fluid response to reentry that is inclusive of control, support, and treatment. This supplement is ideal for community corrections or probation and parole courses to supplement core textbooks.
Dirty Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family
by Jill DamatacIn the style of Crying in H Mart and Minor Feelings, filmmaker Jill Damatac blends memoir, food writing, and colonial history as she cooks her way through recipes from her native-born Philippines and shares stories of her undocumented family in America.Jill Damatac left the United States in 2015 after living there as an undocumented immigrant with her family for twenty-two years. America was the only home she knew, where invisibility had become her identity and where poverty, domestic violence, ill health, and xenophobia were everyday experiences. First traveling to her native Philippines, Damatac eventually settled in London, England, where she was free to pursue an education at the University of Cambridge, fully investigate her roots, and process what happened to her and her family. After nine years, she was granted British citizenship, and returned to the United States, for the first time without fear of deportation or retribution. Damatac weaves together forgotten colonial history and long-buried Indigenous tradition, taking us through her time in America, and cooking her way through Filipino recipes in her kitchen as she searches for a sense of self and renewed possibility. With emotional intelligence, clarity, and grace, Dirty Kitchen explores fractured memories to ask questions of identity, colonialism, immigration, and belonging, and to find ways in which the ritual, tradition, and comfort of food can answer them.
Business Analytics: Methods and Cases for Data-Driven Decisions
by Richard HuntsingerBusiness analytics is all about leveraging data analysis and analytical modeling methods to achieve business objectives. This is the book for upper division and graduate business students with interest in data science, for data science students with interest in business, and for everyone with interest in both. A comprehensive collection of over 50 methods and cases is presented in an intuitive style, generously illustrated, and backed up by an approachable level of mathematical rigor appropriate to a range of proficiency levels. A robust set of online resources, including software tools, coding examples, datasets, primers, exercise banks, and more for both students and instructors, makes the book the ideal learning resource for aspiring data-savvy business practitioners.
The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
by Larry TyeFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy, a sweeping and spellbinding portrait of the longtime kings of jazz—Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie—who, born within a few years of one another, overcame racist exclusion and violence to become the most popular entertainers on the planet.This is the story of three revolutionary American musicians, the maestro jazzmen who orchestrated the chords that throb at the soul of twentieth-century America.Duke Ellington, the grandson of slaves who was christened Edward Kennedy Ellington, was a man whose story is as layered and nuanced as his name suggests and whose music transcended category.Louis Daniel Armstrong was born in a New Orleans slum so tough it was called The Battlefield and, at age seven, got his first musical instrument, a ten-cent tin horn that drew buyers to his rag-peddling wagon and set him on the road to elevating jazz into a pulsating force for spontaneity and freedom.William James Basie, too, grew up in a world unfamiliar to white fans—the son of a coachman and laundress who dreamed of escaping every time the traveling carnival swept into town, and who finally engineered his getaway with help from Fats Waller.What is far less known about these groundbreakers is that they were bound not just by their music or even the discrimination that they, like nearly all Black performers of their day, routinely encountered. Each defied and ultimately overcame racial boundaries by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music. In the process they wrote the soundtrack for the civil rights movement.Based on more than 250 interviews, this exhaustively researched book brings alive the history of Black America in the early-to-mid 1900s through the singular lens of the country’s most gifted, engaging, and enduring African-American musicians.
Until the World Falls Down: A Novel
by Jordan LyndeLabyrinth meets Beauty and the Beast in this spellbinding, sexy romantasy debut about a woman with a broken heart, the seductive immortal who imprisons her, the magical labyrinth that may be her salvation, and the dangerous attraction that could destroy them both.Her freedom or her heart…in forty-eight hours, she'll lose one foreverWhen a brutal betrayal leaves Nell heartbroken and alone, she makes a desperate wish for love, recklessly offering anything in exchange.Her plea is heard by Enver, an immortal as wicked as he is beautiful. He sweeps Nell away to his castle that seems to exist out of time and presents her with a bargain: escape his labyrinth within forty-eight hours or surrender to eternity as his lover.Nell vows to conquer the labyrinth, despite the dangerous attraction she feels for its monstrous ruler. But every stolen moment with him leaves her craving more. And every step deeper into the castle reveals hidden truths about herself…and the curse that holds Enver captive.Torn between her desire for love and the dark being incapable of loving her, Nell faces an impossible choice. And her time is running out.
A Talent for Murder: A Novel
by Peter Swanson"What a killer read! A Talent For Murder is the thrilling tale of a woman who suspects her husband is a serial killer. As the bodies stack up, so does the paranoid tension until I was feverishly turning pages in the dark, desperate to know what happens next. A fast, exciting read with twist after twist." — Janice Hallett, Internationally bestselling author of The AppealA newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders.Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her work as a librarian in Maine. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured salesman whose job took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . .but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.
Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner
by Natalie DykstraThe vivid and masterful story of Isabella Stewart Gardner—creator of one of America’s most stunning museums—an American original whose own life was remade by art. Includes archival photos of Isabella’s world, museum, and the art she collected.Isabella Stewart Gardner’s museum, with its plain exterior enfolding an astonishing four-story Italian palazzo, rose from Boston’s Fens at the turn of the twentieth century. Its treasures encompassed not only masterwork paintings but tapestries, rare books, prints, porcelains, and fine furniture.An extraordinary achievement of storytelling and scholarship, Chasing Beauty illuminates the fascinating ways the museum and its holdings can be seen as a kind of memoir, dazzling and haunting, created with objects instead of words and displayed per Isabella’s wishes in the exact placements she initially curated.Born in 1840 to a privileged New York family, Isabella Stewart married Boston Brahmin Jack Gardner as she turned twenty. She was misunderstood by Boston’s insular society and suffered the death of her only child, a beloved boy, not yet two years old.But in time came friendships, glittering and bohemian; awe-inspiring world travels; and collecting beautiful things with a keen eye and competitive pace—all these were balm for loss. Henry James and John Singer Sargent—whose portrait of Isabella was a masterpiece and a scandal—came to recognize her originality. Bernard Berenson, leading connoisseur of the Italian Renaissance, was her art dealer.From award-winning author Natalie Dykstra, Chasing Beauty is the story of the complex and singular woman behind one of the most fascinating museums in the nation and the world—a tale of beauty and loss, grit and American self-invention.
End of Story: A Novel
by A. J FinnFor fans of Knives Out comes a spellbinding thriller from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Woman in the Window“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.”So writes Sebastian Trapp, reclusive mystery novelist, to his longtime correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. With mere months to live, Trapp invites Nicky to his spectacular San Francisco mansion to help draft his life story . . . while living alongside his beautiful second wife, Diana; his wayward nephew, Freddy; and his protective daughter, Madeleine. Soon Nicky finds herself caught in an irresistible case of real-life “detective-fever.”“You and I might even solve an old mystery or two.”Twenty years earlier—on New Year’s Eve 1999—Sebastian’s first wife and teenage son vanished from different locations, never to be seen again. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? And why has he emerged from seclusion, two decades later, to allow a stranger to dig into his past?“Life is hard. After all, it kills you.”As Nicky attempts to weave together the strands of Sebastian’s life, she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth . . . while Madeleine begins to question what her beloved father might actually know about that long-ago night. And when a corpse appears in the family’s koi pond, both women are shocked to find that the past isn’t gone—it’s just waiting.
After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart
by Megan MarshallA moving and penetrating memoir of a life in biography from the Pulitzer Prize winner and “gifted storyteller” (Judith Thurman, The New Yorker).Megan Marshall’s innovative books, including The Peabody Sisters and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Margaret Fuller, are treasured works of American biography. In the richly absorbing essays of After Lives, Marshall turns her narrative gift to her own art, life, and the people in it.In each of six essays, Marshall reinvents the personal essay form, as a portal to the past and its lessons for living into the future. The book’s brilliant, assured interplay between memoir and biography places surprising characters on the page, including the twelfth-century Buddhist hermit Kamo no Chomei, a reassuring spiritual presence for Marshall during several otherwise deracinating months in Kyoto. In her stunning coming-of-age tale, “Free for a While,” set in 1970s California, Marshall interweaves the story of her adolescence with that of Black Power martyr Jonathan Jackson, the author’s AP history classmate, gunned down at seventeen in a failed attempt to free his famed older brother George from prison in the case that put Angela Davis on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Here too is the author’s passion for the biographical chase, and for the mysteries at its heart. She tells the astonishing story of viewing the disinterred remains of her one-time subject Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, wife of Nathaniel, and their daughter Una, the truths of whose early death Marshall works to reveal. Throughout these finely wrought essays, Marshall, “[at] the front rank of American biographers” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), makes palpable her driving impulse to “learn what I could from others: how to live, how not to live, what it means to live.”
Little Fires Everywhere: 'Outstanding' Matt Haig
by Celeste NgA MAJOR AMAZON PRIME TV SERIES'Just read it . . . Outstanding' Matt Haig'To say I love this book is an understatement . . . It moved me to tears' Reese Witherspoon'Beautifully written, completely charming, and extremely wise on the subject of adolescence and influence' Nick HornbyEveryone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost . . .And if you loved Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, pre-order Celeste Ng's brilliant new novel, Our Missing Hearts, now
Shantaram: Now a major Apple TV+ series starring Charlie Hunnam
by Gregory David RobertsA novel of high adventure, great storytelling and moral purpose, based on an extraordinary true story of eight years in the Bombay underworld'A literary masterpiece... at once erudite and intimate, reflective and funny... it has the grit and pace of a thriller' Daily Telegraph'A publishing phenomenon' Sunday Times'A gigantic, jaw-dropping, grittily authentic saga' Daily Mail'In the early 80s, Gregory David Roberts, an armed robber and heroin addict, escaped from an Australian prison to India, where he lived in a Bombay slum. There, he established a free health clinic and also joined the mafia, working as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. He found time to learn Hindi and Marathi, fall in love, and spend time being worked over in an Indian jail. Then, in case anyone thought he was slacking, he acted in Bollywood and fought with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan... Amazingly, Roberts wrote Shantaram three times after prison guards trashed the first two versions. It's a profound tribute to his willpower... At once a high-kicking, eye-gouging adventure, a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision.' Time Out
The Goldfinch: A Novel (pulitzer Prize For Fiction)
by Donna TarttWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTheo Decker, aged thirteen, is left alone in the world after surviving a catastrophe that kills his only close relative - his mother - and tears him away from everything he knows. Tormented by grief, drifting from home to home, he grows increasingly obsessed with a small, enchanting work of art which dominates his imagination and ultimately draws him, as an adult, into a much darker life than he could ever have foreseen.'A masterpiece' The Times'Astonishing' Guardian'Superb' Daily Mail'A gripping page turner' Independent on Sunday'A triumph' Stephen King'Dazzling' New York Times
Everything I Never Told You: 'a taut tale of ever deepening and quickening suspense' O, the Oprah Magazine
by Celeste Ng'There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges...Ng brilliantly depicts the destruction that parents can inflict on their children and on each other' Mark Lawson, Guardian 'This intriguing tale of unhappy families will have you gripped from the opening line . . . No wonder it beat Hilary Mantel and Stephen King to win Amazon's book of the year' StylistLydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous in any setting. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who observes far more than anyone realises and who may be the only one who knows what really happened. And if you loved Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, pre-order Celeste Ng's brilliant new novel, Our Missing Hearts, nowWhat readers are saying:'Devastating...A truly tragic but devastatingly well written book''Ng is a true craftsman. I implore you to read this. Also my favourite ending of a novel so far this year''This is the best book I have read this year''Really enjoyed this book, deeply moving, sad and thought provoking'