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In My Father's House: A Novel
by E. Lynn HarrisFor his final new series, New York Times mega-bestselling author E. Lynn Harris introduces Bentley L. Dean, owner of the hottest modeling agency in Miami's sexy South Beach.Only the world's most beautiful models make the roster of Picture Perfect Modeling agency and they only do shoots for the most elite photographers and magazines. They are fashionista royalty—and the owners, Bentley L. Dean and his beautiful partner Alexandra, know it. But even Picture Perfect isn't immune from hard times, so when Sterling Sneed, a rich, celebrity party planner promises to pay a ludicrously high fee for some models, Bentley finds he can't refuse. Even though the job is not exactly a photo shoot, Bentley agrees to supply fifteen gorgeous models as eye candy for an "A" list party—to look good, be charming and, well, entertain the guests. They don't have to do anything they don't want to, but... His models are pros and he figures they can handle the pressure, until one drops out and Bentley asks his protégé Jah, a beautiful kid who Bentley treats as if he were his own son, to substitute. Suddenly, the stakes are much higher, particularly when Jah falls in love with the hottest African American movie star in America. Seth Sinclair is very handsome, very famous, and very married—and his closeted gay life makes him very dangerous as well. Can Bentley's fatherly guidance save Jah from making a fatal mistake?
Come Sunday: A Novel
by Isla MorleyAs Isla Morley's novel sweeps from the hills of Honolulu to the veldt of South Africa, we catch a hint of the spirit of Barbara Kingsolver and the mesmerizing truth of Jodi Picoult. We are reminded of how it felt to dive into the drama of The Thorn Birds.Come Sunday is that joyous, special thing: a saga that captivates from the very first page, breaking our hearts while making our spirits soar. Abbe Deighton is a woman who has lost her bearings. Once a child of the African plains, she is now settled in Hawaii, married to a minister, and waging her battles in a hallway of monotony. There is the leaky roof, the chafing expectations of her husband's congregation, and the constant demands of motherhood. But in an instant, beginning with the skid of tires, Abbe's battlefield is transformed when her three-year-old daughter is killed, triggering in Abbe a seismic grief that will cut a swath through the landscape of her life and her identity.Come Sunday is a novel about searching for a true homeland, family bonds torn asunder, and the unearthing of decades-old secrets. It is a novel to celebrate, and Isla Morley is a writer to love.
Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe
by Rich EisenFootball fans are tired of lame memoirs or technical fantasy football books. Rich Eisen's Total Access gives them what they want—a chance to share in his world of a never-ending football season.It's about eating, living, and breathing the most popular sport in the history of America. The passion. The pageantry. The pigskin. Thanks to his role as host of NFL Total Access, Eisen gets to go to virtually every event on the NFL calendar—the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, the Scouting Combine, the NFL Draft, and the Hall of Fame Weekend. You name it, Eisen is there. And thanks to this book, you can go along for the ride with him—in front of the camera interviewing league MVPs or behind the scenes with some of the game's all-time greats.Total Access is the ultimate football book for fans everywhere.
Notes from Hampstead: The Writer's Notes: 1954–1971
by Elias CanettiNotes from Hampstead is a map of the late Nobel laureate's thinking, a triumphant compendium of aphoristic, enigmatic, and expository writings covering a characteristically diverse range of subjects."Canetti is a meticulous writer, and in reading his notes, one can easily see him hovering over a just formed sentence, pencil in hand, wondering whether to cut or to add or to leave well enough alone." - Publishers Weekly
Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
by Clint Van WinkleA powerful, haunting, provocative memoir of a Marine in Iraq—and his struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in a system trying to hide the damage done Marine Sergeant Clint Van Winkle flew to war on Valentine's Day 2003. His battalion was among the first wave of troops that crossed into Iraq, and his first combat experience was the battle of Nasiriyah, followed by patrols throughout the country, house to house searches, and operations in the dangerous Baghdad slums. But after two tours of duty, certain images would not leave his memory—a fragmented mental movie of shooting a little girl; of scavenging parts from a destroyed, blood-spattered tank; of obliterating several Iraqi men hidden behind an ancient wall; and of mistakenly stepping on a "soft spot," the remains of a Marine killed in combat. After his return home, Van Winkle sought help at a Veterans Administration facility, and so began a maddening journey through an indifferent system that promises to care for veterans, but in fact abandons many of them. From riveting scenes of combat violence, to the gallows humor of soldiers fighting a war that seems to make no sense, to moments of tenderness in a civilian life ravaged by flashbacks, rage, and doubt, Soft Spots reveals the mind of a soldier like no other recent memoir of the war that has consumed America.
The Last Putt: 2 Teams, One Dream & a Freshman Named Tiger
by Neil Hayes Brian MurphyCollege golf is the breeding ground for the PGA, and the sport’s overlooked chapter. And in 1995 college golf saw its ultimate showdown. At the NCAA championship, a freshman who would become the sport’s biggest icon stood on the green in a sudden-death playoff that would settle the score in a tense and heated rivalry. Would Tiger Woods sink the putt?Based on exhaustive reporting and interviews, The Last Putt tells the story of an epic rivalry that encapsulated the changing face of the game. On one side was Oklahoma State, a true golfing dynasty featuring the young bloods of a privileged golf family and a coach whose winning record and reputation for toughness made him a mythical figure. On the other side was Stanford, born of the creative recruiting of an unforgettable group of players: Notah Begay (golf ’s first prominent Native American), Casey Martin (who broke down barriers by playing with a severe disability), and Tiger Woods.A stirring ensemble tale of young men carving out their futures on and off the course, The Last Putt makes for compelling, stroke-for-stroke reading down to the last putt.
Red Flags: A Kate Reilly Mystery (Kate Reilly Mysteries #4)
by Tammy Kaehler"Readers looking for a new amateur-sleuth series—especially those who find the car-racing frame intriguing—should definitely check out the Kate Reilly mysteries." —BooklistWhen Kate Reilly arrives in Long Beach, California, a week ahead of the Grand Prix, she's immediately plunged into a new social scene—as well as a murder investigation. Her cousin Billy is found dead, with Kate's card in his pocket. The cops want to know why, and sponsors and race organizers—anxious to keep racing's image clean—want Kate to investigate. Doubting she can solve another murder, especially that of a relative she despised, Kate reluctantly agrees.At the same time, coaching an actress for a celebrity race brings Kate into the orbit of Hollywood's hottest bachelor. And then a local FBI agent takes notice of more than her driving and sleuthing skills. She goes from Sony Studios to Venice Beach and from Rodeo Drive to the Hollywood Hills, attending parties, power-shopping, and dodging unwelcome paparazzi.Kate's professional dreams are coming true. The upcoming Grand Prix is her first race with a new sponsor that's also funding an IndyCar test drive and a ride in next year's Indy 500—along with future possibilities in NASCAR. The downside? New sponsor Frame Savings is owned by her family, and its management, except her long-estranged father, is unfriendly to her...even rivalrous.On track, red flags fly to warn her of danger. Off track, Kate struggles to interpret warning signs and stay out of a killer's grasp.Kate Reilly Mysteries:Dead Man's Switch (Book 1)Braking Points (Book 2)Avoidable Contact (Book 3)Red Flags (Book 4)Kiss the Bricks (Book 5)Praise for the Kate Reilly Mysteries:"Read this book—but buckle in first. Believe me, you're in for a bumpy ride." —WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, New York Times bestselling author for Braking Points"This series always leaves me wanting more, so I cannot wait to keep reading and see what's next on the horizon for my fellow female racing driver!" —PIPPA MANN, IndyCar driver for Avoidable Contact
The Heroes' Welcome: A Novel
by Louisa YoungApril 1919. Six months have passed since the armistice that ended the Great War. But new battles face those who have survived.Only twenty-three, former soldier Riley Purefoy and his bride, Nadine Waveney, have their whole lives ahead of them. But Riley's injuries from the war have created awkward tensions between the couple, damage that threatens to shatter their marriage before it has truly begun. Peter and Julia Locke are facing their own trauma. Peter has become a recluse, losing himself in drink to forget the horrors of the war. Desperate to reach her husband, Julia tries to soothe his bitterness, but their future together is uncertain. Drawn together in the aftermath of the war, the two couples' lives become more tightly intertwined, haunted by loss, guilt, and dark memories, contending with uncertainty, anger, and pain. Is love strong enough to help them all move forward?The Heroes' Welcome is a powerful and intimate novel, chronicling the quiet turbulence of 1919—a year of perilous beginnings, disturbing realities, and glimmerings of hope.
Angel of Vengeance: The Girl Who Shot the Governor of St. Petersburg and Sparked the Age of Assassination
by Ana SiljakIn the Russian winter of 1878 a shy, aristocratic young woman named Vera Zasulich walked into the office of the governor of St. Petersburg, pulled a revolver from underneath her shawl, and shot General Fedor Trepov point blank. "Revenge!," she cried, for the governor's brutal treatment of a political prisoner. Her trial for murder later that year became Russia's "trial of the century," closely followed by people all across Europe and America. On the day of the trial, huge crowds packed the courtroom. The cream of Russian society, attired in the finery of the day, arrived to witness the theatrical testimony and deliberations in the case of the young angel of vengeance. After the trial, Vera became a celebrated martyr for all social classes in Russia and became the public face of a burgeoning revolutionary fervor. Dostoyevsky (who attended the trial), Turgenev, Engels, and even Oscar Wilde all wrote about her extraordinary case. Her astonishing acquittal was celebrated across Europe, crowds filled the streets and the decision marked the changing face of Russia. After fleeing to Switzerland, Vera Zasulich became Russia's most famous "terroristka," inspiring a whole generation of Russian and European revolutionaries to embrace violence and martyrdom. Her influence led to a series of acts that collectively became part of "the age of assassinations." In the now-forgotten story of Russia's most notorious terrorist, Ana Siljak captures Vera's extraordinary life story--from privileged child of nobility to revolutionary conspirator, from assassin to martyr to socialist icon and saint-- while colorfully evoking the drama of one of the world's most closely watched trials and a Russia where political celebrities held sway.
Broken Music: A Mystery
by Marjorie EcclesBroken Music is a masterful portrait of the horrors of the front line and the anxiety of the home front, as the loves and losses of wartime Britain are woven together and the truth slowly dawns on a local tragedy.The year is 1919 and the population of Great Britain is still struggling to its feet after being hit by the atrocities of the First World War. Progress is slow, even in quiet spots like the village of Broughton Underhill, on the edge of the Black Country. Gradually soldiers return, wounds begin to heal, and people try to move on with their lives. Former police sergeant Herbert Reardon has returned to the village, determined to solve an old murder--a woman was found drowned in the lake when the war was just beginning.However, as Reardon begins to investigate, it becomes clear that secrets still abound and lips are staying sealed. When Edith Huckaby, a maid from Oaklands Park, is found murdered in exactly the same spot, Reardon is convinced that the two cases are linked. As he endeavors to discover the hidden truth, his suspects and witnesses are painstakingly trying to rebuild their lives, in a world that has been changed and scarred forever.
The Clarinet Polka: A Novel
by Keith MaillardAuthor Keith Maillard received critical acclaim with his novel Gloria, which told the story of a young woman on the cusp of womanhood in a town called Raysburg, West Virginia. In this book, The Clarinet Polka, Maillard turns that same eagle-eyed attention to the other side of the tracks of that very same town and creates a stunning portrait of Polish America and of one man's struggle to find meaning in his life and roots.The year is 1969, and young Jimmy Koprowski returns from his stint in the airforce to Raysburg, his blue-collar Polish American hometown where nothing much happens beyond working at the steel mill, going to Mass, and getting drunk at the local PAC. Jimmy's efforts at rebuilding his life result in sleeping off hangovers in his parents' attic and drifting into a destructive affair with a married woman.But things change when his younger sister Linda decides to start an all-girl polka band, and Jimmy falls for the band's star clarinetist, Janice, whose young life is haunted by tragic events that happened before she was born. The threads of Jimmy's family life, the legacy of WWII Poland, and the healing power of music, language, and tradition all begin to converge.At once gritty and compassionate, moving and witty, The Clarinet Polka showcases the emotional and perfectly pitched voice of a lost soul finding his way.
Tears of the Dragon: An Elodie Browne Mystery (Elodie Browne Mysteries #0)
by Holly Baxter"Realistic characters, natural dialogue, well-integrated historical detail and a surprise twist ending mark this as superior mystery fare."—Publishers Weekly STARRED reviewTo think of Chicago in the 1930s is to conjure up pictures of the Chicago Outfit and its earlier crime lords like Capone. Even the storied history of the Cubs or of the city's merchant princes and philanthropists can't quite shake the city's gritty image.It's time for a new look. And here it is, a mystery with a warm family of widowed mother and four daughters at its core. Elodie, the Browne family bread-winner, lacks direct experience with crime, but she's full of curiosity, sharply observant, and nobody's fool. So when a man stumbles into a party given by a Chinese importer of jade and antiques where she is working "for a lark—and extra cash" and utters a dying word—mingdow—she begins to connect the murder with some odd doings in the office building where she works, events that began one night when the elevator door opened on the wrong floor….
Jump (Sam McGowan Adventures #1)
by Tim Maleeny"Fast-paced and funny, this is a perfectly blended cocktail of escapism."—Publishers WeeklyWhen the most hated landlord in San Francisco takes a jump off the roof of his own building, it isn't hard to find suspects. The police want to call it a suicide, since both the Mayor and press are complaining about the dismal closure rate for homicide investigations.But ex-cop Sam McGowan knows it was murder. He also knows that anyone living on the top floor of the building should be a suspect, including himself. So Sam decides to get to know his neighbors: a lonely jazz singer more than willing to confess to any crime; two young women paying for graduate school by operating a website that reveals a lot more than their SAT scores; a B-movie producer with a swollen prostate and shrinking bank balance; and the brothers at the end of the hall who just quit their day jobs to sell marijuana for the Mexican mob.The only thing they have in common is an agreement that their dead landlord got what he deserved—and that one of them is probably responsible. As more bodies surface and alliances shift, Sam finds himself jumping between his old life as a cop and his new one as a murder suspect....
Timberwolf: Book One In The Spy-fi 'timberwolf' Series (The Spy-fi 'Timberwolf' Series)
by Tom JulianOnce a top black ops agent, Timberwolf Velez's world shatters when he encounters Kizik, a malevolent psychic alien spider that leaves a lasting mark on his psyche. Haunted by his past, Timberwolf now faces an ominous threat as a religious fanatic unearths a hidden cache of unimaginably destructive weapons. Will Timberwolf rise above his shattered mind and prevent the galaxy from descending into irreversible chaos? With an ensemble of captivating characters and exhilarating twists at every turn, TIMBERWOLF: Book One in the Spy-Fi ‘Timberwolf’ Series will keep you on the edge of your seat. Brace yourself for a heart-pounding, action-packed page-turner that refuses to release its grip.
In a Dark Dark House: A Play
by Neil LaButeTwo brothers meet on the grounds of a private psychiatric facility. Drew, has been court-confined for observation and has called his older brother, Terry, to corroborate his claim of childhood sexual abuse by a young man from many summers ago. Drew's request releases barely-hidden animosities between the two: Is he using these repressed memories to save himself while smearing the name of his brother's friend? Through pain and acknowledged betrayal, the brothers come to grips with and begin to understand the legacy of abuse, both inside and outside their family home. In a Dark, Dark House is the latest work from Neil LaBute, American theater's great agent provocateur. The play will have its world Premiere in May 2007, Off Broadway at New York's MCC Theater.
Because of Sex: One Law, Ten Cases, and Fifty Years That Changed American Women's Lives at Work
by Gillian Thomas“Meticulously researched and rewarding to read…Thomas is a gifted storyteller.” —The New York Times Book ReviewBest known as a monumental achievement of the civil rights movement, the 1964 Civil Rights Act also revolutionized the lives of America’s working women. Title VII of the law made it illegal to discriminate “because of sex.” But that simple phrase didn’t mean much until ordinary women began using the law to get justice on the job—and some took their fights all the way to the Supreme Court. Among them were Ida Phillips, denied an assembly line job because she had a preschool-age child; Kim Rawlinson, who fought to become a prison guard—a “man’s job”; Mechelle Vinson, who brought a lawsuit for sexual abuse before “sexual harassment” even had a name; Ann Hopkins, denied partnership at a Big Eight accounting firm because the men in charge thought she needed "a course at charm school”; and most recently, Peggy Young, UPS truck driver, forced to take an unpaid leave while pregnant because she asked for a temporary reprieve from heavy lifting. These unsung heroines’ victories, and those of the other women profiled in Gillian Thomas' Because of Sex, dismantled a “Mad Men” world where women could only hope to play supporting roles; where sexual harassment was “just the way things are”; and where pregnancy meant getting a pink slip.Through first-person accounts and vivid narrative, Because of Sex tells the story of how one law, our highest court, and a few tenacious women changed the American workplace forever.
The Birth of the Living God: A Psychoanalytic Study
by Ana-Marie Rizzuto M.D.Utilizing both clinical material based on the life histories of twenty patients and theoretical insights from the works of Freud, Erikson, Fairbairn, and Winnicott, Ana-Maria Rizzuto examines the origin, development, and use of our God images. Whereas Freud postulated that belief in God is based on a child's idea of his father, Rizzuto argues that the God representation draws from a variety of sources and is a major element in the fabric of one's view of self, others, and the world.
Buffalo Mountain (Ike Schwartz Series #3)
by Frederick Ramsay"Ramsay demonstrates once again that he is a superb storyteller, adroitly mixing the spy and small-town mystery genres and shocking us with one walloping big surprise midway through the book." —BooklistIt's midwinter and the Shenandoah Valley is poised on the brink of an unusually icy and snowy season. Alexei Kamarov's body is discovered in a forest within the Picketsville town limits. His driver's license identifies him as Randall Harris. The last Sheriff Ike Schwartz heard of Kamarov, he was reported missing—presumed dead in Russia—the victim of intelligence game-playing.Ike is not happy this piece of his past has resurfaced. Especially when Ike's former CIA colleague and friend Charlie Garland asks Ike to keep a lid on the investigation.Slowly, interagency rivalries emerge as local petty criminals vie with international assassins and plotters for attention. All the while, Buffalo Mountain looms in the background....
American Radical: The Life and Times of I. F. Stone
by D. D. GuttenplanPopular Front columnist and New Deal propagandist. Fearless opponent of McCarthyism and feared scourge of official liars. Enterprising, independent reporter and avid amateur classicist. As D.D. Guttenplan puts it in his compelling book, I.F. Stone did what few in his profession could—he always thought for himself. America's most celebrated investigative journalist himself remains something of a mystery, however. Born Isidor Feinstein in Philadelphia, raised in rural New Jersey, by the age of 25 this college drop-out was already an influential newsman, and enjoying extraordinary access to key figures in New Deal Washington and the friendship of important artists in New York.It is Guttenplan's wisdom to see that the key to Stone's achievements throughout his singular career—and not just in his celebrated I.F. Stone's Weekly—lay in the force and passion of his political commitments. Stone's calm, forensic, yet devastating reports on American politics and institutions sprang from a radical faith in the long-term prospects for American democracy. His testimony on the legacy of American politics from the New Deal and World War II to the era of the civil rights struggles, the Vietnam War, and beyond amounts to as vivid a record of those times as we are likely to have. Guttenplan's lively, provocative book makes clear why so many of his pronouncements have acquired the force of prophecy.
High Cotton: A Novel
by Darryl PinckneyAn elegant, insightful novel that evokes the world of upper-middle-class blacks, following an unnamed narrator from a safe childhood in conservative Indianapolis, to a brief tenure as minister of information for a local radical organization, to the life of an expatriate in Paris. Through it all, his imagination is increasingly dominated by his elderly relations and the lessons of their experiences in the "Old Country" of the South.
The Rights Revolution: Lawyers, Activists, and Supreme Courts in Comparative Perspective
by Charles R. EppIt is well known that the scope of individual rights has expanded dramatically in the United States over the last half-century. Less well known is that other countries have experienced "rights revolutions" as well. Charles R. Epp argues that, far from being the fruit of an activist judiciary, the ascendancy of civil rights and liberties has rested on the democratization of access to the courts—the influence of advocacy groups, the establishment of governmental enforcement agencies, the growth of financial and legal resources for ordinary citizens, and the strategic planning of grass roots organizations. In other words, the shift in the rights of individuals is best understood as a "bottom up," rather than a "top down," phenomenon.The Rights Revolution is the first comprehensive and comparative analysis of the growth of civil rights, examining the high courts of the United States, Britain, Canada, and India within their specific constitutional and cultural contexts. It brilliantly revises our understanding of the relationship between courts and social change.
So You Want to Write a Novel: A Direct, Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for the Aspiring Author
by Lou Willett StanekYou know there is a novel locked inside of you—chock-full of conflict, humor, irony, enthralling events and fascinating characters. What you don't know is how to set it free.Practical Advice, Hands-On HelpRespected author and professional writing instructor Lou Willett Stanek's New York workshops have enabled scores of aspiring novelists to realize their dreams of completing credible and compelling manuscripts. Here, in a positive, "user-friendly" format, she offers not only encouragement and motivation, but Clear, Step-By-Step Instructions To Accomplish Your Goal—from original conception through final draft.Learn How To: Set up and stick to a writing schedule Create unforgettable characters Follow strong plotting and solid structure guidelines Choose a viewpoint and develop conflict Handle flashbacks and transitionsNot Just Philosophy Or A Simple Motivational Tool, This Is The Book That Tells You How To Succeed
The Eye of the Virgin: An Ike Schwartz Mystery (Ike Schwartz Series #6)
by Frederick Ramsay"Sure-footed plotting and easy banter make Ramsay's sixth Sheriff Ike mystery a brisk, entertaining read." —Kirkus ReviewsOn the same evening a body is left in Picketsville's urgent care clinic, a mysterious break-in occurs at the house of one of Callend University's faculty. Sheriff Ike Schwartz thinks both events might be connected to The Virgin of Tenderness, an icon in the faculty member's possession.Then, what appears to be a microdot is found on the icon. In an era of sophisticated cyber-encrypted information transfer, the presence of this bit of CIA nostalgia brings in Ike's friend Charlie Garland and the forces from Langley.Ike has no wish to engage with them or their problems. He has killers to apprehend—in spite of the meddling by government agencies. But there is more to these murders than meets the eye. A dead CIA agent and a rogue handler could trigger an international incident....
Quantifying Life: A Symbiosis of Computation, Mathematics, and Biology
by Dmitry A. KondrashovSince the time of Isaac Newton, physicists have used mathematics to describe the behavior of matter of all sizes, from subatomic particles to galaxies. In the past three decades, as advances in molecular biology have produced an avalanche of data, computational and mathematical techniques have also become necessary tools in the arsenal of biologists. But while quantitative approaches are now providing fundamental insights into biological systems, the college curriculum for biologists has not caught up, and most biology majors are never exposed to the computational and probabilistic mathematical approaches that dominate in biological research. With Quantifying Life, Dmitry A. Kondrashov offers an accessible introduction to the breadth of mathematical modeling used in biology today. Assuming only a foundation in high school mathematics, Quantifying Life takes an innovative computational approach to developing mathematical skills and intuition. Through lessons illustrated with copious examples, mathematical and programming exercises, literature discussion questions, and computational projects of various degrees of difficulty, students build and analyze models based on current research papers and learn to implement them in the R programming language. This interplay of mathematical ideas, systematically developed programming skills, and a broad selection of biological research topics makes Quantifying Life an invaluable guide for seasoned life scientists and the next generation of biologists alike.
Paradise of the Pacific: Approaching Hawaii
by Susanna MooreThe dramatic history of America's tropical paradiseThe history of Hawaii may be said to be the story of arrivals—from the eruption of volcanoes on the ocean floor 18,000 feet below, the first hardy seeds that over millennia found their way to the islands, and the confused birds blown from their migratory routes, to the early Polynesian adventurers who sailed across the Pacific in double canoes, the Spanish galleons en route to the Philippines, and the British navigators in search of a Northwest Passage, soon followed by pious Protestant missionaries, shipwrecked sailors, and rowdy Irish poachers escaped from Botany Bay—all wanderers washed ashore, sometimes by accident. This is true of many cultures, but in Hawaii, no one seems to have left. And in Hawaii, a set of myths accompanied each of these migrants—legends that shape our understanding of this mysterious place. In Paradise of the Pacific, Susanna Moore, the award-winning author of In the Cut and The Life of Objects, pieces together the elusive, dramatic story of late-eighteenth-century Hawaii—its kings and queens, gods and goddesses, missionaries, migrants, and explorers—a not-so-distant time of abrupt transition, in which an isolated pagan world of human sacrifice and strict taboo, without a currency or a written language, was confronted with the equally ritualized world of capitalism, Western education, and Christian values.