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El pequeño libro de las grandes feministas: Un santoral laico
by Julia Pierpont Manjit ThappEsta colección inspiradora y bellamente ilustrada honra a cien mujeres excepcionales a lo largo de la historia y de todo el mundo. En este luminoso volumen, la exitosa escritora del The New York Times, Julia Pierpont, y la artista Manjit Thapp combinan biografías breves, vibrantes y sorprendentes con preciosos retratos de santas seculares, campeonas de la fuerza y el progreso: mujeres que sacudieron la tierra, rompieron techos e hicieron explotar los moldes. Entre ellas, se encuentran: Nina Simone Jane Austen Amelia Earhart Frida Kahlo Michelle Obama Sonia Sotomayor Pussy Riot Rosario Castellanos Nyayoi Kusama Las Hermanas Brontë Victoria Ocampo Simone De Beauvoir Safo Emily Dickinson Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz Madonna
Pequeño país
by Gaël FayeEste «pequeño libro» fue la sensación literaria en Francia en 2016 Escrita con un tono muy cercano y poético, Gaël Faye nos transporta en esta espléndida novela al corazón del continente africano para contarnos qué sucede cuando la Historia se introduce en nuestras vidas y las cambia de forma irreparable. Hijo de una ruandesa tutsi y un empresario francés instalado en Burundi, Gaby tiene diez años y se pasa el día con su panda de amigos en las calles de Buyumbura, un escenario propicio a todo tipo de aventuras: robar mangos en los jardines del barrio, fumar a escondidas, descubrir la pasión por los libros en la casa de una extravagante vecina y bañarse en el río al atardecer. Un paraíso que empieza a resquebrajarse con la separación de sus padres y luego se rompe en mil pedazos con la irrupción de la guerra, que provoca una marea incontenible de odio y violencia que lo impregna todo y obliga a Gabriel y su hermana a marcharse a Francia. Dos décadas después, aquel niño convertido en hombre regresa a su pequeño país y rememora los tiempos felices: el perfume de los árboles frutales y las plantas aromáticas, los paseos vespertinos entre los setos de buganvillas, las noches en vela tras un mosquitero agujereado, las termitas los días de tormenta, las reuniones secretas en la furgoneta abandonada. Una existencia sencilla, apacible, banal, cuyo recuerdo impulsa a Gabriel a dejar constancia de que aquel mundo existió, que fue una realidad hasta que los hombres y mujeres que lo habitaban se vieron obligados a tomar partido y aniquilarse mutuamente o a exiliarse en otras latitudes. Reseñas:«Una primera novela preciosa, desgarradora e incandescente, que despierta admiración.»Les Inrockuptibles «Gaël Faye ha irrumpido con fuerza en la escena literaria. [...] Te deja boquiabierto. Todo está ahí, y el resultado es un libro muy bueno.»L'Express «Esta preciosa novela de aprendizaje trasluce un perturbador deseo de dulzura y concordia. De ella se desprende una visión del mundo que no es política sino poética, que combina el horror y la maravilla. Gaël Faye parece decirnos que la nostalgia de la felicidad desaparecida es tan intensa que no puede ser vana. Ella, en sí misma, es una razón de esperanza.»Le Figaro «Pequeño país es lo contrario de una novela de grandes palabras y mucho ruido. No se nos impone, pero nos afecta, porque nos muestra cómo la guerra se introduce poco a poco, sigilosamente, en nuestras vidas.»Süddeutsche Zeitung
Pequeños Chistosos: Historias Reales de Hilarantes Experiencias Con Niños
by Leroy Vincent Francisco Ignacio Uribe ZapataPequeños chistosos es un libro lleno de historias verdaderas de gente real sobre experiencias chistosas y vergonzosas con niños. Este libro es el indicado si busca reír. Además, probablemente diga, "Eso me pasó a mí".
Perception, Sensibility, and Moral Motivation in Augustine
by Sarah Catherine ByersThis book argues that Augustine assimilated the Stoic theory of perception into his theories of motivation, affectivity, therapy for the passions, and moral progress. Using his sermons to elucidate his treatises, Sarah Catherine Byers demonstrates how Augustine enriched Stoic cognitivism with Platonism to develop a fuller and coherent theory of action. That theory underlies his account of moral development, including his account of the mind's reception of grace. By analyzing Augustine's engagement with Cicero, Seneca, Plotinus, Ambrose, Jerome, Origen, and Philo of Alexandria, Byers sheds new light on a major thinker of the early Christian world whose work is of critical importance for understanding key and recurring themes in Western philosophy.
Perceval/Parzival: A Casebook (Arthurian Characters and Themes #6)
by Arthur Groos and Norris J. LacyThis volume in the Arthurian Characters and Themes series treats the fascinating character of Perceval, the naive and flawed but gifted youth who becomes the Grail hero in some texts and yet is eclipsed in others by Galahad. Also includes eight musical examples.
Percy Bysshe Shelley: Youth's Unextinguished Fire, 1792-1816
by James BieriHaving retired from teaching psychology in US universities, Beiri presents a biography of British Romantic poet Shelley (1792-1822), ending with the summer in Switzerland of which so much has been said and imagined. He says the poet compressed into less than three decades a rich legacy of poetry, prose, and correspondence; and though he did not know the work of his contemporary William Blake, the two shared a psychological understanding of humanity that anticipated the age of Freud.
Perder la gracia
by Pedro Simón Antonio Lucas Eduardo Madina Javier Gómez SantanderUNA AUTOBIOGRAFÍA GENERACIONAL QUE VALE POR CUATRO Y HABLA POR MUCHOS Perder la gracia es perder la vergüenza. Y los complejos. Y el miedo al qué dirán. Cuatro amigos se sinceran en un momento crucial de sus carreras y nos hablan del trabajo para hablarnos de la vida. «No existe un motor más poderoso que un tipo diciéndole a otro que dónde tomamos la última copa. Esa ensoñación de que con el alba pasará algo. Solo para los que no se rindieron antes». Perder la gracia son cuatro amigos en una especie de sincericidio. Es perder la vergüenza. Y los complejos. Y el tiempo. Y el miedo al qué dirán. Perder la gracia es un relato sobre la vida, la carrera y las relaciones de cuatro personas con un largo recorrido profesional que se enfrentan al momento crucial de dejar de ser jóvenes valores. Con sentido del humor y un aire de confesiones sin filtros, reflexionan sobre su generación e interpelan a las que vienen detrás. ¿Qué pasa cuando uno deja de ser el más joven de su entorno? ¿Qué pasa cuando se pierde la gracia? Javier Gómez Santander, Pedro Simón, Antonio Lucas y Eduardo Madina vuelcan en este libro su vertiente más literaria y reflexiva, hablando de trabajo para hablar de la vida, conscientes de que «la gracia no es eterna. Los mundos que se van nunca lo hacen de golpe. Edificios que primero presentan una grieta milimétrica y luego otra mayor, que al cabo de los años se van venciendo. Para que en su lugar la sociedad construya algo nuevo y, en ocasiones, mejor». Sobre los autores se ha dicho:«[Javier Gómez Santander] cuenta las cosas —su historia— con el pulso preciso de quien ha estado de este lado y sabe cómo narrar para enganchar. Una habilidad preciosa y preciada si la vida pega un giro y acabas como guionista de una serie. No una cualquiera: La casa de papel, reina y señora del cliffhanger».Bárbara Ayuso, Jot Down «A PedroSimón se le cae la literatura de los bolsillos, es uno de los grandes contadores de historias de nuestro tiempo».Carlos del Amor «[Antonio Lucas] se ha convertido no sólo en uno de los periodistas culturales de referencia, sino en símbolo de un nuevo columnismo en lengua castellana que remite a la más privilegiada historia de la prosa periodística».Anna María Iglesia«[Eduardo Madina] es alguien de una altura moral espectacular. A veces los buenos se van».Antonio de la Torre
Perdita: The Literary, Theatrical, Scandalous Life of Mary Robinson
by Paula ByrneThis thoroughly engaging and richly researched book presents a compelling portrait of Mary Robinson–darling of the London stage, mistress to the most powerful men in England, feminist thinker, and bestselling author, described by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as “a woman of undoubted genius.”One of the most flamboyant free spirits of the late eighteenth century, Mary Robinson led a life that was marked by reversals of fortune. After being abandoned by her merchant father, who left England to establish a fishery among the Canadian Eskimos, Mary was married, at age fifteen, to Thomas Robinson. His dissipation landed the couple and their baby in debtors’ prison, where Mary wrote her first book of poetry, gaining her the patronage of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.On her release, Mary rose to become one of the London theater’s most alluring actresses, famously playing Perdita in The Winter’s Tale for a rapt audience that included the Prince of Wales, who fell madly in love with her. Never one to pass up an opportunity, she later used his ardent and numerous love letters as blackmail. After being struck down by paralysis, apparently following a miscarriage, she remade herself yet again, this time as a popular writer who was also admired by the leading intellectuals of the day.Filled with triumph and despair, and then triumph again, the amazing, multifaceted life of “Perdita” is marvelously captured in this stunning biography.From the Hardcover edition.
Perdita
by Paula ByrneSex, fame and scandal in the theatrical, literary and social circles of late-eighteenth-century England. One of the most flamboyant women of the late-eighteenth century, Mary Robinson's life was marked by reversals of fortune. After being raised by a middle-class father, Mary was married, at age fourteen, to Thomas Robinson. His dissipated lifestyle landed the couple and their baby in debtors' prison, where Mary wrote her first book of poetry and met lifelong friend Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. On her release, Mary quickly became one of the most popular actresses of the day, famously playing Perdita in The Winter's Tale for a rapt audience that included the Prince of Wales, who fell madly in love with her. She later used his copious love letters for blackmail. This authoritative and engaging book presents a fascinating portrait of a woman who was variously darling of the London stage, a poet whose work was admired by Coleridge and a mistress to the most powerful men in England, and yet whose fortunes were nevertheless precarious, always on the brink of being squandered through recklessness, excess and passion.
Perdón (Forgiveness Spanish edition)
by Chiquis Rivera"Escribí este libro no para para aclarar malentendidos sino para compartir algo mucho más importante y valioso: mi largo camino hacia el perdón"Chiquis Rivera es la cantante y celebridad de televisión que saltó a la fama de la mano de su madre, la popular Diva de la Banda, Jenni Rivera. En Perdón, su primer libro autobiográfico, narra con detalle estremecedor el abuso al que fue sometida por su propio padre durante su infancia, y explica cómo logran sobrevivir las víctimas a tan corta edad. A la vez nos revela su tortuosa vida sexual, al crecer marcada por las heridas del abuso, y comparte cómo logró vencer sus miedos al amor y a la intimidad. La joven cantante también se atreve por primera vez a confesar otro gran secreto que llegó incluso a ocultarle a su madre en vida. Estas páginas también plasman la conversación que quedó pendiente entre Jenni y Chiquis, después de que se distanciaran. En Perdón salen a la luz verdades desgarradoras entre madre e hija que ya nunca podrán contarse frente a frente. A dos años de la muerte de su madre, Chiquis contesta las preguntas más difíciles: ¿Pudieron madre e hija hacer las paces? ¿Quién ha perdonado a quién en esta historia de grandes éxitos y de grandes tropiezos?
Père nazi, fils juif
by Lázaro Droznes Julien SaunierCette fiction dramatique raconte l’incroyable histoire basée sur une histoire vraie du fils d’un officier Allemand de la Wehrmacht, décoré pour son courage pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, qui s’est convertit au judaïsme, qui abandonna l’Allemagne et partit en Israël pour se convertir en citoyen israélien. Sa participation dans la guerre du Liban, et sa confrontation avec les palestiniens le mènent au même croisement qu’a dû affronter son père ans auparavant. Il doit affronter le dilemme de tout soldat : tous les ordres sont-ils légaux, et doit-on tous les respecter ? Quelle est la limite de l’obéissance ? La discipline militaire dispense-t-elle le combattant de ses droits moraux et éthiques ? Toute la responsabilité appartient à personne la plus haute gradée de l’organisation militaire, ou la responsabilité est partagée avec les niveaux intermédiaires ? Cette histoire confirme ce que les grecs savaient déjà : personne ne peut éviter son propre destin. Peut-importe ce que l’ont fait, il nous retrouve toujours.
Peregrina: Love And Death In Mexico (Louann Atkins Temple Women And Culture Ser. #16)
by Alma Reed«Una de las historias de amor y de entrega más apasionantes del siglo XX mexicano.» Elena Poniatowska En agosto de 2001 y de manera casi milagrosa, se descubrió, en un departamento abandonado de la Ciudad de México, el manuscrito que conforma esta fascinante autobiografía, desaparecida desde noviembre de 1966, cuando falleció su autora, Alma M. Reed. Una apasionante historia oculta durante más de cincuenta años en la que Alma relata sus primeras visitas a México como enviada especial de The New York Times Magazine para acompañar a la expedición del Instituto Carnegie. Fue en México donde los caminos de Alma y Felipe Carrillo Puerto, el entonces gobernador de Yucatán -considerado por muchos como el Abraham Lincoln de México-, se entrelazan desde su primer encuentro en una intensa historia de amor, cuya magia y dolor están nítidamente reconstruidos en las páginas de Peregrina.
Peregrinaciones profanas
by Fernando NoyElegido Reina del célebre carnaval de Salvador Bahía, personaje central de la vida cultural argentina y animador gay inigualable de la escena under desde hace cuatro décadas, Fernando Noy cuenta todo en un libro imperdible donde conviven lo más granado de los habitués de los bares porteños de los 60 a las leyendas del tropicalismo. De Pizarnik a Caetano Veloso, de Mercedes Sosa a Tanguito, de Sumo a María Luisa Bemberg, Noy se ha convertido en el cronista más desenfadado de una historia que pedía a gritos su Homero. «¿Quién nos quita lo brillado?, se pregunta Fernando Noy y sigue el consejo de su amigo Pedro Lemebel que solía decirle, con sabiduría de Machi: 'No hables más, Noy: escríbelo'. Y finalmente lo hizo. Aquí están sus memorias, estas Peregrinaciones profanas, puro vértigo de purpurina, cemento y rincones donde el desamparo se convierte en jardín secreto. El propio nacimiento anunciado por la caída de un jinete mapuche; una cartografía del deseo suburbano con las locas del Oeste en los años 60; los náufragos hippies en flor; las temporadas en París o Bahía. Y, por supuesto, las amistades sagradas de Alejandra Pizarnik, Marosa Di Giorgio, María Luisa Bemberg, Batato Barea, Paco Jamandreu, Alejandro Urdapilleta y tantos más. Entre carnavales, lisergia y poetas, desfilan las deidades de Noy y él nos bendice con su misticismo afro-celta, sus túnicas y collares, su inefable paso andrógino que es maravilla, desafío y carcajada.»Mariana Enríquez «Cuando no existía la palabra queer la poeta, la vedette, la actriz, nuestro Fernando Noy, la estaba inventando. Lean estas memorias danzantes de la reina de la fiesta de la libertad y el arte.»Gabriela Cabezón Cámara «Sabíamos que Noy, poeta 24 horas, tenía el don de adelantarse al futuro. Ahora sabemos que es capaz de atravesar la memoria de su tiempo y recuperar un pasado por venir, impredecible, lleno de promesas.»Liliana Viola Noy va narrando un laberinto de encuentros increíbles, pero siempre reales. De la niñez patagónica a la adolescencia del yire hermafrodita con las locas del Oeste en los 60, a la fugaz militancia frustrada por su homosexualidad. El nacimiento alucinógeno y anfetamínico de venta libre en farmacias del hippismo se sobrexpone con el descubrimiento de la bohemia del Di Tella. La crónica de sus amistades son el índice onomástico de la Historia de la Cultura y el Espectáculo de la Argentina de la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Cuando la Junta Militar prohibía los carnavales, Noy se coronaba reina en Bahía, donde se había exiliado. Trepado al árbol de un neuropsiquiátrico parisino donde había sido internado por tratar de recuperar "sus" joyas de faraona en medio de un viaje con drogas, ve llegar a Jackie O. y María Callas al hospital donde acababa de morir Aristóteles Onassis... Quien se anime a seguir, en estas páginas plagiadas a sí mismo, su incesante deambular, encontrará un mundo fantástico, sobreimpreso con purpurina, visible de noche. Y también para quienes buscan las claves de una fiesta eterna y compartida.
Perfect: Anorexia and Me
by Emily HalbanEmily Halban developed anorexia in her final year at school. She went on to university at Oxford where her disease took on a powerful dimension and by her final year she was so debilitated that she had to sit her exams in a separate room where she could be fed continuously.
Perfect: Anorexia and me
by Emily HalbanEmily Halban developed anorexia in her final year at school. She went on to university at Oxford where her disease took on a powerful dimension and by her final year she was so debilitated that she had to sit her exams in a separate room where she could be fed continuously throughout each one. With heartbreaking candour and poignant intimacy, Emily vividly chronicles the complexities and inner struggles of living with anorexia. Two years on, she traces her disease from its elusive origins, through its darkest moments of deprivation, guilt and self-loathing, and finally recounts her journey towards recovery. Emily allows us to understand what it's really like to suffer from anorexia, exposing its secrets and dispelling some of the myths that shroud it. Alive with self-awareness, but never self-pity, Perfect is an inspiring read that will help those battling with the horrors of anorexia find a way out, and those on the outside to understand more.
The Perfect American: A Novel of Walt Disney
by Michael Hofmann Peter Stephan JungkThe Perfect American is a fictionalized biography of Walt Disney's final months, as narrated by Wilhelm Dantine, an Austrian cartoonist who worked for Disney in the 40s and 50s, illustrating sequences for Sleeping Beauty. It is also the story of Dantine himself, who desperately seeks Disney's recognition at the risk of his own ruin.Peter Stephan Jungk has infused a new energy into the genre of fictionalized biography. Dantine, imbued with a sense of European superiority, first refuses to submit to Disney's rule, but is nevertheless fascinated by the childlike omnipotence of a man who identifies with Mickey Mouse. We discover Walt's delusions of immortality via cryogenic preservation, his tirades alongside his Abraham Lincoln talking robot, his invitation of Nikita Khruschev to Disneyland once he learns that the Soviet Premier wants to visit the park, his utopian visions of his EPCOT project, and his backyard labyrinth of toy trains. Yet, if at first Walt seems to have a magic wand granting him all his wishes, we soon discover that he is as tortured as the man who tells his story.After Disney refuses to acknowledge Dantine's self-professed talent and hard work, he fires the frustrated cartoonist for writing, along with other staff members, an anonymous polemical memorandum regarding Disney's jingoistic politics. Years later, in the late 60s, still deeply wounded by his dismissal, Dantine follows Disney's trail to capture what makes Walt tick. Dantine wants us to grasp what it is like to live and breathe around the man who thought of himself as more famous than Santa Claus. Walt's wife Lillian, his confidante and perhaps his mistress Hazel, his brother Roy, his children Diane and Sharon, his close and ill-treated collaborators, and famous figures such as Peter Ustinov, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Geraldine Chaplin, all contribute to the novel's animation, its feel for the life of the Disney world. This deeply researched work not only provides interesting interpretations of what made Walt Disney a central figure in American popular culture, but also explores the complex expectations of gifted European immigrants who came to the United States after World War II with preconceived notions of how to achieve the American dream.
The Perfect Day to Boss Up: A Hustler's Guide To Building Your Empire
by Rick RossA captivating and inspiring guide to building an untouchable empire from mud to marble, no matter what obstacles stand in the wayRick Ross is a hip-hop icon and a towering figure in the business world, but his path to success was not always easy. Despite adversity and setbacks, Ross held tight to his vision and never settled for anything less than greatness. Now, for the first time, he shares his secrets to success, offering his own life as a road map to readers looking to build their own empire. Along the way he reveals: How to turn your ambition into action Tips for managing and investing your money Inside stories from his business and music ventures Why failure is central to success Secrets to handling stressful situations How to build the perfect team As Ross explains, &“It doesn&’t matter what&’s going on. Even the most dire situation is just another opportunity to boss up.&”Intimate, insightful and brimming with no-nonsense advice, The Perfect Time to Boss Up is the ideal book for hustlers everywhere.
The Perfect Fascist: A Story of Love, Power, and Morality in Mussolini’s Italy
by Victoria De GraziaThrough the story of one exemplary fascist—a war hero turned commander of Mussolini’s Black Shirts—the award-winning author of How Fascism Ruled Women reveals how the personal became political in the fascist quest for manhood and power. When Attilio Teruzzi, Mussolini’s handsome political enforcer, married a striking young American opera star, his good fortune seemed settled. The wedding was a carefully stage-managed affair, capped with a blessing by Mussolini himself. Yet only three years later, after being promoted to commander of the Black Shirts, Teruzzi renounced his wife. In fascist Italy, a Catholic country with no divorce law, he could only dissolve the marriage by filing for an annulment through the medieval procedures of the Church Court. The proceedings took an ominous turn when Mussolini joined Hitler: Lilliana Teruzzi was Jewish, and fascist Italy would soon introduce its first race laws. The Perfect Fascist pivots from the intimate story of an inconvenient marriage—brilliantly reconstructed through family letters and court records—to a riveting account of Mussolini’s rise and fall. It invites us to see in the vain, loyal, lecherous, and impetuous Attilio Teruzzi, a decorated military officer with few scruples and a penchant for parades, an exemplar of fascism’s New Man. Why did he abruptly discard the woman he had so eagerly courted? And why, when the time came to find another partner, did he choose another Jewish woman as his would-be wife? In Victoria de Grazia’s engrossing account, we see him vacillating between the will of his Duce and the dictates of his heart. De Grazia’s landmark history captures the seductive appeal of fascism and shows us how, in his moral pieties and intimate betrayals, his violence and opportunism, Teruzzi is a forefather of the illiberal politicians of today.
A Perfect Fit: How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion
by Mara RockliffDiscover how the Lane Bryant clothing brand changed the way we buy clothes forever by celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes in this inclusive picture book biography of a Lithuanian immigrant with a brilliant eye for fashion and business. With stunning artwork from Sibert medalist Juana Martinez-Neal.Lena came to America with nothing but a dream—and an exceptional ability to drape and snip and stitch. She never used a pattern or a tape measure, but every dress she sewed turned out to be a perfect fit.Then, one day, a customer presented her with a new challenge. Could she design a stylish, comfortable gown for a body shape that did not meet the current standards of fashion?Lena took the challenge. Under the company name Lane Bryant, she became famous for flattering and modish clothing designed for all different shapes and sizes. The world of fashion would never be the same.
A Perfect Fit
by Luther Wright Karen HunterFORMER NBA STAR LUTHER WRIGHT SHARES HIS HARROWING AND UPLIFTING JOURNEY OF FINDING GOD--AND HIMSELF--WHEN HE HAD NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE. Luther Wright had the life hoop dreams are made of. A first-round NBA draft pick for the Utah Jazz, he was a rookie on a team with basketball legends Karl Malone and John Stockton. He had money, women, cars, and a luxurious bachelor pad overlooking Salt Lake City. But within a year, ravaged by drugs and unable to cope with life as an NBA star, he was homeless, broke and addicted to crack cocaine. Wright never wanted to play basketball, yet standing more than seven feet tall even as a boy, he thought he had no choice. In this heartrending memoir, he writes candidly about the self-destructive spiral he found himself on after neglecting his passions to pursue the dreams of others. After years of living on the streets, he finally found a gift greater than anything his millions could have bought him--God. Today, Wright offers a simple message: believe in yourself, follow your dreams, and only then will you find your Perfect Fit.
Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
by John SellersTOP FIVE MUSICAL THINGS I HOPE HAPPEN NOW THAT THE ORIGINAL LINEUPS OF THE PIXIES AND DINOSAUR JR. HAVE REUNITED1. Ian Curtis is resurrected. 2. The Smiths reunite for a private party at my favorite bar. 3. There is a new My Bloody Valentine album. 4. A new Nirvana comes along to blow away all of those fey Duran Duran emulators. 5. Radiohead stops listening to Pink Floyd and starts listening to Black Sabbath. If you've ever made, or conceived of, a list like this, then look no further for your next book purchase. You have it. In your hands. Please consider it as your next book purchase. In Perfect From Now On, John Sellers has written a fan's memoir overflowing with humor, self-deprecation, encyclopedic knowledge of musical minutiae, and "you should have been there" personal anecdotes. Despite vowing never to get caught up in music due to the nuttiness of a Dylan-obsessed father and playground taunts about his preference for Top 40 trash, he found himself powerless to resist the allure of indie rock, the genre that begat the likes of Sonic Youth, Pavement, Built to Spill, and Modest Mouse. When his favorite band, Guided By Voices, called it quits in 2004, Sellers examined his own listening habits, caught a few mind-blowing shows, got drunk with his heroes, and wrote this book -- one that is sure to resonate with anybody who has ever obsessed over good music.
The Perfect Gentleman
by Imran AhmadBoth deliciously funny and deeply insightful, THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN is a beguiling multi-layered memoir that has touched the hearts of readers all over the world. At the age of one, Imran Ahmad moved from Pakistan to London, growing up torn between his Islamic identity and his desire to embrace the West. Join Imran in his lifelong struggle against corruption and injustice, and as he grapples with some of Life's most profound questions. What does God do exactly? Do you automatically go to Hell for following the wrong religion? How do you persuade a beautiful woman to become your girlfriend (and would driving a Jaguar XJS help?) Can you maintain a James Bond persona without the vodka, cigarettes and women - even whilst your parents are trying to arrange your marriage? Imran's unimagined journey makes thoughtful, compelling, and downright delightful reading. With a unique style and unflinching honesty, THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN addresses serious issues in an extraordinarily light way, and will leave readers both thinking deeply and laughing out loud.
A Perfect Hell: The True Story of the Black Devils, the Forefathers of the Special Forces
by John NadlerIt's 1942 and Hitler's armies stand astride Europe like a colossus. Germany is winning on every front. This is the story of how one of the world's first commando units, put together for the invasion of Norway, helped turn the tide in Italy.1942. When the British generals recommend an audacious plan to parachute a small elite commando unit into Norway in a bid to put Nazi Germany on the defensive, Winston Churchill is intrigued. But Britain, fighting for its life, can't spare the manpower to participate. So William Lyon MacKenzie King is contacted and asked to commit Canadian troops to the bold plan. King, determined to join Roosevelt and Churchill as an equal leader in the Allied war effort, agrees.One of the world's first commando units, the First Special Service Force, or FSSF, is assembled from hand-picked soldiers from Canadian and American regiments. Any troops sent into Norway will have to be rugged, self-sufficient, brave, and weather-hardened. Canada has such men in ample supply.The all-volunteer FSSF comprises outdoorsmen -- trappers, rangers, prospectors, miners, loggers. Assembled at an isolated base in Helena, Montana, and given only five months to train before the invasion, they are schooled in parachuting, mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and cold-weather survival. They are taught how to handle explosives, how to operate nearly every field weapon in the American and German arsenals, and how to kill with their bare hands.After the Norway plan is scrapped, the FSSF is dispatched to Italy and given its first test -- to seize a key German mountain-top position which had repelled the brunt of the Allied armies for over a month. In a reprise of the audacity and careful planning that won Vimy Ridge for the Canadians in WWI, the FSSF takes the twin peaks Monte la Difensa and Monte la Remetanea by storming the supposedly unscalable rock face at the rear of the German position, and opens the way through the mountains.Later, the FSSF will hold one-quarter of the Anzio beachhead against a vastly superior German force for ninety-nine days; a force of only 1,200 commandos does the work of a full division of over 17,000 troops. Though badly outnumbered, the FSSF takes the fight to the Germans, sending nighttime patrols behind enemy lines and taking prisoners. It is here that they come to be known among the dispirited Germans as Schwartzer Teufel ("Black Devils") for their black camouflage face-paint and their terrifying tactic of appearing out of the darkness.John Nadler vividly captures the savagery of the Italian campaign, fought as it was at close quarters and with desperate resolve, and the deeply human experiences of the individual men called upon to fight it. Based on extensive archival research and interviews with veterans, A Perfect Hell is an important contribution to Canadian military history and an indispensable account of the lives and battlefield exploits of the men who turned the tide of the Second World War.
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
by Elizabeth LettsNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • <P> <P> From the author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, the remarkable story of the heroic rescue of priceless horses in the closing days of World War II <P> In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find—his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world’s finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine—an equine master race. <P> But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army’s last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision—with General George Patton’s blessing—to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed’s small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. <P> Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler’s imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator’s son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm’s surrender. <P> A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike, The Perfect Horse tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Letts’s exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor.Praise for The Perfect Horse <P> “Winningly readable . . . Letts captures both the personalities and the stakes of this daring mission with such a sharp ear for drama that the whole second half of the book reads like a WWII thriller dreamed up by Alan Furst or Len Deighton. . . . The right director could make a Hollywood classic out of this fairy tale.”—The Christian Science Monitor <P> “Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses.”—Kirkus Reviews <P> “The Perfect Horse raises the narrative bar. Applying her skills as a researcher, storyteller and horsewoman, Letts provides context that makes this account spellbinding.”—Culturess <P> “The Perfect Horse is an enthralling and moving story that I could not put down. This is a riveting and unique perspective on World War II.”—Molly Guptill Manning, author of When Books Went to War <P> “Passionately told and dazzling in scope, The Perfect Horse charges headlong into an unforgettable tale of World War II, when good men were given a final mission—to save beloved horses—at an hour when no one wanted to die. In Elizabeth Letts, the saga of World War II’s white stallions has found its perfect guardian.”—Adam Makos, author of A Higher Call <P> “Elizabeth Letts’s beautiful prose, woven together with meticulous research, takes you for a ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.”—Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless
Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience
by Justin WintleBurma is a country where, as one senior UN official puts it, "just to turn your head can mean imprisonment or death."Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the world's foremost inspirational revolutionary leaders. Considered to be Burma's best hope for freedom, she has waged a war of steadfast nonviolent opposition to the country's vicious militant regime. Because of her resistance to the brutality of the Burmese government, she has been under house arrest since 1989.She has endured failing health, vilification through the Burmese media, and cruel imprisonment in one of the world's most dreadful and inhumane jails. Suu Kyi has fought every hardship the junta could put her through, yet she has never once wavered from her position, never once advocated violence, and persevered in her message of peaceful resistance at all costs, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, placing her among the likes of such renowned champions of peace as Gandhi, King, and Mandela. She is a truly heroic revolutionary.In Perfect Hostage, the most thorough biography of Suu Kyi to date, Justin Wintle tells both the story of the Burmese people and the story of an ordinary person who became a hero.