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Auguste Comte: An Intellectual Biography
by Mary PickeringThis book constitutes the first volume of a projected two-volume intellectual biography of Auguste Comte, the founder of modern sociology and a philosophical movement called positivism. Volume One offers a reinterpretation of Comte's "first career," (1798-1842) when he completed the scientific foundation of his philosophy. It describes the interplay between Comte's ideas and the historical context of postrevolutionary France, his struggles with poverty and mental illness, and his volatile relationships with friends, family, and colleagues, including such famous contemporaries as Saint-Simon, the Saint-Simonians, Guizot, and John Stuart Mill. Pickering shows that the man who called for a new social philosophy based on the sciences was not only ill at ease in the most basic human relationships, but also profoundly questioned the ability of the purely scientific spirit to regenerate the political and social world.
Waltzing the Magpies: A Year in Australia
by Sam PickeringThe movie Dead Poets Society is where most Americans first met Sam Pickering, the University of Connecticut English professor. Robin Williams plays the lead character (loosely based on Pickering), an idiosyncratic instructor who employs some over-the-top teaching methods to keep his subjects fresh and his students learning. Fewer know that Pickering is the author of more than 16 books and nearly 200 articles, or that he's inspired thousands of university students to think in new ways. And, while Williams may have captured Pickering's madcap classroom antics, he didn't uncover the other side of the author-Sam Pickering as one of our great American men of letters. Like the music of Mozart, the painting of Picasso, or the poetry of Emily Dickinson, you can spot Pickering's writing a mile away; there's no mistaking the Pickering pen. As an ample demonstration of the author's literary gifts,Waltzing the Magpiesis his unabashedly lush and Technicolor travelogue from Down Under. On the face of it,Waltzingis the chronicle of a sabbatical year spent with family in Australia. Yet beneath the surface Pickering's big themes-family, nature, seizing the moment-move in a powerful current that frequently bursts out in moments of ecstatic revelation and intense sensual flourish. Through it all Pickering weaves stories from his fictional Southern town of Carthage, Tennessee, especially when the goings of the outside world get rough. Waltzing the Magpiesis classic Pickering at the height of his literary powers, and places him in the company of such great American essayists as E. B. White and James Thurber, but with an irony and observational prowess that is pure Pickering.
Captain William Hilton and the Founding of Hilton Head Island
by Dwayne W. PickettBehind the pristine beaches and world renown of Hilton Head Island lies a history that dates back to the early exploration of the nation. In 1663, William Hilton, a mariner born in England, was hired by a group in Barbados to find new lands for them to settle. Hilton led an exploration of the Port Royal Sound area, where he named a high bluff of land Hiltons Head as a navigational marker for future sailors. The island began as a sparsely populated area on the fringe of English settlement in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, when it was called Trench's Island on some maps. Author Dwayne W. Pickett details the life of Hilton, his exploration of the Carolina coast and the founding of an iconic island.
Adventures with Buster: The Adventures Begin with a Guide Dog Named Buster
by London Lake Pickett"Adventures with Buster" is a children's book that will entertain and educate readers about guide dogs and blindness. This is the first book in which London Lake Pickett shares experiences she has had with her guide dog named Buster.
My Rendezvous with Life
by Mary PickfordFirst published in 1935, this book by famous film actress Mary Pickford is an essay on death and her belief in an afterlife and the undying human spirit.“When we stop to consider that all of life, as we understand it, springs from a little seed, then a progression of life beyond this present experience should not seem such a miraculous thing.“The development of a Sequoia tree growing two hundred and fifty feet into the air and living five thousand years is, to me, more amazing than the transition we call death.“And so why do we humans in this world think of our progression out of it as such a great mystery when the wise ones through the ages have assured us that the only part of us that really can be destroyed is our false and limited conception of life?”—Mary Pickford
Samuel Pepys and the Strange Wrecking of the Gloucester
by Nigel PickfordA true story of royal intrigue—with famed diarist Samuel Pepys as the main protagonist—as a fatal shipwreck on the shores of Restoration Britain sparks a mystery that now may finally be solved.In 1682, Charles II invited his scandalous younger brother, James, Duke of York, to return from exile and take his rightful place as heir to the throne. To celebrate, the future king set sail in a fleet of eight ships destined for Edinburgh, where he would reunite with his young pregnant wife. Yet disaster struck en route, somewhere off the Norfolk coast. The royal frigate carrying James and his entourage sank, causing some two hundred sailors and courtiers to perish. The diarist Samuel Pepys had been asked to sail with James but refused the invitation, preferring to travel in one of the other ships. Why? What did he know that others did not? Religious and political tensions were rife in the years leading up to the wreck of the Gloucester. James was a Catholic, as was his wife, and there was a large constituency who wished them dead. Plots and conspiracies abounded. The Royal Navy was itself in disarray, badly equipped and poorly organised. Could someone on board be to blame for the sinking, either from malice or incompetence? Nigel Pickford&’s compelling account of the catastrophe draws on a richness of historical material including letters, diaries and ships&’ logs, revealing for the first time the full drama and tragic consequences of a shipwreck that shook Restoration Britain.
Mi amiga Anne Frank: La verdadera Anne Frank, descrita por su mejor amiga
by Hannah Pick-GoslarLas conmovedoras memorias de Hannah Pick-Goslar, superviviente del holocausto, la mejor amiga de Anne Frank. Una mirada íntima a sus vidas y a su amistad. Con cinco años, Hannah Pick-Goslar huyó con su familia a Ámsterdam para escapar de la Alemania nazi. El primer día de cole allí, entabló amistad con una niña extrovertida y avispada llamada Anne Frank. Durante unos años maravillosos las dos fueron inseparables y disfrutaron de tranquilas fiestas de pijamas y juegos infantiles en el barrio de Rivierenbuurt.Sin embargo, un día de 1942 las vidas de ambas cambiaron para siempre. La ocupación nazi se intensificó y de pronto Anne y su familia desaparecieron. Mientras Hannah se preguntaba por el paradero de su amiga, el destino de su propia familia tomó un nuevo rumbo: los arrestaron y enviaron a Westerbork, un campo de tránsito, antes de transportarlos a Bergen-Belsen. En este campo de concentración, rodeada de muerte y de miseria, Hannah recibió noticias asombrosas de su amiga y no dudó en poner su vida en peligro para ayudarla.«De niña vi al mundo que amaba desmoronarse y desaparecer, vi cómo un odio sin sentido lo destruía y, junto a él, a mi mejor amiga Anne». En este relato lleno de esperanza, fuerza y resistencia, Hannah Pick-Goslar narra una historia de supervivencia y un testimonio inolvidable sobre el poder eterno de la amistad, el amor y la memoria. Reseñas:«La historia de Hannah concluye la que Anne no pudo terminar. Te parte el corazón, pero a la vez es un canto a la vida y cuenta una verdad que ahora mismo necesitamos más que nunca».Dra. Edith Eva Eger, autora de La bailarina de Auschwitz «Un relato insólito sobre el amor, la pérdida y el poder de la amistad en los momentos más aciagos.Este libro, al igual que su autora, es un complemento imprescindible de la vida de Anne Frank».Jack Fairweather, autor de El voluntario, galardonado con el Premio Costa «Hannah Pick-Goslar describe los momentos alegres de su amistad con Anne Frank y las terribles circunstancias que vivieron bajo el régimen nazi… Un relato devastador sobre el Holocausto».Time Magazine «Una amistad hermosa y compleja».New York Post «Sin duda, Hannah Pick-Goslar tiene una historia que contar, y lo hace con gran claridad y convicción. Su experiencia se parece a la de Anne Frank en muchos aspectos».Washington Post
My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds
by Hannah Pick-Goslar"Both heartbreaking and life-affirming" (Edith Eger, author of The Choice), the long-awaited New York Times bestselling memoir of Holocaust survivor Hannah Pick-Goslar, who shares an intimate look into her life and friendship with Anne Frank. In 1933, Hannah Pick-Goslar and her family fled Nazi Germany to live in Amsterdam, where she struck up a close friendship with her next-door neighbor, an outspoken and fun-loving young girl named Anne Frank. For several years, the inseparable pair enjoyed a carefree childhood of games, sleepovers, and treats with the other children in their neighborhood of Rivierenbuurt. But in 1942, Hannah and Anne's lives abruptly changed forever. As the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam progressed, Anne and the Frank family seemingly vanished, leaving behind unmade beds and dishes in the sink—but no trace of Anne's precious diary. Torn from her dear friend without warning, Hannah spent the next two years tormented by questions about Anne's fate, wondering if she had, by some miracle, managed to escape danger. In this long‑awaited memoir, Hannah shares the story of her childhood during the Holocaust, from the introduction of anti-Jewish laws in Amsterdam to the gradual disappearance of classmates and, eventually, the Frank family, to Hannah and her family's imprisonment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. As Hannah chronicles the experiences of her own life during and after the war, she provides a searing look at what countless children endured at the hands of the Nazi regime, as well as an intimate, never‑before‑seen portrait of the most recognizable victim of the Holocaust. Culminating in an astonishing fateful reunion, My Friend Anne Frank is the profoundly moving story of childhood and friendship during one of the darkest periods in the world's history.
Jake
by Jake Pickle Peggy Pickle"My life has been given special purpose," Jake Pickle says. "Some men live to make money, drink, chase women, collect art, excel at a sport, or pursue other things that give them pleasure. The thing I got hooked on was helping people. And I've had the privilege of helping people by the thousands. Serving in Congress was the greatest honor of my life."<P><P>In this book, Jake Pickle tells the story of a lifetime in public service, including thirty-one years as Representative for Texas' Tenth Congressional District. Jake tells his story by telling stories—most of them humorous, some poignant—that add up to a warmly personal account of his life and career.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound
by Andrea Davis Pickney<p>From award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney comes the story of the music that defined a generation and a movement that changed the world. <p>Berry Gordy began Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family. He converted the garage of a residential house into a studio and recruited teenagers from the neighborhood-like Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross-to sing for his new label. Meanwhile, the country was on the brink of a cultural revolution, and one of the most powerful agents of change in the following decade would be this group of young black performers from urban Detroit. From Berry Gordy and his remarkable vision to the Civil Rights movement, from the behind-the-scenes musicians, choreographers, and song writers to the most famous recording artists of the century, Andrea Davis Pinkney takes readers on a Rhythm Ride through the story of Motown.</p>
The Red Baron: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Barry PickthallBeginning his wartime career on the Western Front in August 1916, Manfred von Richthofen, or the Red Baron as he became known, had shot down an impressive total of fifteen aircraft by January 1917, as well as being appointed commander of his own unit. By the time of his death in 1918, he had destroyed a staggering total of eighty allied aircraft. From the perspective of the allies, he was a deadly menace. For the Germans, he was a fighter pilot hero of legendary significance. This fascinating collection of rare images offers a fresh perspective on the Baron himself, as well as a number of his adversaries from the Allied side of the line.
Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon
by Louis L. PiconeThe moving story of Ulysses S. Grant's final battle, and the definitive account of the national memorial honoring him as one of America's most enduring heroes The final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious general in the Civil War and the eighteenth president of the United States, is a colossal neoclassical tomb located in the most dynamic city in the country. It is larger than the final resting place of any other president or any other person in America. Since its creation, the popularity and condition of this monument, built to honor the man and what he represented to a grateful nation at the time of his death, a mere twenty years after the end of the Civil War, have reflected not only Grant's legacy in the public mind but also the state of New York City and of the Union.In this fascinating, deeply researched book, presidential historian Louis L. Picone recounts the full story. He begins with Grant's heroic final battle during the last year of his life, to complete his memoirs in order to secure his family's financial future while contending with painful, incurable cancer. Grant accomplished this just days before his death, and his memoirs, published by Mark Twain, became a bestseller. Accompanying his account with numerous period photographs, Picone narrates the national response to Grant's passing and how his tomb came to be: the intense competition to be the resting place for Grant's remains, the origins of the memorial and its design, the struggle to finance and build it over the course of twelve years, and the vicissitudes of its afterlife in the history of the nation up to recent times.
The Book of Two Ways: A Novel
by Jodi PicoultOrder Jodi Picoult's stunning new novel about life, death, and missed opportunities. THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'A writer the world should be reading right now.' IndependentWho would you be, if you hadn't turned out to be the person you are now? Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully. But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved. Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to - but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain. As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she's never truly asked: what does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?Two possible futures. One impossible choice. ----------------------------------------------------------------'It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.' Financial Times 'A matchless talent for hitting emotional notes.' Irish Times'A wise, cerebral, propulsive adventure . . . eruditely spans the worlds of Egyptology, university physics and end-of-life care, while never losing sight of its high-stakes human story . . . a captivatingly immersive, multilayered, painstakingly researched and impressively realised exploration of deeply human geographies.' The Sunday Times'This complex, time-shifting romance combines moral hazard with Wuthering Heights echoes and degree-level Egyptology. And there aren't many books you can say that about.' Daily Mail
The Book of Two Ways: The stunning bestseller about life, death and missed opportunities
by Jodi PicoultDawn thinks she knows everything there is to know about dying. As a death doula she helps her clients fix what is left undone so they can peacefully make the final transition. But when her plane plummets from the sky and she thinks she is experiencing the last moments of her life, she is shocked to find that she isn't thinking of her husband or teenage daughter - but of a road she strayed from 15 years earlier, when she turned her back on her PhD studies. Against all odds, Dawn survives, and the airline gives her a free ticket to wherever she needs to get to. in alternating chapters, we see possible choices: Land - returning to her husband, a quantum physicist who studies the possibilities of parallel universes, she is faced with a test to her marriage and a daughter who is struggling with self-image issues. And Water: returning to her studies and the archaeological site she worked on 15 years earlier, where the man she abandoned is about to make the discovery of a lifetime. But time may not be as straightforward as we think. As Dawn explores her possible futures, she is finding out what a well-lived life means, what we leave behind of ourselves when we leave the earth, and who she might have been...(P) 2020 Penguin Random House Audio
A Spark of Light: THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Jodi PicoultTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A writer the world needs to be reading right now' The Independent'An apposite and nuanced novel... Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision.' Red'A very special novel about a very difficult subject.' Grazia****The Center for women's reproductive health offers a last chance at hope - but nobody ends up there by choice.Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people - the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment - to this point.And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose.(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
A Spark of Light: THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Jodi PicoultTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A writer the world needs to be reading right now' The Independent'An apposite and nuanced novel... Picoult writes about an emotive, controversial issue with unflinching precision.' Red'Incredibly compelling and page turning' Dolly Alderton'A very special novel about a very difficult subject.' Grazia'Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios' The Sunday TimesA lone gunman takes the women and doctors at a controversial abortion clinic hostage. Nobody has ended up there by choice.As the tense negotiation for their release unfolds, hour by crucial hour, back in time through the day that brought the hostages and their captor to this moment, every certainty is questioned, every judgement thrown into sharp relief.Because matters of life and death look very different when you, or the ones you love, are staring down the barrel of a gun . . .Powerful, thought-provoking and deeply involving, Jodi Picoult's new novel is told in reverse, propelling the reader through intertwining characters and uncovering motives in this unflinching exploration of what makes a life.THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, Jodi's stunning new novel about life, death and missed opportunities is available to pre-order now.
Laughing in the Dark: A Comedian's Journey through Depression
by Chonda PierceA refreshingly honest and witty exploration of one woman&’s journey through depression. For many, depression is associated with shame and humiliation—even a lack of faith. But Laughing in the Dark is like getting genuine advice from a kind friend. And in her words you&’ll find hope and renewed confidence that will guide you through your own darkness and into the light.- If you are currently suffering from depression—this book will help you realize you&’re not alone. - If you have a loved one dealing with depression—this book will help you understand. - If you are a mental health professional—you now have a new tool to encourage your clients.Along with the humor, Chonda Pierce shares practical insight, biblical teaching, emotional support, and sympathetic concern. Whether you&’ve experienced depression in your own life or in the life of someone you love, this friend has something to offer you: help, hope and, believe it or not, plenty of laughter.
Roadkill on the Highway to Heaven
by Chonda PierceChristian comedian Chonda Pierce takes a look at life on the road as she travels around the world. Her stories will make you laugh, cry, and always point to Christ.
Greater Boston Community Theater
by Judson Lee PierceThe roots of community theater can be traced back to before the Revolutionary War. In the years that followed, many towns throughout America were fortunate to have both professional and amateur acting companies. The evolution of the moving picture forced many of these professional theaters to close their doors, but theater lovers in small communities still wanted the real thing, live theater. Today there are numerous community theater groups around the Boston area, including the oldest continuing community theater group in the country, the Footlight Club, which was founded in 1877. In the spirit of community, many theater companies donate to charities and sponsor playwriting contests and scholarship programs. They all share a common goal: bring live theater to suburban communities. Greater Boston Community Theater presents rare photographs from more than a dozen community theaters to document and celebrate the rich tapestry of theater life.
Russian Central Asia, 1867-1917: A Study in Colonial Rule
by Richard A. PierceRussian Central Asia is the vast area, half as large as the United States, extending from the Caspian Sea to China, from Siberia to northern Iran. Ever since its conquest by Russia in the nineteenth century this region has been both an asset and a problem—because of its strategic and economic importance and because of its several million Moslem inhabitants, to this day unassimilated and unreconciled to Russian control. This book describes events under Imperial Russian rule, treating the period in the light of the conflict between nineteenth-century concepts “the white man’s burden” and the awakening aspirations of colonial peoples, and as part of the contest between Western imperialism and the Islamic world. It shows the enduring geographic, political, and cultural factors that must be faced by an regime in Central Asia, provides a basis for comparison between the methods and motives of the Imperial Russian colonizers and those of the Soviet regime, and refutes misconceptions regarding Russian colonizing techniques.
The Life and Times of Ward Kimball: Maverick of Disney Animation
by Todd James PierceBesides Walt Disney, no one seemed more key to the development of animation at the Disney Studios than Ward Kimball (1914–2002). Kimball was Disney’s friend and confidant. In this engaging, cradle-to-grave biography, award-winning author Todd James Pierce explores the life of Ward Kimball, a lead Disney animator who worked on characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, the Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Hatter. Through unpublished excerpts from Kimball’s personal writing, material from unpublished interviews, and new information based on interviews conducted by the author, Pierce defines the life of perhaps the most influential animator of the twentieth century. As well as contributing to classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio, from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, Kimball established a highly graphic, idiosyncratic approach to animation alongside the studio’s more recognizable storybook realism. In effect, Ward Kimball became the only animator to run his own in-studio production team largely outside of Walt Disney’s direction. In the 1950s and 1960s, he emerged as a director and producer of his own animation, while remaining inside Disney’s studio. Through Kimball, the studio developed a series of nonfiction animation programs in the 1950s that members of Congress pointed to as paving the way for NASA. The studio also allowed Kimball’s work to abandon some ties to conventional animation, looking instead to high art and graphic design as a means of creating new animated forms, which resulted in films that received multiple Academy Award nominations and two awards. Throughout his life, Kimball was a maverick animator, an artist who helped define the field of American animation, and a visionary who sought to expand the influence of animated films.
The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken
by Wendell Pierce Rod DreherFrom acclaimed actor and producer Wendell Pierce, an insightful and poignant portrait of family, New Orleans and the transforming power of art. <P><P> On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina barreled into New Orleans, devastating many of the city's neighborhoods, including Pontchartrain Park, the home of Wendell Pierce's family and the first African American middle-class subdivision in New Orleans. <P>The hurricane breached many of the city's levees, and the resulting flooding submerged Pontchartrain Park under as much as 20 feet of water. Katrina left New Orleans later that day, but for the next three days the water kept relentlessly gushing into the city, plunging eighty percent of New Orleans under water. Nearly 1,500 people were killed. Half the houses in the city had four feet of water in them--or more. There was no electricity or clean water in the city; looting and the breakdown of civil order soon followed. Tens of thousands of New Orleanians were stranded in the city, with no way out; many more evacuees were displaced, with no way back in. Pierce and his family were some of the lucky ones: They survived and were able to ride out the storm at a relative's house 70 miles away. When they were finally allowed to return, they found their family home in tatters, their neighborhood decimated. Heartbroken but resilient, Pierce vowed to help rebuild, and not just his family's home, but all of Pontchartrain Park. In this powerful and redemptive narrative, Pierce brings together the stories of his family, his city, and his history, why they are all worth saving and the critical importance art played in reuniting and revitalizing this unique American city.From the Hardcover edition.
This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son
by Charlotte Pierce-Baker"Illuminating and brilliant, with poetry and prose, mother and son lay bare the ravages of bipolar disorder and the journey toward growth and understanding. A touching, lyrical memoir." --Jewell Parker Rhodes, award-winning author, Voodoo Dreams and Douglass' Women Told in a mother's own words, this is a moving story of a loving African American family that faces the daily crisis of an unpredictable mental disorder. Charlotte Pierce-Baker and her husband did everything right when raising their son Mark: providing emotional support, the best education possible, and the freedom to choose his own path. At age 25, Mark was pursuing a postgraduate degree in film, living with his fiancée, and seemingly in control of his life, so Pierce-Baker never imagined her high-achieving son would wind up handcuffed, barely clothed, dirty, mad, and in jail. Mark's bipolar disorder manifested late and included hospitalizations, calls in the night, pleas for money, jail, lawyers, prescriptions, doctors, alcohol and drug relapses, and continuous disputes about how to live--and not live. This autobiography weaves a fascinating story of mental illness, race, family, the drive of African Americans to succeed, and a mother's love for her son. Charlotte Pierce-Baker is a professor of women's studies, gender studies, and English at Vanderbilt University and the author of Surviving the Silence. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sleeping with Cats: A Memoir
by Marge PiercyMarge Piercy, a writer who is highly praised as both a poet and a novelist, turns her gaze inward as she shares her thoughts on life and explores her development as a woman and writer. She pays tribute to the one loving constant that has offered her comfort and meaning even as the faces and events in her life have changed -- her beloved cats.With searing honesty, Piercy tells of her strained childhood growing up in a religiously split, working-class family in Detroit. She examines her myriad friendships and relationships, including two painful early marriages, and reveals their effects on her creativity and career. More than a reminiscence of things past, however, Sleeping With Cats is also a celebration of the present and the future, as Piercy shares her views on aging, creativity, and finding a lasting and improbable love with a man fourteen years younger than herself.A chronicle of the turbulent and exciting journey of one artist's life, Sleeping With Cats is a deeply intimate, unforgettable story.
American Rhapsody: Writers, Musicians, Movie Stars, and One Great Building
by Claudia Roth PierpontRanging from the shattered gentility of Edith Wharton's heroines to racial confrontation in the songs of Nina Simone, American Rhapsody presents a kaleidoscopic story of the creation of a culture. Here is a series of deeply involving portraits of American artists and innovators who have helped to shape the country in the modern age. Claudia Roth Pierpont expertly mixes biography and criticism, history and reportage, to bring these portraits to life and to link them in surprising ways. It isn't far from Wharton's brave new women to F. Scott Fitzgerald's giddy flappers, and on to the big-screen command of Katharine Hepburn and the dangerous dames of Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled world. The improvisatory jazziness of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue has its counterpart in the great jazz baby of the New York skyline, the Chrysler Building. Questions of an American acting style are traced from Orson Welles to Marlon Brando, while the new American painting emerges in the gallery of Peggy Guggenheim. And we trace the arc of racial progress from Bert Williams's blackface performances to James Baldwin's warning of the fire next time, however slow and bitter and anguished this progress may be. American Rhapsody offers a history of twentieth-century American invention and genius. It is about the joy and profit of being a heterogeneous people, and the immense difficulty of this human experiment.