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Pistol: A Biography of Pete Maravich
by Mark KriegelPistol is more than the biography of a ballplayer. It's the stuff of classic novels: the story of a boy transformed by his father's dream -- and the cost of that dream. Even as Pete Maravich became Pistol Pete -- a basketball icon for baby boomers -- all the Maraviches paid a price. Now acclaimed author Mark Kriegel has brilliantly captured the saga of an American family: its rise, its apparent ruin, and, finally, its redemption. Almost four decades have passed since Maravich entered the national consciousness as basketball's boy wizard. No one had ever played the game like the kid with the floppy socks and shaggy hair. And all these years later, no one else ever has. The idea of Pistol Pete continues to resonate with young people today just as powerfully as it did with their fathers. In averaging 44.2 points a game at Louisiana State University, he established records that will never be broken. But even more enduring than the numbers was the sense of ecstasy and artistry with which he played. With the ball in his hands, Maravich had a singular power to inspire awe, inflict embarrassment, or even tell a joke. But he wasn't merely a mesmerizing showman. He was basketball's answer to Elvis, a white Southerner who sold Middle America on a black man's game. Like Elvis, he paid a terrible price, becoming a prisoner of his own fame. Set largely in the South, Kriegel's Pistol, a tale of obsession and basketball, fathers and sons, merges several archetypal characters. Maravich was a child prodigy, a prodigal son, his father's ransom in a Faustian bargain, and a Great White Hope. But he was also a creature of contradictions: always the outsider but a virtuoso in a team sport, an exuberant showman who wouldn't look you in the eye, a vegetarian boozer, an athlete who lived like a rock star, a suicidal genius saved by Jesus Christ. A renowned biographer -- People magazine called him "a master" -- Kriegel renders his subject with a style that is, by turns, heartbreaking, lyrical, and electric. The narrative begins in 1929, the year a missionary gave Pete's father a basketball. Press Maravich had been a neglected child trapped in a hellish industrial town, but the game enabled him to blossom. It also caused him to confuse basketball with salvation. The intensity of Press's obsession initiates a journey across three generations of Maraviches. Pistol Pete, a ballplayer unlike any other, was a product of his father's vanity and vision. But that dream continues to exact a price on Pete's own sons. Now in their twenties -- and fatherless for most of their lives -- they have waged their own struggles with the game and its ghosts. Pistol is an unforgettable biography. By telling one family's history, Kriegel has traced the history of the game and a large slice of the American narrative.
Pistoleros!: Volume 1: 1918
by Farquhar McHargIn Farquhar McHarg's autobiography, a young boy from Glasgow finds himself in the middle of Barcelona's revolutionary underworld at the tail end of World War I. Volume One chronicles McHarg's liaisons between the British Secret Service Bureau and the Spanish anarchists. McHarg tells of a corrupt Spanish regime bent on crushing a rebellious working class and the generous and recklessly idealistic men and women who struggled to transform it after rejecting traditional party politics. When a lifelong friend and fellow anarchist was gunned down, McHarg raced to write this epic history before he too could be silenced. This unique, first-person account of revolutionary activities in 20th-century Europe gives rare perspective and insight into modern revolutionary history.
Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street's Champion Trader
by Amy Hempel Martin Schwartz Dave Morine Paul Flint“Investors who feel like they have what it takes to trade . . . should read Pit Bull.” —The Wall Street JournalWelcome to the world of Martin “Buzzy” Schwartz, Champion Trader—the man whose nerves of steel and killer instinct in the canyons of Wall Street earned him the well-deserved name “Pit Bull.” This is the true story of how Schwartz became the best of the best, of the people and places he discovered along the way, and of the trader’s tricks and techniques he used to make his millions.“The most entertaining and insightful look at Wall Street since Liar’s Poker.” —Paul Tudor Jones II, founder, Tudor Investment Corporation and the Robin Hood Foundation“An archetypal text, true to life on the Street, destined to be discussed over drinks at trader hangouts after the market closes.” —Kirkus Reviews“Hilarious and eye-opening . . . Pit Bull tells the real deal about life on Wall Street—and how you make money there.” —Martin Zweig, author of Martin Zweig’s Winning on Wall Street
Pit Lasses: Women and Girls in Coalmining c.1800–1914
by Denise BatesWomen have long been recognized as the backbone of coalmining communities, supporting their men. Less well known is the role which they played as the industry developed, working underground alongside their husband or father, moving the coal which he had cut. The year 2012 is significant as it is the 170th anniversary of the publication of the Report of the Commission into the Employment of Children and Young People in Coal Mines (May 1842). The report findings included the revelation that in some mines half-dressed women worked alongside naked men. The resulting outrage led to the banning of females working underground three months later. The Report of the Commission has been neglected as a source for many decades with the same few quotations regularly being used to illustrate the same headline points. And yet about 500 women and girls gave statements about what mining was like in 1841 and in earlier years in different parts of the country. In conjunction with the 1841 census it paints a comprehensive, though previously unexplored picture of the work of a female miner, how she lived when not at work, how she was regarded by the wider community and what she could achieve. Although banned from working underground, women were still allowed to work above ground after 1842. In the second half of the nineteenth century around 3,000 women continued to be employed at the pit head though this was increasingly confined to the pit brow lasses of Lancashire. This book examines the life of the female miner in the nineteenth century through to the outbreak of the Great War, both at work and away from it, drawing out the largely untapped evidence within contemporary sources - and challenging received wisdoms.
Pita Amor: La undécima musa
by Michael SchuesslerLa extraordinaria vida de Pita Amor, escrita por su amigo y biógrafo Michael K. Schuessler, en una edición actualizada. Más cerca del cielo que de los hombres, del paraíso de la literatura que de la sociedad que la vio crecer -que se admiró de su belleza y talento lírico-, Guadalupe Amor, la inolvidable Pita, fue un ser tocado por la gracia poética, el arrebato, la sensualidad y la locura del artista. En este libro, Michael K. Schuessler rescata al mito y al personaje, a la mujer extravagante, a la poeta destacada y a la artista herida mortalmente por la muerte de su hijo único. Schuessler enlaza los poemas de Pita Amor con su vida y con su legado vivencial que sentencia Yo soy mi casa para repasar aspectos de su niñez, su adolescencia y sus primeros pasos literarios. Además, se vale de la investigación periodística, el recorrido por las calles de la gran Ciudad de México en busca del aliento de la poeta, de los destellos y de su sombra. Indudablemente, Pita Amor es una transgresora y un ser diferente de la literatura mexicana, del tamaño y encanto de Nahui Ollin, Frida Kahlo y Remedios Varo. Pita Amor pintó con las palabras un mundo voluptuoso, erótico y profundo. El trabajo de Schuessler, para acercar a las nuevas generaciones a esta mujer intensa e inolvidable, es sencillamente extraordinario.
Pitch Invasion: My story as a feminist on a Football Club board
by Karen DobresKaren Dobres never expected to fall for football - let alone help revolutionise it. In Pitch Invasion, Karen shares her hilarious and heartfelt journey from someone who 'always zoned out when bloody football was on the telly' to becoming a Director at Lewes FC - the first football club in the world to pay its women and men players equally.In 1994, Karen could barely sit through a match at Wembley. Fast forward to 2023, and she's introducing multi-million-pound deals for the women's team of her local club. How does a trained counsellor and former catwalk model end up navigating the male-dominated world of football? And how did she turn her 'imposter syndrome' into a tool for change?With bisexual pirates, vegan snacks, and even a designated breastfeeding area, Lewes FC is no ordinary football club. It's a pioneering force for equity, inclusion, and innovation. Through Karen's witty, self-deprecating storytelling, Pitch Invasion gives readers an insider's view of the quirky yet revolutionary culture at Lewes FC. From organising Suffragette flash mobs to introducing Prosecco on tap at the stadium, Karen brings to life her experiences at this fan-owned, debt-free, gender-equal club where everyone - from local supporters to pop stars - helps shape the future of the game.From 2017, when women's football was still fighting for recognition, to the present day, Pitch Invasion is the story of how one woman helped lead the charge for gender equality, challenging football's entrenched hegemony, not just for one club, but across the UK.
Pitch Invasion: My story as a feminist on a Football Club board
by Karen DobresKaren Dobres never expected to fall for football - let alone help revolutionise it. In Pitch Invasion, Karen shares her hilarious and heartfelt journey from someone who 'always zoned out when bloody football was on the telly' to becoming a Director at Lewes FC - the first football club in the world to pay its women and men players equally.In 1994, Karen could barely sit through a match at Wembley. Fast forward to 2023, and she's introducing multi-million-pound deals for the women's team of her local club. How does a trained counsellor and former catwalk model end up navigating the male-dominated world of football? And how did she turn her 'imposter syndrome' into a tool for change?With bisexual pirates, vegan snacks, and even a designated breastfeeding area, Lewes FC is no ordinary football club. It's a pioneering force for equity, inclusion, and innovation. Through Karen's witty, self-deprecating storytelling, Pitch Invasion gives readers an insider's view of the quirky yet revolutionary culture at Lewes FC. From organising Suffragette flash mobs to introducing Prosecco on tap at the stadium, Karen brings to life her experiences at this fan-owned, debt-free, gender-equal club where everyone - from local supporters to pop stars - helps shape the future of the game.From 2017, when women's football was still fighting for recognition, to the present day, Pitch Invasion is the story of how one woman helped lead the charge for gender equality, challenging football's entrenched hegemony, not just for one club, but across the UK.
Pitch Invasion: My story as a feminist on a Football Club board
by Karen DobresKaren Dobres never expected to fall for football - let alone help revolutionise it. In Pitch Invasion, Karen shares her hilarious and heartfelt journey from someone who 'always zoned out when bloody football was on the telly' to becoming a Director at Lewes FC - the first football club in the world to pay its women and men players equally.In 1994, Karen could barely sit through a match at Wembley. Fast forward to 2023, and she's introducing multi-million-pound deals for the women's team of her local club. How does a trained counsellor and former catwalk model end up navigating the male-dominated world of football? And how did she turn her 'imposter syndrome' into a tool for change?With bisexual pirates, vegan snacks, and even a designated breastfeeding area, Lewes FC is no ordinary football club. It's a pioneering force for equity, inclusion, and innovation. Through Karen's witty, self-deprecating storytelling, Pitch Invasion gives readers an insider's view of the quirky yet revolutionary culture at Lewes FC. From organising Suffragette flash mobs to introducing Prosecco on tap at the stadium, Karen brings to life her experiences at this fan-owned, debt-free, gender-equal club where everyone - from local supporters to pop stars - helps shape the future of the game.From 2017, when women's football was still fighting for recognition, to the present day, Pitch Invasion is the story of how one woman helped lead the charge for gender equality, challenging football's entrenched hegemony, not just for one club, but across the UK.
Pitch Perfect and Persistent!: The Musical Debut of Amy Cheney Beach
by Caitlin DeLemsDiscover the untold yet inspiring story of Amy Beach, musician extraordinaire and the first successful woman composer in America.With perfect pitch and fierce persistence, Amy Beach always knew she had to make music. There was just one BIG problem. Her mother believed it was not proper or suitable for a young lady to draw attention to herself, let alone take on a musical career. But give in or give up? Not Amy Beach. She demanded to play the piano. Demanded to have a real teacher. Demanded to perform. Luckily—for the world!—Amy&’s persistence paid off. At just sixteen years old, Amy Beach found herself on the stage of Boston&’s Music Hall—and the start of a brilliant career. A female composer who paved the way—perfectly!
Pitchforks and Torches: The Worst of the Worst, From Beck, Bill, and Bush to Palin and Other Posturing Republicans
by Keith OlbermannAn irresistible new collection from the New York Times bestselling author and host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. In his particular wit and style, Keith Olbermann skewers politicians, celebrities, and people behaving badly every weeknight on MSNBC's increasingly popular Countdown with Keith Olbermann. This book starts right after President Obama's election and collects all of Olbermann's acclaimed "Special Comments," a few of his "Quick Comments," all but one of his feature "WTF," selections of "Bushed" and "Still Bushed," and, of course, a healthy dose of "The Worst Person in the World." Covers everything from gay marriage to Sarah Palin, John Edwards' love child, and the Bush legacy--plus Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and, of course, Bill-O. Olbermann is a frequent poster to the popular website DailyKos, where his audience has shown itself as fervid and highly supportive. New from the New York Times bestselling author of The Worst Person of the World and Truth and Consequences Showcasing Olbermann at his most controversial, outspoken, and entertaining, Keith Olbermann's Hall of Shame cuts to the truth in a world of lies.
Pitching My Tent: On Marriage, Motherhood, Friendship, and Other Leaps of Faith
by Anita DiamantFrom the bestselling author of The Red Tent and Good Harbor, a collection of intimate, autobiographical reflections on the milestones, revelations, and balancing acts of life as a wife, mother, friend, and member of a religious community.Before The Red Tent won her international literary acclaim, Anita Diamant was a columnist in Boston. Over the course of twenty years, she wrote essays that reflected the shape and evolution of her life, as well as the trends of her generation. In the end, her musings about love and marriage, birth and death, nature versus nurture, politics and religion—and everything from female friendships to quitting smoking—have created a public diary of the progress of her life that resonated deeply with her readers. Now, Pitching My Tent collects the finest columns of a writer who is a reporter by training and a storyteller by heart, all revised and enriched with new material. Personal, inspiring, and often funny, Pitching My Tent displays the warmth, humor, and wisdom that Diamant's legions of fans have come to cherish.
Pitching in a Pinch: Baseball from the Inside
by Red Smith Chad Harbach Christy MathewsonAn inside baseball memoir from the game’s first superstar, with a foreword by Chad Harbach Christy Mathewson was one of the most dominant pitchers ever to play baseball. Posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the "Five Immortals,” he was an unstoppable force on the mound, winning at least twenty-two games for twelve straight seasons and pitching three complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series. Pitching in a Pinch, his witty and digestible book of baseball insights, stories, and wisdom, was first published over a hundred years ago and presents readers with Mathewson’s plainspoken perspective on the diamond of yore-on the players, the chances they took, the jinxes they believed in, and, most of all, their love of the game. Baseball fans will love to read first-hand accounts of the infamous Merkle’s Boner incident, Giants manager John McGraw, and the unstoppable Johnny Evers and to learn how much-and just how little-has really changed in a hundred years. .
Pitiful Giants
by Daniel P. FranklinSince ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, five American presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama have been elected to serve a second term. Presumably, by virtue of their term-limited status, these presidents are free from electoral pressure to pursue policies in the public interest, but this is a questionable assumption. Second term presidents face a host of structural obstacles that make it difficult for them to carry out their tasks. How then do presidents lead through these politically-complex circumstances? How can presidents make the most of their second-tem "mandates" while battling against waning political power? This book seeks to answer the complex and often paradoxical challenges presidents encounter in their lame duck years. "
Pitino: My Story
by Rick Pitino Seth KaufmanOn September 26, 2017, the biggest recruiting scandal in college basketball history sent shock waves through the world of sports. Caught up in a massive FBI and NCAA investigation—and the intense media spotlight—was Rick Pitino, the Louisville Cardinals’ Hall of Fame coach. Here, from Pitino himself, comes the real story of the ongoing case and the hard truth about how college hoops has been pushed to the brink of disaster by greed, bad actors, and shoe company money. Rick Pitino has spent a lifetime in basketball. He is the recruiting and coaching maestro behind Final Four appearances with three different teams, and National Championships at two of them. He worked the early days of the legendary Five-Star camp and scouted players without the influence of agents, runners, or shoe companies. And he has run today’s recruiting gauntlet of sports apparel marketing, corrupted assistant coaches, unethical youth coaches, and powerful organizations hellbent against him. Rick Pitino has seen it all, dealt with it all, and now tells it all.Pitino is the story of an epic coaching career and the evolution of NCAA basketball to the multi-billion-dollar enterprise it is today. It is also a master’s course on the arts of coaching and recruiting. And in the telling, the one and only Rick Pitino lays all his cards on the table in addressing scandals of his past and the current headline-grabbing investigation that led a packed Board of Directors at Louisville to derail his career.
Pitt the Elder: Man of War
by Edward PearceThis remarkable book opens at the dawn of the British Empire - with the great sea battle at Quiberon Bay where French ships, intended for the 1759 invasion of Britain, are chased, caught and defeated by a fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Edward Hawke. In this momentous victory Britain effectively settled the outcome of the Seven Years' War and established itself as the world's dominant imperial power.At the heart of the conflict with France was William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham and Britain's future Prime Minister. Weaving together military history and political biography Edward Pearce provides a portrait of the man 'with an eye like a diamond' - a man who had close ties with the slave trade and who preached war and British supremacy on a world stage. Alongside detailed descriptions of battles in Europe and North America we follow Pitt's career as a politician - one that was closely intertwined with General James Wolfe at Quebec; American independence; the slow mind of George III and the quick one of the rake and outsider John Wilkes.Edward Pearce scrutinises the real man at the heart of the historical events and mystique surrounding the legacy of Pitt the Elder, to present a rounded and masterful portrait of arguably the most powerful minister ever to guide Britain's foreign policy and of an age which marked a new epoch in history, when the balance of power in Europe and the world was set for almost two centuries.
Pittsburgh's Greatest Athletes: A Decidedly Subjective Ranking Of The Greatest Athletes To Ever Play On Pittsburgh's Diamonds, Gridirons, Rinks, Rings, Courts, Tracks And More (Sports)
by David FinoliAuthor and sports historian David Finoli's inside look at the 50 greatest male and female athletes in Pittsburgh history.Greatness in sport is both undefinable and immediately recognizable. Though it is rare, Western Pennsylvania has been graced with a long history of athletes who embody the essence of greatness. They have proudly represented the region in sports such as boxing, golf and track; carried their collegiate teams to victory; and worn the black and gold of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburghers still recall how Mario Lemieux glided effortlessly through an opposing defense before befuddling the goalie or Arnold Palmer's unique swing that made the everyday duffer feel like he was one of them. Fans debate whether Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger is the better quarterback and what the legacy of Barry Bonds is, while keeping Roberto Clemente among their most cherished icons. Take a deep dive into all of that and more and re-discover the best of the best in Pittsburgh sports history.
Pity for The Guy: A Biography of Guy Fawkes
by John Paul DavisThe first fully-rounded portrait of the man behind the Gunpowder Plot For hundreds of years Guy Fawkes has been portrayed as perhaps too extreme a figure--a rabid, bloodthirsty Catholic who not only tried to bomb British Parliament but threatened the English way of life. This biography reveals that he was much more than an evil, shadowy conspirator with an axe to grind. John Paul Davis delves into the evidence and makes a convincing case for new thinking on one of English history's greatest enigmas. Not only is the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 thrillingly reteold, but Guy Fawkes can now be seen as a multi-faceted figure--husband, soldier, lover, adveturer, spy, and possibly the most misunderstood of English villains.
Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Suzanne McConnell&“A rich, generous book about writing and reading and Kurt Vonnegut as writer, teacher, and friend . . . Every page brings pleasure and insight.&”—Gail Godwin, New York Times bestselling author Here is an entirely new side of Kurt Vonnegut, Vonnegut as a teacher of writing. Of course he&’s given us glimpses before, with aphorisms and short essays and articles and in his speeches. But never before has an entire book been devoted to Kurt Vonnegut the teacher. Here is pretty much everything Vonnegut ever said or wrote having to do with the writing art and craft, altogether a healing, a nourishing expedition. His former student, Suzanne McConnell, has outfitted us for the journey, and in these 37 chapters covers the waterfront of how one American writer brought himself to the pinnacle of the writing art, and we can all benefit as a result. Kurt Vonnegut was one of the few grandmasters of American literature, whose novels continue to influence new generations about the ways in which our imaginations can help us to live. Few aspects of his contribution have not been plumbed—fourteen novels, collections of his speeches, his essays, his letters, his plays—so this fresh view of him is a bonanza for writers and readers and Vonnegut fans everywhere. &“Part homage, part memoir, and a 100% guide to making art with words, Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style is a simply mesmerizing book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!&”—Andre Dubus III, #1 New York Times bestselling author &“The blend of memory, fact, keen observation, spellbinding descriptiveness and zany characters that populated Vonnegut&’s work is on full display here.&”—James McBride, National Book Award-winning author
Pizarro, el rey de la baraja.: Análisis de su sistema de acción política
by Alan GarcíaUna lección de política a través del estudio de uno de los principales conquistadores de América: Francisco Pizarro.Francisco Pizarro es una figura extensamente estudiada por historiadores, escritores y autores de las más diversas orientaciones, quienes durante casi 500 años se han preguntado cómo un aventurero español, a la cabeza de un reducido ejército, logró conquistar el Imperio Inca. En este libro, sin embargo, el ex presidente peruano Alan García desarrolla un análisis novedoso, desde un ángulo muy pocas veces abordado: Pizarro como personaje político. García explora de forma rigurosa los hechos históricos y extrae de ellos las reglas o normas políticas que guiaron los actos de Pizarro hacia el éxito en la conquista de unos de los mayores imperios de la América prehispánica.Pizarro no fue un ajedrecista al modo de Napoleón, pero fue un espléndido jugador de naipes. A partir de este hecho, Alan García elabora una comparación metafórica entre la política y el juego de cartas, para analizar el papel que el azar y el cálculo juegan en cada caso. Tal y como sucede en la baraja que, en principio, está regida por la suerte o la providencia, también las acciones de Pizarro estaban condicionadas por un contexto específico poco favorable; sin embargo, es ahí donde interviene la astucia del conquistador y del jugador de naipes: cuando vence la adversidad con inteligencia y construye infinitas posibilidades.Pizarro, el Rey de la Baraja, combina el análisis y conocimiento detallado de la historia con la agilidad de la prosa. Y más allá de su carácter histórico, nos brinda una comprensión de la política y el liderazgo, válida para los tiempos actuales.
Places
by Thaao PenghlisThaao Penghlis enjoyed tea for two with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and fitted Robert Redford for a suit--suggesting that the then-matinee idol shed a few pounds--before landing career-defining roles on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives. He pursued a career as an actor to fund his unyielding desire for spiritual and exotic travel and became one of daytime television's most enduring characters on Days of Our Lives. His memoir weaves his deep Greek and Australian heritage with Hollywood escapades and captivating journeys to places few visit.
Places I've Taken My Body: Essays
by Molly McCully BrownIndispensable essays on the body, mind, and spirit by Molly McCully Brown, author of the acclaimed poetry collection, The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded, a book the New York Times described as “part history lesson, part séance, part ode to dread. It arrives as if clutching a spray of dead flowers. It is beautiful and devastating.” In seventeen intimate essays, poet Molly McCully Brown explores living within and beyond the limits of a body—in her case, one shaped since birth by cerebral palsy, a permanent and often painful movement disorder. In spite of—indeed, in response to—physical constraints, Brown leads a peripatetic life: the essays comprise a vivid travelogue set throughout the United States and Europe, ranging from the rural American South of her childhood to the cobblestoned streets of Bologna, Italy. Moving between these locales and others, Brown constellates the subjects that define her inside and out: a disabled and conspicuous body, a religious conversion, a missing twin, a life in poetry. As she does, she depicts vividly for us not only her own life but a striking array of sites and topics, among them Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the world’s oldest anatomical theater, the American Eugenics movement, and Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Throughout, Brown offers us the gift of her exquisite sentences, woven together in consideration, always, of what it means to be human—flawed, potent, feeling.
Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation
by Santos John PhillipFinalist for the National Book Award! In this beautifully wrought memoir, award-winning writer John Philip Santos weaves together dream fragments, family remembrances, and Chicano mythology, reaching back into time and place to blend the story of one Mexican family with the soul of an entire people. The story unfolds through a pageant of unforgettable family figures: from Madrina--touched with epilepsy and prophecy ever since, as a girl, she saw a dying soul leave its body--to Teofilo, who was kidnapped as an infant and raised by the Kikapu Indians of Northern Mexico. At the heart of the book is Santos' search for the meaning of his grandfather's suicide in San Antonio, Texas, in 1939. Part treasury of the elders, part elegy, part personal odyssey, this is an immigration tale and a haunting family story that offers a rich, magical view of Mexican-American culture. .
Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning
by Elliot AckermanFrom a decorated Marine war veteran and National Book Award Finalist, an astonishing reckoning with the nature of combat and the human cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. <P><P>"War hath determined us ..." - John Milton, Paradise Lost <P><P>Toward the beginning of Places and Names, Elliot Ackerman sits in a refugee camp in southern Turkey, across the table from a man named Abu Hassar, who fought for Al Qaeda in Iraq, and whose connections to the Islamic State are murky. At first, Ackerman pretends to have been a journalist during the Iraq War, but after establishes a rapport with Abu Hassar, he takes a risk by revealing to him that in fact he was a Marine special operation officer. <P><P>Ackerman then draws the shape of the Euphrates River on a large piece of paper, and his one-time adversary quickly joins him in the game of filling in the map with the names and dates of where they saw fighting during the war. They had shadowed each other for some time, it turned out, a realization that brought them to a strange kind of intimacy. <P><P>The rest of Elliot Ackerman's extraordinary memoir is in a way an answer to the question of why he came to that refugee camp and what he hoped to find there. By moving back and forth between his recent experiences on the ground as a journalist in Syria and its environs and his deeper past in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, he creates a work of astonishing atmospheric pressurization. <P><P>Ackerman shares extraordinarily vivid and powerful stories of his own experiences in battle, culminating in the events of the Second Battle of Fallujah, the most intense urban combat for the Marines since Hue in Vietnam, where Ackerman's actions leading a rifle platoon saw him awarded the Silver Star. He weaves these stories into the latticework of a masterful larger reckoning, with contemporary geopolitics through his vantage as a journalist in Istanbul and with the human extremes of both bravery and horror. <P><P> At once an intensely personal book about the terrible lure of combat and a brilliant meditation on the larger meaning of the past two decades of strife for America, the region and the world, Places and Names bids fair to take its place among our greatest books about modern war.
Places in the World a Person Could Walk: Family, Stories, Home, and Place in the Texas Hill Country
by David SyringSpring-fed creeks. Old stone houses. Cedar brakes and bleached limestone. The Hill Country holds powerful sway over the imagination of Texans. So many of us dream of having our own little place in the limestone hills. The Hill Country feels just like home, even if you've never lived there. <p><p> This beautifully written book explores what the Hill Country has meant as a homeplace to the author, his family, and longtime residents of the area, as well as to newcomers. David Syring listens to the stories that his aunts, uncles, and cousins tell about life in the Hill Country and grapples with their meaning for his own search for a place to belong. He also collects short stories focused around Honey Creek Church to consider how places become containers for memory. And he draws upon several years of living in Fredericksburg to talk about the problems and opportunities created by heritage tourism and the development of the town as a "home" for German Americans. These interconnected stories illuminate what it means to belong to a place and why the Texas Hill Country has become the spiritual, if not actual, home of many people.
Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said
by Timothy BrennanOne of The New York Times's books to watch for in MarchThe first comprehensive biography of the most influential, controversial, and celebrated Palestinian intellectual of the twentieth centuryAs someone who studied under Edward Said and remained a friend until his death in 2003, Timothy Brennan had unprecedented access to his thesis adviser’s ideas and legacy. In this authoritative work, Said, the pioneer of postcolonial studies, a tireless champion for his native Palestine, and an erudite literary critic, emerges as a self-doubting, tender, eloquent advocate of literature’s dramatic effects on politics and civic life.Charting the intertwined routes of Said’s intellectual development, Places of Mind reveals him as a study in opposites: a cajoler and strategist, a New York intellectual with a foot in Beirut, an orchestra impresario in Weimar and Ramallah, a raconteur on national television, a Palestinian negotiator at the State Department, and an actor in films in which he played himself. Brennan traces the Arab influences on Said’s thinking along with his tutelage under Lebanese statesmen, off-beat modernist auteurs, and New York literati, as Said grew into a scholar whose influential writings changed the face of university life forever. With both intimidating brilliance and charm, Said melded these resources into a groundbreaking and influential countertradition of radical humanism, set against the backdrop of techno-scientific dominance and religious war. With unparalleled clarity, Said gave the humanities a new authority in the age of Reaganism, one that continues today.Drawing on the testimonies of family, friends, students, and antagonists alike, and aided by FBI files, unpublished writings, and Said's drafts of novels and personal letters, Places of Mind synthesizes Said’s intellectual breadth and influence into an unprecedented, intimate, and compelling portrait of one of the great minds of the twentieth century.