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The Lights of Pointe-Noire: A Memoir
by Alain MabanckouA dazzling meditation on home-coming and belonging from one of &“Africa&’s greatest writers&” and the Man Booker International Prize finalist (The Guardian). Alain Mabanckou left Congo in 1989, at the age of twenty-two, not to return until a quarter of a century later. When he finally came back to Pointe-Noire, a bustling port town on the Congo&’s southwestern coast, he found a country that in some ways had changed beyond recognition: The cinema where, as a child, Mabanckou gorged on glamorous American culture had become a Pentecostal church, and his secondary school has been renamed in honor of a previously despised colonial ruler. But many things remain unchanged, not least the swirling mythology of Congolese culture that still informs everyday life in Pointe-Noire. Now a decorated writer and an esteemed professor at UCLA, Mabanckou finds he can only look on as an outsider in the place where he grew up. As he delves into his childhood, into the life of his departed mother, and into the strange mix of belonging and absence that informs his return to the Republic of the Congo, his work recalls the writing of V. S. Naipaul and André Aciman, offering a startlingly fresh perspective on the pain of exile, the ghosts of memory, and the paths we take back home. Grand Prize Winner at the 2015 French Voices Awards &“This is a beautiful book, the past hauntingly reentered, the present truthfully faced, and the translation rises gorgeously to the challenge.&” —Salman Rushdie &“A tender, poetic chronicle of an exile&’s return.&” —Kirkus Reviews
The Lily Pond
by Mike BarnesA memoir that chronicles unflinchingly the destructiveness of bipolar disorder - an illness that infiltrates thinking, feeling and acting in ways that change the very fabric of identity, of the life story one is telling oneself; however, The Lily Pond is equally searching in its exploration of the psyche's resources in healing and reknitting that story.
The Limits of Hope: An Adoptive Mother's Story
by Ann Kimble LouxMark andAnn Kimble adopt two sisters and bring them into their family of five. Because professionals did not share information about these two children, the family has its share of trials and tribulations before coming into acceptance of themselves and each other.
The Limits of Love: The Lives of D. H. Lawrence and Frieda von Richthofen
by Michael SquiresThe Limits of Love: The Lives of D. H. Lawrence and Frieda von Richthofen provides a candid look at two illustrious people who tested the capacity—and the limits—of marriage. The Lawrences come alive not as simple quarreling travelers, nor as blissful domestic partners, but as complex personalities who experimented with marriage to see if it would fulfill their needs. Their antagonisms and their sexual experiences informed Lawrence’s fearless novels The Rainbow and Women in Love. Both works also tested the boundaries of public taste and faced harsh receptions.The cost of the Lawrences’ strong but unstable marriage was high. Despite periods of happiness and peace, angry clashes meant separations and uneasy agreements to repair the marital intimacy when it cracked. Fractures of 1916, 1919, 1923, and 1926 healed slowly and with difficulty. In Lawrence’s most calculated and famous work, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, he successfully coded their marital stress and, full of rage, fused two stories of failed marriages.Drawing on many unpublished and recently discovered letters, The Limits of Love offers readers a detailed reconstruction of two complicated lives, written with narrative speed and a forceful style, filled with vivid interpretations of Lawrence’s work, and conveying deep sympathy for people living outside established norms. This new dual biography, based on years of research by Michael Squires, captures the essence of Lawrence and Frieda, making the couple real, alive, and accessible.
The Limits of My Language: Meditations on Depression
by Eva Meijer"Moving, poetic, cogent and honest." -- Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon An intimate study of depression that draws on personal experience and a deep knowledge of philosophy—perfect for fans of Maggie Nelson and Leslie JamisonThe Limits of My Language is both a razor-sharp analysis of depression and a steadfast search for the things great and small -- from philosophy and art to walking a dog or sitting quietly with a cat -- that make our lives worth living. Much has been written about the treatment of depression, but relatively little about its meaning. In this strikingly original book, Eva Meijer weaves her own experiences and the insights of thinkers from Freud to Foucault and Woolf into a moving and incisive evocation of the condition. Depression is more than a chemical problem—the questions that occupy someone with depression are fundamentally human, and they touch on other philosophical questions that concern language, autonomy, power relations, loneliness, and the relationship between body and mind. But this book-length essay is also about the other side, such as animals, trees, others, art: about consolation, and hope, and the things that can give life meaning. The Limits of My Language explores how depression can make us grow out of shape over time, like a twisted tree, how we can sometimes remould ourselves in conversation with others, and how to move on from our darkest thoughts.
The Lincoln Assassination: The Evidence
by Edward Steers William C. EdwardsOn April 22, 1865, Brevet Colonel H. L. Burnett was assigned to head the investigation into the murder of President Abraham Lincoln and the attempted murder of Secretary of State William H. Seward. Burnett orchestrated the collection of thousands of documents for the Military Commission's trial of the conspirators. This deep archive of documentary evidence--consisting of letters, depositions, eyewitness accounts, investigative reports, and other documents--provides invaluable insight into the historical, cultural, and judicial context of the investigation. Only a fraction of the information presented in these documents ever made its way into the trial, and most of it has never been readily accessible. By presenting an annotated and indexed transcription of these documents, this volume offers significant new access to information on the events surrounding the assassination and a vast new store of social and political history of the Civil War era. "With tears in my eyes I think it your duty to hang every rebel caught. I feel as bad as if was my own mother or father & will be one to volunteer to try & shoot every Southern man. May God have mercy on the man's soul that done such a deed. With much Respect for our Country, I remain Weeping" --Anonymous letter, New York, April 15, 1865 "I know Booth. He was in the habit of coming to my place to shoot. . . . He shot well, and practiced to shoot with accuracy in every possible position. . . . He was a quick shot; always silent, reticent." --Deposition of Benjamin Barker, Pistol Gallery proprietor
The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President--and Why It Failed
by Brad Meltzer Josh MenschBrad Meltzer and Josh Mensch, the bestselling authors of The First Conspiracy, which covers the secret plot against George Washington, now turn their attention to a little-known, but true story about a failed assassination attempt on the sixteenth president in The Lincoln Conspiracy.Everyone knows the story of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, but few are aware of the original conspiracy to kill him four years earlier in 1861, literally on his way to Washington, D.C., for his first inauguration. The conspirators were part of a white supremacist secret society that didn’t want an abolitionist in the White House. They planned an elaborate scheme to assassinate the President-elect in Baltimore as Lincoln’s inauguration train passed through, en route to the nation's capital. The plot was investigated by famed detective Allan Pinkerton, who infiltrated the group with undercover agents, including Kate Warne, one of the first female private detectives in America.Had the assassination succeeded, there would have been no Lincoln Presidency and the course of the Civil War and American history would have forever been altered.
The Lincoln Lawyer: A Mysterious Profile (Mysterious Profiles)
by Michael ConnellyThe #1 New York Times–bestselling author tells the origin story of LA defense attorney Mickey Haller. In this concise, absorbing account, Michael Connelly reveals the work—and the strokes of luck—that contributed to his creation of the character Mickey Haller, the subject of multiple bestselling novels as well as the hit Netflix series. He reveals the lawyers, both fictional and real-life, who played a role in shaping the sharp-witted attorney who does his best work in the back seat—and the librarian who planted the seeds of his future literary career in the steamy, sticky Florida of his childhood. This is not only a portrait of Mickey Haller, but a fascinating look at the award-winning crime novelist who created him, along with Harry Bosch and other unforgettable characters. &“Haller is the kind of slick, cynical showman who can&’t resist making high drama out of every legal procedure. . . . There&’s always something deadly serious behind Connelly&’s entertaining courtroom high jinks.&” ―Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times &“If at first encounter Connelly seems primarily an exceptionally accomplished writer of crime novels, at closer examination he is also a mordant and knowing chronicler of the world in which crime takes place, i.e., our world.&” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
The Lincoln Memorial
by Kristin L. NelsonHow big is the statue of President Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial? Whose idea was the Lincoln Memorial? and how did workers build the amazing statue? Read this book to find out.
The Lincolns in the White House: Four Years That Shattered a Family
by Jerrold M. PackardFrom the day of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration, a nation divided by savage conflict confronted the new president. But what many don't know was that within the White House's walls, the Lincoln's family would soon find itself suffering turmoil mirroring that of the nation he led.Savagely criticized for her extravagance by the American public and widely distrusted because of her southern roots, first lady Mary Lincoln's increasing instability would deeply strain her marriage and eventually end in her mental collapse. The couple was devastated when eleven-year-old Willie died in the White House of typhoid fever. Tad, the youngest son, remained the family joy despite his physical impairments. Though their son Robert's success at Harvard made his parents proud, his relationship with them was troubled and would result in a painful estrangement, one which would eventually permanently separate him from his mother. The president's assassination brutally crushed Mary's always-fragile spirits. After leaving the White House and following Tad's early death, the former first lady retreated into increasing eccentricity and seclusion until her death in 1882. A moving and poignant portrait of the family life of America's greatest president.
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary
by Candace FlemingThe award-winning author of "Ben Franklin's Almanac" has created a unique joint biography of Abraham and Mary Lincoln--a scrapbook history that uses photographs, letters, engravings, and even cartoons, along with a fascinating text. Perfect for reluctant readers as well as history lovers, "The Lincolns" provides a living, breathing portrait of a man, a woman, and a country.
The Lincolns: Portrait Of A Marriage
by Daniel Mark EpsteinAlthough the private lives of political couples have in our era become front-page news, the true story of this extraordinary and tragic first family has never been fully told. The Lincolnseclipses earlier accounts with riveting new information that makes husband and wife, president and first lady, come alive in all their proud accomplishments and earthy humanity. Award-winning biographer and poet Daniel Mark Epstein gives a fresh close-up view of the couple’s life in Springfield, Illinois (of their twenty-two years of marriage, all but six were spent there), and dramatizes with stunning immediacy how the Lincolns’ ascent to the White House brought both dazzling power and the slow, secret unraveling of the couple’s unique bond. The first full-length portrait of the marriage of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln in more than fifty years,The Lincolnsis written with enormous sweep and striking imagery. Daniel Mark Epstein makes two immortal American figures seem as real and human as the rest of us.
The Lindbergh Nanny: A Novel
by Mariah FredericksMariah Fredericks's The Lindbergh Nanny is powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime."A masterful blending of fact and fiction that is as compelling as it is entertaining."—Nelson DeMilleWhen the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves."Gripping and elegant, The Lindbergh Nanny brings readers into the interior of the twentieth century’s most infamous crime."—Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair
The Linden Tree
by César Aira Chris AndrewsA delightful fictional account of the small town Ce´sar Aira grew up in—not so long ago A delightful fictional memoir about César Aira's small hometown. The narrator, born the same year and now living in the same great city (Buenos Aires) as César Aira, could be the author himself. Beginning with his parents—an enigmatic handsome black father who gathered linden flowers for his sleep-inducing tea and an irrational, crippled mother of European descent—the narrator catalogs memories of his childhood: his friends, his peculiar first job, his many gossiping neighbors, and the landscape and architecture of the provinces. The Linden Tree beautifully brings back to life that period in Argentina when the poor, under the guiding hand of Eva Perón, aspired to a newly created middle class. As it moves from anecdote to anecdote, this charming short novella—touching, funny, and sometimes surreal—invites the reader to visit the source of Aira's extraordinary imagination.
The Lindsay Lohan Story
by Ally CroftThe inside story on Lindsay: love, survival and celebrity.Lindsay Lohan was born in New York in 1986. She started modelling and acting at the tender age of 3 and it didn't take long before showbiz execs recognised her undeniable talent. As Lindsay's father was jailed by the time she was 4, Lindsay soon became the family breadwinner and her mother assumed the role of Lindsay's manager - a job she continues to this day.Having starred in over 60 TV commercials, Lindsay landed her first role on the big screen in the remake of THE PARENT TRAP and went on to star in FREAKY FRIDAY, and perhaps most famously, MEAN GIRLS. But in 2005, Lindsay revealed that she suffered from bulimia and she gained a reputation as a wildchild party animal. By 2007, Lindsay had been arrested for substance abuse. In 2008, Lindsay had a high profile and intense relationship with Samantha Ronson. Battling the odds, Lindsay is trying to get her life back on track following recent stints in rehab. Ally Croft chronicles Lindsay's remarkable and turbulent life with honesty and sensitivity.
The Lindsay Lohan Story
by Ally CroftThe inside story on Lindsay: love, survival and celebrity.Lindsay Lohan was born in New York in 1986. She started modelling and acting at the tender age of 3 and it didn't take long before showbiz execs recognised her undeniable talent. As Lindsay's father was jailed by the time she was 4, Lindsay soon became the family breadwinner and her mother assumed the role of Lindsay's manager - a job she continues to this day.Having starred in over 60 TV commercials, Lindsay landed her first role on the big screen in the remake of THE PARENT TRAP and went on to star in FREAKY FRIDAY, and perhaps most famously, MEAN GIRLS. But in 2005, Lindsay revealed that she suffered from bulimia and she gained a reputation as a wildchild party animal. By 2007, Lindsay had been arrested for substance abuse. In 2008, Lindsay had a high profile and intense relationship with Samantha Ronson. Battling the odds, Lindsay is trying to get her life back on track following recent stints in rehab. Ally Croft chronicles Lindsay's remarkable and turbulent life with honesty and sensitivity.
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border
by Francisco Cantú"A must-read for anyone who thinks "build a wall" is the answer to anything." --EsquireFor Francisco Cantú, the border is in the blood: his mother, a park ranger and daughter of a Mexican immigrant, raised him in the scrublands of the Southwest. Haunted by the landscape of his youth, Cantú joins the Border Patrol. He and his partners are posted to remote regions crisscrossed by drug routes and smuggling corridors, where they learn to track other humans under blistering sun and through frigid nights. They haul in the dead and deliver to detention those they find alive. Cantú tries not to think where the stories go from there.Plagued by nightmares, he abandons the Patrol for civilian life. But when an immigrant friend travels to Mexico to visit his dying mother and does not return, Cantú discovers that the border has migrated with him, and now he must know the whole story. Searing and unforgettable, The Line Becomes a River goes behind the headlines, making urgent and personal the violence our border wreaks on both sides of the line
The Linguistics of Spoken Communication in Early Modern English Writing: Exploring Bess Of Hardwick's Manuscript Letters (New Approaches To English Historical Linguistics Ser.)
by Imogen MarcusThis book uses a corpus of manuscript letters from Bess of Hardwick to investigate how linguistic features characteristic of spoken communication function within early modern epistolary prose. Using these letters as a primary data source with reference to other epistolary materials from the early modern period (1500-1750), the author examines them in a unique and systematic way. The book is the first of its kind to combine a replicable scribal profiling technique, used to identify holograph and scribal handwriting within the letters, with innovative analyses of the language they contain. Furthermore, by adopting a discourse-analytic approach to the language and making reference to the socio-historical context of language use, the book provides an alternative perspective to the one often presented in traditional historical accounts of English. This volume will appeal to students and scholars of early modern English and historical linguistics.
The Lion Has No Horns: Suffering the Slings and Arrows Pursuing the American Dream
by Erika Celeste John SesayYoung man sets out to immigrate to America from North Africa but encounters and overcomes corrupt government officials and ruthless criminals in Africa but eventually gets to America and falls into the hands of human traffickers. He finally succeeds in finding his way into the mainstream flow of society where he finds the freedom to develop his potential as a complete human being.
The Lion House: The Coming of a King
by Christopher de Bellaigue“Christopher de Bellaigue has a magic talent for writing history. It is as if we are there as the era of Suleyman the Magnificent unfolds.” —Orhan Pamuk, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Narrated through the eyes of the intimates of Suleyman the Magnificent, the sixteenth-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire, The Lion House animates with stunning immediacy the fears and stratagems of those brought into orbit around him: the Greek slave who becomes his Grand Vizier, the Venetian jewel dealer who acts as his go-between, the Russian consort who becomes his most beloved wife.Within a decade and a half, Suleyman held dominion over twenty-five million souls, from Baghdad to the walls of Vienna, and with the help of his brilliant pirate commander, Barbarossa, placed more Christians than ever before or since under Muslim rule. And yet the real drama takes place in close-up: in small rooms and whispered conversations, behind the curtain of power, where the sultan sleeps head-to-toe with his best friend and eats from wooden spoons with his baby boy.In The Lion House, Christopher de Bellaigue tells the story not just of rival superpowers in an existential duel, nor of one of the most consequential lives in human history, but of what it means to live in a time when a few men get to decide the fate of the world.
The Lion and the Cross: A Novel of Saint Patrick and Ancient Ireland
by Joan Lesley HamiltonThe man who would become Ireland&’s beloved patron saint confronts his destiny during the tumultuous Dark Ages in this vibrant, enthralling novel In 410 CE, arrogant sixteen-year-old Magonus Sucatus Patricius denounces Christianity as a religion for cowards when the Roman legions withdraw, leaving Britain vulnerable to raiders from the west. Determined to wield a sword despite being the grandson of a priest, the affluent young man is taken captive by barbarians and sold into slavery to a cruel Irish king. On a mountaintop in Eire, a shepherd strips him of his grand Roman name and calls him Padraic, marking him a man of no consequence. Set against the magnificent backdrop of ancient Ireland and based on available historical facts, Saint Patrick&’s Confession, and Celtic myth, this gripping novel follows Patrick as he finds his faith while fighting to escape bondage in Eire. Friendship with a king, love for a queen, and enmity with the druids who fear his God will embroil him in a civil war in a land from which he will struggle to flee—only to be called to return.
The Lion in Autumn
by Frank Fitzpatrick“Fascinating. . . . One of the best books ever written on the rise and fall of a great college football coach. ” —Allen Barra, San Francisco Chronicle The Lion in Autumntakes readers inside Penn State’s storied football program as legendary coach Joe Paterno fights to turn his struggling team into a winner once again. In more than a half century at Penn State, Paterno has won more bowl games (21) than any other coach and more games (354) than all but one, en route to two national championships and five perfect seasons. But in the new millennium hard times arrived in Happy Valley. His Nittany Lions had losing seasons in four of five years, dropping sixteen of twenty-three games in 2003 and 2004. There were boos at Beaver Stadium and increasing calls for the aging Paterno to step down. Award-winning sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick followed JoePa through the 2004 season as the beloved coach struggled to save himself and his storied program. Fitzpatrick trailed Paterno from fund-raisers to the spring practices to the sidelines, detailing how the coach endured another losing season while building a team that would win the Orange Bowl and compete for the national championship in 2005. Interweaving stories from past seasons into the narrative, Fitzpatrick fleshes out the legend of Paterno. BACKCOVER: “Insightful. . . . Fascinating reading. ” —Chicago Tribune “A rather startling success. . . . Significant. . . . literary. . . . [Fitzpatrick] relies on his own tenacity and attention to detail with just the right amount of historical perspective. ” —Pittsburgh Post- Gazette “[Demystifies] the college football coach, moving behind the spectacle of Saturday afternoon to reveal flesh and soul and humanity. ” —Buz Bisinger, The New York Times “You don’t have to be a Penn State fan to appreciate it. ” —ESPN. com
The Lion of Sabray: The Afghan Warrior Who Defied the Taliban and Saved the Life of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell
by Patrick RobinsonPatrick Robinson, coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Lone Survivor and “preeminent writer of modern naval fiction” (The Florida Times Union) shares the gripping untold story of Mohammed Gulab, the Afghani warrior who defied the Taliban and saved the life of American hero and Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.Bestselling author Patrick Robinson helped Marcus Luttrell bring his harrowing story of survival to the page and the big screen with Lone Survivor. But the Afghani man who saved his life was always shrouded in mystery. Now, with The Lion of Sabray, Robinson reveals the amazing backstory of Mohammed Gulab—the brave man who forever changed the course of life for his Afghani family, his village, and himself when he discovered Luttrell badly injured and barely conscious on a mountainside in the Hindu Kush just hours after the firefight that killed the rest of Luttrell’s team. Operating under the 2,000-year-old principles of Pashtunwali—the tribal honor code that guided his life—Gulab refused to turn Luttrell over to the Taliban forces that were hunting him, believing it was his obligation to protect and care for the American soldier. Because Gulab was a celebrated Mujahedeen field commander and machine-gunner who beat back the Soviets as a teenager, the Taliban were wary enough that they didn’t simply storm the village and take Luttrell, which gave Gulab time to orchestrate his rescue. In addition to Gulab’s brave story, The Lion of Sabray cinematically reveals previously unknown details of Luttrell’s rescue by American forces—which were only recently declassified—and sheds light on the ramifications for Gulab, his family, and his community. Going beyond both the book and the movie versions of Lone Survivor, The Lion of Sabray is a must-read for anyone who wants to know more about the brave man who helped the Lone Survivor make it home.
The Lioness in Winter: Writing an Old Woman's Life
by Ann Burack-WeissWhen she started working with the aged more than forty years ago, Ann Burack-Weiss began storing the knowledge and skills she thought would help when she got old herself. It was not until she hit her mid-seventies that she realized she had packed sneakers to climb Mount Everest, not anticipating the crevices and chasms that constitute the rocky terrain of old age. The professional gerontological and social work literature offered little help, so she turned to the late-life works of beloved women authors who had bravely climbed the mountain and sent back news from the summit. Maya Angelou, Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, Joan Didion, Marguerite Duras, M. F. K. Fisher, Doris Lessing, Mary Oliver, Adrienne Rich, May Sarton, and Florida Scott-Maxwell were among the many guides she turned to for inspiration. In The Lioness in Winter, Burack-Weiss blends an analysis of key writings from these and other famed women authors with her own wisdom to create an essential companion for older women and those who care for them. She fearlessly examines issues such as living with loss, finding comfort and joy in unexpected places, and facing disability and death. This book is filled with powerful passages from women who turned their experiences of aging into art, and Burack-Weiss ties their words to her own struggles and epiphanies, framing their collective observations with key insights from social work practice.
The Lipstick Bureau: A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy
by Michelle GableFor fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz!Inspired by a real-life female spy, a novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.&“A gripping, fascinating read.&” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy's capital. One of the OSS's few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she's tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she's been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…Don't miss Michelle Gable&’s stylish new novel, The Beautiful People, set among Palm Beach's dazzling inner circle in the sunny 1960s.More from Michelle Gable: The Bookseller's Secret The Beautiful People