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The World is a Carpet
by Anna BadkhenAn unforgettable portrait of a place and a people shaped by centuries of art, trade, and war. In the middle of the salt-frosted Afghan desert, in a village so remote that Google can’t find it, a woman squats on top of a loom, making flowers bloom in the thousand threads she knots by hand. Here, where heroin is cheaper than rice, every day is a fast day. B-52s pass overhead—a sign of America’s omnipotence or its vulnerability, the villagers are unsure. They know, though, that the earth is flat—like a carpet. Anna Badkhen first traveled to this country in 2001, as a war correspondent. She has returned many times since, drawn by a land that geography has made a perpetual battleground, and by a people who sustain an exquisite tradition there. Through the four seasons in which a new carpet is woven by the women and children of Oqa, she immortalizes their way of life much as the carpet does—from the petal half-finished where a hungry infant needs care to the interruptions when the women trade sex jokes or go fill in for wedding musicians scared away by the Taliban. As Badkhen follows the carpet out into the world beyond, she leaves the reader with an indelible portrait of fates woven by centuries of art, war, and an ancient trade that ultimately binds the invaded to the invader. .
The World Is Bigger Now: An American Journalist's Rescue from Captivity in North Korea ... A Remarkable Story of Faith, Family, and Forgiveness
by Lisa Dickey Euna LeeFor the first time, Euna Lee--the young wife, mother, and film editor detained in North Korea--tells a harrowing, but ultimately inspiring, story of survival and faith in one of the most isolated parts of the world. On March 17, 2009, Lee and her Current TV colleague Laura Ling were working on a documentary about the desperate lives of North Koreans fleeing their homeland for a chance at freedom when they were violently apprehended by North Korean soldiers. For nearly five months they remained detained while friends and family in the United States were given little information about their status or conditions. For Lee, detention would prove especially harrowing. Imprisoned just 112 miles from where she was born and where her parents still live in Seoul, South Korea, she was branded as a betrayer of her Korean blood by her North Korean captors. After representing herself in her trial before North Korea's highest court, she received a sentence of twelve years of hard labor in the country's notorious prison camps, leading her to fear she might not ever see her husband and daughter again.The World Is Bigger Now draws us deep into Euna Lee's life before and after this experience: what led to her arrival in North Korea, her efforts to survive the agonizing months of detainment, and how she and her fellow captive, Ling, were finally released thanks to the efforts of many individuals, including Bill Clinton. Lee explains in unforgettable detail what it was like to lose, and then miraculously regain, life as she knew it.The World Is Bigger Now is the story of faith and love and Euna Lee's personalconviction that God will sustain and protect us, even in our darkest hours.From the Hardcover edition.
The World is Moving Around Me
by David Homel Michaëlle Jean Dany LaferrièreOn January 12, 2010, novelist Dany Laferrière had just ordered dinner at a Port-au-Prince restaurant with a friend when the earthquake struck. He survived; some three hundred thousand others did not. The quake caused widespread destruction and left over one million homeless.This moving and revelatory book is an eyewitness account of the quake and its aftermath. In a series of vignettes, Laferrière reveals the shock, rage, and grief experienced by those around him, the acts of heroism he witnessed, and his own sense of survivor guilt. At one point, his nephew, astonished at still being alive, asks his uncle not to write about "this," "this" being too horrible to give up so easily to those who were not there. But as a writer, Laferrière can't make such a promise. Still, the question is raised: to whom does this disaster belong? Who gets to talk and write about it? In this way, this book is not only the chronicle of a natural disaster; it is also a personal meditation about the responsibility and power of the written word in a manner that echoes certain post-Holocaust books.Includes a foreword by Michaëlle Jean, UN special envoy to Haiti and the former Governor General of Canada.Dany Laferrière was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1953. He is the author of fourteen novels, including Heading South and How to Make Love to a Negro without Getting Tired. His awards include the Prix Médicis and the Governor General's Literary Award. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.
The World Is My Home
by James A. MichenerIn this exceptional memoir, the man himself tells the story of his remarkable life and describes the people, events, and ideas that shaped it. Moving backward and forward across time, he writes about the many strands of his experience: his passion for travel; his lifelong infatuation with literature, music, and painting; his adventures in politics; and the hard work, headaches, and rewards of the writing life. Here at last is the real James Michener: plainspoken, wise, and enormously sympathetic, a man who could truly say, "The world is my home." BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland.
The World Is on Fire: Scrap, Treasure, and Songs of Apocalypse
by Joni TevisThis “magnificently compelling” essay collection explores obsession, anxiety, and Existential dread from the Book of Revelation to the Liberace Museum (Minneapolis Star Tribune).The sermons of Joni Tevis’ youth filled her with dread, a sense “that an even worse story—one you hadn’t read yet—could likewise come true.” In this revelatory collection, she reckons with her childhood fears by exploring the uniquely American fascination with apocalypse. From a haunted widow’s wildly expanding mansion, to atomic test sites in the Nevada desert, her settings are often places of destruction and loss.And yet Tevis transforms these eerie destinations into sites of creation as well, uncovering powerful points of connection. Whether she’s relating her experience of motherhood or describing the timbre of Freddy Mercury’s voice in “Somebody to Love,” she relies on the same reverence for detail and sense of awe. And by anchoring her attention to the raw materials of our world—nails and beams, dirt and stone, bones and blood—she discovers grandeur in the seemingly mundane.Winner of the 2016 Firecracker Award for Creative NonfictionFinalist for the 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize
The World is Our Parish
by Keith FlemingOne of Canada's most outspoken and respected advocates of internationalism during the early Cold War, John King Gordon had a remarkably eclectic professional life. Keith R. Fleming's biography of Gordon explores the man's many careers, from his start as a Manitoba clergyman in the 1920s to his work as a United Nations field officer in Korea, the Middle East, and the Congo.In "The World Is Our Parish," Fleming traces how Gordon's passion for social reform and humanitarianism led him to become a clergyman, a political activist, a journalist, a professor, and one of Canada's leading advocates of liberal internationalism in the years after World War Two. An exceptional biography of an extraordinary but little-known Canadian, "The World Is Our Parish" uses Gordon's professional and intellectual journey to reveal the confluence of liberal Christianity, social democracy, and internationalism in Canadian politics and thought.
The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V. S. Naipaul
by Patrick FrenchV.S. Naipaul's biographer aims not to sit in judgment of the Nobel laureate, but to expose the subject with ruthless clarity to the calm eye of the reader. In this he succeeds admirably. Descendant of poor Brahmins, born in 1932 in Trinidad and educated in Oxford, Naipaul is haunted by matters of race, colonialism and sex. He is, says award-winning author French (Younghusband), both the racist (against those darker than he) and the victim of racial prejudice, tendencies that come through in his novels and in his treatment of friends and lovers. Haunting this biography are Naipaul's women. His wife, Pat, supported him, overlooked his affairs and his visits with prostitutes, and subordinated herself to his genius; Naipaul gave equally little to Margaret, his mistress.
The World Is What It Is
by Patrick FrenchThe first major biography of V.S. Naipaul, the controversial and enigmatic Nobel laureate: a stunning writer whose only stated ambition was greatness, in pursuit of which goal nothing else was sacred. Beginning in rich detail in Trinidad, where Naipaul was born into an Indian family, Patrick French skillfully examines Naipaul's life within a displaced community and his fierce ambition at school. He describes how, on scholarship at Oxford, homesickness and depression struck with great force; the ways in which Naipaul's first wife helped him to cope and their otherwise fraught marriage; and Naipaul's struggles throughout subsequent uncertainties in England, including his twenty-five-year-long affair.Naipaul's extraordinary gift--producing, uniquely, masterpieces of both fiction and nonfiction--is most of all born of a forceful, visionary impulse, whose roots French traces with a sympathetic brilliance and devastating insight.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface
by Glenn KennyThe behind-the-scenes story of the iconic film Scarface, featuring new interviews with the cast and crew. An unflinching confrontation of humanity&’s dark side, Brian De Palma&’s crime drama film Scarface gave rise to a cultural revolution upon its release in 1983. Its impact was unprecedented, making globe-spanning waves as a defining portrait of the gritty Miami street life. From Al Pacino&’s masterful characterization of Tony Montana to the iconic &“Say hello to my little friend,&” Scarface maintains its reputation as an unwavering game changer in cult classic cinema. With brand-new interviews and untold stories of the film&’s production, longtime film critic Glenn Kenny takes us on an unparalleled journey through the making of American depictions of crime. The World Is Yours highlights the influential characters and themes within Scarface, reflecting on how its storied legacy played such a major role in American culture.
The World Looks Different Now: A Memoir of Suicide, Faith, and Family
by Margaret ThomsonOn a glorious, if blisteringly hot, Saturday in August 2010, Margaret Thomson&’s world is suddenly shattered by the incomprehensible news that her twenty-two-year-old son, a medic in the army, has taken his life.In a deep state of shock, Thomson and her husband immediately travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where their son Kieran was stationed, in an effort to assist their daughter-in-law. Upon their arrival, though, the couple find themselves plunged into a labyrinthine and, at times, seemingly bizarre world of military rules and regulations.Eventually, after the funeral and the memorial services are over, an even more challenging journey—emotionally as well as geographically—ensues, especially for Margaret, who, as a former journalist, is determined to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her son&’s death, no matter how high the cost.As she enters her second year of grieving, Thomson receives an unexpected invitation from an unlikely source—the army, which she&’s often blamed in many ways, whether fairly or not, for her son&’s death. Seizing upon this opportunity, Thomson finds that her perspective is changed—literally—and that as a result the world does indeed look different now.
A World Made New
by Mary Ann GlendonA World Made New tells the dramatic story of the struggle to build, out of the trauma and wreckage of World War II, a document that would ensure it would never happen again. There was an almost religious intensity to the project, championed by Eleanor Roosevelt under the aegis of the newly formed United nations and brought into being by an extraordinary group of men and women who knew, like the framers of the Declaration of Independence, that they were making history. They worked against the clock, the brief window between the end of World War II and the deep freeze of the cold war, to forget the founding document of the modern rights movement.A distinguished professor of international law, Mary Ann Glendon was given exclusive access to personal diaries and unpublished memoirs of key participants. An outstanding work of narrative history, A World Made New is the first book devoted to this crucial moment in Eleanor Roosevelt's life and in world history.
World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney
by Angela Burke KunkelThis stunning and lyrical picture book biography details the life and art of celebrated children's book creator, Barbara Cooney.For every kid who loves art, here is the inspirational story of beloved illustrator and two-time Caldecott Medalist, Barbara Cooney. Barbara was born in a hotel in Brooklyn, with a view of the city and the sea. Her father loved numbers and money. But Barbara and her mother loved art, and color, and light. Barbara&’s favorite days were when she stayed home sick in bed and got to paint and draw. In the summers, they left New York for Maine, where Barbara scrambled among the rocks, wind whipping her hair, light sparkling on the water. Summer was grey, and blue, and green, and free. When Barbara grew up, she ventured out into the world with an art portfolio—she thought she might like to illustrate books. And she did, creating classics like Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Waves. Her character Miss Rumphius said, you must do something to make the world more beautiful. And that is exactly what Barbara did. It's a message that's sure to inspire young readers and creators today.
The World of Ariana Grande: The Ultimate Unofficial Fan Guide Packed with Facts, Stats and Quizzes (The World Of #2)
by Catherine Saunders*THE ULTIMATE UNOFFICIAL ARIANA GRANDE FAN BOOK*Discover everything there is to know about Ariana Grande, pop icon, actress and star. Follow her amazing journey from moving to New York City to chase her dreams, to becoming a worldwide singing sensation and star of much-anticipated movie musical, Wicked.Uncover the secrets of Ariana Grande's biggest hits, amazing style and extraordinary world - from how she makes her award-winning pop songs and sells out arena tours, to creating her own amazing beauty line and starring on the big screen.Put your knowledge to the test with quick quizzes, impress your friends with the most amazing quotes, and discover record-breaking stellar stats and facts all about pop icon and star, Ariana Grande!*This book has not been authorised, licensed or endorsed by Ariana Grande, Universal Music Group or any associated company.Buy this book if you're looking for:- gifts for girls and boys aged 8, 9, 10, 11- a book that will inspire the biggest Ariana Grande and Wicked fans in your life- a book to get kids more interested in reading- a kid-favourite gift for birthdays, holidays or Christmas
The World of BTS: The Ultimate Unofficial Fan Guide Packed with Facts, Stats and Quizzes (The World Of #3)
by Catherine Saunders*THE ULTIMATE UNOFFICIAL BTS FAN BOOK*Discover everything there is to know about BTS, K-pop icons, solo artists and international stars. Follow their amazing journey from band formation to international stadium tours, solo careers to military service, and their future plans now they're getting back together. Uncover the secrets of BTS's biggest hits, amazing hairstyles and extraordinary fandom - from how they were recruited into the band to their spin-off acting careers.Put your knowledge to the test with quick quizzes, impress your friends with the most amazing quotes and discover record-breaking stellar stats and facts all about pop icons BTS!
The World of BTS: The Ultimate Unofficial Fan Guide Packed with Facts, Stats and Quizzes (The World Of #3)
by Catherine Saunders*THE ULTIMATE UNOFFICIAL BTS FAN BOOK*Discover everything there is to know about BTS, K-pop icons, solo artists and international stars. Follow their amazing journey from band formation to international stadium tours, solo careers to military service, and their future plans now they're getting back together. Uncover the secrets of BTS's biggest hits, amazing hairstyles and extraordinary fandom - from how they were recruited into the band to their spin-off acting careers.Put your knowledge to the test with quick quizzes, impress your friends with the most amazing quotes and discover record-breaking stellar stats and facts all about pop icons BTS!
The World of Christopher Marlowe
by David RiggsThe definitive biography: a masterly account of Marlowe's work and life and the world in which he livedShakespeare's contemporary, Christopher Marlowe revolutionized English drama and poetry, transforming the Elizabethan stage into a place of astonishing creativity. The outline of Marlowe's life, work, and violent death are known, but few of the details that explain why his writing and ideas made him such a provocateur in the Elizabethan era have been available until now. In this absorbing consideration of Marlowe and his times, David Riggs presents Marlowe as the language's first poetic dramatist whose desires proved his undoing. In an age of tremendous cultural change in Europe when Cervantes wrote the first novel and Copernicus demonstrated a world subservient to other nonreligious forces, Catholics and Protestants battled for control of England and Elizabeth's crown was anything but secure. Into this whirlwind of change stepped Marlowe espousing sexual freedom and atheism. His beliefs proved too dangerous to those in power and he was condemned as a spy and later murdered. In The World of Christopher Marlowe, Riggs's exhaustive research digs deeply into the mystery of how and why Marlowe was killed.
The World of Cycling According to G
by Geraint ThomasFROM GERAINT THOMAS, WINNER OF THE 2018 TOUR DE FRANCELike no other cycling book, from no other rider - Britain's cycling star shares his unique take on the world of cyclingSit back or saddle up as double Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion Geraint Thomas gives you a warts and all insight into the life of a pro cyclist. Along the way he reveals cycling's clandestine codes and secret stories, tales from the peloton, the key characters like Wiggins, Hoy and Cav, the pivotal races and essential etiquette. Geraint Thomas is treasured for treating his sport just as the rest of us see it: not a job but an escape and an adventure. He's been with Team Sky since its inception, and is one of our most successful and gifted track and road riders, but Geraint reminds us that getting on the bike still puts a smile on your face and fire in the legs like nothing else.Funny, informative, diverting and droll, this is a joyful celebration of the world of cycling.
The World of Cycling According to G
by Geraint ThomasFROM GERAINT THOMAS, WINNER OF THE 2018 TOUR DE FRANCELike no other cycling book, from no other rider - Britain's cycling star shares his unique take on the world of cyclingSit back or saddle up as double Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion Geraint Thomas gives you a warts and all insight into the life of a pro cyclist. Along the way he reveals cycling's clandestine codes and secret stories, tales from the peloton, the key characters like Wiggins, Hoy and Cav, the pivotal races and essential etiquette. Geraint Thomas is treasured for treating his sport just as the rest of us see it: not a job but an escape and an adventure. He's been with Team Sky since its inception, and is one of our most successful and gifted track and road riders, but Geraint reminds us that getting on the bike still puts a smile on your face and fire in the legs like nothing else.Funny, informative, diverting and droll, this is a joyful celebration of the world of cycling.(P)2015 WF Howes Ltd
A World of Her Own: 24 Amazing Women Explorers and Adventurers
by Michael Elsohn RossThe stories of two dozen fascinating female explorers, from a wide range of eras, cultures, races, and economic backgrounds, are profiled in this entertaining and educational resource. Each of the women profiled overcame many obstacles to satisfy her curiosity and passions, including Eleanor Creesy, who was a ship's navigator in the 1800s; Kate Jackson, an insatiable investigator of venomous snakes whose work has led her to remote Africa and Latin America; and Constanza Ceruti, the world's only female high-elevation archaeologist, who carries out excavations on the Earth's highest peaks in dangerously thin air and subzero temperatures. Offering not only important historical context but also original interviews with many intriguing modern explorers, this who's who of women explorers will provide inspiration to today's young women interested in nature, science, and a physical challenge.
The World of Jimmy Breslin: World Without End, Amen; The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight; Table Money; And Forsaking All Others
by Jimmy BreslinThe Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist&’s early columns &“peopled by some of the funniest, looniest and saddest characters anywhere outside of a zoo&” (The New York Times). In the 1960s, as the once-proud New York Herald Tribune spiraled into bankruptcy, the brightest light in its pages was an ebullient young columnist named Jimmy Breslin. While ordinary columnists wrote about politics, culture, or the economy, Breslin&’s chief topics were the city and Breslin himself. He was chummy with cops, arsonists, and thieves, and told their stories with grace, wit, and lightning-quick prose. Whether covering the five boroughs, Vietnam, or the death of John F. Kennedy, Breslin managed to find great characters wherever he went. This collection includes some of Breslin&’s most famous early writing. Here are the unforgettable New Yorkers Sam Silverware and Larry Lightfingers, the celebrated interview with President Kennedy&’s gravedigger, and the classic &“People I&’m Not Talking To Next Year.&” But the most important voice here is Breslin&’s—as vibrant as ever. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jimmy Breslin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
The World of Juliette Kinzie: Chicago before the Fire (Historical Studies of Urban America)
by Ann Durkin KeatingWhen Juliette Kinzie first visited Chicago in 1831, it was anything but a city. An outpost in the shadow of Fort Dearborn, it had no streets, no sidewalks, no schools, no river-spanning bridges. And with two hundred disconnected residents, it lacked any sense of community. In the decades that followed, not only did Juliette witness the city’s transition from Indian country to industrial center, but she was instrumental in its development. Juliette is one of Chicago’s forgotten founders. Early Chicago is often presented as “a man’s city,” but women like Juliette worked to create an urban and urbane world, often within their own parlors. With The World of Juliette Kinzie, we finally get to experience the rise of Chicago from the view of one of its most important founding mothers. Ann Durkin Keating, one of the foremost experts on nineteenth-century Chicago, offers a moving portrait of a trailblazing and complicated woman. Keating takes us to the corner of Cass and Michigan (now Wabash and Hubbard), Juliette’s home base. Through Juliette’s eyes, our understanding of early Chicago expands from a city of boosters and speculators to include the world that women created in and between households. We see the development of Chicago society, first inspired by cities in the East and later coming into its own midwestern ways. We also see the city become a community, as it developed its intertwined religious, social, educational, and cultural institutions. Keating draws on a wealth of sources, including hundreds of Juliette’s personal letters, allowing Juliette to tell much of her story in her own words. Juliette’s death in 1870, just a year before the infamous fire, seemed almost prescient. She left her beloved Chicago right before the physical city as she knew it vanished in flames. But now her history lives on. The World of Juliette Kinzie offers a new perspective on Chicago’s past and is a fitting tribute to one of the first women historians in the United States.
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
by Marta McDowell“For gardeners, botanists, and fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, this book looks at the beloved Little House on the Prairie author’s relationship to nature.” —Publishers Weekly The universal appeal of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books springs from a life lived in partnership with the land, on farms she and her family settled across the Northeast and Midwest. In this revealing exploration of Wilder’s deep connection with the natural world, Marta McDowell follows the wagon trail of the beloved Little House series. You’ll learn details about Wilder’s life and inspirations, pinpoint the Ingalls and Wilder homestead claims on authentic archival maps, and learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the series. Excerpts from Wilder’s books, letters, and diaries bring to light her profound appreciation for the landscapes at the heart of her world. Featuring the beloved illustrations by Helen Sewell and Garth Williams, plus hundreds of historic and contemporary photographs, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a treasure for anyone enchanted by Laura’s wild and beautiful life.
A World of Light: Portraits and Celebrations
by May SartonThis captivating book by May Sarton rejoices in friendship and family In A World of Light, renowned poet and novelist May Sarton renders unforgettable portraits of the friends she considers family—and the family she looks upon as friends. From her father, famed science historian George Sarton, she learns that work is &“of the first importance.&” Her mother, Mabel, an artist in her own right, is her &“dearest friend.&” Sarton also introduces us to fellow creative minds Elizabeth Bowen and Louise Brogan, Swiss vigneron Marc Turian, a New Hampshire painter named Quig, and many others.Sarton crosses oceans and continents as she chronicles the enduring connections she has made and how each has enriched her life. Tender and passionate, candid and evocative, A World of Light is about what it means to be an artist—and a human.This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.
The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Mathematics #2)
by Massimo MazzottiThe fascinating true story of mathematician Maria Agnesi.She is best known for her curve, the witch of Agnesi, which appears in almost all high school and undergraduate math books. She was a child prodigy who frequented the salon circuit, discussing mathematics, philosophy, history, and music in multiple languages. She wrote one of the first vernacular textbooks on calculus and was appointed chair of mathematics at the university in Bologna. In later years, however, she became a prominent figure within the Catholic Enlightenment, gave up academics, and devoted herself to the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the homeless. Indeed, the life of Maria Agnesi reveals a complex and enigmatic figure—one of the most fascinating characters in the history of mathematics. Using newly discovered archival documents, Massimo Mazzotti reconstructs the wide spectrum of Agnesi's social experience and examines her relationships to various traditions—religious, political, social, and mathematical. This meticulous study shows how she and her fellow Enlightenment Catholics modified tradition in an effort to reconcile aspects of modern philosophy and science with traditional morality and theology.Mazzotti's original and provocative investigation is also the first targeted study of the Catholic Enlightenment and its influence on modern science. He argues that Agnesi's life is the perfect lens through which we can gain a greater understanding of mid-eighteenth-century cultural trends in continental Europe.
A World of My Own: A Dream Diary
by Graham GreeneGraham Greene was always deeply interested in the role played by the subconscious in his writing, and the private world of his dreams was one that he nurtured carefully, recording it almost daily in his dream diaries. Selecting from these dream diaries, he prepared this small treasure for publication just before his death in 1991--a last gift from a great writer to delight and entertain his readers.