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Julius Caesar: pocket GIANTS
by T. P. WisemanWhy is Caesar a giant? Because he effectively created the Roman Empire, and thus made possible the European civilization that grew out of it. As the People's champion against a corrupt and murderous oligarchy, he began transformation of the Roman republic into a quasi-monarchy and a military and fiscal system that for four centuries provided western Europe, north Africa and the Middle East with security, prosperity and relative peace. His conquest of Gaul and his successors' conquests of Germany, the Balkans and Britain created both the conditions for 'western culture' and many of the historic cities in which it has flourished.
Julius Evola: The Philosopher and Magician in War: 1943-1945
by Gianfranco de TurrisAn intimate portrait of Evola and his wartime activities that rebuts many of the Fascist pseudo-myths about him • Traces the Baron&’s activities in Italy, Germany, and Austria during World War II • Clarifies Evola&’s relations with Nazism and Fascism and reveals how he passionately rejected both ideologies because they were totalitarian • Draws on personal conversations with those who knew Evola, new documentation never before made public, and letters from the Hakl and Scaligero archives Baron Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, known to the English-speaking world as Julius Evola (1898–1974), was an Italian philosopher, magician, painter, occultist, Orientalist, linguist, and champion mountain climber. Often considered a pillar of Neo-Fascist thought, Evola opposed Fascism and called himself a &“radical traditionalist.&” In this exploration of Evola&’s inner and outer life from World War II into the early 1950s, Gianfranco de Turris, who knew Evola when he was alive and is the executor of his estate, offers a new portrait of Julius Evola and debunks many of the pseudo-myths about his activities during the war. Drawing on personal conversations with those who knew him and new documentation never before made public, including letters from the Hakl and Scaligero archives, the author traces Evola&’s activities--including his time on the run and living under assumed names--in Italy, Germany, and Austria from 1943 into the mid-1950s. He shares a thorough account of the Baron&’s sojourn at Hitler&’s headquarters in Rastenburg, his work for the German secret military services, and his passionate rejection of the racial theories that were the core of Nazi ideology. The author outlines Evola&’s critiques of Fascism and Nazism and also explores Evola&’s disapproval of the Italian Social Republic because it was destroying traditional values in favor of modernity. Detailing the Baron&’s occult and magical work during the war, de Turris shows that the only thing Evola took with him when he escaped Italy was the UR Group papers, material that would later become the three-volume work Introduction to Magic. Sharing details from Evola&’s long hospital stays during and after the war, the author proves that the injury that led to Evola&’s paralysis was caused by an Allied bombing raid in Vienna and not, as rumor has it, by a sex magic act gone horribly wrong. The author shares photographs from the time period and the Baron&’s correspondence with René Guenon on the possibility of restoring the spiritual and magical power of an authentic Freemasonry. Offering conclusive evidence that Evola was not part of the Nazi regime, de Turris sheds light on the inner workings of this legendary occult figure and what Evola believed was the best approach for the magus to take in the modern world.
July 1914
by Sean McmeekinWhen a Serbian-backed assassin gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand in late June 1914, the world seemed unmoved. Even Ferdinand's own uncle, Franz Josef I, was notably ambivalent about the death of the Hapsburg heir, saying simply, "It is God's will." Certainly, there was nothing to suggest that the episode would lead to conflict-much less a world war of such massive and horrific proportions that it would fundamentally reshape the course of human events.As acclaimed historian Sean McMeekin reveals in July 1914, World War I might have been avoided entirely had it not been for a small group of statesmen who, in the month after the assassination, plotted to use Ferdinand's murder as the trigger for a long-awaited showdown in Europe. The primary culprits, moreover, have long escaped blame. While most accounts of the war's outbreak place the bulk of responsibility on German and Austro-Hungarian militarism, McMeekin draws on surprising new evidence from archives across Europe to show that the worst offenders were actually to be found in Russia and France, whose belligerence and duplicity ensured that war was inevitable. Whether they plotted for war or rode the whirlwind nearly blind, each of the men involved-from Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold von Berchtold and German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov and French president Raymond Poincaré-sought to capitalize on the fallout from Ferdinand's murder, unwittingly leading Europe toward the greatest cataclysm it had ever seen.A revolutionary account of the genesis of World War I, July 1914 tells the gripping story of Europe's countdown to war from the bloody opening act on June 28th to Britain's final plunge on August 4th, showing how a single month-and a handful of men-changed the course of the twentieth century.
July 1914
by Sean McmeekinWhen a Serbian-backed assassin gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand in late June 1914, the world seemed unmoved. Even FerdinandOCOs own uncle, Franz Josef I, was notably ambivalent about the death of the Hapsburg heir, saying simply, ?It is GodOCOs will. OCO Certainly, there was nothing to suggest that the episode would lead to conflict?much less a world war of such massive and horrific proportions that it would fundamentally reshape the course of human events. As acclaimed historian Sean McMeekin reveals in "July 1914," World War I might have been avoided entirely had it not been for a small group of statesmen who, in the month after the assassination, plotted to use FerdinandOCOs murder as the trigger for a long-awaited showdown in Europe. The primary culprits, moreover, have long escaped blame. While most accounts of the warOCOs outbreak place the bulk of responsibility on German and Austro-Hungarian militarism, McMeekin draws on surprising new evidence from archives across Europe to show that the worst offenders were actually to be found in Russia and France, whose belligerence and duplicity ensured that war was inevitable. Whether they plotted for war or rode the whirlwind nearly blind, each of the men involved?from Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold von Berchtold and German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov and French president Raymond Poincar(r)?sought to capitalize on the fallout from FerdinandOCOs murder, unwittingly leading Europe toward the greatest cataclysm it had ever seen. A revolutionary account of the genesis of World War I, "July 1914" tells the gripping story of EuropeOCOs countdown to war from the bloody opening act on June 28th to BritainOCOs final plunge on August 4th, showing how a single month?and a handful of men?changed the course of the twentieth century.
July 1914: Countdown to War
by Sean McmeekinWhen a Serbian-backed assassin gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand in late June 1914, the world seemed unmoved. Even Ferdinand’s own uncle, Franz Josef I, was notably ambivalent about the death of the Hapsburg heir, saying simply, "It is God’s will. ” Certainly, there was nothing to suggest that the episode would lead to conflict--much less a world war of such massive and horrific proportions that it would fundamentally reshape the course of human events. As acclaimed historian Sean McMeekin reveals in July 1914, World War I might have been avoided entirely had it not been for a small group of statesmen who, in the month after the assassination, plotted to use Ferdinand’s murder as the trigger for a long-awaited showdown in Europe. The primary culprits, moreover, have long escaped blame. While most accounts of the war’s outbreak place the bulk of responsibility on German and Austro-Hungarian militarism, McMeekin draws on surprising new evidence from archives across Europe to show that the worst offenders were actually to be found in Russia and France, whose belligerence and duplicity ensured that war was inevitable. Whether they plotted for war or rode the whirlwind nearly blind, each of the men involved--from Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold von Berchtold and German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov and French president Raymond Poincaré--sought to capitalize on the fallout from Ferdinand’s murder, unwittingly leading Europe toward the greatest cataclysm it had ever seen. A revolutionary account of the genesis of World War I, July 1914 tells the gripping story of Europe’s countdown to war from the bloody opening act on June 28th to Britain’s final plunge on August 4th, showing how a single month--and a handful of men--changed the course of the twentieth century.
July 2nd - A Story of Liberty
by Cesár CostaJuly 2nd - A Story of Liberty This is a work of fiction based on the facts that occurred during numerous events of the liberation movement in Bahia. The fictional characters that appear here represent the thousands of anonymous heroes and heroines who were as important and decisive for the Brazilian victory as those who had their names highlighted and perpetuated in the beautiful history of determination and will of the Bahian people. It is also a tribute to those who gave up their prominent position to fund and fight alongside men considered inferior for the common good. Let every reader understand that the liberation process came not only from the cry of a sovereign, but from the blood, sweat and struggle of many good Brazilian citizens. That the men who wrote this story were not perfect, but preferred to overlook their imperfections so that this continental nation could become free and today could walk under the motto: Order and Progress.
July Crisis
by T. G. OtteThis is a magisterial new account of Europe's tragic descent into a largely inadvertent war in the summer of 1914. Thomas Otte reveals why a century-old system of Great Power politics collapsed so disastrously in the weeks from the 'shot heard around the world' on June 28th to Germany's declaration of war on Russia on August 1st. He shows definitively that the key to understanding how and why Europe descended into world war is to be found in the near-collective failure of statecraft by the rulers of Europe and not in abstract concepts such as the 'balance of power' or the 'alliance system'. In this unprecedented panorama of Europe on the brink, from the ministerial palaces of Berlin and Vienna to Belgrade, London, Paris and St Petersburg, Thomas Otte reveals the hawks and doves whose decision-making led to a war that would define a century and which still reverberates today.
Jumbo
by Stephens Gerard Malone"There was, perhaps, no living creature more famous in the nineteenth century than Jumbo the elephant. Born in 1860 and taken from the wilds between Sudan and Eritrea at the age of two, he was sold to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and then to the London Zoological Gardens, before becoming the prized possession of notorious American showman P. T. Barnum. “Jumbomania” swept England, embroiled the Houses of Parliament, erupted into open warfare in the British and American press, and monopolized popular kitsch and culture. By the time Jumbo sailed into New York City in 1882, thousands scrambled for a chance to see “The Sun of the Amusement World.” In this magnificent feat of historical fiction, Jumbo’s story is told by Little Eyes Nell Kelly, The World’s Smallest Singing, Dancing, Horse-riding Woman and Barnum’s star attraction. Initially jealous of her gargantuan new co-star, Nell keeps a close eye on Jumbo and his reclusive and dedicated trainer, Matthew Scott. But Nell soon realizes that she and Jumbo are simply two caged creatures in a circus full—and Jumbo’s confinement is slowly killing him. As The Greatest Show on Earth criss-crosses North America, Nell must brave greedy circus showmen, backstabbing trapeze artists, and the relentless pursuit of the cruel animal trainer, Elephant Bill, to keep the curtain from closing on her career—and her very life. Taking readers from the deserts of Sudan to Buckingham Palace, to the manor houses of Connecticut and the dizzying heights of the Brooklyn Bridge, and every “one-saloon-three-church town” in between, Jumbo is a menagerie of riotous colour that brings Jumbo’s incredible story to life, and a masterful novel that explores exploitation, unrequited love, and the unbreakable bond between living things."
Jumbo's Hide, Elvis's Ride, and the Tooth of Buddha: More Marvelous Tales of Historical Artifacts
by Harvey RachlinOnce again historian Harvey Rachlin uncovers odd and stirring stories behind some of the most fascinating objects in the world. "Jumbo's Hide," Publisher's Weekly writes, "is entertaining and enlightening … a pageant of human aspiration, achievement, obsession, and belief." Artifacts explored include: The truce flag that ended World War I, The Maltese Falcon, John Adam's pigtail and Jesse James' Stickpin and Galileo's middle finger.
Jump Commander: In Combat with the 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II
by Mark J. Alexander John SparryThe thrilling memoir of the legendary Army Colonel and paratrooper—the only airborne officer to lead three different battalions into combat during WWII.In his distinguished service during World War II, Col. Mark James Alexander took command of three separate battalions of parachute infantrymen within the 82nd Airborne Division. A legend in his own time, he fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France. Even after sustaining serious wounds in Normandy, he insisted on playing a role in the Battle of the Bulge.Alexander’s exploits in Italy, from capturing hundreds of prisoners in Sicily to holding ground against German counterattacks in Salerno, won him a reputation known from the lowest private to Airborne Generals Gavin and Ridgway. At Normandy, lieutenant John “Red Dog” Dolan called him “the finest battalion commander I ever served under,” after witnessing his leadership through the bloody battle for La Fière Bridge and Causeway.This memoir is based on the transcription of hundreds of hours of recorded interviews made by Alexander’s grandson, John Sparry, over a period of years late in his life. Providing valuable insight into the beloved commander who led three of the most storied battalions in the US Army, Jump Commander also contains a wealth of new detail on 82nd Airborne operations, and unique insight into some of the most crucial battles in the European Theater. A selection of the Military Book Club
Jump Ropes, Jacks, and Endless Chores: Children's Lives in the 1800s (Daily Life in America in the 1800s)
by Matthew StrangeFor most of the 1800s, children were considered "small, unruly adults" who needed to be strictly disciplined and put to useful work as soon as they were able. The very concept of childhood itself, as a carefree, innocent time, is a result of increasing economic stability and changing family roles in the 1800s. Before child welfare laws were enacted and compulsory education enforced, children made up an important part of the industrial and agricultural workforce in 1800s America. Toys and time for games and fun may have been a luxury, but kids will be kids, and the adults that loved them made sure their lives weren't all work and no play. The establishment of public schools, more humane working conditions, and expanding economic opportunities helped improve the life of America's children in the 1800s, but they worked hard and their pleasures were simple ones.
Jump Ship to Freedom
by James Lincoln Collier Christopher CollierYoung Daniel Arabus and his mother are slaves in the house of Captain Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut. By law they should be free, since Daniel's father fought in the Revolutionary army and earned enough in soldiers' notes to buy his family's freedom. But now Daniel's father is dead, and Mrs. Ivers has taken the notes from his mother. When Daniel bravely steals the notes back, a furious Captain Ivers forces him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies--and certain slavery. Even if Daniel can manage to jump ship in New York, will he be able to travel the long and dangerous road to freedom?
Jump Ship to Freedom (Arabus Family Saga, Book #2)
by James Lincoln Collier Christopher CollierYoung Daniel Arabus and his mother are slaves in the house of Captain Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut. By law they should be free, since Daniel's father fought in the Revolutionary army and earned enough in soldiers' notes to buy his family's freedom. But now Daniel's father is dead, and Mrs. Ivers has taken the notes from his mother. When Daniel bravely steals the notes back, a furious Captain Ivers forces him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies--and certain slavery. Even if Daniel can manage to jump ship in New York, will he be able to travel the long and dangerous road to freedom?
Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree: My Basketball Odyssey
by Sheldon AndersonJump Shooting to a Higher Degree chronicles Sheldon Anderson&’s basketball career from grade school in small-town Moorhead, Minnesota, in the 1960s, to inner-city high school and college ball in Minneapolis, to a professional career in West Germany, and finally to communist Poland, where he did PhD research while on a basketball junket behind the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. Because he was the only American player in the league at the time, and with help from a Polish scholar, Anderson was one of the first Western scholars to gain access to Communist Party documents. He's also likely the only American scholar to have funded his research by playing semi-pro basketball in a communist country.Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree is much more than a basketball story. Anderson provides insights into the everyday lives of people behind the Iron Curtain, such as the English coach he played for in West Germany, an elderly woman he visited many times in East Germany, and a sailmaker&’s family he lived with in Warsaw. He reflects on German, Polish, and Cold War history, providing a commentary on the times and the places where he lived and played, and the importance of basketball along the way.
Jump into the Sky
by Shelley PearsallLevi Battle's been left behind all his life. His mother could sing like a bird and she flew away like one, too. His father left him with his grandmother so he could work as a traveling salesman--until Levi's grandmother left this world entirely. Now Levi's staying with his Aunt Odella while his father is serving in the U.S. Army. But it's 1945, and the war is nearly over, and Aunt Odella decides it's time for Levi to do some leaving of his own. Before he can blink, Levi finds himself on a train from Chicago to Fayettville, North Carolina, where his father is currently stationed--last they knew.So begins an eye-opening, life-changing journey for Levi. First lesson: there are different rules for African Americans in the South than there are in Chicago. And breaking them can have serious consequences. But with the help of some kind strangers, and despite the hindrances of some unkind ones, Levi makes his way across the United States--searching for his father and finding out about himself, his country, and what it truly means to belong.Shelley Pearsall has created an unforgettable character in Levi and gives readers a remarkable tour of 1945 America through his eyes. Jump into the Sky is a tour de force of historical fiction from a writer at the very top of her game.From the Hardcover edition.
Jump into the Valley of the Shadow: Into the Valley of the Shadow
by Dwayne T. Burns Leland BurnsA paratrooper&’s memoir of survival and close-quarters combat in WWII: &“Well worth reading&” (Flight Journal). When Dwayne Burns turned eighteen, he decided he wanted to fight alongside America&’s best. He joined the paratroopers and was assigned to the 508th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Little did he suspect that a year later he&’d be soaring in a flak-riddled C-47 over Normandy, part of the very spearhead of the Allied drive to seize back Europe. Burns landed behind German lines during the dark early hours of D-Day and gradually found other survivors of his division. The paratroopers fought on every side in a confused running battle through the hedgerows, finally making a stand in a surrounded farmhouse. With one room reserved for their growing piles of corpses, the paratroopers held their ground until finally relieved by infantry advancing from the beaches. After being pulled out of Normandy, the airborne troops were launched into Holland as part of Montgomery&’s plan to gain a bridgehead across the Rhine. This daytime jump was less confused than the nocturnal one, but there were more Germans than expected and fewer Allied forces in support. It was another maelstrom of point-blank combat in all directions, and though the 82nd achieved its objectives, the campaign as a whole achieved little but casualties. The 82nd had hardly refilled with replacements when the Germans broke through the US front in the Ardennes. The 82nd&’s paratroopers were put aboard trucks and hastened to stand in the way of the panzer onslaught. Passing through Bastogne, they went farther north to St. Vith, where the US 7th Armored and other divisions were reeling. The 82nd held its own with quickly assembled defense perimeters, allowing other units to escape. After beating off massive attacks by the German SS, the paratroopers were disgusted to hear that they, too, had been ordered to retreat. They didn&’t feel they needed to, but Monty was determined to &“tidy up the battlefield.&” On January 3, they counterattacked through the freezing hills, sealing off the Bulge and pursuing the Germans back into the Reich. In this work, Dwayne Burns, assisted by his son Leland (US Army, 1975–79), not only relates the chaos of combat but the intimate thinking of a young soldier thrust into the center of several of history&’s greatest battles. His memories provide a fascinating insight into the reality of close-quarters combat.
Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream
by Simon Johnson Jonathan GruberThe untold story of how America once created the most successful economy the world has ever seen and how we can do it again.The American economy glitters on the outside, but the reality is quite different. Job opportunities and economic growth are increasingly concentrated in a few crowded coastal enclaves. Corporations and investors are disproportionately developing technologies that benefit the wealthiest Americans in the most prosperous areas--and destroying middle class jobs elsewhere. To turn this tide, we must look to a brilliant and all-but-forgotten American success story and embark on a plan that will create the industries of the future--and the jobs that go with them.Beginning in 1940, massive public investment generated breakthroughs in science and technology that first helped win WWII and then created the most successful economy the world has ever seen. Private enterprise then built on these breakthroughs to create new industries--such as radar, jet engines, digital computers, mobile telecommunications, life-saving medicines, and the internet-- that became the catalyst for broader economic growth that generated millions of good jobs. We lifted almost all boats, not just the yachts.Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson tell the story of this first American growth engine and provide the blueprint for a second. It's a visionary, pragmatic, sure-to-be controversial plan that will lead to job growth and a new American economy in places now left behind.
Jumpin' Jim Crow: Southern Politics from Civil War to Civil Rights
by Jane Dailey, Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore & Bryant SimonWhite supremacy shaped all aspects of post-Civil War southern life, yet its power was never complete or total. The form of segregation and subjection nicknamed Jim Crow constantly had to remake itself over time even as white southern politicians struggled to extend its grip. Here, some of the most innovative scholars of southern history question Jim Crow's sway, evolution, and methods over the course of a century. These essays bring to life the southern men and women--some heroic and decent, others mean and sinister, most a mixture of both--who supported and challenged Jim Crow, showing that white supremacy always had to prove its power. Jim Crow was always in motion, always adjusting to meet resistance and defiance by both African Americans and whites. Sometimes white supremacists responded with increased ferocity, sometimes with more subtle political and legal ploys. Jumpin' Jim Crow presents a clear picture of this complex negotiation. For example, even as some black and white women launched the strongest attacks on the system, other white women nurtured myths glorifying white supremacy. Even as elite whites blamed racial violence on poor whites, they used Jim Crow to dominate poor whites as well as blacks. Most important, the book portrays change over time, suggesting that Strom Thurmond is not a simple reincarnation of Ben Tillman and that Rosa Parks was not the first black woman to say no to Jim Crow. From a study of the segregation of household consumption to a fresh look at critical elections, from an examination of an unlikely antilynching campaign to an analysis of how miscegenation laws tried to sexualize black political power, these essays about specific southern times and places exemplify the latest trends in historical research. Its rich, accessible content makes Jumpin' Jim Crow an ideal undergraduate reader on American history, while its methodological innovations will be emulated by scholars of political history generally. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Edward L. Ayers, Elsa Barkley Brown, W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Laura F. Edwards, Kari Frederickson, David F. Godshalk, Grace Elizabeth Hale, Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, Stephen Kantrowitz, Nancy MacLean, Nell Irwin Painter, and Timothy B. Tyson.
Jumping Into Empty Space: A Reluctant Mennonite Businessman Serves In Paraguay's Presidential Cabinet
by Ernst BergenErnst Bergen had good reason to say no when the President of his country asked him to join his cabinet. Massive corruption was considered the ordinary course of business in Paraguay and had driven it to near financial ruin. Bergen, at age 39, was among the most successful men in the country with not an ounce of interest in government politics. What's more, Bergen grew up in a Mennonite colony situated in the inhospitable wilderness of the Paraguayan Chaco. He belongs to a highly industrious religious people who, for reasons of history and theology, are acutely suspicious of being involved in government. Jumping Into Empty Space tells two stories: the beginning of a remarkable economic turn-around in a battered country at the hand of this fearless business strategist; and the emergence of a true leader, told with unusual honesty and wisdom. Not only did Bergen have his own hot temper to control, he had to face extraordinary special interests and decades of despair everywhere, including in the President's own party.Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Jumping Jenny (British Library Crime Classics)
by Anthony Berkeley"A witty and tricky plot and a genuinely shocking conclusion."—Publishers Weekly, Starred ReviewA mystery dinner theater party thrown by local author with a taste "for rather gruesome humor" requires guests come dressed as infamous killers—Jack the Ripper, Dr. Crippen, and the like. Whatever could go wrong?Know-it-all amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham settles in for an evening of beer, small talk, and analyzing his companions. Ena Stratton, the host's sister-in-law, catches his attention. Her erratic mood swings and loud, gossipy talk is winning her more than a few enemies amongst the guests. When she's found dead, it's clear that one of the partygoers helped her to an early grave.Noticing a key detail that could implicate a friend in the crime, Sheringham decides to meddle with the scene and unwittingly makes himself a suspect.Tightly paced and cleverly defying the conventions of the classic detective story, Anthony Berkeley's dark sense of humor and taste for the macabre drive this 1933 classic.This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar ® Award-winning author Martin Edwards.
Jumping Over Fire
by Nahid RachlinFleeing a neocolonial oil town in southern Iran as Khomeini rises to power, the Ellahi family emigrates to the US, where Nora and her adopted brother Jahan struggle to end their incestuous attachment, get through college, and forge independent lives. Confronted by anti-Iranian hostility, Jahan is drawn to Islam, ultimately going back to join the Iranian army to fight Saddam Hussein, while Nora takes advantage of the greater opportunities and personal freedom for women here.Nahid Rachlin is the Iranian-American author of Veils, Foreigner, Married to a Stranger, and The Heart's Desire. She teaches at New School University and the Unterberg Poetry Center in New York.
Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir
by Annette GendlerThe true story of a German-Jewish love that overcame the burdens of the past. Finalist for the 2017 Book of the Year Award by the Chicago Writers Association “A book that is hard to put down.” —Jerusalem Post “This book confirms Annette Gendler as an indispensable Jewish voice for our time." —Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Like Dreamers "The ghosts of the past haunt a woman’s search for herself in this thoughtful, poignant memoir about the transformative power of love and faith.” —Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound, now a Netflix movie “An exquisitely written conversion story which expounds upon personal and collective identity.” —Washington Independent Review of Books “A compelling, gracefully written memoir about the impact of the past on the present.” —Michael Steinberg, author of Still Pitching History was repeating itself when Annette fell in love with Harry, a Jewish man, the son of Holocaust survivors, in Germany in 1985. Her Great-Aunt Resi had been married to a Jew in Czechoslovakia before World War II―a marriage that, while happy, put the entire family in mortal danger once the Nazis took over their hometown in 1938. Annette and Harry’s love, meanwhile, was the ultimate nightmare for Harry’s family. Not only was their son considering marrying a non-Jew, but a German. Weighed down by the burdens of their family histories, Annette and Harry kept their relationship secret for three years, until they could forge a path into the future and create a new life in Chicago. Annette found a spiritual home in Judaism―a choice that paved the way toward acceptance by Harry’s family, and redemption for some of the wounds of her own family’s past.
Jumping the Broom: The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual
by Tyler D. ParryIn this definitive history of a unique tradition, Tyler D. Parry untangles the convoluted history of the "broomstick wedding." Popularly associated with African American culture, Parry traces the ritual's origins to marginalized groups in the British Isles and explores how it influenced the marriage traditions of different communities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. His surprising findings shed new light on the complexities of cultural exchange between peoples of African and European descent from the 1700s up to the twenty-first century. Drawing from the historical records of enslaved people in the United States, British Romani, Louisiana Cajuns, and many others, Parry discloses how marginalized people found dignity in the face of oppression by innovating and reimagining marriage rituals. Such innovations have an enduring impact on the descendants of the original practitioners. Parry reveals how and why the simple act of "jumping the broom" captivates so many people who, on the surface, appear to have little in common with each other.
Jumping the Color Line: Vernacular Jazz Dance in American Film, 1929–1945
by Susie TrenkaFrom the first synchronized sound films of the late 1920s through the end of World War II, African American music and dance styles were ubiquitous in films. Black performers, however, were marginalized, mostly limited to appearing in "specialty acts" and various types of short films, whereas stardom was reserved for Whites. Jumping the Color Line discusses vernacular jazz dance in film as a focal point of American race relations. Looking at intersections of race, gender, and class, the book examines how the racialized and gendered body in film performs, challenges, and negotiates identities and stereotypes. Arguing for the transformative and subversive potential of jazz dance performance onscreen, the six chapters address a variety of films and performers, including many that have received little attention to date. Topics include Hollywood's first Black female star (Nina Mae McKinney), male tap dance "class acts" in Black-cast short films of the early 1930s, the film career of Black tap soloist Jeni LeGon, the role of dance in the Soundies jukebox shorts of the 1940s, cinematic images of the Lindy hop, and a series of teen films from the early 1940s that appealed primarily to young White fans of swing culture. With a majority of examples taken from marginal film forms, such as shorts and B movies, the book highlights their role in disseminating alternative images of racial and gender identities as embodied by dancers – images that were at least partly at odds with those typically found in major Hollywood productions.