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An Amish Patchwork: Indiana's Old Orders in the Modern World
by Thomas J. Meyers Steven M. NoltIndiana is home to the world's third-largest Amish population. Indiana's 19 Old Order Amish and two Old Order Mennonite communities show a surprising diversity despite all that unites them as a distinct culture. This contemporary portrait of Indiana's Amish is the first book-length overview of Amish in the state. Thomas J. Meyers and Steven M. Nolt present an overview of the beliefs and values of the Amish, their migration history, and the differences between the state's two major Amish ethnic groups (Pennsylvania Dutch and Swiss). They also talk about Indiana's Old Order Mennonites, a group too often confused with the Amish. Meyers and Nolt situate the Amish in their Indiana context, noting an involvement with Indiana's industrial economy that may surprise some. They also treat Amish interaction with state government over private schooling and other matters, and the relationship of the Amish to their neighbors and the tourist industry. This valuable introduction to the Indiana Amish deserves a place on every Hoosier's bookshelf.
Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya
by Jamaica KincaidAnyone familiar with Jamaica Kincaid's work knows that the natural world and in particular, plants and gardening are especially close to her heart. In this vivid account she invites us to accompany her on a seed-gathering trek in the Himalaya. For Kincaid and three botanist friends, Nepal is a paradise a place where a single day's hike can traverse climate zones from sub-tropical to alpine encompassing flora suitable for growing in their home grounds from Wales to Vermont. A wonderful blend of introspective insight and beautifully rendered description, Among Flowers is a seriously entertaining thoroughly engaging and characteristically frank memoir from one of the most distinctive and striking voices writing today.
Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya
by Jamaica KincaidIn this delightful hybrid of a book - part memoir and part travel journal - the bestselling author takes us deep into the mountains of Nepal with a trio of botanist friends in search of native Himalayan plants that will grow in her Vermont garden. Alighting from a plane in the dramatic Annapurna Valley, the ominous signs of Nepal's Maoist guerrillas are all around - an alarming presence that accompanies the travelers throughout their trek. Undaunted, the group sets off into the mountains with Sherpas and bearers, entering an exotic world of spectacular landscapes, vertiginous slopes, isolated villages, herds of yaks, and giant rhododendron, thirty feet tall. The landscape and flora and so much else of what Kincaid finds in the Himalaya - including fruit bats, colourful Buddhist prayer flags, and the hated leeches that plague much of the trip - are new to her, and she approaches it all with an acute sense of wonder and a deft eye for detail. In beautiful, introspective prose, Kincaid intertwines the harrowing Maoist encounters with exciting botanical discoveries, fascinating daily details, and lyrical musings on gardens, nature, home, and family.
Among Flowers
by Jamaica KincaidIn this delightful hybrid of a book-part memoir and part travel journal-the bestselling author takes us deep into the mountains of Nepal with a trio of botanist friends in search of native Himalayan plants that will grow in her Vermont garden. Alighting from a plane in the dramatic Annapurna Valley, the ominous signs of Nepal's Maoist guerrillas are all around-an alarming presence that accompanies the travelers throughout their trek. Undaunted, the group sets off into the mountains with Sherpas and bearers, entering an exotic world of spectacular landscapes, vertiginous slopes, isolated villages, herds of yaks, and giant rhododendron, thirty feet tall. The landscape and flora and so much else of what Kincaid finds in the Himalaya-including fruit bats, colorful Buddhist prayer flags, and the hated leeches that plague much of the trip-are new to her, and she approaches it all with an acute sense of wonder and a deft eye for detail. In beautiful, introspective prose, Kincaid intertwines the harrowing Maoist encounters with exciting botanical discoveries, fascinating daily details, and lyrical musings on gardens, nature, home, and family.
Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya (National Geographic Directions Ser.)
by Jamaica KincaidIn this travel memoir, the acclaimed novelist Jamaica Kincaid chronicles a three-week trek through Nepal, the spectacular and exotic Himalayan land, where she and her companions are gathering seeds for planting at home. The natural world and, in particular, plants and gardening are central to Kincaid’s work; in addition to such novels as Annie John and Lucy, Kincaid is the author of My Garden (Book): a collection of essays about her love of cultivating plants and gardens throughout her life. Among Flowers intertwines meditations on nature and stunning descriptions of the Himalayan landscape with observations on the ironies, difficulties, and dangers of this magnificent journey.For Kincaid and three botanist friends, Nepal is a paradise, a place where a single day’s hike can traverse climate zones, from subtropical to alpine, encompassing flora suitable for growing at their homes, from Wales to Vermont. Yet as she makes clear, there is far more to this foreign world than rhododendrons that grow thirty feet high. Danger, too, is a constant companion—and the leeches are the least of the worries. Unpredictable Maoist guerillas live in these perilous mountains, and when they do appear—as they do more than once—their enigmatic presence lingers long after they have melted back into the landscape. And Kincaid, who writes of the looming, lasting effects of colonialism in her works, necessarily explores the irony of her status as memsahib with Sherpas and bearers.A wonderful blend of introspective insight and beautifully rendered description, Among Flowers is a vivid, engrossing, and characteristically frank memoir from one of our most striking voices.
Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey
by V. S. NaipaulThe Nobel Prize-winning author gives us – on the basis of his own intensive seventeen month journey across the Asian continent – an unprecedented revelation of the Islamic world. • &“A brilliant report…. A book of scathing inquiry and judgment, whose tragic power is being continually reinforced by current events&” (Newsweek).With all the narrative power and intellectual authority that have distinguished his earlier books and won him international acclaim (&“There can hardly be a writer alive who surpasses him&” – Irving Howe, The New York Times Book Review), Naipaul explores the life, the culture, the ferment inside the nations of Islam – in a book that combines the fascinations of the great works of travel literature with the insights of a uniquely sharp, original, and idiosyncratic political mind. He takes us into four countries in the throes of &“Islamization&” – countries that, in their ardor to build new societies based entirely on the fundamental laws of Islam, have violently rejected the &“materialism&” of the technologically advanced nations that have long supported them. He brings us close to the people of Islam – how they live and work, the role of faith in their lives, how they see their place in the modern world.
Among the Cannibals: Adventures on the Trail of Man's Darkest Ritual
by Paul RaffaeleIt's the stuff of nightmares, the dark inspiration for literature and film. But astonishingly, cannibalism does exist, and in Among the Cannibals travel writer Paul Raffaele journeys to the far corners of the globe to discover participants in this mysterious and disturbing practice. From an obscure New Guinea river village, where Raffaele went in search of one of the last practicing cannibal cultures on Earth; to India, where the Aghori sect still ritualistically eat their dead; to North America, where evidence exists that the Aztecs ate sacrificed victims; to Tonga, where the descendants of fierce warriors still remember how their predecessors preyed upon their foes; and to Uganda, where the unfortunate victims of the Lord's Resistance Army struggle to reenter a society from which they have been violently torn, Raffaele brings this baffling cultural ritual to light in a combination of Indiana Jones-type adventure and gonzo journalism. Illustrated with photographs Raffaele took during his travels, Among the Cannibals is a gripping look at some of the more unsavory aspects of human civilization, guaranteed to satisfy every reader's morbid curiosity.
Among the Cities
by Jan MorrisNo one, since the days of the great Arab travelers, has described so much of the known world as Jan Morris. Considered by many the preeminent travel writer of our age, she now offers this retrospective selection of her best writings. Including 37 pieces, several of which have never appeared in book form before, these essays cover Morris' entire career from the 1950s to the present, spanning the globe from China to Peru, from Beirut to Houston, and from Leningrad to Manhattan. Writing with elegance, passion, and wit, she captures the complex personality of each city, whether familiar or exotic. In the Preface, she clarifies her purpose: "First to last, the world never ceased to astonish me, and I hope at least a little of that power to amaze, if nothing more profound, may be found between the covers of this book."
Among the Great Apes: Adventures on the Trail of Our Closest Relatives
by Paul Raffaele“Raffaele spins riveting tales of his mission to visit every species and subspecies of great ape in its natural habitat.” —Discover magazineAward winning adventure journalist Paul Raffaele’s Among the Great Apes is the first book in over a decade—and possibly the last ever—to take its readers into the lives of our charismatic cousins in their native habitats. Humans have long felt a deep attraction to the great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas. We see a reflection of ourselves in their faces, mannerisms, and interactions with kin. But we also look to them for contrast. Part of how we define ourselves as human rests with recognizing the differences between us and the great apes, in spite of the substantial amounts of DNA we share.Many great primatologists have dedicated their lives to the observation and study of these species in their natural habitats. Unfortunately, many of these sheltering places no longer exist. The great apes live in some of the most volatile regions on our planet, lands plagued by civil unrest, poverty, environmental degradation, and corrupt governments. In this book, Raffaele goes into the wild to see how our closest relatives are faring today. He takes us through isolated jungles and misty mountain forests, sharing wonderfully intimate observations of ape life paired with the most current research about their behavior.Raffaele, called the “last of the great, old-fashioned adventure writers” by the Washington Post, introduces us to leading conservationists and researchers working to save and study the apes. But best of all, he gets up close to these amazing animals. He describes orangutans fashioning umbrellas from long leaves, a young chimpanzee mothering a “baby” log, and the bonobos’ lively ritual of swinging like gymnasts through the treetops before building elaborate nests to sleep in. Moving from Borneo to the Congo, Among the Great Apes brings us to the natural habitats of all the species and subspecies of the great apes—a trip possible for perhaps the last time.“A powerful account of the author’s journey into our planet’s last remaining gorilla communities.” —The Ecologist“Fantastic. . . . Anyone who cares about animals will benefit hugely from reading it.” —Shaun Ellis, star of Animal Planet’s Living with the Wolfman and author of The Man Who Lives with Wolves“Profound and important . . . Raffaele shows us how amazing interesting and complex great apes are.” —David Greer, coordinator, World Wildlife Fund’s African Great Apes Program
Among the Iranians: A Guide to Iran's Culture and Customs
by Sofia A. KoutlakiThe eyes of the world are on Iran, from nuclear issues to women's rights to Iran's perspective on Palestine. Yet a strictly political view does not allow for an accurate or complete outlook on this important and facinating country. In Among the Iranians, Greek-born author Sofia A. Koutlaki shares the lessons she's learned firsthand as a foreigner living in Tehran. Through memorable anecdotes and in-depth explanations of Iranian customers, Koutlaki presentd a side of Iran that foreigners rarely see. The author's insight challenges readers to dispel their previous notions and judgements to see Iran at its heart--warm, inviting and rich with tradition. Among the Iranians is also an indispensable practical guide, offering insight about Iranian dress, etiquette and even food.
Among the Tibetans
by Isabella L. BirdBird (1831-1904) recounts her rugged passage through the Himalayas by horseback and her four-month sojourn amid "the pleasantest of people." Bird's evocative accounts of Tibetan ceremonies, decorations, costumes, and music, along with her vivid descriptions of palaces, temples, and monasteries, offer rare glimpses of a vanished world. 21 black-and-white illustrations.
Among Warriors: A Woman Martial Artist in Tibet
by Pamela LoganPamela Logan, a recognized expert in the martial arts, gives a breathtaking account of her journey across the windswept plateaus and icy mountain passes of eastern Tibet.
Amore
by Roger FriedlandAs his twin daughters approached adolescence, sociologist Roger Friedland was worried. The thing that most bothered him was not the erotic heat of America's youth culture, but the lovelessness of its sex. Offered the chance to live and teach in Rome, Roger and his wife, Debra, seized the opportunity to take their family to live in a city where love is alive, family bonds hold, divorce and rape are rare, and "ciao, bella" is a constant refrain.In Amore, Friedland shares the stories of his family's enchanted and unnerving passage into the heart of Rome, and considers its lessons for America, where love is at risk.Amore is a love story, a father's exploration of the ways of life and love in Rome, and what they have to teach us about the erosion of romance in America.
Amore and Amaretti: A Tale of Love and Food in Italy
by Victoria CosfordVicky arrives in Tuscany to study the language and culture of Italy, but soon falls in love with charismatic chef Gianfranco and starts to learn the art of Italian cooking in his trattoria. This intoxicating gastro-memoir, interspersed with recipes, humour and heartbreak, will leave you entranced and with a hankering for tagliatelle and truffles.
Amore and Amaretti: A Tale of Love and Food in Italy
by Victoria CosfordVicky arrives in Tuscany to study the language and culture of Italy, but soon falls in love with charismatic chef Gianfranco and starts to learn the art of Italian cooking in his trattoria. This intoxicating gastro-memoir, interspersed with recipes, humour and heartbreak, will leave you entranced and with a hankering for tagliatelle and truffles.
Amory (Images of America)
by Bo Miller Sue BrownIn November 1887, the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad (KCM&B)--later the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad, or "Frisco"--established a new town as a halfway point on its route between Memphis and Birmingham. The town was named Amory in honor of Harcourt Amory, a prominent Bostonian and railroad executive. The 500 acres the railroad purchased from Amanda Owen were surveyed and drawn into plots parallel to the railroad tracks, creating Mississippi's first planned community. Amory prospered as men like E.D. Gilmore and Archibald Dalrymple moved to town and opened up shop. Businesses and homes from nearby Cotton Gin Port on the Tombigbee River were moved to Amory to be part of the growing town. The garment industry played a vital part in Amory's development, as the Glenn and Longenecker families established factories that made the town known as the "Pants Capital of the World." Today, the community is home to a regional medical center, top-rated schools, and a diverse mixture of retail and industrial businesses.
Amour: How the French Talk About Love--Photographs and Stories
by Stefania RousselleFrom award-winning journalist and filmmaker Stefania Rousselle, a stunning collection of photographs and essays that seek to understand the universality of love Journalist and filmmaker Stefania Rousselle found herself overwhelmed and dejected with the horrors of the news after covering terrorist attacks, human trafficking, and the rise of extremism. To renew her faith in humanity, she took off on a solo road trip across France, determined to see if love still exists. Traveling from village to village, farming towns to industrial cities, heart to heart, Rousselle sought out ordinary women and men, all to ask them one question, What is love?Collecting more than 90 personal testimonies, each one moving and beautiful in its own way, alongside over 100 intimate photographs, Rousselle reveals the many facets of love, and discovers that love can still be found even in the darkest of places. From a baker in Normandy to a shepherd in the Pyrenees, from a tree trimmer in Martinique to a mail woman in the Alps, Amour is a visual testament to love in all its many forms.
Amsterdam: A brief life of the city
by Geert MakA magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan Amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of Anne Frank. In this fascinating examination of the city's soul, part history, part travel guide, Geert Mak imaginatively recreates the lives of the early Amsterdammers, and traces Amsterdam's progress from waterlogged settlement to a major financial centre and thriving modern metropolis
Amsterdam Like a Local: By the people who call it home (Local Travel Guide)
by DK Eyewitness Elysia Brenner Nellie Huang Michael MordechayIf you&’re looking for the ultimate European getaway, Amsterdam won&’t disappoint!Iconic canals, centuries-old townhomes, cobblestone lanes and flower-adorned bridges. Amsterdam is truly one-of-a-kind and offers so many different kinds of experiences. Use the travel tips from this ultimate Amsterdam travel book to plan your trip to the Netherlands!Beyond the well-trodden sights, there&’s a secret side of the city — and who better to guide you to it than the locals? This travel guide to Amsterdam includes: • Two-color, bold, modern design with contemporary illustrations throughout • Authors are true locals and have been picked for having their fingers on the pulse and their diverse tastes. Their suggestions and advice sit alongside quotes from Amsterdam creatives, performers, volunteers and business leaders to give the book a local feel • A narrative style throughout, making the local, personal voice central to every entry • Structured by six themes and subsequent sub-themes — rather than areas — to echo how people are traveling, rather than where. For example, Eat, Drink, Shop, Art and Culture, Nightlife • Each entry includes its unique address so readers can pinpoint precisely where they are heading • Each theme ends with a tour spread, dedicated to a specific interest or experience. For example, A Foodie Tour of Oud-West, and Art and Antiques Shopping in the Spiegelkwartier Amsterdam is as pretty as a postcard! You can&’t walk a mile without bumping into a masterpiece in this city. Besides its cultural attractions like the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, and Van Gogh museum, the Dutch capital also has leafy parks, hip shops, craft breweries and some of Europe's hottest clubs. From taking a bicycle tour through the polder landscape in Amsterdam Noord to relaxing at a canalside bruin café (traditional Dutch pub) in Jordaan, this Amsterdam guidebook helps you to experience the real side of Amsterdam.Additional tidbits to expand your experience are peppered throughout this local guide to Amsterdam. For example, local tips and recommendations for exploring this vibrant city, secret places that only a local would know, hands-on experiences (cookery classes and art workshops), and ideas for traveling solo, in a pair and in a crowd. It also includes tips on how to travel sensibly in a post-Covid world without compromising on experience.From New York and London to Paris and Tokyo, there are more places to discover with these niche local guides! Written by the people who call it home, the Like A Local series from DK takes you beyond the tourist track to experience the heart and soul of each city!
Amsterdam Like a Local: By the People Who Call It Home (Local Travel Guide)
by Nellie Huang DK Eyewitness Elysia Brenner Michael MordechayAre you keen to explore a different side of Amsterdam? Like a Local is the book for you.This isn't your ordinary travel guide. Beyond Amsterdam's monolithic museums are family-run bakeries, waterside parks, and down-to-earth jazz bars that locals love - and that's where this book takes you.Turn the pages to discover:- The small businesses and community strongholds that add character to this vibrant city, recommended by true locals- 6 themed walking tours dedicated to specific experiences such as vintage shopping and sampling Dutch spirits- A beautiful gift book for anyone seeking to explore Amsterdam- Helpful what3word addresses so that you can pinpoint all the listed sights- A thoughtfully updated second edition, including new places to visitCompiled by three proud Amsterdammers and revised and updated for 2024, this stylish travel guide is packed with the city's best experiences and secret spots, handily categorized to suit your mood and needs.Whether you're a restless local on the hunt for a new hangout or a visitor keen to discover a side you won't find in traditional guidebooks, Amsterdam Like A Local will give you all the inspiration you need.
The Amur River: Between Russia and China
by Colin ThubronThe most admired travel writer of our time—author of Shadow of the Silk Road and To a Mountain in Tibet—recounts an eye-opening, often perilous journey along a little known Far East Asian river that for over a thousand miles forms the highly contested border between Russia and China.The Amur River is almost unknown. Yet it is the tenth longest river in the world, rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific. For 1,100 miles it forms the tense border between Russia and China. Simmering with the memory of land-grabs and unequal treaties, this is the most densely fortified frontier on earth. In his eightieth year, Colin Thubron takes a dramatic journey from the Amur’s secret source to its giant mouth, covering almost 3,000 miles. Harassed by injury and by arrest from the local police, he makes his way along both the Russian and Chinese shores, starting out by Mongolian horse, then hitchhiking, sailing on poacher’s sloops or travelling the Trans-Siberian Express. Having revived his Russian and Mandarin, he talks to everyone he meets, from Chinese traders to Russian fishermen, from monks to indigenous peoples. By the time he reaches the river’s desolate end, where Russia’s nineteenth-century imperial dream petered out, a whole, pivotal world has come alive. The Amur River is a shining masterpiece by the acknowledged laureate of travel writing, an urgent lesson in history and the culmination of an astonishing career.
Amusing the Million
by John F. KassonAmusing the Million examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture.
AN Irreverent Curiosity
by David FarleyRead David Farley's posts on the Penguin Blog.A tour through the centuries and through a bizarre Italian town in search of an unbelievable relic: the foreskin of Jesus Christ In December 1983, a priest in the Italian hill town of Calcata shared shocking news with his congregation: the pride of their town, the foreskin of Jesus, had been stolen. Some postulated that it had been stolen by Satanists. Some said the priest himself was to blame. Some even pointed their fingers at the Vatican. In 2006, travel writer David Farley moved to Calcata, determined to find the missing foreskin, or at least find out the truth behind its disappearance. Farley recounts how the relic passed from Charlemagne to the papacy to a marauding sixteenth-century German solider before finally ending up in Calcata, where miracles occurred that made the sleepy town a major pilgrimage destination. Blending history, travel, and perhaps the oddest story in Christian lore, An Irreverent Curiosity is a weird and wonderful tale of conspiracy and misadventure.
Anacaona: The Golden Flower (The Royal Diaries)
by Edwidge DanticatDanticat brings Haiti's beautiful and heroic queen to life. Queen Anacaona's island was peaceful until the Spanish explorers conquered it in 1492. The conquistadors were cruel to Anacaona's people, and when they revolted, their queen was resigned to a tragic fate. Illustrations.
Anacaona, Golden Flower: Golden Flower (The Royal Diaries)
by Edwidge DanticatThe New York Times–bestselling author and National Book Award finalist delivers a powerful Royal Diaries volume with the story of Haiti’s heroic queen.With her signature narrative grace, Edwidge Danticat brings Haiti’s beautiful queen Anacaona to life. Queen Anacaona was the wife of one of her island’s rulers, and a composer of songs and poems, making her popular among her people. Haiti was relatively quiet until the Spanish conquistadors discovered the island and began to settle there in 1492.The Spaniards treated the natives very cruelly, and when the natives revolted, the Spanish governor of Haiti ordered the arrests of several native nobles, including Anacaona, who was eventually captured and executed, to the horror of her people.“A gripping story that shows European invasion from a native Caribbean viewpoint . . . readers will connect with Danticat’s immediate, poetic language, Anacaona’s finely drawn growing pains, and the powerful, graphic story that adds a vital perspective to the literature about Columbus and European expansion in the Americas.” —Booklist“Explores the life of a proud, young Taíno woman as she grows into rulership, love, and motherhood . . . The arrival of Columbus’s explorers marks a major turning point in the novel, and Danticat shifts from a languid, poetic style to a tense, high gear that makes it difficult to put the book down.” —Historical Novel Society