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My Fathers Son
by Dawyck HaigDawyck Haig, the only son of the great Field Marshal, was born in 1918, the year of his father's victory. His life has been hugely influenced by the legendary status accorded to his father and, after 1932, to himself. This unique memoir reveals a side of the Field Marshal that has never been seen before and makes mandatory reading for those who seek to understand one of the foremost military figures of the age. The author goes on to tell of his own experiences as a soldier in The Royal Scots Greys in World War Two, of his capture and imprisonment in Colditz. Designated a Prominente, he and other sons of well known men were singled out as potential hostages on the orders of Hitler and, as a result, lived under continuous threat of execution. This important memoir is sensitively written. It is heavily illustrated with photographs of Field Marshal Haig that have never been seen before. A fascinating and compelling book.
Notes on a Nervous Planet
by Matt HaigThe instant #1 international bestseller from the beloved author of How to Stop Time and The HumansThe societies we are part of are increasingly making our minds ill. It very often feels that the way we live is almost engineered to make us unhappy. Whether it is our attitudes toward sleep, the marketing messages that inundate us daily, the constant and hysterical news cycle, social media or even the way we educate our children, we are programming ourselves to put our bodies and minds at odds and setting ourselves up with expectations for our lives that prevent our happiness. When Matt became ill with panic disorder, anxiety and depression, it took him a long time to work out the ways the external world could impact his mental health in positive and negative ways. Notes on a Nervous Planet shares his journey back to happiness and all of the lessons that Matt learned along the way.
Reasons to Stay Alive
by Matt HaigOne of Entertainment Weekly's 25 most anticipated books of 2016--Matt Haig's accessible and life-affirming memoir of his struggle with depression, and how his triumph over the illness taught him to live <P><P>Like nearly one in five people, Matt Haig suffers from depression. Reasons to Stay Alive is Matt's inspiring account of how, minute by minute and day by day, he overcame the disease with the help of reading, writing, and the love of his parents and his girlfriend (and now-wife), Andrea. <P><P>And eventually, he learned to appreciate life all the more for it. <P><P>Everyone's lives are touched by mental illness: if we do not suffer from it ourselves, then we have a friend or loved one who does. Matt's frankness about his experiences is both inspiring to those who feel daunted by depression and illuminating to those who are mystified by it. <P><P>Above all, his humor and encouragement never let us lose sight of hope. <P>Speaking as his present self to his former self in the depths of depression, Matt is adamant that the oldest cliché is the truest--there is light at the end of the tunnel. He teaches us to celebrate the small joys and moments of peace that life brings, and reminds us that there are always reasons to stay alive.
The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent
by Gideon HaighIn a quiet Sydney street in 1937, a seven year-old immigrant boy drowned in a ditch that had filled with rain after being left unfenced by council workers. How the law should deal with the trauma of the family&’s loss was one of the most complex and controversial cases to reach Australia&’s High Court, where it seized the imagination of its youngest and cleverest member. These days, &‘Doc&’ Evatt is remembered mainly as the hapless and divisive opposition leader during the long ascendancy of his great rival Sir Robert Menzies. Yet long before we spoke of &‘public intellectuals&’, Evatt was one: a dashing advocate, an inspired jurist, an outspoken opinion maker, one of our first popular historians and the nation&’s foremost champion of modern art. Through Evatt&’s innovative and empathic decision in Chester v the Council of Waverley Municipality, which argued for the law to acknowledge inner suffering as it did physical injury, Gideon Haigh rediscovers the most brilliant Australian of his day, a patriot with a vision of his country charting its own path and being its own example – the same attitude he brought to being the only Australian president of the UN General Assembly, and instrumental in the foundation of Israel. A feat of remarkable historical perception, deep research and masterful storytelling, The Brilliant Boy confirms Gideon Haigh as one of our finest writers of non-fiction. It shows Australia in a rare light, as a genuinely clever country prepared to contest big ideas and face the future confidently. 'Here is a master craftsman delivering one of his most finely honed works. Meticulous in its research, humane in its storytelling, The Brilliant Boy is Gideon Haigh at his lush, luminous best. Haigh shines a light on person, place and era with the sheer force of his intellect and the generosity of his words. The Brilliant Boy is simply a brilliant book.' Clare Wright, Stella-Prize winning author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka 'Gideon Haigh is one of Australia&’s most versatile and skilled historians.' Geoffrey Blainey 'This new biography of HV Evatt lifts the lid on his early life as a brilliant barrister and creative Justice of the High Court of Australia. It reveals the wellsprings that gave birth to his humanitarian and internationalist values that later helped in the creation of the United Nations. It helps to explain Evatt's valiant defence of liberty in fighting off the attempt to ban the communists in Australia. We need to constantly renew our acquaintance with such values. This book reminds us of Evatt's flawed genius but deep motivations, lest we ever forget.' The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG
The Night was a Bright Moonlight and I Could See a Man Quite Plain: An Edwardian Cricket Murder
by Gideon HaighGideon Haigh has written numerous acclaimed books on both cricket and true-crime – now he&’s unearthed a gripping story that combines the two, in a masterpiece of historical detective work that ties back to the origin of the Ashes … On the night of 23 September 1910, on a station 500km west of Brisbane, farm hand John Neil was beaten to death with a cricket bat. The prime suspect, George Vernon, was the fresh-faced twenty-four-year-old son of one of England&’s most famous amateur cricketers, and part of an Australian rural dynasty. The murder trial became one of Queensland&’s most sensational, for Vernon did indeed harbour a secret – but not a secret anyone suspected. And the crime was to have a shocking sequel. The Night was a Bright Moonlight and I Could See a Man Quite Plain concerns a brutal murder, but also the dark parts of empire, the blind side of justice and the sensational end of media – all linked back to the origin story of cricket&’s Ashes. Sparely written and copiously illustrated, it will keep you guessing to the end.
Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot that Changed Cricket
by Gideon HaighIt is arguably the most famous photograph in the history of cricket. In George Beldam's picture, Victor Trumper is caught in mid stroke, the personification of cricketing grace, skill and power, about to hit the ball long and hard. Yet this image, 'Jumping Out', is important not only because of who it depicts, but also what it illustrates about the changing nature of the game and how it has been seen. Now, in Gideon Haigh's brilliant new book, Stroke of Genius, we learn not only about the man in the picture but also the iconography of Trumper's powerful position in cricket's mythology. For many, Australian batsman Trumper was the greatest ever. Neville Cardus wrote: 'I have never yet met a cricketer who, having seen and played with Victor Trumper, did not describe him without doubt or hesitation as the most accomplished of all batsmen of his acquaintance.' Like Lionel Messi or Roger Federer today, he defied the obvious bounds of affiliation. Unlike the current generation of sporting stars, however, there were no memoirs or papers, very few interviews, no action footage - even his date of birth is a matter of debate and conjecture. What isn't in doubt, though, is the impact he had on the game and on his nation. Haigh reveals how Trumper, and 'Jumping Out', helped to change cricket from the Victorian era of static imagery to something much more dynamic, modern and compelling. As such, Trumper helped not only transform cricket but even the way his country viewed itself.
Texas Entertainers: Lone Stars in Profile
by Bartee HaileIn keeping with its reputation for size and spectacle, Texas has produced a staggering number of stars. Although many hailed from towns too small to have a post office, they occupied the spotlight on the largest of stages. Roger Miller's songs made him the "King of the Road," and Howard Hughes stretched his vision across the skies of the silver screen. Gene Autry won fame as a singing cowboy and Van Cliburn wore a tuxedo to international piano competitions, but both hailed from the Lone Star State. Texans penned Old Yeller and voiced Daffy Duck. From Buddy Holly to Ginger Rogers and Joan Crawford to Jimmy Dean, Bartee Haile charts the brightest constellations of Texas entertainers.
Unforgettable Texans
by Bartee HaileHistory books burst at the seams with stories about Houston, Travis, Crockett and other icons of Texas history. Yet many of the Lone Star State’s fascinating figures—well known in life but forgotten in death—remain obscure by omission. This scintillating company includes a World War I spy who became a movie star, the first gringo matador, a West Texas tent showman and the husband-and-wife trick-shot act that amazed audiences for forty years. Some characters cut across the common narrative, like the admiral whose advice might have prevented the attack on Pearl Harbor, the one and only Republican congressman in the first half of the twentieth century, the Klansman Texans elected to the U.S. Senate and the businessman who wrote the longest English-language novel in complete secrecy. Popular columnist and author Bartee Haile brings to life some of the most intriguing Texans who ever slipped through the cracks of history.
The Navaho War Dance: A Brief Narrative of its Meaning and Practice
by Berard HaileExplains the meanings and customary forms of the Navajo war dance, including information on the drums and rattle sticks, the progression of the dance through each of its three days, and the different roles of the various participants.
Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia
by Rebecca G. HaileThis powerful book gives readers a chance to experience Ethiopia through the personal experience of a writer who is both Ethiopian and American. It takes readers beyond headlines and stereotypes to a deeper understanding of the country. This is an absorbing account of the author's return trip to Ethiopia as an adult, having left the country in exile with her family at age 11. She profiles relatives and friends who have remained in Ethiopia, and she writes movingly about Ethiopia's recent past and its ancient history. She offers a clear-eyed analysis of the state of the country today, and her keen observations and personal experience will resonate with readers. This is a unique glimpse into a fascinating African country by a talented writer.
Alban Berg and His World (The Bard Music Festival #24)
by Christopher HaileyAn incisive new look at the pivotal modernist composerAlban Berg and His World is a collection of essays and source material that repositions Berg as the pivotal figure of Viennese musical modernism. His allegiance to the austere rigor of Arnold Schoenberg's musical revolution was balanced by a lifelong devotion to the warm sensuousness of Viennese musical tradition and a love of lyric utterance, the emotional intensity of opera, and the expressive nuance of late-Romantic tonal practice.The essays in this collection explore the specific qualities of Berg's brand of musical modernism, and present newly translated letters and documents that illuminate his relationship to the politics and culture of his era. Of particular significance are the first translations of Berg's newly discovered stage work Night (Nocturne), Hermann Watznauer's intimate account of Berg's early years, and the famous memorial issue of the music periodical 23. Contributors consider Berg's fascination with palindromes and mirror images and their relationship to notions of time and identity; the Viennese roots of his distinctive orchestral style; his links to such Viennese contemporaries as Alexander Zemlinsky, Franz Schreker, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold; and his attempts to maneuver through the perilous shoals of gender, race, and fascist politics.The contributors are Antony Beaumont, Leon Botstein, Regina Busch, Nicholas Chadwick, Mark DeVoto, Douglas Jarman, Sherry Lee, and Margaret Notley.
I Married a Best Seller: My Life with Arthur Hailey
by Sheila HaileyArthur Hailey&’s wife, Sheila, delivers an affectionate and deliciously candid account of her marriage to the #1-bestselling author of such popular classics as Airport and Hotel&“To stay happily married to anyone for twenty-five years is an achievement. To stay happily married for that length of time to a writer is a miracle.&”With wit and rare candor, Sheila Hailey shares the story of life with her famous husband—from the first time she heard his voice while transcribing a letter he&’d recorded on a Dictaphone and their early days scraping together pennies to go to the movies, to Arthur&’s brainstorm for his first television play, to the thrilling blockbuster success of Airport and their visits to Hollywood to see his novels made into movies.Providing insight into her husband&’s creative processes and the book publishing business, Sheila also reveals the challenges of raising a family with a workaholic husband who craved excitement. Vibrantly written, this is the love story of two strong-willed people fiercely committed to each other and the philosophy of living life to its fullest.
Foreign Missions of an American Prosecutor: From Moscow to Morocco and Paris to the Persian Gulf
by John HailmanIn his fifth book, John Hailman recounts the adventures and misadventures he experienced during a lifetime of international travel. From Oman to Indonesia, from sandstorms and food poisoning to gangsters and at least one jealous husband, Hailman explores the cultures and court systems of faraway countries. The international story begins in Paris as a young Hailman, a student at La Sorbonne, experiences the romance and excitement one expects from the City of Lights. Years later Hailman returns to France, to Interpol Headquarters in Lyon where he received his international law certificate from the National School for Magistrates. Traveling the world as a representative for the US Justice Department, Hailman encountered criminals and conspiracies, including a plot in Ossetia, Georgia, to hijack his helicopter and kidnap him. From his time as a prosecutor are tales of three very different Islamic cultures in the colorful societies and legal systems of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Hailman also travels to the chaotic world of the former Soviet Union where, at the time of his visit, a new world of old countries was trying to rediscover independent pasts. He explores the tiny country of Moldova and the beautiful and picturesque Republic of Georgia, and visits Russia during the brief period democracy was flowering and the nation was experimenting with a new jury trial system. Viewing his adventures through the lens of laws and customs, Hailman is able to give unique insight to the countries he visits. With each new adventure in Foreign Missions of an American Prosecutor, John Hailman shares his passion for travel and his fascination with other cultures.
From Midnight to Guntown: True Crime Stories from a Federal Prosecutor in Mississippi
by John HailmanAs a federal prosecutor in Mississippi for over thirty years, John Hailman worked with federal agents, lawyers, judges, and criminals of every stripe. In From Midnight to Guntown, he recounts amazing trials and bad guy antics from the darkly humorous to the needlessly tragic. In addition to bank robbers—generally the dumbest criminals—Hailman describes scam artists, hit men, protected witnesses, colorful informants, corrupt officials, bad guys with funny nicknames, over-the-top investigators, and those defendants who had a certain roguish charm. Several of his defendants and victims have since had whole books written about them: Dickie Scruggs, Emmett Till, Chicago gang leader Jeff Fort, and Paddy Mitchell, leader of the most successful bank robbery gang of the twentieth century. But Hailman delivers the inside story no one else can. He also recounts his scary experiences after 9/11 when he prosecuted terrorism cases.
Return to Guntown: Classic Trials of the Outlaws and Rogues of Faulkner Country
by John HailmanA federal prosecutor in Mississippi for over thirty years, John Hailman routinely worked with federal agents, lawyers, judges, and criminals of every type imaginable. Encouraged by the acclaim for his earlier book, From Midnight to Guntown, he has opened even more of the astonishing cases within the over thirty-five boxes full of trial stories he carried into retirement. Hailman gathers colorful exploits of eccentric modern criminals from William Faulkner's Mississippi, where savvy victims often outwit their criminal perpetrators. Characters range from rich but incompetent drug lords and nationwide gun-runners to bumbling Dixie Mafia kidnappers. The book ends with “Fancy Frauds” in which ingenious con men (and women) offer hilarious but surprisingly sophisticated “special deals” on tax-free gold mines in Mexico and bargain (but bogus) Viagra. Chapters include “Guns, Bombs, and Moonshine Whiskey,” “Drug Kingpins Have Troubles Too,” “Crime Victims Fight Back,” “Mere Theft,” and “Fancy Frauds.” Written to entertain and enlighten, these stories will delight any fan of the true crime genre and anyone who enjoys good writing and the skill of a master storyteller.
Thomas Jefferson on Wine
by John HailmanIn Thomas Jefferson on Wine, John Hailman celebrates a founding father's lifelong interest in wine and provides unprecedented insight into Jefferson's character from this unique perspective. In both his personal and public lives, Jefferson wielded his considerable expertise to influence the drinking habits of his friends, other founding fathers, and the American public away from hard liquor toward the healthier pleasures of wine. An international wine judge and nationally syndicated wine columnist, Hailman discusses how Jefferson's tastes developed, which wines and foods he preferred at different stages of his life, and how Jefferson became the greatest wine expert of the early American republic. Hailman explores the third president's fascination with scores of wines from his student days at Williamsburg to his lengthy retirement years at Monticello, using mainly Jefferson's own words from hundreds of immensely readable and surprisingly modern letters on the subject. Hailman examines Jefferson's five critical years in Paris, where he learned about fine wines at Europe's salons and dinner tables as American Ambassador. The book uses excerpts from Jefferson's colorful travel journals of his visits to France, Italy, and Germany, as well as his letters to friends and wine merchants, some of whose descendants still produce the wines Jefferson enjoyed. Vivid contemporaneous accounts of dinners at the White House allow readers to experience vicariously Jefferson's "Champagne diplomacy." The book concludes with an overview of the current restoration of the vineyards at Monticello and the new Monticello Wine Trail and its numerous world-class Virginia wineries. In Thomas Jefferson on Wine, Hailman presents an absorbing and unique view of this towering historical figure.
Detroit Hustle: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Home
by Amy HaimerlJournalist Amy Haimerl and her husband had been priced out of their Brooklyn neighborhood. Seeing this as a great opportunity to start over again, they decide to cash in their savings and buy an abandoned house for 35,000 in Detroit, the largest city in the United States to declare bankruptcy.As she and her husband restore the 1914 Georgian Revival, a stately brick house with no plumbing, no heat, and no electricity, Amy finds a community of Detroiters who, like herself, aren't afraid of a little hard work or things that are a little rough around the edges. Filled with amusing and touching anecdotes about navigating a real-estate market that is rife with scams, finding a contractor who is a lover of C.S. Lewis and willing to quote him liberally, and neighbors who either get teary-eyed at the sight of newcomers or urge Amy and her husband to get out while they can, Amy writes evocatively about the charms and challenges of finding her footing in a city whose future is in question. Detroit Hustle is a memoir that is both a meditation on what it takes to make a house a home, and a love letter to a much-derided city.
Starmaker: David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System
by Milan HainDavid O. Selznick (1902–1965) was one of the most prominent film producers of the Hollywood studio era, responsible for such artistic and commercial triumphs as King Kong, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, A Star Is Born, Gone with the Wind, Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Third Man. However, film production was not his only domain. Starting in the late 1930s, he built an impressive stable of stars within his own independent company, including Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, Joan Fontaine, Jennifer Jones, and Gregory Peck. In Starmaker: David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System, author Milan Hain reveals the mechanisms by which Selznick and his collaborators discovered and promoted new stars and describes how these personalities were marketed, whether for financial gain or symbolic recognition and prestige. Using a wide range of archival materials, the book significantly complements and reshapes our understanding of Selznick’s celebrated career by focusing on heretofore neglected aspects of his creative and business activities. It also sheds light on the US film industry during the Golden Age of Hollywood studios and in the postwar period when the established order began to break down. By structuring the book around Selznick and his role as a starmaker, Hain demonstrates that star production and development in the Hollywood studio system was a highly organized and systematic activity, though the respective strategies and procedures were often hidden from the public eye.
Mandela: The Concise Story of Nelson Mandela
by Peter HainOne of the world's most revered public figures, Nelson Mandela is an iconic symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over prejudice and fear. Renowned for his tireless crusade against gender and racial inequality, Mandela's anti-apartheid campaigning, his outspoken social criticism, and his values of freedom, have made him a hero of our time.Mandela follows the extraordinary path of this man's journey to become a living legend. With in-depth chapters on his tribal roots, his revolutionary ANC activities that led to his notorious 27-year imprisonment, and his career after his momentous release in 1990, discover how one man came to heal a torn nation as its President.
From Fury to Phantom: An RAF Pilot's Story, 1936–1970
by Richard Haine"Richard 'Dickie' Haine first went solo in a de Havilland Gipsy Moth during August 1935, after only one week of tuition. He joined the RAF shortly afterwards as a Direct Entry Sergeant Pilot and left the service in 1970 as a Group Captain, OBE, DFC. During his long career he flew an extraordinary variety of aircraft types, starting with small biplanes that were designed upon the philosophy gained during World War I and finishing with Britain's V Bomber force and American-designed fighters at the very edge of space.His first posting was with No 25 Squadron flying Hawker Demons and Gloster Gladiators during 1936 until the unit was re-equipped with Bristol Blenheims and undertook a night-fighter role. These were difficult days during which the primitive radar system made it all but impossible to locate incoming enemy aircraft, but the squadron were also sent on several offensive missions over the recently invaded European countries. Haine was lucky to escape when his aircraft was brought down and crash-landed on a small Dutch island after an abortive raid on German occupied Walhaven airfield. After a hazardous journey on foot through the increasingly threatened lowlands he escaped on a RN Frigate. During the Battle of Britain he continued in the night-fighting role flying from Manston in Kent.Now a Commissioned officer, he was given command of No 96 Squadron, flying Boulton Paul Defiants in the night defense of the industrial heartland of England. The, after a spell as a Staff Officer at Bentley Priory, he took command of No 448 (New Zealand Squadron) who were equipped with the superlative de Havilland Mosquito. During this period the squadron had an enviable score sheet in downing enemy aircraft during many night operations. In 1945 the author was dispatched by ship to take charge of a newly formed wing to aid those forces still at war with Japan. However, whilst still at sea, the war ended and Haine found himself in Hong Kong with the task of getting Kai Tak airport operational immediately after its liberation.His post-war flying was heavily involved in the development of jet-powered fighters and sophisticated new weaponry. He spent a long period as Wing Commander in Habbinya and Akrotiri and ended his career training the navigators of the V-Bomber nuclear Force."
My Mother's Witness: The Peggy Morgan Story
by Carolyn HainesPeggy thought marriage would deliver her from the poverty and abuse of childhood in rural Mississippi. but she did not know, that she would be exposed to racial violence in the Civil Rights Movement.
Other Days
by John HainesSELECTIONS FROM A WORK IN PROGRESS: ESSAYS BY John Haines ILLUSTRATIONS BY Jo HAINES
Coming Clean: A Story of Faith
by Seth Haines Shauna Niequist“I suppose we’re all drunk on something.”Seth Haines was in the hospital with his wife, planning funeral songs for their not-yet two-year-old, when he made a very conscious decision: this was the last day he ever wanted to feel. So he asked his sister to smuggle in some gin, and his addiction began.But whether or not you’ve ever had a drop to drink in your life, we’re all looking for ways to stop the pain. Like Seth, we’re all seeking balms for the anxiety of what we believe is an absent God—whether it’s through people-pleasing, shopping, the internet, food, career highs, or even good works and elite theology. We attempt to anesthetize our anxiety through addiction—any old addiction. But it often leaves us feeling even more empty than before.In Coming Clean, Seth Haines writes rawly through the first 90 days of a work of sobriety, illuminating how to face the pain we’d rather run from, and even more importantly, how Jesus meets us there. Because it is only when we face our anxieties with the tenacity and tenderness of Christ’s passion that we truly discover that we are indeed clean, surrendered, and whole.
Wrestling Hurricanes: Navigating Life's Relentless Storms for God's Glory
by Tiffany HainesAn honest and incredible account of one family’s journey through a medical mystery and raising kids with special needs.It is a journey that led Tiffany Haines to the answer for every one of life’s “why” questions. And, spoiler alert, the answer is simply the glory of God. For parents of atypical children, Wrestling Hurricanes speaks to the highs and lows of a chaotic life, which no one else can understand. For the Church, it provides an authentic example of how Christ followers can choose to react to life’s storms. For every person who has asked why, it provides a clear, compelling, and biblical answer. In the end, Wrestling Hurricanes can be a foundational, modern story of resilience by which small group and ministry leaders can teach not just the Gospel, but also share God’s ultimate plan for now and eternity.“A compelling story of faith, courage, and perseverance of how one woman battled her storms by following Jesus.” —Dennis Rainey, cofounder of FamilyLife“Ms. Haines writes in a way that few of her contemporaries have yet to capture. Wrestling Hurricanes enlightens the mind, inflames the heart, and engages the will. That is why it is not only a map into the peaceful eye of the hurricane but also a truly life-changing experience.” —Dr. Barry R. Leventhal, distinguished senior professor, Southern Evangelical Seminary, and Mary P. Leventhal, leader of women’s church ministries“This book will inspire, bring answers, and give renewed faith to parents of children with emotional struggles and women dealing with cancer.” —Lana Bethune, family advocate, former member of House of Representatives
After Visiting Friends
by Michael HaineyA decade in the writing, the haunting story of a son's quest to understand the mystery of his father's death--a universal memoir about the secrets families keep and the role they play in making us who we are.Michael Hainey had just turned six when his uncle knocked on his family's back door one morning with the tragic news: Bob Hainey, Michael's father, was found alone near his car on Chicago's North Side, dead, of an apparent heart attack. Thirty-five years old, a young assistant copy desk chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, Bob was a bright and shining star in the competitive, hard-living world of newspapers, one that involved booze-soaked nights that bled into dawn. And then suddenly he was gone, leaving behind a young widow, two sons, a fractured family--and questions surrounding the mysterious nature of his death that would obsess Michael throughout adolescence and long into adulthood. Finally, roughly his father's age when he died, and a seasoned reporter himself, Michael set out to learn what happened that night. Died "after visiting friends," the obituaries said. But the details beyond that were inconsistent. What friends? Where? At the heart of his quest is Michael's all-too-silent, opaque mother, a woman of great courage and tenacity--and a steely determination not to look back. Prodding and cajoling his relatives, and working through a network of his father's buddies who abide by an honor code of silence and secrecy, Michael sees beyond the long-held myths and ultimately reconciles the father he'd imagined with the one he comes to know--and in the journey discovers new truths about his mother. A stirring portrait of a family and its legacy of secrets, After Visiting Friends is the story of a son who goes in search of the truth and finds not only his father, but a rare window into a world of men and newspapers and fierce loyalties that no longer exists.