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Joy Adamson's Africa
by Joy AdamsonFrom the Book Jacket: Joy Adamson is a woman of many talents and immense energy. This lavishly illustrated volume reveals the scope of her interests and achievements as wood carver, flower painter, portraitist of birds, fish, insects, animals and people. In a delightfully vivid text keyed to the illustrations, joy Adamson tells about the background of her work in the visual arts. Married to a botanist, who took her to Kenya, she started collecting and painting the indigenous flora of East Africa. Exploring the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, she sketched the coral fish on the reef before their colors faded. She painted whatever aroused her interest : insects, reptiles, shells, and what she calls the wonders of nature-insects that shape themselves into flowers, and other forms of ingenious camouflage. On a Government commission, she made a record of the customs and costumes of the Kenya tribes, spending over six years living among these Africans, often in very isolated places. After her marriage to George Adamson, a Senior Game Warden of the Northern Frontier District, she became foster mother of lions, elephants, monkeys, a tree hyrax, a buffalo, and started her sensational work with cheetah. Living constantly near wild animals, she observed them at close range and made many sketches. This rich and varied life is here documented in pen and brush, a delight for lovers of nature and admirers of a gifted, intrepid woman, a pioneer in ecological concern.
Joy Enough: A Memoir
by Sarah McCollFrom a bracing new voice comes this life-affirming memoir of a daughter making and remaking her life in her mother’s image. Sifting gingerly through memories of her late mother, brilliant newcomer Sarah McColl has penned an indelible tribute to the joy and pain of loving well. Even as her own marriage splinters, McColl drops everything when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, returning to the family farmhouse and laboring over elaborate meals in the hopes of nourishing her back to health. In a series of vibrant vignettes—lipstick applied, novels read, imperfect cakes baked—McColl reveals a woman of endless charm and infinite love for her unruly brood of children. Mining the dual losses of both her young marriage and her beloved mother, McColl confronts her identity as a woman, walking lightly in the footsteps of the woman who came before her and clinging fast to the joy she left behind. With candor reminiscent of classics like C. S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed, Joy Enough offers a story that blooms with life.
Joy Hunter: Messy Faceplants, Radical Love, and the Journey That Changed Everything
by Alexis JonesA timely, colorful, and cinematic memoir chronicling one woman&’s journey to rediscover her own power, resilience, and happiness&“Joy Hunter gives us all permission to be human and invites us to radically love ourselves for exactly who we are.&”—KRISTEN BELLI took a bone-deep breath as we drove away from my state, my city, my street, and my house, escaping my life and leaving behind all my broken parts.With a successful speaking career putting her on the road 250 days a year, a slew of prestigious awards for her activism, the hugely successful book I Am That Girl, and a happy marriage, Alexis Jones was living a seemingly charmed life. But the principles of self-care, setting boundaries, and eschewing perfectionism that she espoused in her talks didn&’t seem to translate into her own life; she still never seemed to feel &“enough&” inside. Then, in a matter of months, things started to fall apart on the outside, too: She discovered that the man she&’d always called dad was not her biological father, she had a devastating miscarriage, and the pandemic sidelined her travel schedule—and paycheck. A self-described &“productivity junkie,&” she was forced to slow down for the first time in her life.Hoping that time away would be a good distraction from all the chaos and heartbreak, Alexis rented an RV and set out for the open road to explore the rugged American west with her husband and their best friend. For her, the trip was both healing and disruptive. In the presence of nature&’s majesty, she re-learned the art of sitting still and surrendering to the unknowable; along treacherous hiking trails she wrestled with her self-doubt and fear of failure; and through profound conversations with friends old and new, she reconnected to the power of sisterhood and began to rebelliously reconsider her priorities and ambitions—for herself and whatever shape her family might take going forward. A soulful memoir of seeking and finding, Joy Hunter traces Alexis&’s quest to reclaim her voice and find wholeness within. Along the way she discovers that there is always purpose to our pain and that happiness is not something that can simply be checked off a list. Joy, it turns out, is not a destination; it&’s a way of life.
The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage
by Greg GutfeldFrom the irreverent star of Fox News's Red Eye and The Five, hilarious observations on the manufactured outrage of an oversensitive, wussified culture.Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals uses the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance. And what we really need is smart intolerance, or as Gutfeld reminds us, what we used to call common sense.The Joy of Hate tackles this conundrum head on--replacing the idiocy of open-mindness with a shrewd judgmentalism that rejects stupid ideas, notions, and people. With countless examples grabbed from the headlines, Gutfeld provides readers with the enormous tally of what pisses us all off. For example:- The double standard: You can make fun of Christians, but God forbid Muslims. It's okay to call a woman any name imaginable, as long as she's a Republican. And no problem if you're a bigot, as long as you're politically correct about it. - The demonizing of the Tea Party and romanticizing of the Occupy Wall Streeters. - The media who are always offended (see MSNBC lineup)- How critics of Obamacare or illegal immigration are somehow immediately labeled racists. - The endless debate over the Ground Zero Mosque (which Gutfeld planned to open a Muslim gay bar next to). - As well as pretentious music criticism, slow-moving ceiling fans, and snotty restaurant hostesses. Funny and sarcastic to the point of being mean (but in a nice way), The Joy of Hate points out the true jerks in this society and tells them all off.
The Joy of Making Music (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Vocabulary Readers #Leveled Reader: Level: 4, Theme: 4.4)
by Nomi J. WaldmanA brief biography of the violinist Itzhak Perlman.
The Joy of Politics: Surviving Cancer, a Campaign, a Pandemic, an Insurrection, and Life's Other Unexpected Curveballs
by Amy KlobucharAn intimate and revelatory memoir—on personal challenges, political turmoil, and the state of American democracy—from one of the most effective voices in politics, Amy Klobuchar.During the past few years, as our country has faced unprecedented challenges, Senator Klobuchar has been in the room where it happens—on the Senate floor for critical votes during the pandemic, at the debate podium during one of the most critical presidential elections in US history, and in the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when insurrectionists stormed the building, interrupting the certification of the electoral college. It was well past midnight when Klobuchar stood beside then-Vice President Pence to officially certify President Biden's victory.In her candid, honest, and at times bitingly funny memoir, the pragmatic senator shares insider stories from these historic moments, while also inviting readers into her personal life. An underdog in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary campaign, she built surprising early momentum--only to suspend her candidacy in order to support Joe Biden. Within weeks of returning to work in the Senate, the sudden onslaught of COVID-19 hit her family directly. Her husband got very sick and spent a week in the hospital on oxygen and a month in isolation. Klobuchar shares her experience facing a cancer diagnosis while watching her beloved father succumb to Alzheimer's. She recounts the dramatic narrative of January 6 and how close we came to losing our democracy. And, with her signature humor, she reveals what it's like to work with some of her more...well, interesting...colleagues.At the crux of these stories is a narrative of resilience – of personal resilience and the resilience of a nation – and, improbably, joy.
The Joy Plan: How I Took 30 Days to Stop Worrying, Quit Complaining, and Find Ridiculous Happiness
by Kaia RomanAs a mother, a wife, and a businesswoman, Kaia Roman always had a plan. But when her biggest plan, the business she cofounded, collapsed, Kaia found herself crushed by depression. And what felt even worse was that, with a husband and two kids relying on her to get out of bed, she didn't have a plan to move forward. Determined to turn her life around and put her ingrained habits of stress and anxiety behind her, Kaia decided to put everything else on hold and dedicate thirty days to the singular pursuit of joy. The results were astonishing-and lasted much longer than the initial monthlong project.In this uplifting and eye-opening memoir, Kaia uses her business savvy to create a concrete Joy Plan to get back on her feet fast. Using scientific research on hormones, neurotransmitters, and mindfulness, along with the daily dedication to creating a more joyful existence, Kaia teaches readers how to move past temporary happiness and succeed in creating joy that lasts. Complete with advice, exercises, and key takeaways, The Joy Plan is Kaia's step-by-step guide to how she, and everyone else, can ditch the negative and plan for the joy in their lives.
Joy Ride
by John LahrJoy Ride throws open the stage door and introduces readers to such makers of contemporary drama as Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner, Wallace Shawn, Harold Pinter, David Rabe, David Mamet, Mike Nichols, and August Wilson. Lahr takes us to the cabin in the woods that Arthur Miller built in order to write Death of a Salesman; we walk with August Wilson through the Pittsburgh ghetto where we encounter the inspiration for his great cycle; we sit with Ingmar Bergman at the Kunglinga Theatre in Stockholm, where he attended his first play; we visit with Harold Pinter at his London home and learn the source of the feisty David Mamet's legendary ear for dialogue. In its juxtaposition of biographical detail and critical analysis, Joy Ride explores with insight and panache not only the lives of the theatricals but the liveliness of the stage worlds they have created.
Joy, to the World
by Kai Shappley Lisa BunkerA young Dumplin’ meets Melissa in this joyful and energetic middle grade novel about a twelve-year-old girl living her life to the fullest, celebrating her love for sports and fighting for her right to cheer.Joy, a twelve-year-old trans girl, just moved to Texas with her mother and older brother. Her family has accepted Joy as the girl she is early in her transition, with little fuss, leaving Joy to explore her love of sports, competition, teamwork, school spirit, and worship.But when she is told she’s off the cheerleading team, Joy wants to fight for her right to cheer. As her battle with the school board picks up momentum, Joy attracts support from kids all around the country . . . she even gets the attention of her hero, trans activist Kai Shappley.Inspired by Kai’s own life, Joy, to the World is a timely story of living life to the fullest, celebrating and centering trans joy, courage, and resilience.
Joy Unleashed: The Story of Bella, the Unlikely Therapy Dog
by Jean Baur Aimee ScottIn 2007, Mary Eldergill, a volunteer member of Amigos de Los Animales (Friends of the Animals), discovered a group of newborn puppies on Dead Dog Beach in Puerto Rico. Mary rescued and rehabilitated them and, three months later, they flew to Newark, New Jersey, to be placed in their forever homes. Jean Baur and her husband adopted one of Mary’s rescues?a dog named Bella?and opened her Pennsylvania home to her new best friend. Just as Jean enrolled Bella in certified therapy-dog classes, she lost her job at the age of sixty-five. This new work, visiting hospital patients with her therapy job, gave Jean hope and a new purpose in life. After moving to Connecticut, Bella’s work expanded to nursing homes and elementary schools, as well as local hospitals and cancer centers. She met an Alzheimer’s patient who learned to smile again after Bella took a treat from her hand. She also befriended a six-year-old boy with autism (who previously held a deep fear of dogs) along with a disabled hospital patient who was withdrawn and uncommunicative until Bella jumped into the bed with him and coaxed him to open up again. Jean and Bella’s journey into the world of therapy-dog work gave them a bright, new outlook?and has helped countless others overcome their own struggles?while proving to all that broken souls can, indeed, be healed.Joy Unleashed is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the true power of the human-canine bond.
Joyce Carol Oates: Letters to a Biographer
by Joyce Carol OatesThis rich compilation of Joyce Carol Oates's letters across four decades displays her warmth and generosity, her droll and sometimes wicked sense of humor, her phenomenal energy, and most of all, her mastery of the lost art of letter writing. "It's hard to think of another writer with as fecund and protean an imagination as the eighty-five-year-old Joyce Carol Oates, who is surely on any short list of America's greatest living writers." —New York Times Magazine In this generous selection of Joyce Carol Oates's letters to her biographer and friend Greg Johnson, readers will discover a never-before-seen dimension of her phenomenal talent. In 1975, when Johnson was a graduate student, he first wrote to Oates, already a world-famous author, and drew an appreciative, empathetic response. Soon the two began a fairly intense, largely epistolary friendship that would last until the present day. As time passed, letters became faxes, and faxes became emails, but the energy and vividness of Oates's writing never abated. Her letters are often sprinkled with the names of famous people, from John Updike and Toni Morrison to Steve Martin and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. There are also descriptions of far-flung travels she undertook with her first husband, the scholar and editor Raymond Smith, and with her second, the distinguished Princeton neuroscientist Charlie Gross. But much of Oates's prose centered on the pleasures of her home life, including her pet cats and the wildlife outside her study window. Whereas her academic essays and book reviews are eloquent in a formal way, in these letters she is wholly relaxed, even when she is serious in her concerns. Like Johnson, she was always engaged in work, whether a long novel or a brief essay, and the letters give a fascinating glimpse into Oates's writing practice.
El joyero de la reina
by Nieves HerreroEL AMOR PASA, LAS JOYAS PERMANECEN Una gran novela sobre las joyas de las reinas de España que marcaron la dramática vida de Victoria Eugenia y, un siglo después, luce doña Letizia. Las joyas son fieles guardianas no solo del paso del tiempo, sino de los grandes secretos de amor y desamor de quienes las han llevado. Las reinas las han lucido como amuletos y también como signos de poder. En estas páginas se da una visión diferente y original de Victoria Eugenia de Battemberg, la última reina española antes de la Segunda República. Llegó de Inglaterra a España en 1906 para contraer matrimonio con Alfonso XIII, trayendo consigo un aire nuevo a la Corte y suscitando muchas críticas por lo que se consideraban transgresiones. Entre conspiraciones políticas, atentados, desengaños y el exilio, transcurrió su existencia. Mientras su vida se iba desmoronando debido a la enfermedad de la sangre que heredaron algunos de sus hijos y a las constantes infidelidades del rey, su joyero, Ramiro García-Ansorena, le fue enseñando la historia y la vida de las reinas de España a través de sus joyas. También le hizo comprender que los diamantes, las perlas y las piedras preciosas serían su fuerza y su seguridad: «Una joya es lo único que dura para siempre». Su extraordinario collar de brillantes fue creciendo a la par que el desamor del rey hacia ella, ya que él le regalaba joyas para comprar su perdón. Victoria Eugenia, Ena, dejó en su testamento las «joyas de pasar» que hoy están en manos de la reina Letizia. Todas ellas albergan secretos, algunos terribles. Como dice la protagonista: «¿Es cierto que ser reina no da la felicidad».
Joyful - A Journey From Scepticism To Faith: A Journey From Scepticism To Faith
by Paul J KellyI have written a raw, frank account of my life, holding nothing back. You will be inspired by my authenticity. This is life with all the highs, lows; the good, the bad and the very ugly. Survival of the fittest they say, character-building stuff they say. Well, see how I survived. My experience in leadership and management, my never-give-up approach and always a desire to have a go, although often failure bit me in the backside. From being in the Devil's camp for most of my life to finding faith. Married at a very young age with a baby on the way, the pressure this brings to bare on both partners. The learnings from being married for over 46 years, the effect of a marriage breakup, then reconciliation. One is always a parent and one always will be there when your kids hit rock bottom, the reader will see why you are always a parent, no matter how old your kids are. What looking in the mirror can do for self-reflection and growth, my learnings from my days as a rugby referee, that helped me develop as a leader. Mostly what and how my faith has dramatically impacted me.
A Joyful Noise: Claiming the Songs of My Fathers
by Deborah WeisgallIn A Joyful Noise, Deborah Weisgall tells a moving story of her turbulent coming-of-age in the shadow of two remarkable men who lived life as if they were characters in an opera. The daughter of a mercurial composer and the granddaughter of a legendary cantor, Deborah as a child longed to be entrusted with their precious music and carry it on herself. But it was impossible; she was a girl. A Joyful Noise recounts Deborah's search for a place within the family tradition and, finally, her triumphant discovery of a way to make the men who would exclude her — who were also the men she loved — listen to her voice. A Joyful Noise is a tender, heartbreaking, beautifully written chronicle of the power of memory, the survival of faith, and the pursuit of a grand musical heritage. "A superbly written chronicle encompassing the grand themes of the power of memory and the survival of faith." — The Jewish Transcript; "Weisgall has written a valuable book." — The New York Times Book Review; "This is a lovely memoir of life in the acutely functional family of a fine and learned composer. Deborah Weisgall writes of a milieu of discourse immersed in and emerging from music, and in which love and knowledge are not at odds. . . . A Joyful Noise is that of her own particular music of remembering." — John Hollander; "An absorbing memoir, with music in the background and foreground." — New York Jewish Week.
A Joyful Pilgrimage: My Life in Community
by Emmy ArnoldBack Cover: "In the tumultuous aftermath of the First World War, thousands of young Germans defied the social mores of their parents--and the constricting influence of the established churches--in search of freedom, social equality, nature, and community. Hiking clubs were formed and work camps organized, and hundreds of rural folk schools and communes sprang up across the country. In the 1930s, Nazism swallowed this so-called Youth Movement virtually whole. A Joyful Pilgrimage is the engaging story of a remnant that survived: the Bruderhof, a 75-year-old community that began when the author and her husband, a well-known writer and lecturer, abandoned their affluent Berlin suburb to start a new life and "venture of faith." At first glance a memoir, A Joyful Pilgrimage is a radical call to faith and commitment against great odds. It is also a remarkable testimony to the leading of the Spirit, which, as Emmy Arnold writes, can hold together those who believe in the 'daily miracle' of community 'through thick and thin.'" [It is a] "moving story... and an amazing continuation of the Book of Acts."
Joyful Recollections of Trauma
by Paul ScheerFrom award-winning actor and comedian Paul Scheer, a candid and hilarious memoir-in-essays on coming to terms with childhood trauma and finding the joy in embracing your authentic self.Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans and podcast listeners with stories about the odd, wild, and absurd details of his life. Yet these tales have pointed to deeper, more difficult truths that the actor and comedian has kept to himself. Now, he is finally ready to share those truths for the first time—but, of course, with a healthy dose of humor.Blending the confident, affable voice that has won him a dedicated following with a refreshing level of candor, Joyful Recollections of Trauma chronicles Paul’s often shocking, admittedly tumultuous childhood and how the experiences of his youth have reverberated throughout his life. In his comedy, Paul has always been unafraid to “go there,” to play naïve, cringeworthy characters, imbuing them with disarming charm and humanity. That daring openness is on display in the pages of this memoir, but in true Paul fashion, it is also surprising, eye-opening, and side-splitting.In this madcap journey through the inner working of his mind and creative process, Paul Scheer demonstrates once again that the truth is often stranger—and funnier—than fiction. Joyful Recollections of Trauma offers a unique perspective on universal themes: growing up, working through a challenging childhood, staying true to yourself, and finding success, fulfillment, and happiness in often strange and difficult circumstances. Throughout, Paul shares both the hard-fought lessons and the laughter that can be found in the darkest parts of life, and reminds us that what matters is not what you’ve been through but who you are becoming. If you loved recent memoirs by Molly Shannon, Maria Bamford, RuPaul, and Jennette McCurdy—or any book that moves you to both laughter and tears—Joyful Recollections of Trauma is the perfect read for you.
Joyful Strains
by Kent Maccarter Ali LemermJoyful Strains collects twenty-seven memoirs from writers describing their expatriation to Australia. These are stories about what they found, who they became and what they now think of Australia - stories that provide entertainment, perspective and cause to celebrate our increasingly diverse nation. This is an insightful, compelling and sometimes confronting collection for all Australians. Contributors include: Alice Pung, Danny Katz, Mark Dapin and Diane Armstrong, with an introduction from Arnold Zable.
A Joyfully Serious Man: The Life of Robert Bellah
by Matteo BortoliniThe brilliant but turbulent life of a public intellectual who transformed the social sciencesRobert Bellah (1927–2013) was one of the most influential social scientists of the twentieth century. Trained as a sociologist, he crossed disciplinary boundaries in pursuit of a greater comprehension of religion as both a cultural phenomenon and a way to fathom the depths of the human condition. A Joyfully Serious Man is the definitive biography of this towering figure in modern intellectual life, and a revelatory portrait of a man who led an adventurous yet turbulent life.Drawing on Bellah's personal papers as well as in-depth interviews with those who knew him, Matteo Bortolini tells the story of an extraordinary scholarly career and an eventful and tempestuous life. He describes Bellah's exile from the United States during the hysteria of the McCarthy years, his crushing personal tragedies, and his experiments with sexuality. Bellah understood religion as a mysterious human institution that brings together the scattered pieces of individual and collective experiences. Bortolini shows how Bellah championed intellectual openness and innovation through his relentless opposition to any notion of secularization as a decline of religion and his ideas about the enduring tensions between individualism and community in American society.Based on nearly two decades of research, A Joyfully Serious Man is a revelatory chronicle of a leading public intellectual who was both a transformative thinker and a restless, passionate seeker.
Joys and Sorrows
by Albert Kahn Pablo CasalsCellist Pablo Casals shares his life story, his beliefs and reflections on music.
The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning, Revised and Updated (Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing Series)
by Gautam BaidValue investing is not just a system for success in the market. It is also an intellectual toolkit for achieving a deeper understanding of the world. In The Joys of Compounding, the value investor Gautam Baid builds a holistic approach to value investing and philosophy from his wide-ranging reading, combining practical approaches, self-cultivation, and business wisdom.Distilling investment and life lessons into a comprehensive guide, Baid integrates the strategies and wisdom of preeminent figures whose teachings have stood the test of time. Drawing on the work of investing greats like Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and Ben Graham, as well as philosophers and scholars, he artfully interweaves the lessons learned from his many teachers. Baid demonstrates their practical applications in the areas of business, investing, and decision making and also shows that these ideas can be applied to one’s own life with just as much reward.A celebration of the value investing discipline, this book also recounts Baid’s personal experiences, testifying to his belief that the best investment you can make is an investment in yourself. The Joys of Compounding offers curated reflections on life and learning for all investors, investment enthusiasts, and readers seeking a dose of practical wisdom. This revised and updated edition highlights Baid’s distinctive voice.
Joys of War: From the Foreign Legion, the SAS and into Hell with PTSD
by John-Paul JordanA Special Forces veteran and former Legionnaire tells of his military adventures—and of the personal battle that followed him home. In war, John-Paul Jordan was the first to batter down the door, whether he was facing bullets or bombs. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the young Irishman set off to join the French Foreign Legion. He would go on to provide security in Iraq, serve his country in Afghanistan, and protect journalists on the front line in Libya. He was decorated for his leadership and bravery—but his biggest fight would come after he left the battlefield. In this memoir he recounts the camaraderie, action, and danger he experienced—and how he later found himself of prisoner of war to PTSD. Dehumanized by the professionals he turned to for help, this Special Forces veteran and former Legionnaire was brought to his knees. His marriage was over; his home was lost. In isolation, his world unraveled, and the seeds of destruction had been well and truly sown. Knowing he would never see military action again and faced with the realization of the war raging within him in the spiral of PTSD, John-Paul felt condemned as a man. But, on April 1, 2016, he surrendered. He asked for help . . . and found the answers within. His story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit: to get back up and to lead from the front. He did not go through all that just to go through all that. This is the story of his return to freedom and joy. Buckle up, because this veteran doesn&’t do anything in half measures.
Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland
by Joshua D. ZimmermanThe story of the enigmatic Jozef Pilsudski, the founding father of modern Poland: a brilliant military leader and high-minded statesman who betrayed his own democratic vision by seizing power in a military coup. In the story of modern Poland, no one stands taller than Jozef Pilsudski. From the age of sixteen he devoted his life to reestablishing the Polish state that had ceased to exist in 1795. Ahead of World War I, he created a clandestine military corps to fight Russia, which held most Polish territory. After the war, his dream of an independent Poland realized, he took the helm of its newly democratic political order. When he died in 1935, he was buried alongside Polish kings. Yet Pilsudski was a complicated figure. Passionately devoted to the idea of democracy, he ceded power on constitutional terms, only to retake it a few years later in a coup when he believed his opponents aimed to dismantle the democratic system. Joshua Zimmerman’s authoritative biography examines a national hero in the thick of a changing Europe, and the legacy that still divides supporters and detractors. The Poland that Pilsudski envisioned was modern, democratic, and pluralistic. Domestically, he championed equality for Jews. Internationally, he positioned Poland as a bulwark against Bolshevism. But in 1926 he seized power violently, then ruled as a strongman for nearly a decade, imprisoning opponents and eroding legislative power. In Zimmerman’s telling, Pilsudski’s faith in the young democracy was shattered after its first elected president was assassinated. Unnerved by Poles brutally turning on one another, the father of the nation came to doubt his fellow citizens’ democratic commitments and thereby betrayed his own. It is a legacy that dogs today’s Poland, caught on the tortured edge between self-government and authoritarianism.
Juan Carlos I: El hombre que pudo reinar
by Fernando ÓnegaEste libro recoge los primeros testimonios de Juan Carlos I tras su abdicación y hace balance de su reinado apoyándose en los recuerdos de aquellos que lo conocieron y trataron de cerca, ahora que los cimientos de aquella Transición parecen tambalearse bajo el empuje de una nueva generación que no reconoce la importancia de su labor al frente de la corona.La figura de Juan Carlos I resume a la perfección las contradicciones del último siglo de historia de este país: nacido en el exilio en Roma durante la Guerra Civil, su ascensión al trono significó el regreso de esa «otra España» derrotada en el conflicto. Nombrado «sucesor a título de Rey» por Francisco Franco, sus primeros pasos sin la tutela del dictador estuvieron dirigidos a desmontar el franquismo que lo había aupado al poder. Y su firme apuesta por la democracia parlamentaria que limitaba sus poderes, consiguió irritar a ciertos sectores del ejército hasta el punto de llevar a cabo sucesivas conspiraciones en contra del rey al que habían jurado obediencia.Fernando Ónega aborda la difícil tarea de retratar al hombre tantas veces retratado, y nos ofrece uno de sus perfiles más personales: el del hombre que pudo reinar.«Nos vamos, ¿no?» Se lo preguntó dos veces, como si necesitara reafirmar el permiso para marcharse. Su hijo hizo un gesto de asentimiento. Y él giró su cuerpo maltrecho, castigado por los años, dolido a causa de los accidentes, la cadera tantas veces rota y las «visitas al taller», y entró en la penumbra del palacio, que era la penumbra de la historia. Se apoyó en su bastón y se desvaneció tras aquella puerta que daba al balcón de la plaza de Oriente.
Juan Carlos I (edición actualizada): El rey de un pueblo
by Paul PrestonLa edición actualizada de la gran biografía de Juan Carlos I. Hay dos misterios centrales en la vida de Juan Carlos, uno personal, el otro político. ¿Cómo explicar la aparente serenidad con que Juan Carlos aceptó que su padre lo entregara, a todos los efectos, atado de pies y manos al régimen de Franco? En una familia normal, este acto se habría considerado una especie de crueldad o, como mínimo, una desaprensiva irresponsabilidad. Pero una familia real no es «normal», y la decisión de enviar a Juan Carlos a España respondía a una «superior» lógica dinástica. El segundo misterio estriba en cómo un príncipe procedente de una familia con tradiciones autoritarias, obligado a actuar dentro de unas «normas» franquistas, y educado para ser la piedra angular de un complejo plan para la continuidad de la dictadura, se comprometió firmemente con la democracia. Paul Preston, uno de los historiadores que más luz ha arrojado sobrela historia de España en el siglo XX, ha actualizado su gran obra sobre el rey Juan Carlos, en la que aborda las conflictivas relaciones con su padre, su educación encaminada a perpetuar el régimen de Franco, su apuesta por la democracia, su enfrentamiento al golpismo hasta llegar a la plena consolidación de la monarquía parlamentaria y la evolución de la monarquía desde entonces. El resultado es un libro riguroso y escrito con una prosa vibrante que nos ofrece un retrato humano y político del hombre que se propuso ser el «Rey de todos los españoles». La crítica ha dicho...«Una obra espléndida, que a modo de biografía no autorizada, nos ofrece una visión de la España contemporánea.»Marius Carol, La Vanguardia «De lectura obligada para todos cuantos se interesen por nuestra historia más reciente.»Charles Powell, El cultural «Un libro formidable.» Luis María Anson «Una biografía excelente.»Sunday Times «Una obra rigurosa que además es una historia fascinante. Su gran mérito es recordarnos que en medio de todas las batallas dinásticas, las conspiraciones políticas y la especulación de los medios hay un ser humano que a menudo ha estado muy solo.»The Economist
Juan de Juanes
by Sergio Ramírez«Para ser un escritor se necesita creer sin vacilaciones en los tesoros escondidos en el fondo de las lagunas y ser sobrino de unos tíos mentirosos; al fin y al cabo, contar no es más que aprender a mentir con aplomo. Mentir, mentir, que de la mentira algo queda.»Esta obra emprende una defensa apasionada de la escritura, la literatura, la memoria y la amistad. Es un compendio de recuerdos, lecturas, anécdotas, hechos memorables... La memoria es también una suerte de homenaje a los amigos que nos han acompañado a lo largo de la vida, aquellos con quienes compartimos la mesa, los libros, los viajes y, en el caso de Sergio Ramírez, la revolución. En el amplio mapa de recuerdos de Juan de Juanes, Sergio Ramírez va trazando la ruta que nos lleva desde sus inicios como escritor, el triunfo de la revolución sandinista en su natal Nicaragua, el premio Alfaguara en 1998, hasta la entrega del Premio Iberoamericano de Letras José Donoso 2011, pocos días antes del suicidio de la única heredera del escritor chileno, Pilar Donoso. En las páginas de Juan de Juanes Sergio Ramírez nos cuenta acerca de personajes memorables en su vida, con quienes quedó en deuda, entre otros Carlos Fuentes, Julio Cortázar, Augusto Monterroso, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Cardenal y Juan Cruz, su primer editor y punto de partida de este viaje por Latinoamérica. El autor revive en Juan de Juanes años de vida y de literatura, en los que escritores, editores, agentes literarios y por supuesto nosotros, sus lectores, descubrimos el Juan de Juanes total que llevamos dentro.