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Is Rape a Crime?: A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto
by Michelle BowdlerLonglisted for the 2020 National Book Award for NonfictionTIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2020New York Times New & Noteworthy AudiobooksLit Hubs Most Anticipated Books of 2020Starred Review Publishers WeeklyStarred Review Shelf Awareness"Is Rape a Crime? is beautifully written and compellingly told. In 2020, we were all looking for solutions and this book was right on time. It is one we should all be reading." —Anita Hill"This standout memoir marks a crucial moment in the discussion of what constitutes a violent crime."—Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2020 She Said meets Know My Name in Michelle Bowdler's provocative debut, telling the story of her rape and recovery while interrogating why one of society's most serious crimes goes largely uninvestigated.The crime of rape sizzles like a lightning strike. It pounces, flattens, destroys. A person stands whole, and in a moment of unexpected violence, that life, that body is gone.Award-winning writer and public health executive Michelle Bowdler's memoir indicts how sexual violence has been addressed for decades in our society, asking whether rape is a crime given that it is the least reported major felony, least successfully prosecuted, and fewer than 3% of reported rapes result in conviction. Cases are closed before they are investigated and DNA evidence sits for years untested and disregardedRape in this country is not treated as a crime of brutal violence but as a parlor game of he said / she said. It might be laughable if it didn’t work so much of the time. Given all this, it seems fair to ask whether rape is actually a crime.In 1984, the Boston Sexual Assault Unit was formed as a result of a series of break-ins and rapes that terrorized the city, of which Michelle’s own horrific rape was the last. Twenty years later, after a career of working with victims like herself, Michelle decides to find out what happened to her case and why she never heard from the police again after one brief interview. Is Rape a Crime? is an expert blend of memoir and cultural investigation, and Michelle's story is a rallying cry to reclaim our power and right our world.
Is Our Children Learning?: The Case Against George W. Bush
by Paul Begala"Is Our Children Learning?" examines the public life and public record of George W. Bush.
Is Journalism Worth Dying For? Final Dispatches
by Anna Politkovskaya Arch TaitA collection of final dispatches by the famed journalist, including the first translation of the work that may have led to her murder. Anna Politkovskaya won international fame for her courageous reporting. Is Journalism Worth Dying For? is a long-awaited collection of her final writing. Beginning with a brief introduction by the author about her pariah status, the book contains essays that characterize the self-effacing Politkovskaya more fully than she allowed in her other books. From deeply personal statements about the nature of journalism, to horrendous reports from Chechnya, to sensitive pieces of memoir, to, finally, the first translation of the series of investigative reports that Politkovskaya was working on at the time of her murder--pieces many believe led to her assassination. Elsewhere, there are illuminating accounts of encounters with leaders including Lionel Jospin, Tony Blair, George W. Bush, and such exiled figures as Boris Berezovsky, Akhmed Zakaev, Vladimir Bukovsky. Additional sections collect Politkovskaya's non political writing, revealing her delightful wit, deep humanity, and willingness to engage with the unfamiliar, as well as her deep regrets about the fate of Russia.
Is It Really Too Much To Ask?: The World According to Clarkson Volume 5 (The World According to Clarkson)
by Jeremy ClarksonIs It Really Too Much To Ask? is the fifth book in Jeremy Clarkson's bestselling The World According to Clarkson series.Well, someone's got to do it: in a world which simply will not see reason, Jeremy sets off on another quest to beat a path of sense through all the silliness and idiocy. And there's no knowign what might catch Jeremy's eye along the way. It could be:-The merits of Stonehenge as a business model-Why all meetings are a waste of time-The theft of the Queen's cows-One Norwegian man's unique approach to showing his gratitude-Fitting a burglar alarm to a tortoise-Or how Lou Reed was completely wrong about what makes a perfect dayPithy and provocative, this is Clarkson at his best, taking issue with whatever nonsense gets in the way of his search for all that's worth celebrating. Why should we be forced to accept stuff that's a bit rubbish? Shouldn't things work? Why doesn't someone care? I mean, is it really too much to ask?It's a good thing we've still got Jeremy out there, still looking, without fear or favour, for the answers.Jeremy Clarkson becomes the hilarious voice of a nation once more in Is It Really Too Much To Ask?, Volume 5 of The World According To Clarkson, following bestselling titles The World According to Clarkson, And Another Thing, For Crying Out Loud and How Hard Can It Be?. Praise for Clarkson:'Brilliant... laugh-out-loud' Daily Telegraph'Outrageously funny... will have you in stitches' Time OutJeremy Clarkson began his writing career on the Rotherham Advertiser. He now writes for the Sun and the Sunday Times and is the tallest person working in British television.
Is It Just Me?: The hilarious Sunday Times Bestseller
by Miranda HartIn this enhanced edition of Is It Just Me? you can get closer to Miranda Hart than ever before with 18 exclusive hilarious videos. Hello my lovely Reader Chum you. Welcome to my enhanced eBook - what a crazy fandangled new format-ty thing that is, that I totally understand because I'm up with the technology yet down with it. Whatever 'it' is. Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you a little about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? Does everybody struggle with the hazards that accompany, say, sitting elegantly on a bar stool; using chopsticks; pretending to understand the bank crisis; pedicures - surely it's plain wrong for a stranger to fondle your feet? Or is it just me? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences - from school days to life as an office temp - and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you too dear reader) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path. Because frankly where is the manual? The much needed manual to life. Well, fret not, for this is my attempt at one and let's call it, because it's fun, a Miran-ual. I thank you.
Is It Just Me?: The hilarious Sunday Times Bestseller
by Miranda HartA Sunday Times Number One Bestseller Miranda Hart will carry you along with the sheer force of her charm, bumbling cheer and charisma. - Sunday ExpressWell hello to you dear browser. Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you a little about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? Does everybody struggle with the hazards that accompany, say, sitting elegantly on a bar stool; using chopsticks; pretending to understand the bank crisis; pedicures - surely it's plain wrong for a stranger to fondle your feet? Or is it just me? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences - from school days to life as an office temp - and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you too dear reader) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path. Because frankly where is the manual? The much needed manual to life. Well, fret not, for this is my attempt at one and let's call it, because it's fun, a Miran-ual. I thank you.
Is It Just Me?: The hilarious Sunday Times Bestseller
by Miranda HartWell hello to you dear audiobook browser. Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you a little about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? Does everybody struggle with the hazards that accompany, say, sitting elegantly on a bar stool; using chopsticks; pretending to understand the bank crisis; pedicures - surely it's plain wrong for a stranger to fondle your feet? Or is it just me? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences - from school days to life as an office temp - and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you too dear listener) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path. Because frankly where is the manual? The much needed manual to life. Well, fret not, for this is my attempt at one and let's call it, because it's fun, a Miran-ual. I thank you.(P)2012 Hodder & Stoughton
Is It Just Me?: Miranda Hart's heart-warming and feelgood Sunday Times Bestseller
by Miranda HartTHE HILARIOUS SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER FROM THE BELOVED COMEDIANThe first bestselling book from the author of I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You.Well hello to you dear browser! Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? Does everybody struggle with the hazards that accompany, say, sitting elegantly on a bar stool; using chopsticks; pretending to understand politics; pedicures - surely it's plain wrong for a stranger to fondle your feet? Or is it just me? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you too) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path. Because frankly where is the manual? The much needed manual to life. Well, fret not, for this is my attempt at one and let's call it, because it's fun, a Miran-ual. I thank you.
Is It Just Me?: Miranda Hart's heart-warming and feelgood Sunday Times Bestseller
by Miranda HartTHE HILARIOUS SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER FROM THE BELOVED COMEDIANThe first bestselling book from the author of I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You.Well hello to you dear browser! Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? Does everybody struggle with the hazards that accompany, say, sitting elegantly on a bar stool; using chopsticks; pretending to understand politics; pedicures - surely it's plain wrong for a stranger to fondle your feet? Or is it just me? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you too) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path. Because frankly where is the manual? The much needed manual to life. Well, fret not, for this is my attempt at one and let's call it, because it's fun, a Miran-ual. I thank you.
Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?
by Zach ZimmermanIn this debut collection of essays, lists, musings, and quips, New York-based comedian Zach Zimmerman delicately walks the fine line between tear-jerking and knee-slapping, and does so with aplomb.In this laugh-and-cry-out-loud, memoir-esque exploration of selfhood, Zimmerman dives into the pros and cons of retiring a Bible-Belt-dwelling, meat-eating, God-fearing identity in exchange for a new, metropolitan lease on life—one of vegetarianism, atheism, queerness, and humor. Whether learning to absolve instilled religious guilt or reminiscing over Tinder dates gone horribly wrong, this book is a candid and hysterical look at one person's journey toward making peace with the past and seeking hope in the future.HILARIOUS WRITING: The stories featured in this collection are an uproarious read with a strong and established tone of voice. Featuring pieces that were originally published in the New Yorker, Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? is a literary gem. RELEVANT AND INCLUSIVE: Zimmerman navigates obstacles in the queer community with essays that are not only humorous and heartfelt, but also act as guiding anecdotes for young, queer community members. ESTABLISHED AUTHOR AND COMEDIAN: Zimmerman has written dozens of New Yorker humor pieces and essays, a Billboard Top Ten comedy album that debuted at #1, and has been featured in New York Magazine, The New York Times, TimeOut, Vulture, and more.Comedy and humor fansLiterary enthusiasts and fans of comedy writing like David Sedaris and Gary JanettiShort story and essay collection readers
Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?: How The Famous Sell Us Elixirs Of Health, Beauty, And Happiness
by Timothy CaulfieldOver the past few decades, celebrity culture's grip on our society has tightened. For Timothy Caulfield, a health science expert, this culture has a measurable influence on individual life choices and health-care decisions. While acknowledging the pervasiveness of celebrity culture, Caulfield doesn't mock those who enjoy it (in fact he loves celebrity culture. ) But with a skeptic's eye and a scientific lens, Caulfield identifies and debunks the messages and promises that flow from the celebrity realm, whether they are about health, diet, beauty, or what is supposed to make us happy. As he did so convincingly in The Cure for Everything, Caulfield separates sense from nonsense and provides useable and evidence-informed advice about what actually works and what is a waste of money and time. In typical Caulfield manner, it isn't enough to just interview experts and read all of the current studies (which he does). He tries celebrity-recommended beauty routines and diets. After attending a modeling competition, he enrolls in an assessment/audition for a modeling agency in Hollywood. He follows celebrity Twitter feeds, reads gossip blogs and forces himself to read every issue - cover to cover - of People Magazine, for an entire year, in his quest to understand the relationship between celebrity culture and our individual health choices. Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? is the question Caulfield sets out to answer in this fun, factual book that offers real advice.
Is Fred in the Refrigerator?: Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life
by Shala Nicely<p>A gripping memoir that gives voice to the invisible, life-destroying power of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and how one woman stood up to fear, embraced the unknown, and reclaimed her life. <p>Even at nine years old, Shala Nicely knew there was nothing normal about the horrifying thoughts that tormented her at bedtime, or the nightly rituals she summoned to beat them back. More importantly, she knew to obey her mind's Rule #1: keep its secret, or risk losing everything and everyone she loved. <p>It would be almost two decades before she learned the name of the menacing monster holding her hostage: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It would take years longer to piece together the keys to recovery that would change her life forever, beginning with the day she broke her monster's silence. <p>Writing with wry wit, unflinching candor, and resounding insight, Shala takes readers on a riveting journey into the dark and dimly understood inner workings of OCD and its frequent co-conspirator, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Thwarted repeatedly as she struggles to escape the clutches of these formidable foes, she finally stumbles upon an unexpected path to freedom. As she journeys into the heart of fear to reclaim her life, she weaves a self-compassionate roadmap to recovery: to living in an uncertain world and being happy anyway. <p>With an Afterword by Reid Wilson, PhD offering powerful guidance for applying Shala's strategies in daily life, Is Fred in the Refrigerator? will leave legions of those affected by mental illness feeling seen, understood, and empowered. </p>
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns): (and Other Concerns)
by Mindy KalingMindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck-impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence "Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I'll shut up about it?" Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you've come to the right book, mostly! In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door--not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.From the Hardcover edition.
Is Bipartisanship Dead?
by Laurel HarbridgeIs Bipartisanship Dead? looks beyond (and considers the time before) roll call voting to examine the extent to which bipartisan agreement in the House of Representatives has declined since the 1970s. Despite voting coalitions showing a decline in bipartisan agreement between 1973 and 2004, member's bill cosponsorship coalitions show a much more stable level of bipartisanship. The declining bipartisanship over time in roll call voting reflects a shift in how party leaders structure the floor and roll call agendas. Party leaders in the House changed from prioritizing legislation with bipartisan agreement in the 1970s to prioritizing legislation with partisan disagreement by the 1990s. Laurel Harbridge argues that this shift reflects a changing political environment and an effort by leaders to balance members' electoral interests, governance goals, and partisan differentiation. The findings speak to questions of representation and governance. They also shed light on whether partisan conflict is insurmountable, and, ultimately, whether bipartisanship in congressional politics is dead.
Is American Science in Decline?
by Yu Xie Alexandra A. KillewaldAlarmists argue that the United States urgently needs more and better-trained scientists to compete with the rest of the world. Their critics counter that, far from facing a shortage, we are producing a glut of young scientists with poor employment prospects. Both camps have issued reports in recent years that predict the looming decline of American science. Drawing on their extensive analysis of national data sets, Yu Xie and Alexandra Killewald have welcome news to share: American science is in good health. Is American Science in Decline? does reveal areas of concern, namely scientistsâ low earnings, the increasing competition they face from Asia, and the declining number of doctorates who secure academic positions. But the authors argue that the values inherent in American culture make the country highly conducive to science for the foreseeable future. They do not see globalization as a threat but rather a potential benefit, since it promotes efficiency in science through knowledge-sharing. In an age when other countries are catching up, American science will inevitably become less dominant, even though it is not in decline relative to its own past. As technology continues to change the American economy, better-educated workers with a range of skills will be in demand. So as a matter of policy, the authors urge that science education not be detached from general education.
Irving Vs Irving
by Jacques PoitrasThey are Canada's third wealthiest family, the fifth-largest private landowner in the U.S.A. They have a monopoly on New Brunswick's English-language print media and billions of dollars in offshore accounts. They are the Irvings. And they have always placed a premium on discretion and family unity. They built their empire --which includes Canada's largest refinery, soon to be linked by pipeline to Alberta's oil fields--by remaining private. Irving vs Irving tells the story of how these ambitious, often ruthless entrepreneurs came to dominate the economic and political affairs of Atlantic Canada, and how they learned to love the property that perplexed them most: their media monopoly. The Irvings' control of all of New Brunswick's daily newspapers often allowed the family's business pursuits to escape journalistic scrutiny. Readers frequently wondered what wasn't in the newspaper, such as the Irving's lobbying for their logging interests and the sinking of their tanker loaded with PCBs. In Irving vs Irving, veteran reporter Jacques Poitras uses the empire's media holdings to examine previously untold episodes of this family epic from patriarch K.C. Irving's manipulation of his mother's affections to a Shakespearean confrontation between generations.
Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince
by Mark A. VieiraBiography of Irving Thalberg of Brooklyn, who survived childhood illness to run Universal Pictures at age twenty; co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at twenty-four; and made stars of Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow.
Irving Howe: A Life of Passionate Dissent
by Gerald SorinA New York Times “Books for Summer Reading” selectionWinner of the 2003 National Jewish Book Award for HistoryBy the time he died in 1993 at the age of 73, Irving Howe was one of the twentieth century’s most important public thinkers. Deeply passionate, committed to social reform and secular Jewishness, ardently devoted to fiction and poetry, in love with baseball, music, and ballet, Howe wrote with such eloquence and lived with such conviction that his extraordinary work is now part of the canon of American social thought.In the first comprehensive biography of Howe’s life, historian Gerald Sorin brings us close to this man who rose from Jewish immigrant poverty in the 1930s to become one of the most provocative intellectuals of our time. Known most widely for his award-winning book World of Our Fathers, a rich portrayal of the East European Jewish experience in New York, Howe also won acclaim for his prodigious output of illuminating essays on American culture and as an indefatigable promoter of democratic socialism as can be seen in the pages of Dissent, the journal he edited for nearly forty years.Deeply devoted to the ideal of democratic radicalism and true equality, Howe was constantly engaged in a struggle for decency and basic fairness in the face of social injustice. In the century of Auschwitz, the Gulag, and global inter-ethnic mass murder, it was difficult to sustain political certainties and take pride in one's humanity. To have lived a life of conviction and engagement in that era was a notable achievement. Irving Howe lived such a life and Gerald Sorin has done a masterful job of guiding us through it in all its passion and complexity.
Irving Berlin: New York Genius (Jewish Lives)
by James KaplanFrom the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a fast‑moving, musically astute portrait of arguably the greatest composer of American popular music Irving Berlin (1888–1989) has been called—by George Gershwin, among others—the greatest songwriter of the golden age of the American popular song. &“Berlin has no place in American music,&” legendary composer Jerome Kern wrote; &“he is American music.&” In a career that spanned an astonishing nine decades, Berlin wrote some fifteen hundred tunes, including &“Alexander&’s Ragtime Band,&” &“God Bless America,&” and &“White Christmas.&” From ragtime to the rock era, Berlin&’s work has endured in the very fiber of American national identity. Exploring the interplay of Berlin&’s life with the life of New York City, noted biographer James Kaplan offers a visceral narrative of Berlin as self‑made man and witty, wily, tough Jewish immigrant. This fast‑paced, musically opinionated biography uncovers Berlin&’s unique brilliance as a composer of music and lyrics. Masterfully written and psychologically penetrating, Kaplan&’s book underscores Berlin&’s continued relevance in American popular culture.About Jewish Lives: Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present. In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.More praise for Jewish Lives: &“Excellent.&” – New York times &“Exemplary.&” – Wall St. Journal &“Distinguished.&” – New Yorker &“Superb.&” – The Guardian
Irving Babbitt: An Intellectual Study
by Thomas R. NevinFew men in America's intellectual history have sought as much as Irving Babbitt to be a crucible for the cultural values that America, expecially in its "progressive" epoch, had no inclination to receive. Over sixty years after his death, Babbitt remains a figure of controversy. He retains his reputation as a reactionary defender of genteel morality and taste, yet, as Thomas Nevin reminds us, he continues to be a scholar of importance and an erudite, forceful teacher who influenced -- among others -- T. S. Eliot, Van Wyck Brooks, Walter Lippmann, Austin Warren, and David Riesman.Nevin argues that the tradition Babbit represented did not so much uphold class mores as it urged that literature embody and inculcate discipline. In this book-length study of Babbitt's humanism, Nevin examines the controversial critic's attacks on collegiate educational reform, his literary and aesthetic criticism, his political philosophy of an "aristocratic democracy" and his fusion of humanism with Buddhism. Included in each chapter are substantial portions of Babbitt's unpublished correspondence with Paul Elmer More, letters that eloquently reveal points of agreement and difference between Babbitt's humanism and the theism that More came to espouse.Although this study reflects the variety of Babbitt's concerns, it concentrates on his major ideas: the need to maintain the dualism that is the legacy of the Western philosophical tradition, the imperative that critically sound standards of judgment be maintained in the individual and in society, and the affirmation of the human will against the reductive forces of materialistic ideologies. Humanism, as Babbitt defines it, opposes the ascendance of utilitarian science because the sciences, however legitimate in the area of phenomenal inquiry, as a secular faith supplant the traditional strength and appeal of cultural and religious standards. Literature itself under the influence of naturalism either reflects a mechanized, demoralized society or merely escapes aesthetically from its ugliness.With the reprinting of some of Babbitt's writings, scholars may now reassess his thought. Irving Babbitt should renew interest in a major American thinker and vindicate many of his arguments that apply to the problems of our own day.Originally published in 1984.A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
Irvin S. Cobb: The Rise and Fall of an American Humorist
by William E. EllisThis biography of a little-remembered Southern humorist “delivers on its claim that Cobb’s life is emblematic of changes that registered on a larger scale” (Journal of Southern History).“Humor is merely tragedy standing on its head with its pants torn.” ?Irvin S. CobbBorn and raised in Paducah, Kentucky, humorist Irvin S. Cobb (1876–1944) rose from humble beginnings to become one of the early twentieth century’s most celebrated writers. As a staff reporter for the New York World and Saturday Evening Post, he became one of the highest-paid journalists in the United States. He also wrote short stories for noted magazines, published books, and penned scripts for the stage and screen.In Irvin S. Cobb: The Rise and Fall of a Southern Humorist, historian William E. Ellis examines the life of this significant writer. Though a consummate wordsmith and a talented observer of the comical in everyday life, Cobb was a product of the Reconstruction era and the Jim Crow South. As a party to the endemic racism of his time, he often bemoaned the North’s harsh treatment of the South and stereotyped African Americans in his writings. Marred by racist undertones, Cobb’s work has largely slipped into obscurity.Nevertheless, Ellis argues that Cobb’s life and works are worthy of more detailed study, citing his wide-ranging contributions to media culture and his coverage of some of the biggest stories of his day, including on-the-ground reporting during World War I. A valuable resource for students of journalism, American humor, and popular culture, this illuminating biography explores Cobb’s life and his influence on early twentieth-century letters.
Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story
by Mac McClellandAn award-winning journalist explores the pain of bearing witness: “A valuable portrait of what it is like to live with PTSD . . . striking candor.” —The New York Times Book ReviewBack in California after reporting on Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, Mac McClelland can’t stop reliving vivid scenes of horror. She’s plagued by waking terrors, violent fantasies, and crippling emotional breakdowns. She can’t sleep or stop crying.It becomes clear that she’s suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Her bewilderment about this sudden loss of control is magnified by the intensity of her feelings for Nico—a French soldier she met in Port-au-Prince and with whom she connected instantly and deeply.In this book, the foreign correspondent tackles perhaps her most harrowing assignment to date: investigating the damage in her own mind. She probes the depths of her illness, explores our culture’s history with PTSD, delves into the latest research, and spends time with veterans and their families. She learns that while we associate PTSD with wartime, it is more often caused by other types of trauma, and can even be contagious. Irritable Hearts is a searing, personal medical mystery that unfolds at a breakneck pace. But it is also a love story, as McClelland fights desperately to repair her heart so she can give it to the kind, patient, and compassionate man with whom she wants to share a life. Ultimately, it is a remarkable exploration of vulnerability and resilience.“Unforgettable.” —Roxane Gay, New York Times–bestselling author of Hunger“[A] deft, emotionally engaged memoir . . . As much as the love story at the heart of the book is a great romance, it’s also a very funny one. McClelland is not the sort of person who needs to idealize either herself or the man who became her husband. It’s a grown-up relationship story. And as a bonus, Irritable Hearts has a section on trauma and triggers that adds useful context to many of our present debates about discourse on the Internet.” —The Washington Post“McClelland pulls back a dark, heavy curtain on the costs paid by those who travel to the far corners of the planet to gather difficult news on difficult subjects . . . Writing like this takes courage, perhaps as much—or even more—than reporting from a war-ravaged land.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Irrepressible: The Life and Times of Jessica Mitford
by Leslie BrodyAdmirers and detractors use the same words to describe Jessica Mitford: subversive, mischief-maker, muckraker. J.K. Rowling calls her her "most influential writer." Those who knew her best simply called her Decca. Born into one of Britain's most famous aristocratic families, she eloped with Winston Churchill's nephew as a teenager. Their marriage severed ties with her privilege, a rupture exacerbated by the life she lead for seventy-eight years.After arriving in the United States in 1939, Decca became one of the New Deal's most notorious bureaucrats. For her the personal was political, especially as a civil rights activist and journalist. She coined the term frenemies, and as a member of the American Communist Party, she made several, though not among the Cold War witch hunters. When she left the Communist Party in 1958 after fifteen years, she promised to be subversive whenever the opportunity arose. True to her word, late in life she hit her stride as a writer, publishing nine books before her death in 1996.Yoked to every important event for nearly all of the twentieth century, Decca not only was defined by the history she witnessed, but by bearing witness, helped to define that history.
Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham
by Emily BinghamRaised like a princess in one of the most powerful families in the American South, Henrietta Bingham was offered the helm of a publishing empire. Instead, she ripped through the Jazz Age like an F. Scott Fitzgerald character: intoxicating and intoxicated, selfish and shameless, seductive and brilliant, endearing and often terribly troubled. In New York, Louisville, and London, she drove both men and women wild with desire, and her youth blazed with sex. But her love affairs with women made her the subject of derision and caused a doctor to try to cure her queerness. After the speed and pleasure of her early days, the toxicity of judgment from others coupled with her own anxieties resulted in years of addiction and breakdowns. And perhaps most painfully, she became a source of embarrassment for her family-she was labeled "a three-dollar bill. " But forebears can become fairy-tale figures, especially when they defy tradition and are spoken of only in whispers. For the biographer and historian Emily Bingham, the secret of who her great-aunt was, and just why her story was concealed for so long, led to Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham. Henrietta rode the cultural cusp as a muse to the Bloomsbury Group, the daughter of the ambassador to the United Kingdom during the rise of Nazism, the seductress of royalty and athletic champions, and a pre-Stonewall figure who never buckled to convention. Henrietta's audacious physicality made her unforgettable in her own time, and her ecstatic and harrowing life serves as an astonishing reminder of the stories lying buried in our own families.
Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham
by Emily BinghamRaised like a princess in one of the most powerful families in the American South, Henrietta Bingham was offered the helm of a publishing empire. Instead, she ripped through the Jazz Age like an F. Scott Fitzgerald character: intoxicating and intoxicated, selfish and shameless, seductive and brilliant, endearing and often terribly troubled. In New York, Louisville, and London, she drove both men and women wild with desire, and her youth blazed with sex. But her love affairs with women made her the subject of derision and caused a doctor to try to cure her queerness. After the speed and pleasure of her early days, the toxicity of judgment from others coupled with her own anxieties resulted in years of addiction and breakdowns. And perhaps most painfully, she became a source of embarrassment for her family-she was labeled "a three-dollar bill." But forebears can become fairy-tale figures, especially when they defy tradition and are spoken of only in whispers. For the biographer and historian Emily Bingham, the secret of who her great-aunt was, and just why her story was concealed for so long, led to Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham.Henrietta rode the cultural cusp as a muse to the Bloomsbury Group, the daughter of the ambassador to the United Kingdom during the rise of Nazism, the seductress of royalty and athletic champions, and a pre-Stonewall figure who never buckled to convention. Henrietta's audacious physicality made her unforgettable in her own time, and her ecstatic and harrowing life serves as an astonishing reminder of the stories lying buried in our own families.