- Table View
- List View
Summary and Analysis of the Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Based on the Book by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
by Worth BooksSo much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsProfiles of the main charactersDetailed timeline of key eventsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is the inspiring true story of Kamila Sidiqi, a young woman who received her teaching certificate the day the Taliban entered and occupied Kabul in 1990. With ingenuity, faith, and leadership, Kamila established a garment business in her living room—employing family members and neighbors—which enabled their survival in during one of the most tumultuous decades in the region. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the uplifting story of the women who, with quiet heroism, not only survived Taliban rule, but supported and protected their families and fellow Afghans. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
The Search for the Green River Killer: The True Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer
by Carlton Smith Tomas GuillenNew York Times Bestseller: From the journalists who covered the story, the shocking crimes of Gary Ridgway, America’s most prolific serial murderer. In the 1980s and 1990s, forty-nine women in the Seattle area were brutally murdered, their bodies dumped along the Green River and Pacific Highway South in Washington State. Despite an exhaustive investigation—even serial killer Ted Bundy was consulted to assist with psychological profiling—the sadistic killer continued to elude authorities for nearly twenty years. Then, in 2001, after mounting suspicion and with DNA evidence finally in hand, King County police charged a fifty-two-year-old truck painter, Gary Ridgway, with the murders. His confession and the horrific details of his crimes only added fuel to the notoriety of the Green River Killer. Journalists Carlton Smith and Tomas Guillen covered the murders for the Seattle Times from day one, receiving a Pulitzer Prize nomination for their work. They wrote the first edition of this book before the police had their man. Revised after Ridgway’s conviction and featuring chilling photographs from the case, The Search for the Green River Killer is the ultimate authoritative account of the Pacific Northwest killing spree that held a nation spellbound—and continues to horrify and fascinate, spawning dramatizations and documentaries of a demented killer who seemed unstoppable for decades.
Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore
by Worth BooksSo much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Romanovs tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Simon Sebag Montefiore’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918 includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original workAbout The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore: Award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s The Romanovs delves into the reign of the Romanovs, Russia’s most infamous ruling family, showing how the formidable clan rose to power and held on to it for more than three hundred years. In a sweeping chronological narrative of tsars and tsarinas, Sebag Montefiore’s well-researched biography details the drama that characterized Russia’s greatest dynasty, shedding light on the monarchs’ lives and actions. Beginning with Michael’s accession in 1613—marking the end of the Time of Troubles—and ending with the family’s tragic massacre in 1918, The Romanovs shows how generations of Russian tsars ruled autocratically, through violence, greed, and intrigue. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
Summary and Analysis of The Real Jane Austen: Based on the Book by Paula Byrne
by Worth BooksSo much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Real Jane Austen tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Paula Byrne’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsDetailed timeline of key eventsProfiles of the main charactersImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original workAbout The Real Jane Austen by Paula Byrne: The Real Jane Austen forgoes the style of a conventional biography, and uses personal mementos as jumping-off points to explore the life of the celebrated author of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and other classics of the British literary canon. The objects—a cocked hat, a vellum notebook, and a royalty check—illuminate various compelling aspects of Jane Austen’s life and personality. Although early biographies suggest she led a quiet, uneventful life, Austen was aware of the realities of the French Revolution, the slave trade in the West Indies, and the Napoleonic Wars, and she was influenced by the people and events of her day. Whether traveling throughout England or writing in the comfort of her home, the real Jane Austen was a complex and driven woman whose work has been loved for generations. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
Summary and Analysis of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: Based on the Book by the Countess of Carnarvon
by Worth BooksSo much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells you what you need to know—before or after you read the Countess of Carnarvon’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsProfiles of the main charactersDetailed timeline of key eventsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon: Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, was known for throwing fabulous parties at Highclere Castle during the Edwardian era and for turning her home into a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War I. Her biography provides a view of what it was like to live during a time of great joy and of immense sorrow, all in the place that inspired the Emmy Award–winning period drama Downton Abbey. Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the 8th Countess of Carnarvon, knows Highclere Castle—her current residence, which has been in her husband’s family since 1679—better than just about anyone. Drawing from the family’s personal archives of photographs, letters, household records, and journals, Lady Fiona give readers an inside view of the famous English country home and the remarkable woman at the center of it all. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
Summary and Analysis of Patient H.M.: Based on the Book by Luke Dittrich
by Worth BooksSo much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Patient H.M. tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Luke Dittrich’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets includes: Historical contextChapter-by-chapter overviewsProfiles of the main charactersDetailed timeline of key eventsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich: Patient H.M. tells the extraordinary true story of Henry Molaison, a young man who underwent a lobotomy in 1953 in hopes of curing his epilepsy. Instead, he suffered extensive memory loss and would became the most studied patient in the history of neuroscience. Luke Dittrich, whose grandfather performed the surgery, artfully combines family history, medical science, and investigative journalism to create a suspenseful and unsettling narrative on the search to understand the most elusive of scientific research topics: the human memory. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
Deadly Obsessions: Three True Crime Sagas
by Joan BarthelThree true crime classics of love, murder, and the mob by a Pulitzer Prize finalist who writes with “honest and gritty realism” (Phoenix Gazette). Award-winning author Joan Barthel uncovers the dark secrets behind some of the strangest cases in the history of American crime in these three captivating works of “first-class journalism” (The New York Times). A Death in California: When twice-divorced Beverly Hills socialite Hope Masters fell in love with a handsome advertising executive, she thought her life was finally turning around—until she woke up to find a gun in her mouth and her fiancé dead in the next room. The killer was a new acquaintance who’d been visiting the couple’s Sierra Nevada ranch. Even more bizarre, however, was what happened at the end of the long, nightmarish weekend in which Masters saw everything she cared about destroyed: She began to fall in love with her tormenter. “Superbly documented, brilliantly written. The suspense will keep readers caught to the very last page” (Ann Rule, bestselling author of The Stranger Beside Me). A Death in Canaan: When eighteen-year-old Peter Reilly arrived home from the Teen Center one night to discover his mother lying naked on the bedroom floor with her throat slashed, local police made him their prime suspect. After eight hours of interrogation and a polygraph test, Reilly confessed. But the townspeople of Canaan, Connecticut, couldn’t believe the naïve teenager was capable of such a gruesome crime. With the help of some celebrities, including Mike Nichols and William Styron, the community rallied to the boy’s defense. Barthel’s “riveting” account of this fascinating and frightening case was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (People). Love or Honor: Police officer Chris Anastos was happily married and satisfied with his work on the NYPD’s anti-crime unit—until he was asked to go undercover to investigate links between the Italian mob and a Greek criminal network in Queens. For five years he moved back and forth between his comfortable home life and a murky, underground world of wise guys, pimps, and thieves. But when he fell in love with the beautiful, raven-haired daughter of a Long Island capo, Anastos faced his gravest threat yet. “For devotees of cop tales and mob lore . . . Tantalizing” (The New York Times Book Review).
Double Homicide: Two Tales of True Crime
by John CostonTwo riveting true crime sagas—of a mother who murdered her two sons, and a sex-crazed serial killer who terrorized Montana—together in one volume. In this terrifying collection, veteran reporter and former Wall Street Journal editor John Coston recounts the disturbing crimes of Ellen Boehm and Wayne Nance, two seemingly ordinary citizens who killed for the most twisted and selfish reasons. Sleep, My Child, Forever: Single mom Ellen Boehm appeared to be a devoted mother. But in reality, she was unequipped for motherhood, financially strapped, and desperate. Within a year of each other, her sons, ages two and four, died mysteriously, and Boehm&’s eight-year-old daughter suffered a near-fatal accident when a hair dryer fell into the girl&’s bath. Det. Sgt. Joseph Burgoon of St. Louis Homicide soon unraveled a labyrinth of deception, greed, and obsession that revealed a cold-blooded killer whose get-rich-quick scheme came at the cost of her children&’s lives. To Kill and Kill Again: To neighbors, Wayne Nance appeared to be an affable, considerate, and trustworthy guy. No one knew that he was the &“Missoula Mauler,&” a psychopath responsible for a series of sadistic sex slayings that rocked the idyllic town between 1974 and 1986. His victims included a preacher&’s wife, a teenage runaway, and a female acquaintance. Then, one September night, Nance pushed his luck, preying on a couple that lived to tell the tale.
The Poetry of Jack Kerouac: Scattered Poems, The Scripture of the Golden Eternity, and Old Angel Midnight
by Jack KerouacFrom the iconic New York Times–bestselling author of On the Road: Three revolutionary collections of poetry in one volume. Rebelling against the dry rules and literary pretentiousness he perceived in early twentieth-century poetry, Jack Kerouac pioneered a poetic style informed by oral tradition and driven by concrete language with neither embellishment nor abstraction. In these three groundbreaking collections, the legendary Beat writer offers a spontaneous, uncensored perspective on everything from religion to the structure of language itself. Scattered Poems: Bringing together selections from literary journals and his private notebooks, Scattered Poems exemplifies Kerouac’s innovative approach to language. Populated by hitchhikers, Chinese grocers, Buddhist saints, and cultural figures from Rimbaud to Harpo Marx, the poems evoke the primal and the sublime, the everyday and the metaphysical. The Scripture of the Golden Eternity: During an unexplained fainting spell, Kerouac experienced a flash of enlightenment. A student of Buddhist philosophy, he recognized the experience as “satori,” a moment of life-changing epiphany. The knowledge he gained in that instant is expressed in this volume of sixty-six prose poems with language that is both precise and cryptic, mystical and plain. His vision proclaims, “There are not two of us here, reader and writer, but one golden eternity.” Old Angel Midnight: A spontaneous writing project in the form of an extended prose poem, this sonorous and spiritually playful book is one of Kerouac’s most boldly experimental works. Collected from five notebooks dating from 1956 to 1959—a time in which Kerouac was immersed in Buddhist theory—Old Angel Midnight captures the rhythms of the universe and secrets of the subconscious with stunning linguistic dexterity.
American Murder: Three True Crime Classics
by Darcy O'BrienThree “riveting” accounts of horrific crimes and the twisted minds behind them by an Edgar Award–winning author (Publishers Weekly). A father’s ultimate betrayal, a savage killing spree that terrorized Los Angeles, and the brutal slaying of a rich man’s college-aged daughter. In this heart-stopping true crime collection, New York Times–bestselling author Darcy O’Brien uncovers the dark underside of the American dream. Murder in Little Egypt: Dr. John Dale Cavaness selflessly attended to the needs of his small, southern Illinois community. But when Cavaness was charged with the murder of his son Sean in December 1984, a radically different portrait of the physician and surgeon emerged. Throughout the three decades he had basked in the admiration and respect of the people of Little Egypt, Cavaness was privately terrorizing his family, abusing his employees, and making disastrous financial investments. In this New York Times bestseller, as more and more grisly details come to light, so too does rural America’s heritage of blood and violence become clear. The Hillside Stranglers: For weeks, the body count of sexually violated, brutally murdered young women escalated. With increasing alarm, Los Angeles newspapers headlined the deeds of a serial killer they named the Hillside Strangler. But not until January 1979, more than a year later, would the mysterious disappearance of two university students near Seattle lead police to the arrest of a security guard—the handsome, charming, fast-talking Kenny Bianchi—and the discovery that the strangler was not one man but two. The Hillside Stranglers is the disturbing portrait of a city held hostage by fear and a pair of psychopaths whose lust was as insatiable as their hate. A Dark and Bloody Ground: On a sweltering evening in August 1985, three men breached Roscoe Acker’s alarm and security systems, stabbed his daughter to death, and made off with over $1.9 million in cash. The killers were part of a hillbilly gang led by Sherry Sheets Hodge, a former prison guard, and her husband, lifetime criminal Benny Hodge. The stolen money came in handy shortly afterward, when they used it to lure Kentucky’s most flamboyant lawyer, Lester Burns, into representing them. “The smell of wet, coal-laden earth, white lightning, and cocaine-driven sweat rises from these marvelously atmospheric—and compelling—pages” (Kirkus Reviews).
Fatal Deceptions: Three True Crime Tales of Passion, Murder, and Deceit
by Joe SharkeyThis collection by a New York Times journalist gathers three horrifying true accounts of crimes of passion, ambition, and fear. Author Joe Sharkey delivers three gripping accounts of betrayal and murder in this compelling American true crime collection. Above Suspicion: Soon to be a major motion picture starring Emilia Clarke and Jack Huston, this true account tells the story of the only FBI agent to confess to murder. Assigned to Pikeville, Kentucky, rookie Mike Putnam cultivated paid informants and busted drug rings and bank robbers. But when one informant fell in love with the bureau’s rising star, their passionate affair ended with murder. Deadly Greed: On October 23, 1989, Charles Stuart reported that he and his seven-months-pregnant wife, Carol, had been robbed and shot by a black male. By the time police arrived, Carol was dead, and soon the baby was lost as well. Stuart then identified a suspect: Willie Bennett. The attack incited a furor during a time of heightened racial tension in the community. But even more appalling, Stuart’s story was a hoax—he was the true killer. Death Sentence: John List was working as the vice president of a Jersey City bank and had moved his mother, wife, and three teenage children into a nineteen-room mansion in Westfield, New Jersey when he lost his job and everything changed. Fearing financial ruin and the corruption of his children’s souls by the free-spirited 1970s, he came up with a terrifying solution: He would shoot his entire family and vanish, taking on a new life and a new identity.
The Journals of May Sarton Volume One: Journal of a Solitude, Plant Dreaming Deep, and Recovering
by May SartonNow in one volume: Three exquisite meditations on nature, healing, and the pleasures of the solitary life from a New York Times–bestselling author. In a long life spent recording her personal observations, poet, novelist, and memoirist May Sarton redefined the journal as a literary form. This extraordinary volume collects three of her most beloved works. Journal of a Solitude: Sarton’s bestselling memoir chronicles a solitary year spent at the house she bought and renovated in the quiet village of Nelson, New Hampshire. Her revealing insights are a moving and profound reflection on creativity, oneness with nature, and the courage it takes to be alone. Plant Dreaming Deep: Sarton’s intensely personal account of how she transformed a dilapidated eighteenth-century farmhouse into a home is a loving, beautifully crafted memoir illuminated by themes of friendship, love, nature, and the struggles of the creative life. Recovering: In this affecting diary of one year’s hardships and healing, Sarton focuses on her sixty-sixth year, which was marked by the turmoil of a mastectomy, the end of a treasured relationship, and the loneliness that visits a life of chosen solitude. By turns uplifting, cathartic, and revelatory, Sarton’s journals still strike a chord in the hearts of contemporary readers. Through them, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, “we are able to see our own experiences reflected in hers and we are enriched.”
Eyewitness to World War II: Guadalcanal Diary, Invasion Diary, and John F. Kennedy and PT-109
by Richard TregaskisThree classic accounts of WWII from a reporter who &“shaped America&’s understanding of the war, and influenced every account that came after&” (Mark Bowden). Volunteer combat correspondent Richard Tregaskis risked life and limb to give American readers a soldier&’s–eye view of the Second World War. These three tales of bravery and sacrifice shed light on the Greatest Generation&’s darkest hours. Guadalcanal Diary: In August 1942, Tregaskis landed with the US Marines on Tulagi and Guadalcanal Islands in the South Pacific for the first major Allied offensive against Japanese forces. He details the first two months of the campaign and describes the courage and camaraderie of young marines who prepared for battle knowing that one in four of them wouldn&’t make it home. An instant #1 New York Times bestseller and the basis for a popular film of the same name, Guadalcanal Diary is a masterpiece of war journalism that &“captures the spirit of men in battle&” (John Toland). Invasion Diary: In July 1943, Tregaskis joined the Allied forces in Sicily and Italy and documented some of the fiercest fighting of the war, from bombing runs over Rome to the defense of the Salerno beachhead against heavy artillery fire to the fall of Naples. In compelling and evocative prose, Tregaskis depicts the terror and excitement of life on the front lines and his own harrowing brush with death when a chunk of German shrapnel pierced his helmet and shattered his skull. Invasion Diary is &“required reading for all who want to know how armies fight&” (Library Journal). John F. Kennedy and PT-109: In the early morning hours of August 2, 1943, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri sliced into US Navy motor torpedo boat PT-109 near the Solomon Islands. Ten surviving crewmembers and their young skipper, Lt. John F. Kennedy, clung to the wreckage. Over the next three days, the privileged son of a Boston multimillionaire displayed extraordinary courage and leadership as he risked his life to shepherd his crew to safety and coordinate a daring rescue mission deep in enemy territory. Lieutenant Kennedy earned a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart, and the story of PT-109 captured the public&’s imagination and helped propel Kennedy all the way to the White House. Acclaimed war correspondent Tregaskis—who once beat out the future president for a spot on the Harvard University swim team—brings this remarkable chapter in American history to vivid life.
Fatal Charm: The Shocking True Story of Serial Wife Killer Randy Roth
by Carlton SmithFrom the bestselling author of The Search for the Green River Killer: A chilling true account of the dream husband who was every woman’s nightmare. Randy Roth was handsome, hardworking, kind, and in top physical shape. But for all his charm and good looks, he was seemingly cursed with the ladies. His first marriage ended in divorce before the couple’s fifth anniversary; his second wife plunged to her death during a hike; and his third wife left him after less than five months. But when Roth’s fourth wife, Cynthia, drowned in an apparent speedboating accident in Washington State’s Lake Sammamish just weeks after their first anniversary, a pattern of suspicious behavior finally caught up to him. As Roth set about collecting on a hefty insurance payout, the authorities were on to his game. Roth had been careful—and so close to getting away with it. But, as chronicled by Seattle Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Carlton Smith, his lies were about to come crashing down around him.
Cold-Blooded: A True Story of Love, Lies, Greed, and Murder
by Carlton SmithFrom a New York Times–bestselling journalist: The story of the murder of a California attorney at the hands of the lethally cunning wife he never doubted. A wealthy and well-connected legal ace and the proud owner of a champion show horse, Larry McNabney had every reason to love his life. But when he disappeared in September 2001, his wife, Elisa, claimed he joined a cult. When Larry’s body was found in a shallow grave three months later, Elisa was already gone. In a red convertible Jaguar, her brown hair dyed blond, Mrs. McNabney was speeding toward a new life in Florida—and a brand new identity. Who was Elisa McNabney? Beautiful, seductive, and ruthless, she had thirty-eight aliases and a rap sheet a mile long. Carlton Smith, coauthor of the true crime classic The Search for the Green River Killer, reveals one shocking surprise after another in this harrowing tale of broken vows and deadly betrayal.
Dying for Daddy: The True Story of a Family's Worst Nightmare (St Martin's True Crime Library)
by Carlton SmithFrom the bestselling author of The Search for the Green River Killer: The account of the family tragedy that became one of California&’s most shocking murder cases. On a picturesque street in Sacramento County, California, three healthy saplings stand side by side. But what they symbolize are the deaths of three innocent people—two of them children. The man who took their lives, then planted trees in their honor, was their own husband and father. Hearts went out to Jack Barron when his wife, Irene, died mysteriously in her sleep. Soon after, his two young children were also found dead in their beds. Barron claimed they suffered from the same rare genetic disorder as their mother. But when his fifty-two-year-old mother died, also of asphyxiation in her sleep, law enforcement officials finally took action: The fatal pattern was impossible to ignore. Was this &“devoted&” father really a heartless murderer? Did he suffer from a bizarre syndrome known as Munchausen by proxy, whereby a parent kills a child to gain sympathy? With firsthand interviews and exclusive inside information, author Carlton Smith paints a chilling portrait of a man driven to commit the most unspeakable of acts.
Killing Season: The Unsolved Case of New England's Deadliest Serial Killer
by Carlton SmithA New York Times–bestselling journalist traces a string of unsolved murders—and the botched investigation that let the New Bedford Highway Killer walk away. Over the course of seven months in 1988, eleven women disappeared off the streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts, a gloomy, drug-addled coastal town that was once the whaling capital of the world. Nine turned up dead. Two were never found. And the perpetrator remains unknown to this day. How could such a thing happen? How, in what was once one of America’s richest cities, could the authorities let their most vulnerable citizens down this badly? As Carlton Smith, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of the Green River Killer case, demonstrates in this riveting account, it was the inability of police officers and politicians alike to set aside their personal agendas that let a psychopath off the hook. In Killing Season, Smith takes readers into a close-knit community of working-class men and women, an underworld of prostitution and drug abuse, and the halls of New England law enforcement to tell the story of an epic failure of justice.
The Definitive FDR: The Soldier of Freedom (1940–1945) (Roosevelt)
by James Macgregor BurnsA Pulitzer Prize–winning historian recounts the dramatic, eventful, and inspirational life of the thirty-second president of the United States. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in US history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. James MacGregor Burns’s magisterial two-volume biography tells the complete life story of the fascinating political figure. Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940): Before his ascension to the presidency, FDR laid the groundwork for his unprecedented run with decades of canny political maneuvering and steady consolidation of power. Hailed by the New York Times as “a sensitive, shrewd, and challenging book” and by Newsweek as “a case study unmatched in American political writings,” The Lion and the Fox details Roosevelt’s youth and education, his rise to national prominence, all the way through his first two terms as president. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940–1945): The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning history of FDR’s final years examines the president’s skillful wartime leadership as well as his vision for postwar peace. Acclaimed by William Shirer as “the definitive book on Roosevelt in the war years,” and by bestselling author Barbara Tuchman as “engrossing, informative, endlessly readable,” The Soldier of Freedom is a moving profile of a leader gifted with rare political talent in an era of extraordinary challenges.
Reflections: The World of Paul Monette
by Paul MonetteFrom an acclaimed memoirist and National Book Award winner: Three groundbreaking works of nonfiction put a human face on the AIDS epidemic. Paul Monette’s searing memoirs of growing up, coming out, and losing his beloved partner to AIDS are now available in a single volume. Becoming a Man: This National Book Award–winning memoir follows Monette’s childhood. Growing up all-American, Catholic, overachieving . . . and closeted, Monette wrestled with his sexuality for the first thirty years of his life, priding himself on his ability to “pass” for straight. This intimate portrait of a young man’s struggle with his own desires and journey to adulthood and self-acceptance through grace and honesty is witty, humorous, and deeply felt. Borrowed Time: Chronicling Monette’s relationship with Roger Horwitz, this tragic true story follows Horwitz’s fight against and eventual death from AIDS. A “tender and lyrical” memoir (TheNew York Times Book Review), it remains one of the most raw and human tales of the AIDS era—a “searing, shattering, ultimately hope-inspiring account of a great love story” (San Francisco Examiner). The Last Watch of the Night: Compiling work from the last two years of his life, this collection of essays documents Monette’s reflections as he slowly succumbed to AIDS. Ringing with humor, rage, and passion, his words provide a breathtaking view from inside the AIDS scourge. Brutal, funny, and startlingly honest, this comprehensive volume brings together some of the most important stories of the AIDS era.
Four Shocking True Crime Tales: Body Dump, Flesh Collectors, Lobster Boy, and Deacon of Death
by Fred RosenFour bizarre true crime stories about serial killers, murder sprees, sideshows, and church pulpits in one sensational volume. These grizzly true crime books by a former New York Times columnist chronicle four shocking and disturbing cases. Body Dump: Few people in Poughkeepsie, New York, paid mind when prostitutes started vanishing off the streets. Nor did anyone have hard evidence to link the disappearances to suspect Kendall Francois, a slovenly middle school hall monitor nicknamed Stinky. Then, one woman escaped his house of horrors and led authorities to the ghastly secrets hidden in Francois’s attic. Flesh Collectors: When social misfit Jeremiah Rodgers and racist devil-worshipper Jonathan Lawrence met in a Florida penal system mental hospital, they discovered a mutual lust for sadism. Then, they were released. What followed was a thrill-killing spree of murder, rape, and cannibalism—the makings of an “unforgettable . . . true crime classic” (Dan Zupansky, host of Blog Talk Radio’s True Murder). Lobster Boy: With his lobster-claw hands and stunted legs, Grady Stiles Jr. traveled the carnival circuit as Lobster Boy. He was also a violently dangerous husband and father who had been convicted once before of murder. After years of abuse, his wife—a sideshow wonder known as the Electrified Girl—fought back with a murder-for-hire. Deacon of Death: By day, Sam Smithers, deacon of the Baptist church in Plant City, Florida, was a family man beyond reproach. By night, he was a sex-addicted killer who trolled for prostitutes. When the decomposed bodies of two women were found off a rural road in Tampa, no one suspected the clergyman. Then one day, a local woman saw sweet Mr. Smithers cleaning his bloody axe.
Autobiographical Trilogy: Childhood, Youth, and Boyhood (Autobiographical Trilogy #1)
by Leo TolstoyThese three connected early novels from the author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina form an intimate portrait of Russian youth. Begun when Leo Tolstoy was just twenty-three years old and stationed at a remote army outpost in the Caucasus Mountains, his work known as the Autobiographical Trilogy would win immediate fame and critical praise years before works like War and Peace and Anna Karenina would bring him to the forefront of Russian literature. Here is the story of a young man—the son of a wealthy Russian landowner—who describes in exquisite detail both the landmarks and minutiae of his life, from his interactions with other people to observations on the nature of both himself and the world around him. As told by Nikolenka from the ages of ten to sixteen, it is a brilliantly insightful recollection of the formative years of life—with all of the ebullient joy and crushing heartbreak it entails—that still resonates in our modern world. Originally planned as a four-part series of novels tentatively called the “Four Epochs of Growth,” the completed works together form a remarkable expression of the great Russian novelist’s early voice and vision, which would ultimately make him one of the most renowned and revered authors in literary history. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
An Autobiography: Or, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Mobi Classics Ser.)
by Mohandas K GandhiThe remarkable life and inspiring beliefs of a legendary peacemaker and liberator of India—in his own words. Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always. In the story of his life from early childhood through 1921, Mohandas K. Gandhi candidly reveals his young investigations into sin and seeking atonement; the philosophy, art, and literature that influenced his thoughts and ideas; and his first experiences with politics and protest, which would provide the foundation for his nonviolent struggle for justice, equality, and Indian independence from the British Empire. Gandhi’s intention in setting down an account of his formative years was to clarify the spiritual principles by which he lived and to inspire individuals and movements in their quests for personal and political freedom. The timeless lessons to be derived from the autobiography of this dedicated seeker of truth and brilliant leader continue to resonate wherever freedom is challenged by tyranny. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Autobiography of a Yogi: Reprint Of The Philosophical Library 1946 First Edition
by Paramhansa YoganandaThe spiritual journey of the man who introduced yoga to the West, and inspired practitioners from George Harrison to Steve Jobs. The remarkable life story of Paramhansa Yogananda is the groundbreaking work that introduced millions of Westerners to the practices of meditation and Kriya Yoga. Yogananda tells of his childhood in Gorakhpur, India, with his Bengali family, and his quest to find a guru who could satiate his desire for wisdom. After becoming a monk, he began his teachings of Kriya Yoga. But when he accepted an invitation to speak at a religious congress in Boston in 1920, his knowledge found an entirely new audience, as he then traveled across America lecturing and finally establishing the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, where he was able to complete this classic work of spiritual expression. Autobiography of a Yogi has been in print for over seventy years, sold over four million copies, and been translated into forty-six languages, spreading the wisdom of one of the most highly revered teachers of the Hindu religion and philosophy. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Bleak House: In Four Volumes, Volume 1...
by Charles DickensA tale of family secrets and the damaging corruption of the British legal system from the author of Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. In Bleak House, Charles Dickens not only pries apart the stultifying and ponderous conduct and contracts of British moneyed society, but also takes specific aim at an English judicial system in desperate need of modernization and reform. Featuring the voice of Esther Summerson—Dickens&’s only female narrator—the story unfolds around a generations-old legal case involving numerous inheritances. It is Esther&’s hidden birthright that sparks the drama, bringing to light such memorable characters as the Lady Dedlock, haunted by her shameful past; John Jarndyce, whose seemingly infinite kindness is driven by hidden guilt; and the sly lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn, who secretly relishes the power his position gives him over his clients. Weaving a complex web of plots and subplots, Dickens created one of his most dramatically satisfying and boldly ambitious narratives in Bleak House, as the novel offers a scathing indictment of the mores and moral injustices of his time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Boyhood: Large Print (Autobiographical Trilogy #3)
by Leo TolstoyTolstoy’s first published novel and the beginning of his Autobiographical Trilogy. Written when he was just twenty-three years old and stationed at a remote army outpost in the Caucasus Mountains, Childhood won Leo Tolstoy immediate fame and critical praise years before works like War and Peace and Anna Karenina would bring him to the forefront of Russian literature. It is the story of the ten-year-old son of a wealthy Russian landowner in the mid-1800s, as told by the child himself. Not a mere chronicle of events and characters, the novel is an intense study of the boy’s inner life and his reactions to the world around him. With an intricacy of thought and substance, Tolstoy describes the everyday thoughts of a child—innocent and mischievous, bold and afraid, and curious above all. Childhood, followed by Boyhood and Youth, is the first part of Tolstoy’s semiautobiographical series, originally planned as a quartet tentatively called the “Four Epochs of Growth.” The completed works together form a remarkable expression of the great Russian novelist’s early voice and vision, which would ultimately make him one of the most renowned and revered authors in literary history. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.