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Politics, Poetics, and Gender in Late Qing China: Xue Shaohui and the Era of Reform
by Nanxiu QianIn 1898, Qing dynasty emperor Guangxu ordered a series of reforms to correct the political, economic, cultural, and educational weaknesses exposed by China's defeat by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War. The "Hundred Day's Reform" has received a great deal of attention from historians who have focused on the well-known male historical actors, but until now the Qing women reformers have received almost no consideration. In this book, historian Nanxiu Qian reveals the contributions of the active, optimistic, and self-sufficient women reformers of the late Qing Dynasty. Qian examines the late Qing reforms from the perspective of Xue Shaohui, a leading woman writer who openly argued against male reformers' approach that subordinated women's issues to larger national concerns, instead prioritizing women's self-improvement over national empowerment. Drawing upon intellectual and spiritual resources from the freewheeling, xianyuan (worthy ladies) model of the Wei-Jin period of Chinese history (220-420) and the culture of women writers of late imperial China, and open to Western ideas and knowledge, Xue and the reform-minded members of her social and intellectual networks went beyond the inherited Confucian pattern in their quest for an ideal womanhood and an ideal social order. Demanding equal political and educational rights with men, women reformers challenged leading male reformers' purpose of achieving national "wealth and power," intending instead to unite women of all nations in an effort to create a just and harmonious new world.
The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to George Bush
by Stephen SkowronekStephen Skowronek's wholly innovative study demonstrates that presidents are persistent agents of change, continually disrupting and transforming the political landscape. In an afterword to this new edition, the author examines "third way" leadership as it has been practiced by Bill Clinton and others. These leaders are neither great repudiators nor orthodox innovators. They challenge received political categories, mix seemingly antithetical doctrines, and often take their opponents' issues as their own. As the 1996 election confirmed, third way leadership has great electoral appeal. The question is whether Clinton in his second term will escape the convulsive end so often associated with the type.
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
by Walter R. BornemanIn this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all look at James K. Polk's life and career, Borneman paints a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the country he led.
Polk and the Presidency
by Charles A. McCoyA historical analysis of how James Polk influenced the authority and importance of the role of the U.S. presidency for future incumbents.&“Who is James K. Polk?&” was a rallying cry of the Whigs during the campaign of 1844. Polk answered that question adequately by winning the election against his Whig opponent, Henry Clay.Today the question might be recast—respectfully, not derisively—&“Who was James K. Polk?&” Few persons could give more than a perfunctory answer, even though when he left office the United States was half again larger than it was when he became president.Polk, unlike his close friend Andrew Jackson, has been the subject of but few books. Stern and serious-minded, intent upon his work, he never caught the public&’s imagination as did some of the more magnetic personalities who filled the office of president. His lack of personal charm, however, should not hide from generations of Americans the great benefit he brought their country and his key role in developing the powers of the presidency.This book assumes that the presidential power-role, though expressed in the Constitution and prescribed by law, is not a static role but a dynamic one, shaped and developed by a president&’s personal reaction to the crises and circumstances of the times during which he serves. And Polk faced many crises, among them the Mexican War, the Oregon boundary dispute, the tariff question, Texas&’s admission to the Union, and the establishment by the United States of a more stable and respected position in the world of nations.Based on the dynamic power-role theory, the book analyzes its theme of how and why James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, responded to the challenges of his times and thereby increased the authority and importance of the presidential role for future incumbents. Charles McCoy became interested in writing this book after two of his friends, both informed historians, pointed out to him that James K. Polk was a neglected figure in American history. Preliminary research showed this to be true, but without reason—for, as the eminent historian George Bancroft said, &“viewed from the standpoint of results, [Polk&’s administration] was perhaps the greatest in our national history, certainly one of the greatest.&” For his own astute appraisal of the Polk administration, McCoy emphasized the use of firsthand sources of information: the Polk Diary; newspapers of the period; the unpublished papers of Polk, Jackson, Trist, Marcy, and Van Buren; and congressional documents and reports.</
Polka King: The Life and Times of Polka Music's Living Legend
by Jimmy SturrArguably the most important polka practitioner of his generation, reedist/vocalist Jimmy Sturr has won an eye-popping 18 Grammy Awards, and when you hear his exuberant brand of the music that is his heart and soul, you'll understand why. Blending the timeless elements of traditional polka music with hints of country, Cajun, and rock and roll, Sturr's unique sound has taken polka to new heights of accessibility and popularity, and his modernized renditions of polka standards and renditions of rock classics have captured the imagination (and feet) of listeners throughout the world. In his memoir Polka King, you'll meet the man behind the beer barrel.In his lively, oftentimes hilarious literary debut, Jimmy chronicles how a small-town boy from tiny Florida, N.Y., made good, ultimately becoming a respected bandleader, entrepreneur, and Grammy winner with guest appearances on Saturday Night Live. He'll take you into the recording studio and onto the stage, where he's shared the microphone with the likes of Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Charlie Daniels. Featuring forewords by Willie Nelson, Bobby Vinton, and "Whispering" Bill Anderson, Polka King will introduce the world to a one-of-a-kind artist who has taken one of the world's most beloved musical genres and made it his own.
Polli, muli e due vecchi pazzi
by Debora Serrentino Victoria Twead**Tra i 10 migliori autori secondo il Wall Street Journal** **Miglior autrice secondo il New York Times** Se Joe e Vicky avessero saputo cosa volesse DAVVERO dire trasferirsi in un piccolo villaggio di montagna in Andalusia, probabilmente avrebbero esitato... Non avevano idea dello shock culturale in serbo. Non avevano idea che sarebbero diventati riluttanti allevatori di polli e che avrebbero posseduto il più pericoloso galletto di Spagna. Non avevano idea che avrebbero aiutato a catturare in avvoltoio o che sarebbero stati salvati da una mula. Rimarranno o torneranno alla relativa sanità mentale dell'Inghilterra? Include le ricette spagnole donate dalla signore del villaggio.
Pollyanne: One Little Donkey's Amazing Journey from the Knacker's Yard to the West End Stage
by Sarah OliverJohn McLaren has dedicated his life to rescuing mistreated donkeys. When he finds Pollyanne at a livestock auction - unloved and horribly frail - he knows immediately that if he doesn't take her home to the sanctuary he has made his life's work, she stands little chance of surviving. John soon discovers that despite her terrible start in life, Pollyanne has the X factor: she is destined for more than the local nativity play. The bright lights of the West End beckon and before long, Pollyanne is appearing onstage with opera's biggest stars.She may have hit the animal A-list, but Pollyanne's no diva. When the curtain comes down, there's nowhere she'd rather be than at home with John and her four-legged friends. Sarah Oliver's Pollyanne is a heart-warming true story of unconditional love - and a Little Donkey with star quality.
Pollyanne: One Little Donkey's Amazing Journey from the Knacker's Yard to the West End Stage
by Sarah OliverJohn McLaren has dedicated his life to rescuing mistreated donkeys. When he finds Pollyanne at a livestock auction - unloved and horribly frail - he knows immediately that if he doesn't take her home to the sanctuary he has made his life's work, she stands little chance of surviving. John soon discovers that despite her terrible start in life, Pollyanne has the X factor: she is destined for more than the local nativity play. The bright lights of the West End beckon and before long, Pollyanne is appearing onstage with opera's biggest stars.She may have hit the animal A-list, but Pollyanne's no diva. When the curtain comes down, there's nowhere she'd rather be than at home with John and her four-legged friends. Sarah Oliver's Pollyanne is a heart-warming true story of unconditional love - and a Little Donkey with star quality.
Polyamorous Love Song
by Jacob WrenPolyamorous Love Song, a novel of intertwined narratives concerning the relationship between artists and the world. Shot through with unexpected moments of sex and violence, readers will become acquainted with a world that is at once the same and opposite from the one in which they live. With a diverse palette of vivid characters - from people who wear furry mascot costumes at all times, to a group of 'New Filmmakers' that devises increasingly unexpected sexual scenarios with complete strangers, to a secret society that concocts a virus that only infects those on the political right - Wren's avant-garde Polyamorous Love Song (finalist for the 2013 Fence Modern Prize in Prose) will appeal to readers with an interest in the visual arts, theatre, and performance of all types.
The Polygamist's Daughter: A Memoir
by Anna LeBaron Leslie WilsonMy father had thirteen wives and more than fifty children . . . This is the haunting memoir of Anna LeBaron, daughter of the notorious polygamist and murderer Ervil LeBaron. Ervil’s criminal activity kept Anna and her siblings constantly on the run from the FBI. Often starving, the children lived in a perpetual state of fear—and despite their numbers, Anna always felt alone. Would she ever find a place she truly belonged? Would she ever be anything other than the polygamist’s daughter? Filled with murder, fear, and betrayal, The Polygamist’s Daughter is the harrowing, heart-wrenching story of a fatherless girl and her unwavering search for love, faith, and a place to call home.
The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag
by Peter BurkeThe first history of the western polymath, from the fifteenth century to the present day From Leonardo Da Vinci to John Dee and Comenius, from George Eliot to Oliver Sacks and Susan Sontag, polymaths have moved the frontiers of knowledge in countless ways. But history can be unkind to scholars with such encyclopaedic interests. All too often these individuals are remembered for just one part of their valuable achievements. In this engaging, erudite account, renowned cultural historian Peter Burke argues for a more rounded view. Identifying 500 western polymaths, Burke explores their wide-ranging successes and shows how their rise matched a rapid growth of knowledge in the age of the invention of printing, the discovery of the New World and the Scientific Revolution. It is only more recently that the further acceleration of knowledge has led to increased specialisation and to an environment that is less supportive of wide-ranging scholars and scientists. Spanning the Renaissance to the present day, Burke changes our understanding of this remarkable intellectual species.
Pomo Indian Myths and Some of their Sacred Meanings
by Cora Clark Texa Bowen WilliamsIn this volume, which was first published in 1954, some forty-odd myths collected at various Pomo settlements are given clearly and concisely by Cora Clark and Texa Bowen Williams. It includes a separate section in which the sister authors provide a partial analysis of the myths based upon the interpretations given them by the storytellers. The meanings attributed to the tales include much nature symbolism: coyote, in an abbreviated creation myth, for example, is said to represent earth; Frog Woman, water; Kingfisher, air; and the Lizard, fire. In other tales, the number four is said to represent the growth principle; arrows, heat rays; and so on. This type of symbolism has not been attributed to the Pomo in previous discussions, and is thus represented here for the first time. A fascinating addition to the literature on Pomo mythology!
Pompey The Great: A Political Biography
by Robin SeagerA study of the political life of Pompey the Great through the civil war and his loss to Caesar.
Pompidou Posse
by Sarah LotzYou're seventeen. One night, more or less by accident, you set fire to a garden shed.Naturally, you pack up and run off to Paris, certain you can make enough money off your art to get by. You're young, you're pretty, you're full of life, and you have your best friend in all the world by your side.What could possibly go wrong?Sarah Lotz's hilarious, heartbreaking first novel has only ever been published in South Africa - Hodder & Stoughton are proud to be brining it to a world-wide audience, newly edited and with an all-new cover.
Pompidou Posse
by Sarah LotzParis is eternal. Art is love. Friendship is forever. Except when it isn't.You're seventeen. One night, more or less by accident, you set fire to a garden shed. <P><P>Naturally, you pack up and run off to Paris, certain you can make enough money off your art to get by. You're young, you're talented, you're full of life, and you have your best friend in all the world by your side. What could possibly go wrong?Sarah Lotz's hilarious, heartbreaking first novel has only ever been published in South Africa. Now Hodder & Stoughton are proud to be bringing it to a world-wide audience, newly edited and with an all-new cover.
Ponce de Leon: Exploring Florida and Puerto Rico (In the Footsteps of Explorers)
by Rachel EagenThis book is suitable for ages 8-14. Famous for his search for the legendary Fountain of Youth, Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon is credited with the discovery of Florida in 1513, as well as making Puerto Rico and the Gulf Stream known to the Spanish world. This sensitively written new book describes his encounters with the Calusa, the native inhabitants of Florida, and the Taino, natives of Puerto Rico. Young readers will enjoy reading about life at sea and the hardships faced by his crew. A recipe from the period is also included. The topics include: Ponce de Leon's life, from a page, to a squire, to Governor of a plantation; his military successes; his motivation for seeking to settle the New World; his discoveries of Florida and of The Tortugas; his plantation Cassava, and its role in future trade routes; the relationships he had with Native Americans: aid from the Taino Indians in farming, and the repulsion by the Calusa Natives from the Florida coast; life at sea for Ponce de Leon and his crew; a recipe for Cassava bread.
Ponce De León: Juan Ponce De León Searches for the Fountain of Youth (Exploring the World)
by Ann HeinrichsA biography of the Spanish explorer who first came to the New World with Columbus, went on to become governor of Puerto Rico, and later came to Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth.
Ponte a punto para el antirracismo: Consejos útiles para iniciar la alianza antirracista
by Desirée Bela-LobeddeNo basta con no ser racista: hay que ser antirracista ¿Qué es la supremacía y el privilegio blanco? ¿Existe un racismo institucional? ¿Cómo nombramos y nos comunicamos con los demás? ¿Cuál es el problema de la apropiación cultural? ¿España es racista? ¿Yo soy racista? ¿Cómo se puede contribuir a cambiar el paradigma? Este libro es una guía fundamental hacia la educación antirracista. A través de apuntes teóricos e históricos, reflexiones, consejos y ejercicios para analizar nuestros comportamientos, la activista Desirée Bela-Lobedde -autora de Ser mujer negra en España y Minorías- recoge los principios básicos del antirracismo y nos invita a poner en marcha de manera práctica alternativas para contribuir activamente a un cambio real. «Para que el racismo desaparezca, y si queremos que desaparezca de verdad, hay que tener la educación necesaria que nos permita mirar con ojos críticos la raíz del sistema que genera esas desigualdades, y analizar cómo, con nuestras acciones, contribuimos a su perpetuación o a su desmantelamiento».
The Pontecorvo Affair: A Cold War Defection and Nuclear Physics
by Simone TurchettiIn the fall of 1950, newspapers around the world reported that the Italian-born nuclear physicist Bruno Pontecorvo and his family had mysteriously disappeared while returning to Britain from a holiday trip. Because Pontecorvo was known to be an expert working for the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment, this raised immediate concern for the safety of atomic secrets, especially when it became known in the following months that he had defected to the Soviet Union. Was Pontecorvo a spy? Did he know and pass sensitive information about the bomb to Soviet experts? At the time, nuclear scientists, security personnel, Western government officials, and journalists assessed the case, but their efforts were inconclusive and speculations quickly turned to silence. In the years since, some have downplayed Pontecorvo's knowledge of atomic weaponry, while others have claimed him as part of a spy ring that infiltrated the Manhattan Project. The Pontecorvo Affair draws from newly disclosed sources to challenge previous attempts to solve the case, offering a balanced and well-documented account of Pontecorvo, his activities, and his possible motivations for defecting. Along the way, Simone Turchetti reconsiders the place of nuclear physics and nuclear physicists in the twentieth century and reveals that as the discipline's promise of military and industrial uses came to the fore, so did the enforcement of new secrecy provisions on the few experts in the world specializing in its application.
The Pontecorvo Affair: A Cold War Defection and Nuclear Physics
by Simone TurchettiIn the fall of 1950, newspapers around the world reported that the Italian-born nuclear physicist Bruno Pontecorvo and his family had mysteriously disappeared while returning to Britain from a holiday trip. Because Pontecorvo was known to be an expert working for the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment, this raised immediate concern for the safety of atomic secrets, especially when it became known in the following months that he had defected to the Soviet Union. Was Pontecorvo a spy? Did he know and pass sensitive information about the bomb to Soviet experts? At the time, nuclear scientists, security personnel, Western government officials, and journalists assessed the case, but their efforts were inconclusive and speculations quickly turned to silence. In the years since, some have downplayed Pontecorvo’s knowledge of atomic weaponry, while others have claimed him as part of a spy ring that infiltrated the Manhattan Project. The Pontecorvo Affair draws from newly disclosed sources to challenge previous attempts to solve the case, offering a balanced and well-documented account of Pontecorvo, his activities, and his possible motivations for defecting. Along the way, Simone Turchetti reconsiders the place of nuclear physics and nuclear physicists in the twentieth century and reveals that as the discipline’s promise of military and industrial uses came to the fore, so did the enforcement of new secrecy provisions on the few experts in the world specializing in its application.
The Pontiff in Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II
by John CornwellOver more than a quarter of a century, John Paul II has firmly set his stamp on the billion-member strong Catholic Church for future generations and he has become one of the most influential political figures in the world. His key role in the downfall of communism in Europe, as well as his apologies for the Catholic Church's treatment of Jews and to victims of the Inquisition, racism, and religious wars, won him worldwide admiration. Yet his papacy has also been marked by what many perceive as misogyny, homophobia, and ecclesiastical tyranny. Some critics suggest that his perpetuation of the Church's traditional hierarchical paternalism contributed to pedophiliac behavior in the priesthood and encouraged superiors to sweep the crimes under the carpet. The Pontiff in Winterbrings John Paul's complex, contradictory character into sharp focus. In a bold, highly original work, John Cornwell argues that John Paul's mystical view of history and conviction that his mission has been divinely established are central to understanding his pontificate. Focusing on the period from the eve of the millennium to the present, Cornwell shows how John Paul's increasing sense of providential rightness profoundly influenced his reactions to turbulence in the secular world and within the Church, including the 9/11 attacks, the pedophilia scandals in the United States, the clash between Islam and Christianity, the ongoing debates over the Church's policies regarding women, homosexuals, abortion, AIDS, and other social issues, and much more. A close, trusted observer of the Vatican, Cornwell combines eyewitness reporting with information from the best sources in and outside the pope's inner circle. Always respectful of John Paul's prodigious spirit and unrelenting battles for human rights and religious freedom, Cornwell raises serious questions about a system that grants lifetime power to an individual vulnerable to the vicissitudes of aging and illness. The result is a moving, elegiac portrait of John Paul in the winter of his life and a thoughtful, incisive assessment of his legacy to the Church.
Pontius Pilate: Deciphering a Memory
by Aldo Schiavone Jeremy CardenA world-renowned classicist presents a groundbreaking biography of the man who sent Jesus of Nazareth to the Cross. The Roman prefect Pontius Pilate has been cloaked in rumor and myth since the first century, but what do we actually know of the man who condemned Jesus of Nazareth to the Cross? In this breakthrough, revisionist biography of one of the Bible’s most controversial figures, Italian classicist Aldo Schiavone explains what might have happened in that brief meeting between the governor and Jesus, and why the Gospels—and history itself—have made Pilate a figure of immense ambiguity. Pontius Pilate lived during a turning point in both religious and Roman history. Though little is known of the his life before the Passion, two first-century intellectuals—Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria—chronicled significant moments in Pilate’s rule in Judaea, which shaped the principal elements that have come to define him. By carefully dissecting the complex politics of the Roman governor’s Jewish critics, Schiavone suggests concerns and sensitivities among the people that may have informed their widely influential claims, especially as the beginnings of Christianity neared. Against this historical backdrop, Schiavone offers a dramatic reexamination of Pilate and Jesus’s moment of contact, indicating what was likely said between them and identifying lines of dialogue in the Gospels that are arguably fictive. Teasing out subtle but significant contradictions in details, Schiavone shows how certain gestures and utterances have had inestimable consequences over the years. What emerges is a humanizing portrait of Pilate that reveals how he reacted in the face of an almost impossible dilemma: on one hand wishing to spare Jesus’s life and on the other hoping to satisfy the Jewish priests who demanded his execution. Simultaneously exploring Jesus’s own thought process, the author reaches a stunning conclusion—one that has never previously been argued—about Pilate’s intuitions regarding Jesus. While we know almost nothing about what came before or after, for a few hours on the eve of the Passover Pilate deliberated over a fate that would spark an entirely new religion and lift up a weary prisoner forever as the Son of God. Groundbreaking in its analysis and evocative in its narrative exposition, Pontius Pilate is an absorbing portrait of a man who has been relegated to the borders of history and legend for over two thousand years.
Pontius Pilate
by Ann WroeThe foil to Jesus, the defiant antihero of the Easter story, mocking, skeptical Pilate is a historical figure who haunts our imagination. For some he is a saint, for others the embodiment of human weakness, an archetypal politician willing to sacrifice one man for the sake of stability. In this dazzlingly conceived biography, a finalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize, Ann Wroe brings man and myth to life. Working from classical sources, she plunges us into the world of biblical Judaea under the reign of the erratic and licentious emperor Tiberius and lets us see the trial of Jesus, in all its confusion, from the point of view of his executioner.
A Pony in the Bedroom: A Journey through Asperger's, Assault, and Healing with Horses
by Susan Dunne Liane Holliday WilleySusan Dunne's life changed forever when a chance question from a doctor led her back to horses, an unfulfilled childhood passion. Detached and isolated due to undiagnosed autism, Susan had already survived rape, battled eating disorders and self-harm, and spent time homeless, when her world was turned upside again by a vicious, life-threatening assault. Severe post-traumatic stress disorder left her feeling distrustful and more cut off than ever before from a world she saw as confusing and dangerous. But as Susan's connection with horses grew stronger, her world started to open up. Poignant and witty by turns, Susan shares her story of survival and transformation, offering a rare insight into her relationship with horses, and how they helped her to find a safe place in the world.
Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons
by Donald DunnJust who was the man whose name has become synonymous with the classic "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" scam in which money from new investors is used to reward earlier ones? In December 1919, he was an unknown thirty-eight-year-old, self-educated Italian immigrant with a borrowed two-hundred dollars in his pocket. Six months later, he was Boston's famed "wizard of finance," lionized by the public and politicians alike. Based on exclusive interviews with people who knew Charles Ponzi, lent him their money, and exposed him, Donald Dunn's Ponzi recreates both one of America's most notorious and colorful financial con artists and the mad money-hungry era in which he thrived.