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Book of My Mother

by Bella Cohen Albert Cohen

Shortly after Albert Cohen left France for London to escape the Nazis, he received news of his mother's death in Marseille. Unable to mourn her, he expressed his grief in a series of moving pieces for La France libre, which later grew into Book of My Mother. Achingly honest, intimate, and moving, this love song is a tribute to all mothers. Cohen himself expressed, "I shall not have written in vain if one of you, after reading my hymn of death, is one evening gentler with his mother because of me and my mother."From the Trade Paperback edition.

Journal of an Ordinary Grief

by Mahmoud Darwish Ibrahim Muhawi

"Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance," asserts Darwish. Both voice of the Palestinian people and one of the most transcendent poets of his generation, Mahmoud Darwish also wrote several remarkable volumes of autobiographical essays over the course of his life. First published in Beirut in 1973, these probing essays ask vital questions about the existentially complex realities the Palestinians in Israel face and the ambiguity of Darwish's own identity as an Israeli Palestinian. They call upon myth, memory, and language to delve into the poet's experience of house arrest, his encounters with Israeli interrogators, and the periods he spent in prison. Meditative, lyrical, rhythmic, Darwish gives absence a vital presence in these linked essays. Journal is a moving and intimate account of the loss of homeland and, for many, of life inside the porous walls of occupation--no ordinary grief.

Firefly

by Mark Fried Severo Sarduy

Firefly is a dream-like evocation of pre-war Cuba, replete with hurricanes, mystical cults and slave-markets. The story is the coming-of-age of a precocious and exuberant boy with an oversized head and underdeveloped sense of direction, who views the world as a threatening conspiracy. Told in breathless and lyrical prose, the novel is a loving rendition of a long-lost home, a meditation on exile, and an allegory of Cuba's isolation in the world.

Unbelievable

by Cheo Hodari Coker

In this riveting account of Biggie's remarkable life, hip hop journalist Cheo Hodari Coker tells the story you've never heard about the dramatic, tension-filled world of Biggie, Tupac, Puff Daddy, and Suge Knight, tracing their friendships and feuds from the beginning to the bitter end. Despite the clash of personalities and styles, all four were key players in a volatile and creative era of hip hop, a time when gangsta rap became popular music.Before he rocketed to fame as Biggie, Christopher Wallace was a young black man growing up in Brooklyn with a loving single mother. An honors student who dropped out of school to sell drugs, Biggie soon discovered that he had a gift for rocking the mike. Coker's narrative is based on exclusive interviews with Biggie's family and friends, some of whom have never spoken publicly about Biggie before.Compellingly written and brilliantly illustrated, with rare color and black-and-white photographs from VIBE's archives and Biggie's family, this is an in-depth look at the life and afterlife of an icon whose music is as powerful and prevalent as ever. A virtuoso of flow as well as a master storyteller, Biggie was arguably the greatest rapper of all time. We've heard a lot of speculation about Biggie's death. Now it's time to remember his life and celebrate his work.

A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle

by Raja Shehadeh

The quest for his great-uncle Najib Nassar, an Ottoman journalist - the details of his life, and the route of his great escape from occupied Palestine - consumed award-winning writer Raja Shehadeh for two years. As he traces Najib's footsteps, he discovers that today it would be impossible to flee the cage that Palestine has become. "A Rift in Time" is a family memoir written in luminescent prose, but it is also a reflection on how Palestine - in particular the disputed Jordan Rift Valley - has been transformed. Most of Palestine's history and that of its people is buried deep in the ground: whole villages have disappeared and names have been erased from the map. Yet by seeing the bigger picture of the landscape and the unending struggle for freedom as Shehadeh does, it is still possible to look towards a better future, free from Israeli or Ottoman oppression.

Occupation Diaries

by Raja Shehadeh

It is often the smallest details of daily life that tell us the most. And so it is under occupation in Palestine. What most of us take for granted has to be carefully thought about and planned for: When will the post be allowed to get through? Will there be enough water for the bath tonight? How shall I get rid of the rubbish collecting outside? How much time should I allow for the journey to visit my cousin, going through checkpoints? And big questions too: Is working with left-wing Israelis collaborating or not? What affect will the Arab Spring have on the future of Palestine? What can anyone do to bring about change? Are any of life's pleasures untouched by politics?

Song of Survival

by Helen Colijn

Survivor Helen Colijn's account of her war time experiences is a window into a largely over looked dimension of World War II-the imprisonment of women and children in Southeast Asia by the Japanese and how these prisoners of war responded to their dire circumstances. Held in captivity for nearly four years, more than a third of the women in Helen's camp died of disease or starvation.Yet their courage, faith, resiliency, ingenuity, and camaraderie provide us with enduring lessons on living. Though they had no musical instruments, the women had their voices, and from memory scored classical works for symphony and piano. The music that helped sustain them while in captivity is a lasting and precious gift of these women to a world that has witnessed far too much war.Song of Survival inspired the motion picture Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close and a soundtrack of the movie Paradise Road Soundtrack

Song of Survival

by Helen Colijn

Survivor Helen Colijn's account of her war time experiences is a window into a largely over looked dimension of World War II-the imprisonment of women and children in Southeast Asia by the Japanese and how these prisoners of war responded to their dire circumstances. Held in captivity for nearly four years, more than a third of the women in Helen's camp died of disease or starvation.Yet their courage, faith, resiliency, ingenuity, and camaraderie provide us with enduring lessons on living. Though they had no musical instruments, the women had their voices, and from memory scored classical works for symphony and piano. The music that helped sustain them while in captivity is a lasting and precious gift of these women to a world that has witnessed far too much war.Song of Survival inspired the motion picture Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close and a soundtrack of the movie Paradise Road Soundtrack

Song of Survival

by Helen Colijn

Survivor Helen Colijn's account of her war time experiences is a window into a largely over looked dimension of World War II-the imprisonment of women and children in Southeast Asia by the Japanese and how these prisoners of war responded to their dire circumstances. Held in captivity for nearly four years, more than a third of the women in Helen's camp died of disease or starvation.Yet their courage, faith, resiliency, ingenuity, and camaraderie provide us with enduring lessons on living. Though they had no musical instruments, the women had their voices, and from memory scored classical works for symphony and piano. The music that helped sustain them while in captivity is a lasting and precious gift of these women to a world that has witnessed far too much war.Song of Survival inspired the motion picture Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close and a soundtrack of the movie Paradise Road Soundtrack

Cut, Stapled, and Mended

by Roanna Rosewood

"At least you and the baby are healthy."That's what they said when they handed him to me. And they were right. Why then, so long after my body has healed, do I still feel broken? A whisper inside of me insists: Birth is more than a means to a baby. There was something I was supposed to do, something I was to receive through giving birth.Pregnant again, when the doctor tries to schedule another cesarean, I refuse. I will not submit to being tied down, cut open, and having my uterus extracted again without a fight.That's why I ask a midwife to help me give birth. I tell her that I'm determined and strong. But she sees through my tough-guy armor. She smiles, saying, "Birth isn't a battle to win or lose. It's the result of delving into your vulnerability and finding your true feminine power."In exquisite detail, Roanna holds nothing back in her powerful birth memoir, plunging the reader deep into the intimacy of this universal rite of passage. Part memoir, part manifesto, this is a must read for anyone who has given birth, will give birth, or who loves someone who will give birth.

Cut, Stapled, and Mended

by Roanna Rosewood

"At least you and the baby are healthy."That's what they said when they handed him to me. And they were right. Why then, so long after my body has healed, do I still feel broken? A whisper inside of me insists: Birth is more than a means to a baby. There was something I was supposed to do, something I was to receive through giving birth.Pregnant again, when the doctor tries to schedule another cesarean, I refuse. I will not submit to being tied down, cut open, and having my uterus extracted again without a fight.That's why I ask a midwife to help me give birth. I tell her that I'm determined and strong. But she sees through my tough-guy armor. She smiles, saying, "Birth isn't a battle to win or lose. It's the result of delving into your vulnerability and finding your true feminine power."In exquisite detail, Roanna holds nothing back in her powerful birth memoir, plunging the reader deep into the intimacy of this universal rite of passage. Part memoir, part manifesto, this is a must read for anyone who has given birth, will give birth, or who loves someone who will give birth.

In Sickness and in Mental Health: Living with and Loving Someone with Mental Illness

by Diane Mintz

"In Sickness and in Mental Health" is a personal journey through the madness of living with mental illness and the uncommon discovery to the road back to health. Author Diane Mintz shares her terrifying experience with bipolar disorder and how a symptom of the disorder itself, coupled with various addictions, impeded her recovery for a decade. <p> <p> Diane discloses her soul with transparency, searching for answers which ultimately leads her to the balanced and abundant life she has enjoyed for over twenty years. Early in her recovery she meets her future husband and draws on her experience, strength, and hope to help him recover from an even more complicated illness called schizoaffective disorder. Throughout their marriage, Diane gains insight into what very few people understand. <p> A story of deep, abiding love, this book reveals powerful lessons about the road to recovery, how to have healthy, meaningful relationships, and especially what it takes to have an extraordinary marriage. Together for nearly twenty years, this couple has defied the odds. They enjoy each other, their two children and their thriving business. <p> "In Sickness and in Mental Health" provides genuine hope to those who are affected by mental illness that a healthy, happy life is possible. <p> Visit Diane's website: dianemintzauthor.com

That Mad Game

by J. L. Powers

What's it like to grow up during war? To be a victim of violence or exiled from your homeland, culture, family, and even your own memories? When America's talking heads talk about war, children and teenagers are often the forgotten part of the story. Yet who can forget images of the Vietnam "baby lift," when Amer-Asian children were flown out of Vietnam to be adopted by Americans? Who can forget the horror of learning that Iranian children were sent on suicide missions to clear landmines? Who wasn't captivated by stories of the "lost boys" of Sudan, traveling thousands of miles alone through the desert, seeking shelter and safety? From the cartel-terrorized streets of Juárez to the bombed-out cities of Bosnia to Afghanistan under the Taliban, from Nazi-occupied Holland to the middle-class American home of a Vietnam vet, this collection of personal and narrative essays explores both the universal and particular experiences of children and teenagers who came of age during a time of war.J.L. Powers is the editor of Labor Pains and Birth Stories and the author of two young adult novels, most recently This Thing Called the Future, an alternative fantasy set in post-apartheid South Africa. She began collecting essays on children and war while pregnant with her first child and says, "The experience was both painful and uplifting, not unlike giving birth. The most memorable aspect of these essays is their stark portrayal of both survival and hope in the midst of incredible suffering."

The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine

by Miko Peled

In 1996, a tragedy struck the family of Israeli-American Miko Peled: His beloved niece was killed by a terror bomber in Jerusalem. That tragedy propelled Peled onto a journey of discovery and self-discovery, during which he met and became close to numerous other people, Israelis and Palestinians, who had similarly lost loved ones to the conflict between their peoples. Peled's journey echoed the trajectory taken 40 years earlier by his father, renowned Israeli general Matti Peled. But Miko Peled ended up at a different destination, as an outspoken supporter of a one-state outcome for Palestinians and Israelis with full civic equality between all citizens of the state. In this compelling memoir, Peled traces his journey-- from growing up in Jerusalem in the heart of the group that ruled the young country, Israel, through his military service and subsequent global travels; and then, after his niece's killing, back into the heart of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. He provides an intimate window into the fears that haunt both peoples-- but also into the real courage of all those who, like himself, have been pursuing a steadfast grassroots struggle for equality for all the residents of the Holy Land.

On the Brink: Israel and Palestine on the Eve of the 2014 Gaza Invasion

by Alice Rothchild

On the Brink is a compelling collection of blog posts made during a fact-finding and solidarity visit to the West Bank and Israel encompassing the last three weeks of June 2014. Physician, author, filmmaker, and longtime activist Alice Rothchild turns her powers of careful observation and her deep understanding of the consequences of racism and occupation into a lively, honest, heart breaking, collection of reports from the field. She documents the stories and lives that do not make the evening news, but are essential to understanding the context in which that news occurs. While Rothchild expected the delegation to focus on the longest Palestinian prisoner hunger strike in history and the debate over forced feeding, the kidnap of three settler teenagers from Hebron soon dominated the news. Rather than investigating this crime, the Israel government used this as an excuse to launch a full scale incursion into the West Bank, moving into villages and refugee camps at night, invading people's homes, arresting hundreds, killing ten, trashing and destroying buildings, and launching a campaign of demonization towards Hamas in Gaza. As this unfolded, it became clear to Rothchild that Netanyahu was determined to crush the Fatah/Hamas unity government and he had found his excuse. Israel launched air raids against Hamas before a single rocket was fired by insurgents. This experience unfolds as Rothchild relentlessly documents the injustices, the inspiring resilience, and the intense yearning for the end to occupation and for a more just society both in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Survival and Conscience: From the Shadows of Nazi Germany to the Jewish Boat to Gaza

by Mark Braverman Lillian Rosengarten

In 1936, Lillian Rosengarten and her family fled Nazi Germany for New York. But even there, the legacy of the Nazis' brutality continued to cast a shadow over her family for many decades. In Survival and Conscience, Rosengarten describes how she faced those challenges within her own life while gaining empathy for the struggles of others, realizing that all forms of extreme nationalism and hatred must be vigorously resisted. Like many other refugees from Nazism and survivors of the Holocaust, Rosengarten became a strong advocate of Palestinian rights. In 2010, she joined the "Jewish Boat to Gaza," designed to break Israel's punishing blockade of the Gaza Strip. Though the Israeli Navy obstructed their humanitarian mission, nothing can stop Lillian Rosengarten's inspiring story of love, self-discovery, and activism.

Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist

by Mike Farrell

Los Angeles Times bestseller: A memoir by the M*A*S*H actor revealing his hardscrabble childhood, his life in Hollywood, and his passion for human rights. Best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and his five seasons on Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director, and producer—and a fiercely dedicated activist who has served on human rights and peace delegations to countries around the world as well as working tirelessly on the issue of the death penalty. In Just Call Me Mike, he not only tells his story but reveals the candidness and decency that has endeared him not only to his fans but to commentators across the political divide. &“In this honest autobiography, Farrell, who played B.J. Hunnicutt in the TV series M*A*S*H, provides intimate accounts of growing up working-class in the shadows of wealthy Hollywood, overcoming personal demons as he starts his acting career and finding happiness in the popular sitcom and what he describes as a supportive and cohesive cast and crew. Throughout the series, Farrell also began to pursue an interest in politics and human rights that took him to Cambodia, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, and his passionate descriptions of the human rights abuses in those countries show why Farrell currently is considered one of Hollywood&’s most prominent activists.&” —Publishers Weekly &“A stand-up guy . . . His book, Just Call Me Mike, will entertain and inform you far beyond most autobiographies. Farrell&’s life is fascinating and his journey is well worth your time.&” —Bill O&’Reilly &“He describes the fantastic, sometimes painful, and ultimately redeeming journey that his conscience has led him on . . . Disarmingly honest.&” —Kamala Harris &“Farrell doesn&’t hesitate to put himself on the line, whether writing about his troubled past, the behind-the-scenes conflicts on the M*A*S*H set, or his human rights activism.&” —The Sacramento Bee

Vanishing

by Candida Lawrence

The fourth of Candida Lawrence's stand-alonememoirs, the collection of pieces that is Vanishingreveals a life-long awareness of human fragility andthe constant proximity of alienation and separation.A survivor in the truest sense and a woman withthe greatest personal resilience, Candida Lawrencerecalls what it is to make each day an assertion ofindependence. Her deeply felt remembrancesalways grant us an honest account of what it isto live in this unstable world. And the pieces thatmake up Vanishing are no exception.Vanishing opens with Lawrence's childhood distrustof men's use of words and an assertion that shewill ever write only truth. By the second piece inthis volume it comes clear that there is no subjectshe will not address with an eloquent, understatedhonesty that reveals her heart and her mind andher constant resistance to expectation. By the endof this volume what comes clearest is her sensethat modernity has separated us from the most realemotions and the most sensible attachments.As always, Lawrence's writing is filled with smart,gentle anger, sweet sadness, and the most privatesense of what is vital and important.To read this memoir is not only to know a remarkablewoman; reading all of Lawrence is to see the worldthrough eyes that are unblinking over sixty fiveyears.

Vanishing

by Candida Lawrence

The fourth of Candida Lawrence's stand-alonememoirs, the collection of pieces that is Vanishingreveals a life-long awareness of human fragility andthe constant proximity of alienation and separation.A survivor in the truest sense and a woman withthe greatest personal resilience, Candida Lawrencerecalls what it is to make each day an assertion ofindependence. Her deeply felt remembrancesalways grant us an honest account of what it isto live in this unstable world. And the pieces thatmake up Vanishing are no exception.Vanishing opens with Lawrence's childhood distrustof men's use of words and an assertion that shewill ever write only truth. By the second piece inthis volume it comes clear that there is no subjectshe will not address with an eloquent, understatedhonesty that reveals her heart and her mind andher constant resistance to expectation. By the endof this volume what comes clearest is her sensethat modernity has separated us from the most realemotions and the most sensible attachments.As always, Lawrence's writing is filled with smart,gentle anger, sweet sadness, and the most privatesense of what is vital and important.To read this memoir is not only to know a remarkablewoman; reading all of Lawrence is to see the worldthrough eyes that are unblinking over sixty fiveyears.

Pro Football's Most Spectacular Quarterbacks

by Michael Sandler

Professional Quarterbacks are the leaders of the team. They're responsible for calling plays and making sure they're carried out. Only great quarterbacks can convince their teammates that there's still a chance to win when defeat seems certain, and then go ahead and prove it. In this book you'll meet the best of the best-Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning. You'll soon see why they're currently considered the most spectacular quarterbacks in pro football.

Acid Christ: Ken Kesey, LSD, and the Politics of Ecstasy

by Mark Christensen

From the literary wonder boy to the countercultural guru whose cross-country bus trip inspired The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, this candid biography chronicles the life and times of cultural icon Ken Kesey from the 1960s through the 1980s. Presenting an incisive analysis of the author who described himself as "too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie," this account conducts a mesmerizing journey from the perspective of Mark Christensen, an eventual member of the Kesey "flock." Featuring interviews with those within his inner circle, this exploration reveals the bestselling author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in his many forms, placing him within the framework of his time, his generation, and the zeitgeist of the psychedelic era.

Lee Marvin

by Dwayne Epstein

The first full-length, authoritative, and detailed story of the iconic actor's life to go beyond the Hollywood scandal-sheet reporting of earlier books, this account offers an appreciation for the man and his acting career and the classic films he starred in, painting a portrait of an individual who took great risks in his acting and career. Although Lee Marvin is best known for his icy tough guy roles—such as his chilling titular villain in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance or the paternal yet brutally realistic platoon leader in The Big Red One—very little is known of his personal life; his family background; his experiences in WWII; his relationship with his father, family, friends, wives; and his ongoing battles with alcoholism, rage, and depression, occasioned by his postwar PTSD. Now, after years of researching and compiling interviews with family members, friends, and colleagues; rare photographs; and illustrative material, Hollywood writer Dwayne Epstein provides a full understanding and appreciation of this acting titan’s place in the Hollywood pantheon in spite of his very real and human struggles.

Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years

by Ron Capps

For more than a decade, Ron Capps, serving as both a senior military intelligence officer and as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. Department of State, was witness to war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. From government atrocities in Kosovo, to the brutal cruelties perpetrated in several conflicts in central Africa, the wars in both Aghanistan and Iraq, and culminating in genocide in Darfur, Ron acted as an intelligence collector and reporter but was diplomatically restrained from taking preventative action in these conflicts. The cumulative effect of these experiences, combined with the helplessness of his role as an observer, propelled him into a deep depression and a long bout with PTSD, which nearly caused him to take his own life. Seriously Not All Right is a memoir that provides a unique perspective of a professional military officer and diplomat who suffered (and continues to suffer) from PTSD. His story, and that of his recovery and his newfound role as founder and teacher of the Veterans Writing Project, is an inspiration and a sobering reminder of the cost of all wars, particularly those that appeared in the media and to the general public as merely sidelines in the unfolding drama of world events.

Dear Princess Grace, Dear Barbie, Dear Betty

by Alida Brill

DEAR PRINCESS GRACE, DEAR BARBIE, DEAR BETTY is a candid and insightful memoir by the feminist writer and social critic Alida Brill (co-author of DANCING AT THE RIVER’S EDGE: A Patient and Her Doctor Negotiate Life With Chronic Illness) that spans her life from the onset of the modern women’s movement in the early 1960’s through the second wave in the 70’s and 80’s in which she became a leading figure and spokesperson. Her story begins in a post-war suburban town in Orange County, California when, as a young girl, she wrote a letter to her idol, Princess Grace of Monaco, who at the time seemed to her the embodiment of femininity,and whose life seemed a fairy tale come true; and, to her astonishment, she received a reply. Following this cornerstone event of her young years came the arrival of Barbie, in 1959, who represented an entirely different kind of woman in her stylish looks, suitcase and zebra-striped swimsuit. Then, in 1964 the publication of “The Book” (her term for “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan) caused a seismic shift first in her mother’s generation, and then her own, propelling Alida into a life of writing and activism, first in Berkeley, California in the and later in New York, where she worked as a board member of the Feminist Press, and became an early proponent of the National Organization of Women (N.O.W) alongside Bella Abzug. Along the way she became the close personal friend and confidante of Betty Friedan, one of the most powerful influences and inspirational figures in her life. The two of them shared a bond not only due to their personal beliefs but also because both suffered from chronic illness; Friedan with chronic asthma, and Alida Brill with a rare auto-immune disease that she has battled since adolescence and which irrevocably changed her life in all aspects. However, as Alida poignantly reflects in this memoir, it was due to and despite her chronic condition that she has been able to forge an indomitable self-image, and out of which her personal philosophy as a “romantic feminist” has evolved. This book is sure to join the conversation sparked by recent bestsellers like Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist and Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl in its inspirational message and quiet wisdom obtained from the author’s four decades at the heart of the women’s movement.

Life in New York: How I Learned to Love Squeegee Men, Token Suckers, Trash Twisters, and Subway Sharks

by Laura Pedersen

Laura Pedersen, author of bestseller Play Money and award-winning Buffalo Gal, serves up a hilarious memoir about three decades of city life. <P><P>Originally from Buffalo, New York, friends thought the seventeen-year-old was suffering from blizzard delirium when she left for Manhattan. Pedersen experiences her adopted city in the best and worst of times while becoming the youngest person to have a seat on the stock exchange, performing stand-up comedy, and writing a column in the New York Times. Neighborhoods that feature chai bars, Pilates studios, and Gymboree were once drug dens, ganglands, and shantytowns. A trip to Central Park often ended in Central Booking, identifying a perp in a lineup.New Yorkers are as diverse as the city they so colorfully inhabit, cautious but generous, brash but welcoming. Both are captured through the comedic eye of Pedersen. Enjoy an uproarious romp down memory lane as the city emerges as the modern metropolis we know today.Laura Pedersen is an author, humorist, and playwright. She was also the youngest person at age twenty to have a seat on the American Stock Exchange, while earning a finance degree at New York University's Stern School of Business. She wrote for The New York Times and is the author of Play Money, Beginner's Luck (chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection), Planes Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws, Buffalo Gal and Buffalo Unbound.

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Showing 63,801 through 63,825 of 69,893 results