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A Twist of Faith

by Berit Kjos

Berit Kjos is convinced that millions of women are traveling down cultural freeways to self-made spirituality. Why, she asks, have feminist myths and goddesses replaced biblical faith for many Christians who have embarked on journeys of self-discovery?

The Wall Street Joke Book: Raunchy Humor from Fast-Lane Financiers

by Four Anonymous Wall Street Guys

When disaster strikes, when election returns are in, when scandals break, when the ubiquitous racial and sexual tensions of our land blow their PC gasket, when the famous die, it seems the monied men of Wall Street are always the first to craft our national anxiety into a joke. The cynical, educated, three-steaks-a-week, house-in-the-Hamptons representatives of the Ayn Rand in all of us generate the jokes that get faxed nationwide. That's the myth, and this is the confirmation of it. Compiled by four anonymous Wall Streeters, here are the jokes that are sure to come in handy for any commuter, socially challenged business person, or new guy/gal at the water fountain. Slim enough to fit in your shirt pocket, The Wall Street Joke Book can be toted with you for those moments that call for a real-man's guffaw. Here's a taste of the humor that makes this country what it is, from the men who make this country what it is.

The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'

by Bill Zehme

In The Way You Wear Your Hat, author Bill Zehme presents a masterful assembly of the most personal details and gorgeous minutiae of Frank Sinatra's way of livingmatters of the heart and heartbreak, friendship and leadership, drinking and cavorting, brawling and wooing, tuxedos and snap-brimsall crafted from rare interviews with Sinatra himself as well as many other intimates, including Tony Bennett, Don Rickles, Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis, and Robert Wagner, in addition to daughters Nancy and Tina Sinatra. Capturing the timeless romance and classic style of the fifties and the loose sixties, The Way You Wear Your Hat is a stunning exploration of the Sinatra mystique.

A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968-1994 (Vintage International)

by Alice Munro

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS&’ CHOICE • A &“luminous&” (Vogue) collection of twenty-eight stories from Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro, &“one of the finest contemporary story writers in the English language&” (Newsday)—previously published as Selected Stories&“Her stories are like few others. One must go back to Tolstoy and Chekhov . . . for comparable largeness.&”—John Updike, The New York Times Book ReviewSpanning almost thirty years and settings that range from big cities to small towns and farmsteads of rural Canada, this magnificent collection brings together twenty-eight stories &“about love, marriage, discontent, divorce, betrayal, impulsive passion, second thoughts, deaths, even murder—stories with plenty of drama and surprise as well as reflection and meditation&” (The Wall Street Journal)—by a writer of unparalleled wit, generosity, and emotional power. In A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968–1994, Alice Munro makes lives that seem small unfold until they are revealed to be as spacious as prairies and locates the moments that change those lives forever. A traveling salesman during the Depression takes his children with him on an impromptu visit to a former girlfriend. A poor girl steels herself to marry a rich fiancé she can&’t quite manage to love. An abandoned woman tries to choose between the opposing pleasures of seduction and solitude. To read these stories is to succumb to the spell of a true narrative sorcerer, a writer who enchants her readers utterly even as she restores them to their truest selves.

Writing Home

by Alan Bennett

Bringing together the hilarious, revealing, and lucidly intelligent writing of one of England's best known literary figures, Writing Home includes the journalism, book and theater reviews, and diaries of Alan Bennett, as well as "The Lady in the Van," his unforgettable account of Miss Shepherd, a London eccentric who lived in a van in Bennett's garden for more than twenty years. This revised and updated edition includes new material from the author, including more recent diaries and his introduction to his Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Madness of King George. A chronicle of one of the most important literary careers of the twentieth century, Writing Home is a classic history of a life in letters.

Zinnia: Futuristic World of St. Helen's #2) (St. Helen's Ser. #2)

by Jayne Castle

Capturing the &“lively sensuality&” (Library Journal ) of the passion-filled, near-future space colony of St. Helen&’s, the wildly popular alter ego of New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz delivers &“delectably entertaining paranormal romantic suspense&” (Booklist)!Ever since a false tabloid story ruined her reputation and her interior design business, Zinnia Spring has been labeled the &“Scarlet Lady&” of St. Helen&’s. Now, headstrong Zinnia makes a living using her psychic abilities—a highly prized skill that attracts the attention of another planetary outcast, Nick Chastain. The rough-edged casino owner craves what he doesn&’t have— respectability—and he enlists Zinnia to help find his father&’s journal and dig up answers to his own mysterious past. Zinnia doesn&’t have to be psychic to know what else Nick wants; soon they&’re reaching the electrifying heights of ecstasy—and danger. For when a ruthless killer crosses their search, it will take everything in their power to keep their feet on terra firma and survive a deadly trap!

Approaching Eye Level

by Vivian Gornick

Seminal essays on loneliness, living in New York, friendship, feminism, and writing from nonfiction master Vivian GornickVivian Gornick's Approaching Eye Level is a brave collection of personal essays that finds a quintessentially contemporary woman (urban, single, feminist) trying to observe herself and the world without sentiment, cynicism, or nostalgia. Whether walking along the streets of New York or teaching writing at a university, Gornick is a woman exploring her need for conversation and connection—with men and women, colleagues and strangers. She recalls her stint as a waitress in the Catskills and a failed friendship with an older woman and mentor, and reconsiders her experiences in the feminist movement, while living alone, and in marriage.Turning her trademark sharp eye on herself, Gornick works to see her part in things—how she has both welcomed and avoided contact, and how these attempts at connections have enlivened and, at times, defeated her. First published in 1996, Approaching Eye Level is an unrelentingly honest collection of essays that finds Gornick at her best, reminding us that we can come to know ourselves only by engaging fully with the world.

Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict

by Stuart A. Wright

On February 28, 1993, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) launched the largest assault in its history against a small religious community in central Texas. One hundred agents armed with automatic and semi automatic weapons invaded the compound, purportedly to execute a single search and arrest warrant. The raid went badly; four agents were killed, and by the end of the day the settlement was surrounded by armored tanks and combat helicopters. After a fifty-one day standoff, the United States Justice Department approved a plan to use CS gas against those barricaded inside. Whether by accident or plan, tanks carrying the CS gas caused the compound to explode in fire, killing all seventy-four men, women, and children inside. Could the tragedy have been prevented? Was it necesary for the BATF agents to do what they did? What could have been done differently? Armageddon in Waco offers the most detailed, wide-ranging analysis of events surrounding Waco. Leading scholars in sociology, history, law, and religion explore all facets of the confrontation in an attempt to understand one of the most confusing government actions in American history. The book begins with the history of the Branch Davidians and the story of its leader, David Koresh. Chapters show how the Davidians came to trouble authorities, why the group was labeled a "cult," and how authorities used unsubstantiated allegations of child abuse to strengthen their case against the sect. The media's role is examined next in essays that considering the effect on coverage of lack of time and resources, the orchestration of public relations by government officials, the restricted access to the site or to countervailing evidence, and the ideologies of the journalists themselves. Several contributors then explore the relation of violence to religion, comparing Waco to Jonestown. Finally, the role played by "experts" and "consultants" in defining such conflicts is explored by two contributors who had active roles as scholarly experts during and after the siege The legal and consitutional implications of the government's actions are also analyzed in balanced, clearly written detail.

The Autumn of the Middle Ages

by Johan Huizinga

"Here is the first full translation into English of one of the 20th century's few undoubted classics of history." —Washington Post Book WorldThe Autumn of the Middle Ages is Johan Huizinga's classic portrait of life, thought, and art in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century France and the Netherlands. Few who have read this book in English realize that The Waning of the Middle Ages, the only previous translation, is vastly different from the original Dutch, and incompatible will all other European-language translations. For Huizinga, the fourteenth- and fifteenth-century marked not the birth of a dramatically new era in history—the Renaissance—but the fullest, ripest phase of medieval life and thought. However, his work was criticized both at home and in Europe for being "old-fashioned" and "too literary" when The Waning of the Middle Ages was first published in 1919. In the 1924 translation, Fritz Hopman adapted, reduced and altered the Dutch edition—softening Huizinga's passionate arguments, dulling his nuances, and eliminating theoretical passages. He dropped many passages Huizinga had quoted in their original old French. Additionally, chapters were rearranged, all references were dropped, and mistranslations were introduced. This translation corrects such errors, recreating the second Dutch edition which represents Huizinga's thinking at its most important stage. Everything that was dropped or rearranged has been restored. Prose quotations appear in French, with translations preprinted at the bottom of the page, mistranslations have been corrected. "The advantages of the new translation are so many. . . . It is one of the greatest, as well as one of the most enthralling, historical classics of the twentieth century, and everyone will surely want to read it in the form that was obviously intended by the author." —Francis Haskell, New York Review of Books "A once pathbreaking piece of historical interpretation. . . . This new translation will no doubt bring Huizinga and his pioneering work back into the discussion of historical interpretation." —Rosamond McKitterick, New York Times Book Review

Beyond Caring: Hospitals, Nurses, and the Social Organization of Ethics (Morality And Society Ser.)

by Daniel F. Chambliss

Vividly documenting the real world of the contemporary hospital, its nurses, and their moral and ethical crises, Dan Chambliss offers a sobering revelation of the forces shaping moral decisions in our hospitals. Based on more than ten years' field research, Beyond Caring is filled with eyewitness accounts and personal stories demonstrating how nurses turn the awesome into the routine. It shows how patients, many weak and helpless, too often become objects of the bureaucratic machinery of the health care system and how ethics decisions, once the dilemmas of troubled individuals, become the setting for political turf battles between occupational interest groups. The result is a compelling combination of realism and a powerful theoretical argument about moral life in large organizations.

Blacked Out: Dilemmas of Race, Identity, and Success at Capital High

by Signithia Fordham

This innovative portrait of student life in an urban high school focuses on the academic success of African-American students, exploring the symbolic role of academic achievement within the Black community and investigating the price students pay for attaining it. Signithia Fordham's richly detailed ethnography reveals a deeply rooted cultural system that favors egalitarianism and group cohesion over the individualistic, competitive demands of academic success and sheds new light on the sources of academic performance. She also details the ways in which the achievements of sucessful African-Americans are "blacked out" of the public imagination and negative images are reflected onto black adolescents. A self-proclaimed "native" anthropologist, she chronicles the struggle of African-American students to construct an identity suitable to themselves, their peers, and their families within an arena of colliding ideals. This long-overdue contribution is of crucial importance to educators, policymakers, and ethnographers.

Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland

by William Ian Miller

Dubbed by the New York Times as "one of the most sought-after legal academics in the county," William Ian Miller presents the arcane worlds of the Old Norse studies in a way sure to attract the interest of a wide range of readers. Bloodtaking and Peacemaking delves beneath the chaos and brutality of the Norse world to discover a complex interplay of ordering and disordering impulses. Miller's unique and engaging readings of ancient Iceland's sagas and extensive legal code reconstruct and illuminate the society that produced them. People in the saga world negotiated a maze of violent possibility, with strategies that frequently put life and limb in the balance. But there was a paradox in striking the balance—one could not get even without going one better. Miller shows how blood vengeance, law, and peacemaking were inextricably bound together in the feuding process. This book offers fascinating insights into the politics of a stateless society, its methods of social control, and the role that a uniquely sophisticated and self-conscious law played in the construction of Icelandic society. "Illuminating."—Rory McTurk, Times Literary Supplement "An impressive achievement in ethnohistory; it is an amalgam of historical research with legal and anthropological interpretation. What is more, and rarer, is that it is a pleasure to read due to the inclusion of narrative case material from the sagas themselves."—Dan Bauer, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Captain's Rangers: Two Complete Novels Of The American West (Texas Rangers)

by Elmer Kelton

In 1875, nearly forty years after the Mexican War, Mexicans and Texans are still spilling blood over ownership of the Nueces Strip--a hot, dry stretch of coastal prairie that bushwackers and horse thieves have turned into a lawless hell. Captain L.H. McNelly, a complex and determined Confederate veteran, is brought into the Nueces Strip for one purpose: to keep the peace. His measures are harsh and controversial--but McNelly wasn't sent in to be popular. In this boilerpot of killing and racial hatred, can any man bring lasting peace?At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Computers and the Teaching of Writing in American Higher Education, 1979-1994: A History (New Directions in Computers and Composition Studies)

by Paul LeBlanc Cynthia L. Selfe Gail E. Hawisher Charles Moran

This book is a history composed of histories. From the authors' perspectives, change in technology drives changes in the ways we live and work, and we, agents to a degree in control of our own lives, use technology to achieve our human purposes.

A Course in Love: Powerful Teachings on Love, Sex, and Personal Fulfilment

by Joan Gattuso

Picking up where A Return to Love leaves off, Gattuso applies the powerful teachings of A Course in Miracles to love, sex, and personal fulfillment in a book that has a message for everyone.

Creative Bible Lessons in Romans: Faith in Fire! (Creative Bible Lessons)

by Chap Clark

Think of it as a lean, mean Bible doctrine course--without the lecture. But with lots of options, videos, music, and drama. And small group work. And reproducible, interactive worksheets with eye-catching designs and soul-searching content. (Like, what else do you expect from St. Paul when he sits down to write the meatiest book of doctrine in the Bible?) in the 12 clear, complete sessions of Creative Bible Lessons in Romans. Author Chap Clark guides kids (and you) through the Big Ideas in this first-century letter to Christians trying their darndest to live godly lives in an ungodly culture. (Sound familiar?) From the not-so-savory picture the apostle paints of humankind in the opening chapters. . .through his celebration of grace and acceptance in midbook. . .to his tightly reasoned argument that love should fuel a Christian's decisions and relationships--here are topics made to order for teenagers living at the turn of the 21st century. Teach your way through Romans with these read-to-go sessions. Or scavenge whatever you want of the creative scripts, handouts, and other options to customize lessons of your own. Any way you use it, Creative Bible Lessons in Romans is your no-doze ticket to solid Bible doctrine.12 lessons.

Dance of the Happy Shades: And Other Stories (Vintage International)

by Alice Munro

Fifteen stunning short stories from Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro, &“a true master of the form&” (Salman Rushdie). &“How does one know when one is in the grip of art—of a major talent? . . . It is art that speaks from the pages of Alice Munro&’s stories.&”—The Wall Street Journal A young girl gets an unexpected glimpse into her father&’s past when she realizes the sales call they&’ve made one summer afternoon during the Great Depression is to his old sweetheart. A married woman, returning home after the death of her invalid mother, tries to release the sister who&’d stayed behind as their mother&’s caretaker. The audience at a children&’s piano recital receives a surprising lesson in the power of art to transform when a not-quite-right student performs with unexpected musicality and a spirit of joy. In Dance of the Happy Shades, Alice Munro conjures ordinary lives with an extraordinary vision, displaying the remarkable talent for which she is now widely celebrated. Set on farms, by river marshes, in the lonely towns and new suburbs of western Ontario, these tales are luminous acts of attention to those vivid moments when revelation emerges from the layers of experience that lie behind even the most everyday events and lives.

Death Cruise (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

by Don Davis

For pretty Ohioan Joan Rogers and her two teenaged daughters, a Florida sunset cruise was a dream come true. And even though all three were desperately afaid of the water, they were so taken with friendly boat owner Oba Chandler that they gladly accepted a ride with him on beautiful Tampa Bay.Little did naive mom and two daughters know that behind Chandler's mask of a gracious host lurked a daring and ruthless ex-con, a thief and a liar, a seductive Don Juan who used and discarded wives and children. As they sun serenely sank below the Gulf of Mexico, Chandler suddenly shut down the engines, dropped anchor...and turned into a sadistic torturer.Hog-tying and brutally raping all three, Chandler tossed them overboard -- alive -- with 40-pound cement blocks tied to their necks. With cruel laughter, he spoke his last words to them: "Swim for it." But the dark green waters of Tampa Bay refused to hold his monstrous secret, and after only three days, the bodies of his victims surfaced.If it hadn't been for a dedicated team of detectives and the clues provided by Chandler's neighbors, a depraved killer might have gotten away with his ghastly crime. Instead, he now paces the floors of a Florida prision awaiting his rendezvous with the electric chair.

The Death of Character: Perspectives on Theater after Modernism (Drama and Performance Studies)

by Elinor Fuchs

"Extremely well written, and exceedingly well informed, this is a work that opens a variety of important questions in sophisticated and theoretically nuanced ways. It is hard to imagine a better tour guide than Fuchs for a trip through the last thirty years of, as she puts it, what we used to call the 'avant-garde.'" —Essays in Theatre". . . an insightful set of theoretical 'takes' on how to think about theatre before and theatre after modernism." —Theatre Journal"In short, for those who never experienced a 'postmodern swoon,' Elinor Fuchs is an excellent informant." —Performing Arts Journal". . . a thoughtful, highly readable contribution to the evolving literature on theatre and postmodernism." —Modern Drama"A work of bold theoretical ambition and exceptional critical intelligence. . . . Fuchs combines mastery of contemporary cultural theory with a long and full participation in American theater culture: the result is a long-needed, long-awaited elaboration of a new theatrical paradigm." —Una Chaudhuri, New York University"What makes this book exceptional is Fuchs' acute rehearsal of the stranger unnerving events of the last generation that have—in the cross-reflections of theory—determined our thinking about theater. She seems to have seen and absorbed them all." —Herbert Blau, Center for Twentieth Century Studies, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee"Surveying the extraordinary scene of the postmodern American theater, Fuchs boldly frames key issues of subjectivity and performance with the keenest of critical eyes for the compelling image and the telling gesture." —Joseph Roach, Tulane University" . . . Fuchs makes an exceptionally lucid and eloquent case for the value and contradictions in postmodern theater." —Alice Rayner, Stanford University"Arguably the most accessible yet learned road map to what remains for many impenetrable territoryan obligatory addition to all academic libraries serving upper-division undertgraduates and above." —Choice"A systematic, comprehensive and historically-minded assessment of what, precisely, 'post-modern theatre' is, anyway." —American TheatreIn this engrossing study, Elinor Fuchs explores the multiple worlds of theater after modernism. While The Death of Character engages contemporary cultural and aesthetic theory, Elinor Fuchs always speaks as an active theater critic. Nine of her Village Voice and American Theatre essays conclude the volume. They give an immediate, vivid account of contemporary theater and theatrical culture written from the front of rapid cultural change.

Demons Five, Exorcists Nothing: A Fable

by William Peter Blatty

Based on his own experiences in tinseltown, Demons Five, Exorcists Nothing is a hilarious satire of Hollywood fame and misfortune from William Peter Blatty, the New York Times bestselling author of The Exorcist.Once an auteur of renown, Jason Hazard hasn't directed a film in years, more famous for being the husband of movie star, Spritely God. When he accepts an offer to direct the adaptation of the bestselling novel, The Satanist, all hell breaks loose as Hazard's deal with the devil to resurrect his career threatens to consume his very soul.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Discourses on Livy

by Niccolò Machiavelli

Discourses on Livy is the founding document of modern republicanism, and Harvey C. Mansfield and Nathan Tarcov have provided the definitive English translation of this classic work. Faithful to the original Italian text, properly attentive to Machiavelli's idiom and subtlety of thought, it is eminently readable. With a substantial introduction, extensive explanatory notes, a glossary of key words, and an annotated index, the Discourses reveals Machiavelli's radical vision of a new science of politics, a vision of "new modes and orders" that continue to shape the modern ethos. "[Machiavelli] found in Livy the means to inspire scholars for five centuries. Within the Discourses, often hidden and sometimes unintended by their author, lie the seeds of modern political thought. . . . [Mansfield and Tarcov's] translation is careful and idiomatic."—Peter Stothard, The Times "Translated with painstaking accuracy—but also great readability."—Weekly Standard "A model of contemporary scholarship and a brave effort at Machiavelli translation that allows the great Florentine to speak in his own voice."—Choice

Drop Shot: A gripping thriller from the #1 bestselling creator of hit Netflix show Fool Me Once (Myron Bolitar)

by Harlan Coben

Following on from DEAL BREAKER, this is the excellent, gripping second Myron Bolitar novel from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of SIX YEARS.The young woman was shot dead in cold blood, dropped outside the stadium, in front of a stand selling Moët for $7.50 a glass. Once her tennis career had skyrocketed. Now, at the height of the US Open, the headlines were being made by another young player from the wrong side of the tracks.When Myron Bolitar investigates the killing he uncovers a connection between the two players and a six-year-old murder at an exclusive club. Suddenly Myron is in over his head. And with a dirty US senator, a jealous mother and the mob all drawn into the case, he finds himself playing the most dangerous game of all...

A Dwarf Kingdom (The Henri Castang Mysteries)

by Nicolas Freeling

The final Henri Castang mystery confirms the Edgar award–winning author’s “mastery of character and imagery in a superlative study of people and power (Publishers Weekly, starred review).After the murder of dear friends and an attack on his wife, Vera, Inspector Henri Castang is finished with life as an investigator. As the couple settles into an inherited cliff-top home in Biarritz, Castang is just starting to wonder if retirement suits him when his only grandchild is kidnapped, sending him on a terrifying chase that is all too personal. With the local police stunted by politics, it’s up to Castang to catch this perp—and he will. Even if it’s the last thing he ever does . . . Praise for Nicolas Freeling:“In depth of characterization, command of language and breadth of thought, Mr. Freeling has few peers when it comes to the international policier.” —The New York Times“Nicolas Freeling . . . liberated the detective story from page-turning puzzler into a critique of society and an investigation of character.” —The Daily Telegraph“Freeling rewards with his oblique, subtly comic style.” —Publishers Weekly“Freeling writes like no one. . . . He is one of the most literate and idiosyncratic of crime writers.” —Los Angeles Times

Elements of Acoustic Phonetics

by Peter Ladefoged

This revised and expanded edition of a classic textbook provides a concise introduction to basic concepts of acoustics and digital speech processing that are important to linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists. The second edition includes four new chapters that cover new experimental techniques in acoustic phonetics made possible by the use of computers. Assuming no background in physics or mathematics, Ladefoged explains concepts that must be understood in using modern laboratory techniques for acoustic analysis, including resonances of the vocal tract and the relation of formants to different cavities; digital speech processing and computer storage of sound waves; and Fourier analysis and Linear Predictive Coding, the equations used most frequently in the analysis of speech sounds. Incorporating recent developments in our knowledge of the nature of speech, Ladefoged also updates the original edition's discussion of the basic properties of sound waves; variations in loudness, pitch, and quality of speech sounds; wave analysis; and the hearing and production of speech. Like its predecessor, this edition of Elements of Acoustic Phonetics will serve as an invaluable textbook and reference for students and practitioners of linguistics and speech science, and for anyone who wants to understand the physics of speech.

Emmanuel Levinas: Basic Philosophical Writings (Studies in Continental Thought)

by Adriaan T. Peperzak, Simon Critchley, and Robert Bernasconi

Emmanuel Levinas (1906–1996) has exerted a profound influence on 20th-century continental philosophy. This anthology, including Levinas's key philosophical texts over a period of more than forty years, provides an ideal introduction to his thought and offers insights into his most innovative ideas. Five of the ten essays presented here appear in English for the first time. An introduction by Adriaan Peperzak outlines Levinas's philosophical development and the basic themes of his writings. Each essay is accompanied by a brief introduction and notes. This collection is an ideal text for students of philosophy concerned with understanding and assessing the work of this major philosopher.

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