- Table View
- List View
Northern Ireland: From The Provos to The Det, 1968–1998 (History of Terror)
by Kenneth Lesley-DixonIt is, of course, no secret that undercover Special Forces and intelligence agencies operated in Northern Ireland and the Republic throughout the troubles, from 1969 to 2001 and beyond. What is less well known is how these units were recruited, how they operated, what their mandate was and what they actually did. This is the first account to reveal much of this hitherto unpublished information, providing a truly unique record of surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, collusion and undercover combat.An astonishing number of agencies were active to combat the IRA murder squads (the Provos), among others the Military Reaction Force (MRF) and the Special Reconnaissance Unit, also known as the 14 Field Security and Intelligence Company (The Det), as well as MI5, Special Branch, the RUC, the UDR and the Force Research Unit (FRU), later the Joint Support Group (JSG)). It deals with still contentious and challenging issues as shoot-to-kill, murder squads, the Disappeared, and collusion with loyalists. It examines the findings of the Stevens, Cassel and De Silva reports and looks at operations Loughgall, Andersonstown, Gibraltar and others.
Crimelord: The True Story of Tam McGraw
by David LeslieCrimelord is the gripping life story of elusive multimillionaire gangster Tam McGraw. A notorious criminal kingpin, McGraw has risen from extreme poverty in the East End of Glasgow to become one of Scotland's wealthiest men. When hash started to flood into Scotland from the late 1980s onwards, suspicion centred on McGraw, leader of the infamous Barlanark Team. After a two-year surveillance operation, police discovered the drug had been hidden in buses carrying young footballers and deprived Glasgow families on free holidays abroad. It was a scam reminiscent of the movie The Italian Job, only this time Scots kids had been sitting on hash worth over £40 million. Police claimed McGraw was the financier and mastermind but in 1998 a jury declared him innocent while other suspects were jailed. As McGraw refuses to discuss his life publicly, his remarkable tale is told through friends, fellow crooks and the occasional rival. It is an outrageous, often hilarious, true gangster story.
The Gangster's Wife: An Empire Built on Cards
by David LeslieFor almost four decades, Margaret 'Mags' McGraw was a keeper of secrets. Her husband, Tam, the notorious 'Licensee', amassed a fortune by leading a safe-cracking gang before masterminding a spectacular £50-million drugs racket.Mags was a devotee of Tarot cards and fortune telling, so when Tam and his associates wondered whether luck would be with them, it was to her that they turned. But Mags discovered that the cards warned of much more than years in prison cells: they predicted death. She learned that her own husband was also doomed to a fate that was unexpected by everyone but her: Tam died in the arms of the wife he called his 'rock' while her secret lover frantically tried to save him.In The Gangster's Wife, Mags reveals her gripping life story, from being a London clippie through often hilarious days running an ice-cream van during the infamous Glasgow Ice Cream Wars to managing a notorious bar, being agony aunt to the toughest criminals around, hiding a secret love and sharing a life with The Licensee.
The Happy Dust Gang: How Sex, Scandal and Deceit Founded a Drugs Empire
by David LeslieCharlie, snow, toot, white: cocaine goes by many different names. But in Glasgow in the early 1980s, they called it Happy Dust. At no-holds-barred parties of the glamorous and wealthy, cocaine was the new aphrodisiac. A few lines of Charlie and a humdrum party could become an orgy. Hot from the forests of Colombia, Charlie flooded onto the streets of Glasgow and was passed along the line to the cocktail set, highly paid sports stars and yuppies desperate for kicks and thrills. Behind it all was a man they called the Parachutist. But all too soon, the party was over. People became too greedy and the Parachutist was double-crossed. Some of the gang did shady deals with detectives in hotel rooms; others flew to seek shelter in the sun, their reputations destroyed but not their fortunes. The good times might have been over for the Happy Dust Gang, but their legacy lives on to this day.
The Hate Factory: Thirty Years Inside with the UK's Most Notorious Villains
by David LeslieConvicted murderer Billy Ferris has endured more than three decades behind bars in many of Britain's prisons. In The Hate Factory, he candidly documents his experiences in jail with some of the UK's most notorious criminals.Jailed for life in 1977 for a crime of passion, Ferris experienced betrayal and treachery on the inside. He unexpectedly formed friendships that led to his being labelled a 'bombers' crony' and found love while on the run after a dramatic escape. He vividly describes the cruelty, savagery and degradation that go hand in hand with prison life and details the nightmare that was Wormwood Scrubs, the prison he christened 'the Hate Factory'. He relays what happened when his cell was used as a courtroom for an IRA punishment trial and how he hatched a plan to assassinate the son of a legendary underworld godfather and plotted to murder an informer.Over the 30 years during which Ferris has been imprisoned, his fellow inmates have included some of the UK's 'most wanted' from London underworld enforcer 'Mad' Frankie Fraser to Archie Hall, the serial killer dubbed 'the Monster Butler'.
Mummy, Take Me Home: A Mother's Tug-of-Love Torment
by David Leslie'Mummy, take me home,' sobbed little Jasmine Chapman as she was ripped from her mother's arms. But there was nothing that Morag could do . . . except continue to fight for custody of the child she loved so much.When their relationship ended, Jasmine's parents argued bitterly about her future. But they were unable to come to an amicable agreement, and a UK court ruled that the case be heard in the US, the home of Jasmine's father. Fearing that she would lose her child, Morag fled from Texas with her daughter, only to be hauled back in shackles and incarcerated in a grim American prison. When Morag was eventually freed and awarded custody of her little girl, she thought her nightmare was over. However, back in the UK, every move she made was watched and every mistake recorded. Morag sank into deep depression and became lost in a haze of alcohol and drugs. The once beautiful and desirable young woman found her life spiralling out of control. Eventually, she lost the daughter she had fought so hard to keep.Mummy, Take Me Home is the gripping and disturbing true-life story of a tug of love that no mother should ever face and no child should be forced to endure.
A Companion To Homoeopathic Studies
by Dr Colin B. LessellSome are content with driving fast cars; others want to know how they work. In this intriguing book for students, practitioners and pharmacists of all levels, readers will find nearly everything they need to know about the nuts, bolts and cogs of homeopathy.Adhering to a philosophy that pure empirical facts are meaningless without sound theory to bind them, Dr Colin Lessell reveals the physiochemical nature of remedies, the way they exert their effect on the living organism, the mechanics and history of their production, and the principles by which their selection and dosages are determined. Many of the topics in this book are only barely touched on in the most formal courses, making it a true companion for anyone who wishes to have a more profound knowledge of homeopathy, or who just wants to make sense of the infinitesimal.
A Textbook Of Dental Homoeopathy: For Dental Surgeons, Homoeopathists and General Medical Practitioners
by Dr Colin B. LessellThis book has long been awaited by professionals - a complete, modern, practical and usable book on the application of homoeopathy to oral medicine, general dentistry and oral surgery.It will not be out of place on the bookshelf or in the office of any dental surgeon, committed homoeopathist or medical doctor.The first and lesser part of the book is a basic introduction to the principles of homoeopathy. The second and greater part is in encyclopaedic form, being a combined therapeutic index of orofacial disease and materia medica of virtually all the therapeutic substances mentioned in the text. It also constitutes a self-tuition course in dental homoeopathy. Appendix One suggests the structure for an initial dental pharmacy in clinical practice, and Appendix Two contains a modern view of the important matter of mercury toxicity.
Pause to Think: Using Mental Models to Learn and Decide (Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing Series)
by Jaime LesterOur brains are wonderful tools, but they are nonetheless prone to misjudging information and making suboptimal decisions. In many situations, we act without fully considering why we are behaving in a certain way. We like to feel good about ourselves; we interpret the world using stories instead of statistics; and we make instinctive judgments and then stick to them. How can we think more clearly and make better decisions—in business and in life?This book is a practical and accessible introduction to mental models, teaching readers how to harness their power to think more clearly, make better decisions, and learn more effectively. The essential step in applying these concepts and frameworks, Jaime Lester shows, is to pause. Take a moment to reflect on the options, decide on the optimal approach before launching into action, and reexamine the process regularly. Drawing on a variety of academic disciplines as well as cognitive and behavioral research, Lester offers step-by-step templates to improve readers’ critical thinking and decision making. He guides readers through honing their reasoning in areas including finance, economics, statistics, and daily life and draws broader lessons for cultivating a prudent investment approach as well as personal well-being and happiness. Written in a conversational and witty style and featuring memorable examples and illustrations, Pause to Think shares essential lessons and tools for all readers interested in the power of mental models.
The Autobiography of God: A Novel
by Julius LesterRebecca Nachman is a Rabbi without a synagogue. Having resigned from her dwindling congregation, she now works as a college counselor at a small Vermont college advising students about private matters and offering the "Jewish perspective" on issues raised at faculty dinner parties.Deeply lonely and on the edge of losing her faith, she comes into possession of a Torah, the last relic of Czechowa, a village of Polish Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis. With the Torah, the unquiet spirits of the village dead begin to visit Rebecca. On one visit they leave a manuscript written in Hebrew and titled My Life, an autobiography by God who, like any eager author, is seeking a sympathetic reader. No one has ever finished reading the manuscript, including Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Maimonides, and Augustine. God thinks Rebecca will. Rebecca's life is further complicated when one of her advisees-a troubled young woman who seemed on the verge of confessing something-is found murdered. As the college struggles to comprehend the tragedy and a police investigation is launched, Rebecca begins reading, and so comes to confront the central challenge to her faith in His most troubling and unlikely incarnation.Julius Lester's first adult novel in more than a decade, The Autobiography of God marks the return of an utterly original and provocative voice in American letters, addressing religion with wicked humor and profound reverence.
Visual Ethics: A Guide for Photographers, Journalists, and Media Makers
by Paul Martin Lester Stephanie A. Martin Martin Smith-RoddenAn indispensable guide to visual ethics, this book addresses the need for critical thinking and ethical behavior among students and professionals responsible for a variety of mass media visual messages.Written for an ever-growing discipline, authors Paul Martin Lester, Stephanie A. Martin, and Martin Rodden-Smith give serious ethical consideration to the complex field of visual communication. The book covers the definitions and uses of six philosophies, analytical methods, cultural awareness, visual reporting, documentary, citizen journalists, advertising, public relations, typography, graphic design, data visualizations, cartoons, motion pictures, television, computers and the web, augmented and virtual reality, social media, the editing process, and the need for empathy. At the end of each chapter are case studies for further analysis and interviews with thoughtful practitioners in each field of study, including Steven Heller and Nigel Holmes. This second edition has also been fully revised and updated throughout to reflect on the impact of new and emerging technologies.This book is an important resource for students of photojournalism, photography, filmmaking, media and communication, and visual communication, as well as professionals working in these fields.
The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name
by Toby Lester“Old maps lead you to strange and unexpected places, and none does so more ineluctably than the subject of this book: the giant, beguiling Waldseemüller world map of 1507.” So begins this remarkable story of the map that gave America its name.For millennia Europeans believed that the world consisted of three parts: Europe, Africa, and Asia. They drew the three continents in countless shapes and sizes on their maps, but occasionally they hinted at the existence of a "fourth part of the world," a mysterious, inaccessible place, separated from the rest by a vast expanse of ocean. It was a land of myth—until 1507, that is, when Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann, two obscure scholars working in the mountains of eastern France, made it real. Columbus had died the year before convinced that he had sailed to Asia, but Waldseemüller and Ringmann, after reading about the Atlantic discoveries of Columbus’s contemporary Amerigo Vespucci, came to a startling conclusion: Vespucci had reached the fourth part of the world. To celebrate his achievement, Waldseemüller and Ringmann printed a huge map, for the first time showing the New World surrounded by water and distinct from Asia, and in Vespucci’s honor they gave this New World a name: America. The Fourth Part of the World is the story behind that map, a thrilling saga of geographical and intellectual exploration, full of outsize thinkers and voyages. Taking a kaleidoscopic approach, Toby Lester traces the origins of our modern worldview. His narrative sweeps across continents and centuries, zeroing in on different portions of the map to reveal strands of ancient legend, Biblical prophecy, classical learning, medieval exploration, imperial ambitions, and more. In Lester’s telling the map comes alive: Marco Polo and the early Christian missionaries trek across Central Asia and China; Europe’s early humanists travel to monastic libraries to recover ancient texts; Portuguese merchants round up the first West African slaves; Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci make their epic voyages of discovery; and finally, vitally, Nicholas Copernicus makes an appearance, deducing from the new geography shown on the Waldseemüller map that the earth could not lie at the center of the cosmos. The map literally altered humanity’s worldview. One thousand copies of the map were printed, yet only one remains. Discovered accidentally in 1901 in the library of a German castle it was bought in 2003 for the unprecedented sum of $10 million by the Library of Congress, where it is now on permanent public display. Lavishly illustrated with rare maps and diagrams, The Fourth Part of the World is the story of that map: the dazzling story of the geographical and intellectual journeys that have helped us decipher our world.
Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens
by Valerie Lester'Phiz' - Hablot Knight Browne - was the great illustrator of Dickens' fiction. For over twenty-three years they worked together, and Phiz's drawings brought to life a galaxy of much-loved characters, from Mr Pickwick, Nicholas Nickleby and Mr Micawber, to Little Nell and David Copperfield. But, from the mystery of his birth onwards, Phiz himself led a life as rich as any novel. In this vivid, lively memoir - the first full biography, long-awaited by Victorian scholars - his great-great-granddaughter Valerie Browne Lester tracks the struggles of the abandoned Browne family and follows Phiz's path to marriage and fame, his travels around England and Ireland and work with Dickens, Lever, Trollope and others, and his colourful private life. Based on a mass of unpublished material, this enchanting book, packed with surprising and delicious illustrations, is a perfect present for all who love Dickens and enjoy the hidden byways of Victorian life.
Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California
by Travis LettTravis Lett's new American cuisine from Los Angeles's most talked-about restaurant.Standout cookbook featuring 125+ rustic and delicious dishes: Gjelina in Venice Beach, California is lauded by critics from London to New York to San Francisco. It is beloved by stars, locals, and out-of-towners alike for its seductive simplicity and seasonal New American menu created by talented chef Travis Lett.• With 125 rustic and utterly delicious salads, toasts, pizzas, vegetable and grain dishes, pastas, fish and meat mains, and desserts that have had fans clamoring for a table at Gjelina since the restaurant burst onto the scene in 2008.• More than 150 color photographs from acclaimed photographer Michael Graydon and stylist Nikole Herriott. The tactile and artisanal packaging of this recipe book evoke the vibe of Venice Beach and the Gjelina (the G's silent) aesthetic, and showcase the beautiful plated food of chef Travis Lett's ingredient-based, vegetable-centric cooking.Much like cookbook best sellers from Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem, Plenty, and Ottolenghi, Gjelina is the cookbook for the way we want to eat now.• Gorgeous cookbook will be a go-to for inspiring recipes as well as for simply admiring the photographed plated dishes.• Mouthwatering recipes include broccoli rabe pesto, grilled kale with shallot-yogurt dressing and toasted hazelnuts, mushroom toast, baby radishes with black olive and anchovy aioli, ricotta gnocchi with cherry tomato Pomodoro, farro with beet and mint yogurt, cioppino, steaks with smoky tomato butter and cipollini, strawberry-rhubarb polenta crisp, and more.
Conquering Demons: The Kirishitan, Japan, and the World in Early Modern Japanese Literature (Michigan Monograph Series In Japanese Studies)
by Jan C. LeuchtenbergerThese sensational fictional accounts of a near conquest of Japan by a kind of mythical Kirishitan, who used money and magic to gain converts in their attempt to take over Japan, are studied in the context of the publication trends of the time they were produced, as well as of the cultural and political attitudes toward Christianity that prevailed when they were written. Leuchtenberger also analyzes the representations of Japan and the Kirishitan that appear in these texts in the context of contemporary discourses on the world and Japan's place in it. New maps and information brought by the missionaries and traders to Japan reflected a world that looked very different from the traditional Sino-centric one. These anti-Kirishitan popular narratives meet the challenge of this new world by expelling it and reasserting the conventional three-realms world order, in which Japan plays an influential role. This is done most obviously in the expulsion of the Kirishitan that is narrated in the texts, but it is also achieved on another level by the representation of the Kirishitan as uncouth and very common villains. Conquering Demons features a new look at anti-Kirishitan works from a literary perspective, examining them in the context of developments in the publishing industry and in the broader discourses on Japan and many Others in the world. It is of interest most broadly to scholars and teachers of Japanese history and literature, but also to those dealing with questions of identity and Othering, issues of "mapping" Japan and the world, and the role of manuscript culture in Edo-period literature. The translations provide an entertaining and relatively rare look at some Japanese representations of Westerners and would be useful in undergraduate classes on Japanese history, culture, and literature.
Inclusion and Sexuality in Catholic Higher Education: Possibilities for Institutional Change (Routledge Research in Religion and Education)
by Mark A. LevandDrawing on research conducted at 17 Catholic universities in the United States, making it the largest study of its kind, this volume explores effective practice in improving institutional policy relating to issues of sexuality.The text calls attention to campus cultures of fear, shame, or denial around sexuality and highlights possible points of institutional resistance to changes in policy. Discussing topics such as sexual identity, sexuality education in the curriculum, Title IX, employee termination, and morality clauses, the book shows how staff and faculty are crucial in effecting change across Catholic campuses, providing valuable insight into the “unspoken rules” around sexuality within the shadow culture at Catholic institutions. Moreover, the text illustrates how institutions can maintain fidelity to Church teachings and even embrace notions of human dignity, solidarity, and the common good to achieve sexual inclusivity.A unique study demonstrating how Catholic teaching can help support inclusive change around issues of sexuality and gender in higher education, it ultimately puts forward a practical framework for effecting change and improving student and staff support structures in Catholic institutions. It will thus appeal to researchers and academics working in the fields of Higher Education Management, Gender and Sexuality in Education, Religion, Gender and Sexuality, and the Sociology of Religion.
An Abbreviated Life: A Memoir
by Ariel Leve“Sometimes, a child is born to a parent who can’t be a parent, and, like a seedling in the shade, has to grow toward a distant sun. Ariel Leve’s spare and powerful memoir will remind us that family isn’t everything—kindness and nurturing are.” —Gloria SteinemAriel Leve grew up in Manhattan with an eccentric mother she describes as “a poet, an artist, a selfappointed troublemaker and attention seeker.” Leve learned to become her own parent, taking care of herself and her mother’s needs. There would be uncontrolled, impulsive rages followed with denial, disavowed responsibility, and then extreme outpourings of affection. How does a child learn to feel safe in this topsyturvy world of conditional love?Leve captures the chaos and lasting impact of a child’s life under siege and explores how the coping mechanisms she developed to survive later incapacitated her as an adult. There were material comforts, but no emotional safety, except for summer visits to her father’s home in South East Asia-an escape that was terminated after he attempted to gain custody. Following the death of a loving caretaker, a succession of replacements raised Leve-relationships which resulted in intense attachment and loss. It was not until decades later, when Leve moved to other side of the world, that she could begin to emancipate herself from the past. In a relationship with a man who has children, caring for them yields a clarity of what was missing.In telling her haunting story, Leve seeks to understand the effects of chronic psychological maltreatment on a child’s developing brain, and to discover how to build a life for herself that she never dreamed possible: An unabbreviated life.
It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me
by Ariel Leve“Ariel Leve is the love child of David Sedaris and Fran Leibowitz. An original and funny voice…. Insightful and sharp.” — Joan Rivers “Ariel Leve is brilliant and funny and the only other person I know without an oven. Buy this book and keep it close.” — Bill Nighy “Funny, smart, delightfully cranky”(AJ Jacobs) Ariel Leve’s Sunday Times Magazine (London) column “Cassandra” moves to book form. It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me offers a humorously bleak perspective on life’s potential to turn out badly… and Ariel’s innate ability to put the black cloud into the silver lining. This is a book for schadenfreude aficionados; for readers who identify with Cassandra’s slogan, “worrying is my yoga”; and for fans of Seinfeld, Ugly Betty, Sex & the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, David Sedaris, Woody Allen, and New Yorker cartoons.
Where Angels Fear
by Rebecca Levene Simon WinstoneSomething very odd is happening on the university planet of Dellah, home to Bernice Summerfield, famed archaeologist, adventurer, raconteur and barfly. A long-ignored religion is rapidly gaining recruits. The faithful rejoice and talk of their God walking the land once more. And in secret rooms on campus, arcane arts are practised with dangerously successful results.Behind these apparent absurdities, something far darker is going on, something that has consequences for everyone.
Time-limited Dynamic Psychotherapy: A Guide To Clinical Practice
by Hanna LevensonTen years ago, Hans Strupp and Jeffrey Binder’s Psychotherapy in a New Key introduced a powerful, empirically tested model of brief psychotherapy that has proven highly successful and changed the practice of psychotherapy forever. But until now, there has been no follow-up publication to make the model come alive. With this book, Hanna Levenson draws on her extensive experience with time-limited dynamic psychotherapy to let readers see the therapy in action.In this era of managed care and limited insurance reimbursement for therapy, many clients are receiving brief therapy treatment. can therapists adjust to these new pressures for efficiency without feeling as if they have to choose between good therapy and brief therapy? Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy provides a state-of-the-art model of treatment that incorporates current developments in psychoanalytic, interpersonal, object-relations, and self-psychology theories, as well as cognitive-behavioral and systems approaches. This flexible approach to brief therapy is designed to treat people with long-standing dysfunctional relationships. This book emphasizes identification of interpersonal difficulties and teaches a method of focusing therapy that is behaviorally based and explicit.In a highly original approach, Levenson presents detailed transcripts not only of model cases but also for students discussing those cases with her, taken from a videotape of her class. A spirited forum on the techniques and aims of time-limited dynamic psychotherapy emerges, adding a depth and richness not usually found in casebooks. This thoughtful, important companion volume to Strupp and Binder’s book will gain a broad following as therapists seek to practice therapy that is effective, efficient, and empirically based.
Body Love Every Day: Choose Your Life-Changing 21-Day Path to Food Freedom (The Body Love Series)
by Kelly LeVequeForewords by Emmy Rossum and Jennifer GarnerDitch cravings and love your lifestyle with this body-positive approach to health and wellnessIn her bestselling book Body Love, Kelly LeVeque shared how the Fab Four—protein, fat, fiber, and greens—can transform your health, your body, and your relationship with food. Now, in Body Love Every Day, Kelly gives you an action plan to adopt the Fab Four lifestyle in the way that’s right for you. For a tailored approach, she has created comprehensive 21-day plans for four different archetypal women:• The Girl on the Go wants a plan that’s flexible enough to work with her busy schedule. Kelly shares on-the-go hacks for when you’re out and about or traveling, delicious 15-minute meals, and simple strategies to stay balanced every day.• The Domestic Goddess is dedicated to building a healthy home through cooking with and using clean products. Kelly shows you how to elevate your cooking and home to healthier heights.• The Plant-Based Devotee wants to incorporate the Fab Four into her vegetarian or vegan diet. With over forty delectable plant-based recipes, Kelly gives you a plan to stay nourished and fueled while staying committed to your lifestyle.• The Red-Carpet Ready gal wants to look her best for her next big event. Rock your version of the red carpet with the same strategies Kelly uses with her A-list celebrity clients, including recipes to debloat and brighten skin, workouts to tighten and tone, and ideal eating windows to help boost results.Whether you’re one of these archetypes or a combination of them, Body Love Every Day provides a plan to help you achieve natural wellness for the body, mind, and soul. You’ll find recipes and nutrition information for every meal, exercise and movement for every day, stress management and energy recharge for nights and weekends, and emotional support to get you through the inevitable tough times. Whether you’re looking to live healthier or drop a jean size, boost your fitness or just feel better, Body Love Every Day is your guide to success.
Max Clifford: Read All About It
by Angela Levin Max Clifford'Max knows more secrets of the rich and famous than anyone in the world'Piers MorganMax Clifford is the media guru everyone calls when they want to know about a celebrity story or a celebrity's relationship with the media. Starting out as a junior member of the press department at EMI, he has become one of the most influential figures in today's society, and a household name. What is less known is the other side to Max: the stories he keeps out of the papers; his stand against corruption; his mischievous sense of humour; his dedication to helping people from all walks of life;his love for his wife of nearly forty years who tragically died of cancer; and his devotion to his daughter Louise who, at six,was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and is permanently disabled. The essential memoir for those interested in both PR and celebrity.
Nothing but a Circus: Misadventures among the Powerful
by Daniel Levin'Brilliant observations on the anthropology of power. You will laugh aloud and you won't put it down' Daniel KahnemanIn this eye-opening exploration of the human weaknesses for power, Daniel Levin takes us on a hilarious journey through the absurd world of our global elites, drawing unforgettable sketches of some of the puppets who stand guard, and the jugglers and conjurers employed within. Most spectacular of all, however, are the astonishing contortions performed by those closest to the top in order to maintain the illusion of integrity, decency, and public service. Based on the author's first hand experiences of dealing with governments and political institutions around the world, Nothing but a Circus offers a rare glimpse of the conversations that happen behind closed doors, observing the appalling lengths that people go to in order to justify their unscrupulous choices, from Dubai to Luanda, Moscow to Beijing, and at the heart of the UN and the US government.
The Talking Stick: A Novel
by Donna Levin"The situation: real women with real and painful problems. The solution: have friends. Also, magic. The result: A thoroughly engaging, completely entertaining novel by the great Donna Levin."—Karen Joy Fowler, PEN/Faulkner award winner, Man Booker award nominee, and New York Times bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club Four women find humor, truth, romance, and a better path forward by deconstructing memory and emotion—and expose a wannabe cult leader along the way. Hunter is lost. Her husband left her for Angelica, her former best friend whose new hit memoir is spreading unsavory lies about Hunter. She&’s unemployed with no prospects, and the San Francisco flea market she&’s wandering on a weekday is so foggy that she literally doesn&’t know where she is. It&’s only after a helpful visit and a gift from a stranger who appears from the mist that Hunter finds her resolve. She begins a support group for women looking for new beginnings—only to have Angelica start one, too. In the next room over. One that feels very cult-y.The Talking Stick is the adventure of Hunter and the three women who join her reclamation journey. Together, they reexamine their pasts, explore their grief, addictions, parenting, and marriages, and discover that some of their most-cherished memories are romanticized versions of the truth. Meanwhile, they unearth other memories—memories that challenge how they&’ve been living for years. And, with the help of a lawyer who prefers life on a houseboat to the pretensions of the city, Hunter unravels Angelica&’s scheme.The Talking Stick is a fast-paced dramedy set in the Bay Area, told with the characteristic humor of Donna Levin, an author whom Kirkus called &“A witty, modern voice&” and the Los Angeles Times deemed &“a novelist to keep high on your reading list.&”
The Obsession
by Meyer LevinIn 1951, Meyer Levin’s wife gave him a copy of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, which had just been published in France. Levin was already a successful writer in his mid-forties, searching for a way to bear witness to his experiences as a war correspondent in Europe. In Anne Frank’s diary, he found the voice he had been waiting for.The Obsession, widely regarded as one of Meyer Levin’s finest works, is a candid account of his struggle to bring his version of Anne Frank’s diary to Broadway. Levin’s adaptation, begun with the support of Anne’s father, Otto, was eventually deemed ‘unstageworthy,’ and he was supplanted by non-Jewish writers. To Levin, it was a clear case of sanitizing Anne’s story in favor of mass appeal. He battled for his version in courtrooms and out, but the fallout nearly destroyed both his family and his career.In recounting the mania that gripped him for twenty years, Levin spares neither himself nor others. Like all his best work, this extraordinary memoir encompasses larger themes—the nature of Jewishness, the price of assimilation, the writer’s obligation to himself and to his subject, and the search for identity and purpose.