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Lucky Dogs: A novel
by Helen SchulmanAN OPRAH DAILY BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR • The paths of two women on opposite ends of a high-profile sexual abuse scandal set them on a devastating collision course."Part thriller, part Hollywood satire, Lucky Dogs is a brash, sometimes heartbreaking saga in which trauma and self-preservation converge across decades and continents. This is Helen Schulman's best novel yet."—Jennifer Egan, best-selling author of A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Candy HouseOn a sultry summer night in Paris, two women meet in line at an ice cream kiosk on the Ile de la Cité. One is tall, fair, striking, with an indeterminate accent. The other, a troubled American TV star, is hiding her beauty and identity under a shapeless sweatshirt, wearing sunglasses even in the darkness. When leering male tourists hassle the pair, the blonde pulls out a knife and a sisterhood is born. Both women have been victims of male violence, and both are warriors—one trained and calculating, one instinctually ferocious. They each think they know who they are dealing with. But both are very, very wrong.In a story that unfolds with unexpected humor and the pace of a thriller, acclaimed novelist Helen Schulman lays bare what happens to women—no matter how fortunate they may appear to be on the surface—whose lives have been warped by brutality and misogyny. The issues are universal, but the core of the story is intimate: a passionate exploration of love, betrayal, and survival. Lucky Dogs asks and answers a shattering question: How could one woman so utterly betray another?
Rich People Problems: A Novel (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy #3)
by Kevin KwanNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of the international sensation Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, here is the trilogy&’s uproarious conclusion. • &“A memorable, laugh-out-loud Asian glitz fest that&’s a pure pleasure to read.&” —USA TodayWhen Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside—but he's not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim on their matriarch&’s massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park—a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore—Nicholas&’s childhood home turns into a hotbed of speculation and sabotage.As her relatives fight over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by her ex-husband—a man hell bent on destroying Astrid&’s reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to China&’s second richest man, billionaire Jack Bing, still feels second best next to her new step-daughter, famous fashionista Colette Bing.A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong&’s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi, Kevin Kwan's hilarious, gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia's most privileged families and their rich people problems.
Practical Web Accessibility: A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Inclusion
by Ashley FirthEveryone deserves to use the Internet. An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. That’s 16percent of the world’s population, or one in six of us. At the same time, over 96 percent of the one million most popular websites have an accessibility issue. Add to this the massive rise in legal cases around sites not being accessible, including Beyoncé, Disney, and Netflix, and you have an important topic that more and more people are starting to engage with.In this updated and revamped second edition of the Amazon technology chart-topping Practical Web Accessibility, you’ll be guided through a broad range of disabilities and access needs. You’ll understand the ways these users typically engage with the web, the barriers they often face, and practical advice on how your websites and content can be compliant, but more than that, inclusive and enjoyable to use. There’s also a new chapter on “Outsourcing Accessibility,” exploring third party “bolt-on” tools, “build your own website” platforms like Wix, and popular design systems. You‘ll explore whether they’re helpful or detrimental in the fight to make the web more accessible.Throughout this book you’ll learn to test for, spot, and fix web accessibility issues for a wide range of physical and mental impairments. Featuring content from the latest compliance frameworks, including the newly released WCAG 2.2 and exploratory concepts in WCAG 3, you’ll see how to go beyond the basic requirements in order to help your users. You’ll also learn that an accessible approach won’t just help people with disabilities, it will improve your website for everyone.This book comes complete with practical examples you can use in your own sites, along with a brand-new approach to auditing and improving a website’s accessibility, and a team’s approach to it, based on tools created by the author and refined over years as a consultant — The FAIR framework and ACCESS checklist. With these tools, you can set up processes for yourself and your team that will drastically improve the accessibility of your sites and, importantly, keep them that way in the future. Suitable for those of any profession or experience level, Practical Web Accessibility gives you all the information you need to ensure that your sites are truly accessible for the modern, inclusive web. If you would like to learn about web accessibility in a clear and actionable way, this book is for you.What You Will LearnA greater understanding of a vast range of disabilities that have online access needs, and the issues they typically face accessing content online.Ways to apply the practical steps required to cater for those needs.How to take your sites, and colleagues, on a journey from being inaccessible to accessible.The importance of accessibility in your designs, code, content, and more.The best ways to test andimprove your sites, so you can be compliant, and truly accessible. Who This Book Is For Anyone, regardless of what they do, who wants to learn how to make websites and their content more accessible for those with disabilities. In the world of web, the book has been used by front and backend developers, designers, product and project managers, team and business leaders.
Smart Trends in Computing and Communications: Proceedings of SmartCom 2024, Volume 4 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #948)
by Tomonobu Senjyu Chakchai So–In Amit JoshiThis book gathers high-quality papers presented at the Eighth International Conference on Smart Trends in Computing and Communications (SmartCom 2024), organized by Global Knowledge Research Foundation (GR Foundation) from 12 to 13 January 2024 in Pune, India. It covers the state-of-the-art and emerging topics in information, computer communications, and effective strategies for their use in engineering and managerial applications. It also explores and discusses the latest technological advances in, and future directions for, information and knowledge computing and its applications.
Verification, Model Checking, and Abstract Interpretation: 24th International Conference, VMCAI 2023, Boston, MA, USA, January 16–17, 2023, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #13881)
by Cezara Dragoi Michael Emmi Jingbo WangThis book constitutes the proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Verification, Model Checking, and Abstract Interpretation, VMCAI 2023, which took place in Boston, USA, in January 2023. The 17 full papers presented in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 34 submissions. The contributions deal with program verification, model checking, abstract interpretation, program synthesis, static analysis, type systems, deductive methods, decision procedures, theorem proving, program certification, debugging techniques, program transformation, optimization, and hybrid and cyber-physical systems.
Recent Trends in Cancer Therapeutics: Plasmonic Photothermal-Based Multimodal Cancer Therapy (Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials)
by Divya Khurana Sanjeev SoniThis book describes the plasmonic photothermal-assisted multimodal cancer therapeutics in the area of cancer nanotechnology or cancer nanomedicine. This book covers the fundamentals of plasmonic photothermal cancer therapy as well as plasmonic photothermal mediated multimodal cancer therapy. The various steps involved in developing such therapeutic modality, viz. (a) the selection of suitable nanoparticles, (b) synthesis of multifunctional nanocomposite, (c) optimization of the photosensitizer and chemotherapeutic drug loadings, (d) characterization of the synthesized nanocomposite, and (e) therapeutic evaluations through novel tumor-tissue mimicking phantoms and the cancer cell lines are discussed in detail. Apart from the detailed description of therapeutic outcome, this book provides a step-by-step approach to develop a multifunctional nanocomposite for such therapeutics. Overall, this book provides simplified and in-depth information about cancer nanobiotechnology to the researchers and graduate students in subject areas of nanotechnology, biotechnology and pharmaceutics to develop and contribute to such multimodal cancer therapeutics.
Sociological Theory: From Comte to Postcolonialism
by Alessandro OrsiniThis textbook analyses the work of classical and contemporary sociological theorists. The first part is dedicated to Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Pareto, and Simmel. The second part covers the major contemporary sociological perspectives: Functionalism, Marxism, Conflict Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, Phenomenological Sociology, and Rational Choice Theory. The third part is devoted to Postmodern Theory, Feminist Theory, Postcolonial Theory, and Race Theory. The author combines academic rigour with clear and accessible language, offering students an in-depth and extensive overview of the main, recurring problems that have troubled sociological theory from its origins to the present day. The textbook uses contemporary examples, analysing how sociological theory can explain the most tragic phenomena of our time, including the war in Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US-China competition over Taiwan, nuclear proliferation, radicalization, neofascism, white suprematism, jihadism, and terrorism. With pedagogic features aiding learning, this book helps navigate the various approaches, methods, and research that divide sociologists into distinct schools. This textbook is therefore an invaluable tool to any sociology student looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of the foundational thinkers that have shaped the discipline.
Riding for the Brand: Stories
by Louis L'AmourThe open West was a land where wanderers could find themselves a home—one to fight for, be changed by, sometimes to die for. Jed Asbury was one such journeyman, taking on the identity of a dead person. Allen Ring was another: He&’d won his plot of land in a card game only to find he had to win again with a gun. From a has-been boxer to a ranch hand taking on his bosses&’ troubles, the characters in these classic Louis L&’Amour short stories are all &“riding for the brand&”—staying loyal to what matters, staking the West with their courage and their blood.
The Testaments: A Novel
by Margaret AtwoodNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE • A modern masterpiece that "reminds us of the power of truth in the face of evil&” (People)—and can be read on its own or as a sequel to Margaret Atwood&’s classic, The Handmaid&’s Tale. &“Atwood&’s powers are on full display&” (Los Angeles Times) in this deeply compelling Booker Prize-winning novel, now updated with additional content that explores the historical sources, ideas, and material that inspired Atwood. More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results. Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third: Aunt Lydia. Her complex past and uncertain future unfold in surprising and pivotal ways. With The Testaments, Margaret Atwood opens up the innermost workings of Gilead, as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
Let Me Tell You What I Mean: An Essay Collection
by Joan DidionA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From one of our most iconic and influential writers, the award-winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking: a timeless collection of mostly early pieces that reveal what would become Joan Didion's subjects, including the press, politics, California robber barons, women, and her own self-doubt. With a forward by Hilton Als, these twelve pieces from 1968 to 2000, never before gathered together, offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary figure. They showcase Joan Didion's incisive reporting, her empathetic gaze, and her role as "an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time" (The New York Times Book Review). Here, Didion touches on topics ranging from newspapers ("the problem is not so much whether one trusts the news as to whether one finds it"), to the fantasy of San Simeon, to not getting into Stanford. In "Why I Write," Didion ponders the act of writing: "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means." From her admiration for Hemingway's sentences to her acknowledgment that Martha Stewart's story is one "that has historically encouraged women in this country, even as it has threatened men," these essays are acutely and brilliantly observed. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive, bemused, and stunningly prescient.
Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Computing and Information Technology (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #973)
by Phayung Meesad Sunantha Sodsee Watchareewan Jitsakul Sakchai TangwannawitThis book gathers the high-quality papers presented at the 20th International Conference on Computing and Information Technology (IC2IT2024), held on May 16-17, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. The book presents an original research work for both academic and industry domains, which is aiming to show valuable knowledge, skills and experiences in the field of computing and information technology. The topics covered in the book include natural language processing, image processing, intelligent systems and algorithms, as well as machine learning. These lead to the major research directions for innovating computational methods and applications of information technology.
Psychotherapie von Anfang bis Ende: Schritt für Schritt durch den therapeutischen Prozess
by Markus GmelchDie Ergebnisse der Psychotherapieforschung können am stimmigsten von einem kontextuellen Metamodell interpretiert werden: In der therapeutischen Beziehung werden hilfreiche Kontexte für KlientInnen angeboten und individuell angepasst, die diese zu Klärung, Veränderung und Ermutigung nutzen können.Vor diesem Hintergrund stellen sich angehenden PsychotherapeutInnen ganz praktische Fragen: Was macht denn eine Beziehung „therapeutisch“? Wie kann ich den Prozess von Beginn an hilfreich strukturieren? Wie gelange ich zu „wohl formulierten“ Therapiezielen? Wie kann ich KlientInnen ihre eigenen Interventionen finden und erfinden lassen? Wie gehe ich mit „unmotivierten“ KlientInnen um? Und was mache ich bei Rückschritten? Wie kann ich mich auf jede einzelne KlientIn individuell einstellen und „anschlussfähige“ Fragen stellen? Und was kann ich tun, dass KlientInnen langfristig auch ohne mich zurechtkommen?Dieses Lehrbuch vermittelt PsychotherapeutInnen Grundlagen zum gesamten therapeutischen Prozess und bietet Orientierung und Struktur für zahlreiche schwierige Situationen an - Heuristiken, die wiederum genutzt und angepasst werden können. Viele Transkripte und Beispiele veranschaulichen und konkretisieren die Vorgehensweise.
Refuge: Social Science Debates
by Birgit Blättel-Mink Torsten Noack Corinna Onnen Katrin Späte Rita Stein-RedentThe welcome culture of 2015 in Germany has, not least due to the (re)definition of safe countries of origin, turned into a deportation policy. How can this change in policy be understood and is it also accompanied by a change of attitude among the population? Which reasons for and which reasons against the admission of refugees are cited in social debates? This volume brings together analyses of the social discourse on dealing with refugees, questions of labour market integration and the practice of counselling refugees. Alongside academic analyses are reflective contributions from the practice of migration policy.With contributions by Olaf Struck.- David Stiller.- Helge Döring and Sebastian Kurtenbach.- Ann-Christine Lill, Janis Schneider and Sam Schneider.- Kirsten Hoesch. - Kathrin Weis.- Theresa Köhler and Kerstin Ettl.- Doris Beer.- André Pohlmann.- Katharina Resch, Gertraud Kremsner, Michelle Proyer, Camilla Pellech, Regina Studener-Kuras and Gottfried Biewe.The editors: Prof. Dr. Birgit Blättel-Mink is Professor of Sociology with a focus on industrial and organizational sociology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main. Torsten Noack, M.A. Sociology, Head of the School for Work Education of the International Federation Stuttgart. Prof. Dr. Corinna Onnen is university professor for general sociology at the University of Vechta. Dr. Katrin Späte works at the Institute for Sociology at the University of Münster. Apl. Prof. Dr. Rita Stein-Redent works at the University of Vechta.
Speckle Imaging Using Aperture Modulation (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)
by Abdallah HamedThis book covers speckle image formation using a variety of modulated apertures. The central theme revolves around theoretical analyses, specifically the calculation of impulse responses or Point Spread Functions (PSFs) corresponding to these apertures. These calculations provide crucial insights into the resolution inherent in the resulting speckle images. The book begins with an examination of the recognition of the direction of new apertures from elongated speckle images, setting the stage for subsequent discussions. The theoretical analyses extend to diverse aperture designs, including Gaussian, graded-index, and modulated apertures. The book delves into the nuanced dynamics of contrast in speckle images, exploring the Voigt distribution and the effects of modulation on contrast. In addition to aperture-centric discussions, the book addresses the processing of the formed speckle images. The chapters impart a comprehensive understanding of speckle imaging, encompassing discrimination in microscopy using digital speckle images, the utilization of concentric hexagonal pupils, and the exploration of irregular apertures. The book culminates in a detailed exploration of speckle imaging in the context of an annular Hermite Gaussian laser beam. Overall, this book serves as a valuable resource for researchers and academics seeking a profound exploration of speckle image formation, modulation, and processing across a spectrum of apertures and theoretical frameworks.
Sonic Life: A Memoir
by Thurston MooreFrom the founding member of Sonic Youth, a passionate memoir tracing the author's life and art—from his teen years as a music obsessive in small-town Connecticut, to the formation of his legendary rock group, to thirty years of creation, experimentation, and wonder"Downtown scientists rejoice! For Thurston Moore has unearthed the missing links, the sacred texts, the forgotten stories, and the secret maps of the lost golden age. This is history—scuffed, slightly bent, plenty noisy, and indispensable." —Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Underground Railroad and Harlem Shuffle Thurston Moore moved to Manhattan&’s East Village in 1978 with a yearning for music. He wanted to be immersed in downtown New York&’s sights and sounds—the feral energy of its nightclubs, the angular roar of its bands, the magnetic personalities within its orbit. But more than anything, he wanted to make music—to create indelible sounds that would move, provoke, and inspire.His dream came to life in 1981 with the formation of Sonic Youth, a band Moore cofounded with Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo. Sonic Youth became a fixture in New York&’s burgeoning No Wave scene—an avant-garde collision of art and sound, poetry and punk. The band would evolve from critical darlings to commercial heavyweights, headlining festivals around the globe while helping introduce listeners to such artists as Nirvana, Hole, and Pavement, and playing alongside such icons as Neil Young and Iggy Pop. Through it all, Moore maintained an unwavering love of music: the new, the unheralded, the challenging, the irresistible.In the spirit of Just Kids, Sonic Life offers a window into the trajectory of a celebrated artist and a tribute to an era of explosive creativity. It presents a firsthand account of New York in a defining cultural moment, a history of alternative rock as it was birthed and came to dominate airwaves, and a love letter to music, whatever the form. This is a story for anyone who has ever felt touched by sound—who knows the way the right song at the right moment can change the course of a life.
Coming Home
by Brittney Griner Michelle BurfordOn February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner arrived in Moscow ready to spend the WNBA offseason playing for the Russian women’s basketball team where she had been the centerpiece of previous championship seasons. Instead, a security checkpoint became her gateway to hell when she was arrested for mistakenly carrying under one gram of medically prescribed hash oil. Brittney’s world was violently upended in a crisis she has never spoken in detail about publicly—until now. <P><P> In Coming Home, Brittney finally shares the harrowing details of her sudden arrest days before Russia invaded Ukraine; her bewilderment and isolation while navigating a foreign legal system amid her trial and sentencing; her emotional and physical anguish as the first American woman ever to endure a Russian penal colony while the #WeAreBG movement rallied for her release; the chilling prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout; and her remarkable rise from hostage to global spokesperson on behalf of America’s forgotten. In haunting and vivid detail, Brittney takes readers inside the horrors of a geopolitical nightmare spanning ten months. <P><P> And yet Coming Home is more than Brittney’s journey from captivity to freedom. In an account as gripping as it is poignant, she shares how her deep love for Cherelle, her college sweetheart and wife of six years, anchored her during their greatest storm; how her family’s support pulled her back from the brink; and how hundreds of letters from friends and neighbors lent her resolve to keep fighting. Coming Home is both a story of survival and a testament to love—the bonds that brought Brittney home to her family, and at last, to herself. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Frozen River: A Novel
by Ariel LawhonGMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history."Fans of Outlander&’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon&’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent. . . impressive."—The Washington Post"Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine." —People MagazineMaine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town&’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon&’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Volume 16 (Studies in Computational Intelligence #1156)
by Roger LeeThis book reports state-of-the-art results in Computer Information Science and Engineering in both printed and electronic form. Studies in Computation Intelligence (SCI) has grown into the most comprehensive computational intelligence research forum available in the world.
The Groupuscular Far-Right in Portugal: Nationalism and The Reach of Digital Communication
by Gabriel Fernandes GuimarãesThis book analyzes two types of nationalisms that are represented by the Portuguese groupuscular right, that is, the extra-party right. One faction is guided by ethnonationalism and nativism, looking at Portugal through an ethnically European prism. Small groups fight for a white Portugal linked to an imagined white world, rooted in ideas such as race and biology, following models from the US. The other faction looks for a future in a non-European confederation and wants Portuguese citizenship for non-European groups originating from the former colonies, while maintaining ties with the Portuguese extreme right, notably, the one that comes from the Salazar right-wing dictatorship (Estado Novo, 1926–1974). This faction suggests addressing questions of immigration by accepting immigration of non-European people from former imperial space and by initiating a confederation of countries, in which Portugal is the only state with a white majority. Guimarães analyzes the means of communication of these two factions, the language they use to articulate their viewpoints, and the worldviews of various groups in Portugal. He argues that the far right in Portugal is a space filled with radical styles of nationalism.
Spirals, Helical Lines, and Spiral-Like Figures: Mathematical Playfulness in Two and Three Dimensions
by Hans WalserIn this book you will discover the mathematical patterns and regularities of various spirals, helixes and spiral-like figures. Their geometric aspects and connections are presented in a visually appealing way and are supplemented as best as possible with analytical aspects and representations. Using examples from technology and nature, you will learn about round, square, golden and spherical spirals and examine their curvature behavior and other exciting properties. The examples are arranged thematically and the book has a modular structure so that the individual chapters can be read largely independently of each other. It is therefore a valuable resource for students, pupils, (prospective) teachers, those interested in mathematics and those who want to become one.Additional animations are available with the SN More Media app: simply download the SN More Media app free of charge, scan an image or a link with the play button and immediately play the animation on your smartphone or tablet.The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.
Spoken Word: A Cultural History
by Joshua BennettA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • A &“rich hybrid of memoir and history&” (The New Yorker) of the literary art form that has transformed the cultural landscape, by one of its influential practitioners, an award-winning poet, professor, and slam champion&“Bennett…transport[s] us back to the city blocks, bars, cafes and stages these artists traversed and inhabited…an instructive text for young poets, artists or creative entrepreneurs trying to find a way to carve out a space for themselves…Shines with a refreshing dynamism.&” —The New York TimesIn 2009, when he was twenty years old, Joshua Bennett was invited to perform a spoken word poem for Barack and Michelle Obama, at the same White House "Poetry Jam" where Lin-Manuel Miranda declaimed the opening bars of a work-in-progress that would soon revolutionize American theater. That meeting is but one among many in the trajectory of Bennett's young life, as he rode the cresting wave of spoken word through the 2010s. In this book, he goes back to its roots, considering the Black Arts movement and the prominence of poetry and song in Black education; the origins of the famed Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side living room of the visionary Miguel Algarín, who hosted verse gatherings with legendary figures like Ntozake Shange and Miguel Piñero; the rapid growth of the "slam" format that was pioneered at the Get Me High Lounge in Chicago; the perfect storm of spoken word's rise during the explosion of social media; and Bennett's own journey alongside his older sister, whose work to promote the form helped shape spaces online and elsewhere dedicated to literature and the pursuit of human freedom. A celebration of voices outside the dominant cultural narrative, who boldly embraced an array of styles and forms and redefined what—and whom—the mainstream would include, Bennett's book illuminates the profound influence spoken word has had everywhere melodious words are heard, from Broadway to academia, from the podiums of political protest to cafés, schools, and rooms full of strangers all across the world.
The Verifiers
by Jane PekONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted amateur sleuth for the 21st century. This debut novel follows Claudia as she verifies people's online lives, and lies, for a dating detective agency in New York City. Until a client with an unusual request goes missing....&“The world of social media, big tech and internet connectivity provides fertile new ground for humans to deceive, defraud and possibly murder one another.... Well rendered and charming.... Original and intriguing.&” —The New York Times Book ReviewClaudia is used to disregarding her fractious family&’s model-minority expectations: she has no interest in finding either a conventional career or a nice Chinese boy. She&’s also used to keeping secrets from them, such as that she prefers girls—and that she's just been stealth-recruited by Veracity, a referrals-only online-dating detective agency. A lifelong mystery reader who wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, Claudia believes she's landed her ideal job. But when a client vanishes, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate—and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit. Part literary mystery, part family story, The Verifiers is a clever and incisive examination of how technology shapes our choices, and the nature of romantic love in the digital age.
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home: A novel
by Lorrie MooreA NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • A NEW YORKER ESSENTIAL READ • From &“one of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation&” (The New York Times)—a ghost story set in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, an elegiac consideration of grief, devotion (filial and romantic), and the vanishing and persistence of all things—seen and unseen.A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, NPR, Vulture, Lit Hub&“Who else but Lorrie Moore could make, in razor-sharp irresistible prose, a ghost story about death buoyant with life?&” —PEOPLE &“Is it an allegory? Is it real? It doesn&’t matter...[It&’s] a novel with big questions, no answers, and it&’s absolutely brilliant.&” —Lit Hub &“[A] triumph of tone and, ultimately, of the imagination.&” —The Guardian Lorrie Moore&’s first novel since A Gate at the Stairs—a daring, meditative exploration of love and death, passion and grief, and what it means to be haunted by the past, both by history and the human heartA teacher visiting his dying brother in the Bronx. A mysterious journal from the nineteenth century stolen from a boarding house. A therapy clown and an assassin, both presumed dead, but perhaps not dead at all...With her distinctive, irresistible wordplay and singular wry humor and wisdom, Lorrie Moore has given us a magic box of longing and surprise as she writes about love and rebirth and the pull towards life. Bold, meditative, theatrical, this new novel is an inventive, poetic portrait of lovers and siblings as it questions the stories we have been told which may or may not be true.I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home takes us through a trap door, into a windswept, imagined journey to the tragic-comic landscape that is, unmistakably, the world of Lorrie Moore.
How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between
by Bent Flyvbjerg Dan Gardner&“Why do big projects go wrong so often, and are there any lessons you can use when renovating your kitchen? Bent Flyvbjerg is the &‘megaproject&’ expert and Dan Gardner brings the storytelling skills to How Big Things Get Done, with examples ranging from a Jimi Hendrix studio to the Sydney Opera House.&”—Financial Times &“Entertaining . . . There are lessons here for managers of all stripes.&”—The EconomistA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Economist, Financial Times, CEO Magazine, MorningstarFinalist for the Porchlight Business Book Award, the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award, and the Inc. Non-Obvious Book AwardNothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, new reality. Think of how the Empire State Building went from a sketch to the jewel of New York&’s skyline in twenty-one months, or how Apple&’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to a product launch in eleven months.These are wonderful stories. But most of the time big visions turn into nightmares. Remember Boston&’s &“Big Dig&”? Almost every sizeable city in the world has such a fiasco in its backyard. In fact, no less than 92% of megaprojects come in over budget or over schedule, or both. The cost of California&’s high-speed rail project soared from $33 billion to $100 billon—and won&’t even go where promised. More modest endeavors, whether launching a small business, organizing a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why?Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life&’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, dubbed &“the world&’s leading megaproject expert.&” In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors in judgment and decision-making that lead projects, both big and small, to fail, and the research-based principles that will make you succeed with yours. For example:• Understand your odds. If you don&’t know them, you won&’t win.• Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it&’s wrong. • Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.• Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.• Be a team maker. You won&’t succeed without an &“us.&”• Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can&’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.• Know that your biggest risk is you.Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House, to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, to a home renovation in Brooklyn gone awry, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done—on time and on budget.
Happiness: A Novel
by Danielle SteelNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Danielle Steel comes an uplifting novel about an author who—to her surprise—inherits a grand estate near London. Sabrina Brooks is a wildly successful bestselling author of gripping thrillers. Unlike her fictional characters, Sabrina lives a quiet life in the Berkshires with her two beloved dogs. But behind this peaceful exterior is a dark, painful past. As a child raised by an emotionally distant father, Sabrina rarely felt love. And as an adult, her marriage twisted into an abusive relationship from which she had to escape. Sabrina channeled that fear into her writing, and now she has everything she&’s ever wanted—until the arrival of a mysterious letter disrupts it all, declaring that Sabrina, as the only living relative of her recently deceased uncle, is now the heir to his title and estate outside London. This shocking news forces her to cross the Atlantic and see the manor for herself, stirring up her father&’s past and the secrets he kept. Determined at first to sell the estate quickly and return home, Sabrina is surprised by how much she loves roaming the gardens and exploring the historic manor. She can&’t help but admire her surroundings, especially with the handsome estate attorney, Grayson Abbott, acting as her tour guide. As she learns more about the family history, Sabrina begins to wonder what life would be like as &“Lady Brooks,&” and if she could upend the stability for which she has worked so hard. Is she brave enough to choose a different path? In Happiness, Danielle Steel creates an unforgettable story about inner strength, following your joy, and the rejuvenating power of love.