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Black Hibiscus: African Americans and the Florida Imaginary

by John Wharton Lowe

Contributions by Simone A. James Alexander, José Felipe Alvergue, Valerie Babb, Pamela Bordelon, Taylor Hagood, Joyce Marie Jackson, Delia Malia Konzett, Jane Landers, John Wharton Lowe, Gary Monroe, Noelle Morrissette, Paul Ortiz, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Genevieve West, and Belinda Wheeler The state of Florida has a rich literary and cultural history, which has been greatly shaped by many different ethnicities, races, and cultures that call the Sunshine State home. Little attention has been paid, however, to the key role of African Americans in Floridian history and culture. The state’s early population boom came from immigrants from the US South, and many of them were African Americans. Interaction between the state’s ethnic communities has created a unique and vibrant culture, which has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on southern, national, and hemispheric life and history. Black Hibiscus: African Americans and the Florida Imaginary begins by exploring Florida’s colonial past, focusing particularly on interactions between maroons who escaped enslavement, and on Albery Whitman’s The Rape of Florida, which also links Black people and Native Americans. Contributors consider film, folklore, and music, as well as such key Black writers as Zora Neale Hurston, James Weldon Johnson, Gwendolyn Bennett, Colson Whitehead, and Edwidge Danticat. The volume features Black Floridians’ role in the civil rights movement and Black contributions to the celebrated Florida Writers’ Project. Contributors include literary scholars, historians, film critics, art historians, anthropologists, musicologists, political scientists, artists, and poets.

Black Meme: A History of The Images That Make Us

by Legacy Russell

"Unsettles, expands and deepens our understanding of the black meme...necessary reading; brilliant and utterly convincing."–Christina Sharpe, author of Ordinary Notes"You will be galvanized by Legacy Russell&’s analytic brilliance and visceral eloquence." –Margo Jefferson, author of Constructing a Nervous SystemA history of Black imagery that recasts our understanding of visual culture and technology In Black Meme, Legacy Russell, award-winning author of the groundbreaking Glitch Feminism, explores the &“meme&” as mapped to Black visual culture from 1900 to the present, mining both archival and contemporary media. Russell argues that without the contributions of Black people, digital culture would not exist in its current form. These meditations include the circulation of lynching postcards; why a mother allowed Jet magazine to publish a picture of her dead son, Emmett Till; and how the televised broadcast of protesters in Selma changed the debate on civil rights. Questions of the media representation of Blackness come to the fore as Russell considers how a citizen-recorded footage of the LAPD beating Rodney King became the first viral video. And the Anita Hill hearings shed light on the media&’s creation of the Black icon. The ownership of Black imagery and death is considered in the story of Tamara Lanier&’s fight to reclaim the daguerreotypes of her enslaved ancestors from Harvard. Meanwhile the live broadcast on Facebook of the murder of Philando Castile by the police after he was stopped for a broken taillight forces us to bear witness to the persistent legacy of the Black meme. Through imagery, memory and technology Black Meme shows us how images of Blackness have always been central to our understanding of the modern world.

The Black Practice of Disbelief: An Introduction to the Principles, History, and Communities of Black Nonbelievers

by Anthony Pinn

A short introduction to Black Humanism: its history, its present, and the rich cultural sensibilities that infuse itIn the United States, to be a Black American is to be a Black Christian. And there&’s something to this assumption in that the vast majority of African Americans are Christian. However, in recent years a growing number of African Americans have said they claim no particular religious affiliation—they are Black "nones." And of these Black "nones," the most public and vocal are those who claim to be humanists.What does it mean to be a Black humanist? What do Black humanist believe, and what do they do? This slim volume answers these questions. Animated by six central principles, and discussed in terms of its history, practices, formations, and community rituals, this book argues that Black humanism can be understood as a religious movement. Pinn makes a distinction between theism and religion—which is simply a tool for examining, naming, and finding the meaning in human experience. Black humanism, based on this definition isn&’t theistic but it is a religious system used to explore human experience and foster life meaning. It infuses humanism with rich cultural sensibilities drawn from Black experience. As shown in these pages, thinking about Black humanism this way frees readers from making unfounded assumptions and enables them to better appreciate the secular &“beliefs,&” ritual structures, and community formation constituted by Black humanists.

Black Shield Maiden

by Willow Smith Jess Hendel

From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.&“Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.&”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and BoneLore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen. This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn&’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu. But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she&’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America

by Andrew W. Kahrl

Revealing a history that is deep, broad, and infuriating, The Black Tax casts a bold light on the racist practices long hidden in the shadows of America’s tax regimes. American taxation is unfair, and it is most unfair to the very people who critically need its support. Not only do taxpayers with fewer resources—less wealth, power, and land—pay more than the well-off, but they are forced to fight for their rights within an unjust system that undermines any attempts to improve their position or economic standing. In The Black Tax, Andrew W. Kahrl reveals the shocking history and ruinous consequences of inequitable and predatory tax laws in this country—above all, widespread and devastating racial dispossession. Throughout the twentieth century, African Americans acquired substantial amounts of property nationwide. But racist practices, obscure processes, and outright theft diminished their holdings and their power. Of these, Kahrl shows, few were more powerful, or more quietly destructive, than property taxes. He examines all the structural features and hidden traps within America’s tax system that have forced Black Americans to pay more for less and stripped them of their land and investments, and he reveals the staggering cost. The story of America’s now enormous concentration of wealth at the top—and the equally enormous absence of wealth among most Black households—has its roots here. ​ Kahrl exposes the painful history of these practices, from Reconstruction up to the present, describing how discrimination continues to take new forms, even as people continue to fight for their rights, their assets, and their power. If you want to understand the extreme economic disadvantages and persistent racial inequalities that African American households continue to face, there is no better starting point than The Black Tax.

Black Visions of the Holy Land: African American Christian Engagement with Israel and Palestine (Columbia Series on Religion and Politics)

by Roger Baumann

Since at least the high point of the civil rights movement, African American Christianity has been widely recognized as a potent force for social change. Most attention to the political significance of Black churches, however, focuses on domestic protest and electoral politics. Yet some Black churches take a deep interest in the global issue of Israel and Palestine. Why would African American Christians get involved—and even take sides—in Palestine and Israel, and what does that reveal about the political significance of “the Black Church” today?This book examines African American Christian involvement in Israel and Palestine to show how competing visions of “the Black Church” are changing through transnational political engagement. Considering cases ranging from African American Christian Zionists to Palestinian solidarity activists, Roger Baumann traces how Black religious politics transcend domestic arenas and enter global spaces. These cases, he argues, illuminate how the meaning of the ostensibly singular and unifying category of “the Black Church”—spanning its history, identity, culture, and mission—is deeply contested at every turn. Black Visions of the Holy Land offers new insights into how Black churches understand their political role and social significance; the ways race, religion, and politics both converge and diverge; and why the meaning of overlapping racial and religious identities shifts when moving from national to global contexts.

Blame the Stars: A Very Good, Totally Accurate Collection of Astrological Advice

by Heather Buchanan

Part surrealism, part humor, and part affectionate guidance, Blame the Stars is a wild adventure into a world of uniquely alternative zodiac signs.Welcome to the world of Horror Scoops: a weird and wonderful twist on classic zodiac signs. Meet passionate and wild Lemo (a.k.a. Leo), kind Lehbrah (Libra), steadfast Clopricrumb (Capricorn), Germini the Twrnnns (take two guesses), and others—signs which, although slightly silly, reveal more about us than we realize.Part One dives deep into each sign, offering insightful tidbits and advice on love, life, and work (for example, if you’re an Arbys, consider a career as a Pie-Eating Competition Judge, a Horse Observer, or a Horse Observer Observer). Part Two details a year’s worth of sign-specific guidance, Scoop-holidays (like January 15, the Day of Remembrance for Fallen Houseplants), and journal prompts to spark deep introspection. Full of colorful illustrations from Scoops creator and accidental astrologer Heather Buchanan, lots of entertaining nonsense, and occasional sense-sense, Blame the Stars offers the ideal way to contemplate the mysteries of the universe (or have a giggle). FOR ASTROLOGY FANS: Horoscope and astrology are deeply engrained in society. This modern divination book stands out as a playful and interactive option that will appeal to people who dig astrology but don't take it all too seriously (because life is serious enough).FROM THE CREATOR OF WILDLY POPULAR HORROR SCOOPS: Author Heather Buchanan has been creating and sharing her absurdist horoscopes for years to her hundreds of thousands of fans. This is the book those fans have been waiting for, capturing for the first time all the wild, insightful, colorful signs and observations they love in one volume. RELATABLE AND QUIRKY HUMOR: There is a genuine feeling of joy behind the absurd, offbeat humor of this horoscope book. While some astrological-themed metaphysical books may be more serious, this one feels approachable, engaging, and just plain fun.Perfect for:Fans of Horror Scoops and Heather Buchanan's work Astrology devotees (and the astrology-curious) who don't take themselves too seriously People interested in lighthearted self-helpFollowers of social media horoscope accounts and brands like Bitch Rising, Co-Star, That Libra Chic, and moreGift-giving to any astrology lover for birthday, anniversary, or just for fun

Bless Your Heart (A Bless Your Heart Novel #1)

by Lindy Ryan

A crackling mystery-horror novel with big-hearted characters and Southern charm with a bite, Bless Your Heart is a gasp-worthy delight from start to finish from debut author Lindy Ryan. Rise and shine. The Evans women have some undead to kill.It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny—Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi—the original vampire—are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried. "A gloriously gruesome, compulsively readable debut that is as grizzly as it is clever and heartfelt." - Rachel Harrison

Blockchain-based Cyber Security: Applications and Paradigms

by Kaushal Shah

The book focuses on a paradigm of blockchain technology that addresses cyber security. The challenges related to cyber security and the solutions based on Software Defined Networks are discussed. The book presents solutions to deal with cyber security attacks by considering real-time applications based on IoT, Wireless Sensor Networks, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Smart Grids. The book is useful for academicians and research scholars worldwide working in cyber security. It is also useful for industry experts working in cyber security.

Blockchain Technology and Emerging Applications: Third EAI International Conference, BlockTEA 2023, Wuhan, China, December 2-3, 2023, Proceedings (Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering #577)

by Jiageng Chen Zhe Xia

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Blockchain Technology and Emerging Applications, BlockTEA 2023, held in December 2-3, 2023 in Wuhan, China. The 10 regular papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 41 submissions. Blockchain technology has been emerging as a potential technology to be applied in various domains, including finance, computer science, electronic engineering, agriculture, healthcare and more. The blockchain-based applications are able to aid the current systems and networks by leveraging the benefits provided by blockchain technology, such as a decentralized, immutable, and cryptographically secured ledger.

Blood at the Root (Blood at the Root #1)

by LaDarrion Williams

A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut unlike anything you've seen before.Ten years ago, Malik's life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik&’s mother attended.At Caiman University, Malik&’s eyes are opened to a future he never could have envisioned for himself— one that includes the reappearance of his first love, Alexis. His search for answers about his heritage, his powers, and what really happened to his mother exposes the cracks in their magical community as it faces a reawakened evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution. Together with Alexis, Malik discovers a lot beneath the surface at Caiman: feuding covens and magical politics, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries. In a wholly unique saga of family, history and community, Malik must embrace his legacy to save what's left of his old family as well as his new one. Exploring the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, this heart-pounding fantasy series opener is a rich tapestry of atmosphere, intrigue, and emotion.

Blood & Fury

by Tessa Gratton Justina Ireland

Bloody magic. Ancient fury. Prepare for the gripping conclusion to the Chaos & Flame saga, the "fast-paced, action-filled fantasy that reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender" (BCCB) from two beloved New York Times bestselling authors.A single kiss set Chaos ablaze.Picking up months after betrayal transformed Darling Seabreak into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature. How can she, an orphan with no family, be the one to reunite the fractured houses and bring about peace, if she can't control the magic of her new Phoenix body? Talon Goldhoard, still in love with Darling but wounded by her betrayal, is tasked with ending the vicious war that his family instigated. With the Phoenix reborn, Talon is hopeful that the bloodshed will end swiftly. Instead, the kingdom grows more fraught, with the threat of violence ever present – especially from dark, conniving forces within the walls of his own House Dragon.As Chaos reigns, Talon and Darling must find their way back to each other – not only to survive but to save the kingdom. Can Darling harness the power of the ancient magic that runs through her blood to bring about a new peace? Or will the fury that House Dragon fueled for a hundred-year war be too strong to break?

Blood Justice (Blood Debts)

by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Blood Justice is the hotly anticipated sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker's debut Blood Debts.'An extravaganza' Chloe GongCristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice. Having restored their family's stolen throne, the time has come to look forward to a brighter future for the magical community. But for Valentina Savant, she lost everything and is hellbent on revenge. And lucky for her, she's not the only one. Hateful anti-magic protesters and a ruthless detective with a personal vendetta sabotage their reign at every turn. Worst of all, to protect the boy he loves, Clem has summoned a brutal god that stalks them from the shadows. Shocking murders, disappearances, and new alliances are changing the game forever - and not everyone will survive the final round.'Sings with hope and barely disguised rage'TJ Klune

Blood Justice (Blood Debts)

by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Blood Justice is the hotly anticipated sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker's debut Blood Debts.'An extravaganza' Chloe GongCristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice. Having restored their family's stolen throne, the time has come to look forward to a brighter future for the magical community. But for Valentina Savant, she lost everything and is hellbent on revenge. And lucky for her, she's not the only one. Hateful anti-magic protesters and a ruthless detective with a personal vendetta sabotage their reign at every turn. Worst of all, to protect the boy he loves, Clem has summoned a brutal god that stalks them from the shadows. Shocking murders, disappearances, and new alliances are changing the game forever - and not everyone will survive the final round.'Sings with hope and barely disguised rage'TJ Klune

Blood Justice (Blood Debts #2)

by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Blood Justice is the hotly anticipated sequel to Terry J. Benton-Walker’s Most Anticipated debut Blood Debts.Praise for Blood Debts: “A conjuring of magnificence.” —NIC STONE • “A force.” —ROSEANNE A. BROWN • “An extravaganza.” —CHLOE GONG • “Powerful.” —AYANA GRAY • “Sings with hope and rage.” —TJ KLUNE • “An unforgettable thrill ride.” —J. ELLE • “Steeped in magic.” —ALEXIS HENDERSON • “Crackles with mystery and ferocity.” —MARK OSHIROCristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice. They took back their family’s stolen throne to lead New Orleans’ magical community into the brighter future they all deserve. But when Cris and Clem restored their family power, Valentina Savant lost everything. Her beloved grandparents are gone and her sovereignty has been revoked—she will never be Queen. Unless, of course, someone dethrones the Trudeaus again. And lucky for her, she’s not the only one trying to take them down.Cris and Clem have enemies coming at them from all directions: Hateful anti-magic protesters sabotage their reign at every turn. A ruthless detective with a personal vendetta against magical crime is hot on their tail just as Cris has discovered her thirst for revenge. And a brutal god, hunting from the shadows, is summoned by the very power Clem needs to protect the boy he loves.Cris’s hunger for vengeance and Clem’s desire for love could prove to be their family’s downfall, all while new murders, shocking disappearances, and impossible alliances are changing the game forever. Welcome back to New Orleans, where gods walk among us and justice isn’t served, it’s taken.Most Anticipated from Publishers Weekly, Bookpage, TheGrio, and more!At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Blood on the Tide (Crimson Sails #2)

by Katee Robert

Set sail for adventure and love in the next spicy fantasy romance from Katee Robert, the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok smash hit Neon Gods.As a bloodline vampire, Lizzie has never had a problem taking what she wants, and right now what she wants are the family heirlooms that were stolen from her and a portal home. Too bad even that short list is impossible to accomplish on her own—and her allies have bigger things to worry about. When they rescue a selkie from captivity, it&’s the perfect solution to her problem. Lizzie needs a guide through Threshold and the selkie needs someone to help her get her skin back. Maeve didn&’t choose to give up her skin—it was stolen from her. Now she&’s in an uneasy partnership with a dangerous woman who seems more apt to kill than to share a kind word. It&’s terrifying…and a bit alluring. Even though she knows it will end in heartbreak, Maeve can&’t help being drawn to Lizzie and her all-too-pleasurable vampire bite. Unfortunately, the danger to Maeve&’s heart is the least of her worries. The ship Lizzie&’s chasing belongs to the Cŵn Annwn, and they don&’t take kindly to people who steal from them. Not even Lizzie&’s viciousness or Maeve&’s selkie strength will be enough to save them if the Cŵn Annwn seek retribution…

Blood Rubies

by Mailan Doquang

Rune Sarasin is about to learn just how quickly the life of a jewel thief can spiral out of control.… Seven days are all it takes for Rune Sarasin’s life to completely derail. It starts with a routine heist: lifting a pouch of rubies from the Bangkok hotel room of wealthy smuggler Charles Lemaire. Rune nearly gets caught when Lemaire’s goons give chase, but she manages to escape with her boyfriend Kit. Then Kit delivers some terrifying news: his teenage sister Madee has gone missing. They track her cell phone to the dangerous Khlong Toei slum, but the trail ends there. The night gets even worse when Rune realizes she lost the pouch of gems somewhere in the slum while searching for Madee. Charles Lemaire is the wrong man to mess with. He is a perfectionist when it comes to both his attire and his crimes, and he isn’t afraid to kill to get what he wants. When he catches up to Rune and Kit, he gives Rune an ultimatum: return his rubies or she will never see her boyfriend again. Now Rune must race against time to either recover the lost gems or find something even more valuable with which to ransom Kit back from Lemaire. But she also still needs to find out what happened to Madee. As Rune investigates deeper into the shadows of the Khlong Toei slum, she uncovers a web of crime with consequences far more insidious than just one missing girl and a handful of stolen rubies. Hurtling from the back alleys of Bangkok to the glamorous auction houses of New York City, Mailan Doquang’s heart-pounding debut will leave readers questioning just how far they would go for the ones they love.

Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Mayhem on Wheels (Blue, Barry & Pancakes #6)

by Dan & Jason Dan Abdo Jason Patterson

Blue, Barry, and Pancakes are best friends! They love roller skates, inflatable rubber ducks, and going on HIGH VELOCITY adventures!After a series of wacky mishaps, Blue, Barry, and Pancakes find themselves inside a Roller Duck Ball stadium. Forced to compete in this nonsensical yet highly popular sport, the gang discovers a natural talent for the game. Soon enough, they find themselves hurtling towards athletic stardom! As endorsement deals and branded merchandise offers pile up, will our heroes be able to stay humble and hold onto their friendship? Or will the pressures of fame and success tear them apart?!Like all friends, Blue, Barry, and Pancakes can make mistakes . . . but at the end of the day, they always have each other’s backs. And tops, and sides, and fronts, too!

The Blue Period: Black Writing in the Early Cold War (Thinking Literature)

by Jesse McCarthy

Addresses the political and aesthetic evolution of African American literature and its authors during the Cold War, an era McCarthy calls “the Blue Period.” In the years after World War II, to be a black writer was to face a stark predicament. The contest between the Soviet Union and the United States was a global one—an ideological battle that dominated almost every aspect of the cultural agenda. On the one hand was the Soviet Union, espousing revolutionary communism that promised egalitarianism while being hostile to conceptions of personal freedom. On the other hand was the United States, a country steeped in racial prejudice and the policies of Jim Crow. Black writers of this time were equally alienated from the left and the right, Jesse McCarthy argues, and they channeled that alienation into remarkable experiments in literary form. Embracing racial affect and interiority, they forged an aesthetic resistance premised on fierce dissent from both US racial liberalism and Soviet communism. From the end of World War II to the rise of the Black Power movement in the 1960s, authors such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Paule Marshall defined a distinctive moment in American literary culture that McCarthy terms the Blue Period. In McCarthy’s hands, this notion of the Blue Period provides a fresh critical framework that challenges long-held disciplinary and archival assumptions. Black writers in the early Cold War went underground, McCarthy argues, not to depoliticize or liberalize their work, but to make it more radical—keeping alive affective commitments for a future time.

Blue Ruin

by Hari Kunzru

From one of the sharpest voices in fiction today, a profound and enthralling novel about beauty, power, and capital's influence on art and those who devote their lives to creating it. 'Blue Ruin is bracingly intelligent and often just plain beautiful. It&’s a reminder that fiction, at its best, is a place to encounter new experiences and dwell in big ideas. Kunzru is known for ambitious novels that bring politics to rich, imaginative life; Blue Ruin shows him at the top of his game.' Sandra Newman, Guardian 'Book of the Day' 'I read everything Hari Kunzru writes, for my highest pleasure and my deepest sustenance.' Rachel Kushner Once Jay was tipped for greatness, a rising star of the London art scene. Now, he lives out of his car and earns money delivery groceries to the wealthy of upstate New York, while all around a terrible pandemic rages. When Jay arrives at a house set in an enormous acreage of woodland, he is shocked to see somebody he thought forever lost to him. Standing on the porch is Alice, a lover from his art school days. Their relationship was tumultuous and destructive, ultimately ending when she left him for his best friend and fellow artist Rob. Alice and Rob have achieved the riches and success for which Jay once seemed destined. Ashamed and debilitated by the virus that has ravaged his body, Jay hopes she won't recognise him behind his dirty surgical mask. When she does, however, she invites him to recover on the property, setting in motion a reckoning decades in the making. Gripping and brilliantly orchestrated, Blue Ruin moves back and forth through time to deliver an extraordinary portrait of an artist as he reunites with his past and confronts the world he once loved and left behind. 'Kunzru's brilliance is his ability to fold vertiginous questions [...] into his storytelling. In its unnerving depiction of [...] uneasy relationships, Blue Ruin not only keeps pace with White Tears and Red Pill, but also confirms his status as a master choreographer of the present moment's creeping anxiety.' Literary Review &“[Blue Ruin] promises to be harrowing and darkly funny. Kunzru has a knack for the nightmarish present, and few things feel more nightmarish than a forced confrontation with the past in the early stages of the pandemic.&” Lit Hub, 'Most Anticipated Books of 2024' &“Kunzru&’s [Blue Ruin] is a triumph of beauty and a true ode to the artist.&” Oprah Daily, 'Most Anticipated Books of 2024' &“Kunzru takes on the excessive and rapacious tendencies of the art world in his dazzling latest . . . [Blue Ruin] is immensely satisfying.&” Publishers Weekly &“A lively, ever-intensifying story of race, immigration, work, and what it means to earn a living . . . [Blue Ruin is] a darkly ironic tale of two bubbles—an art world divorced from economic reality and a Covid era that segregated us from society . . . A dark, smart, provocative tale of the perils of art making.&” Kirkus &“Exquisite writing and keen insights into class tensions and creative dilemmas. Kunzru affirms that it&’s always a good time to live an examined life, even during a pandemic.&” Booklist

Blue Ruin: A novel

by Hari Kunzru

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • From one of the sharpest voices in fiction today, a profound and enthralling novel about beauty and power, capital, art and those who devote their lives to creating itOnce, Jay was an artist. After graduating from art school in London, he was tipped for greatness, a promising career taking shape before him. That was not to happen. Now, undocumented in the United States, having survived Covid, he lives out of his car and barely makes a living as an essential worker, delivering groceries in a wealthy area of upstate New York. One day, as Jay attempts to make a delivery at a house surrounded by acres of woods, he is confronted by his destructive past: Alice, a former lover from his art school days, and the friend she left him for. Recognizing Jay&’s dire circumstances, Alice invites him to stay on their property—where an erratic gallery owner and his girlfriend are isolating as well—setting in motion a reckoning that has been decades in the making.Gripping and brilliantly orchestrated, Blue Ruin moves back and forth through time, delivering an extraordinary portrait of an artist as he reunites with his past and confronts the world he once loved and left behind.

Bluestockings: The First Women's Movement

by Susannah Gibson

'Sophisticated, rich and skilful . . . highlights the extraordinary place these women carved out for themselves against the odds' New Statesman'Remarkable . . . The Bluestockings bust out of the pages with unmistakable glee . . . their complexity and individuality shine through' BBC History'Spirited, lively and scholarly' Literary Review'A story of sisterhood and empowerment' PHILIPPA GREGORYIn Britain in the 1750s, women had no power and no rights - all money and property belonged to their fathers or husbands. A brave group risked everything to think and live as they wished, despite the sneers of contemporaries who argued that books frazzled female brains and damaged their wombs. Meet the Bluestockings: ELIZABETH MONTAGU hosted a series of glittering salons in her London drawing room, where a circle of women and men discussed theatre, philosophy and the classics, competing to outdo each other in wit and brilliance. Discover how she took on Voltaire and won. Whilst nursing twelve children and helping run her bullying husband's brewery, HESTER THRALE took key writers under her wing - Dr Johnson moved into her house for several years. Her vivid diaries offer a powerful chronicle of what happened when she finally decided to follow her heart.Find out how poetess and former milkmaid ANN YEARSLEY fought back when her snobbish patron refused to hand over her earnings because she was working class and thus irresponsible . . . Or how CATHERINE MACAULEY's eight volume history of England caused such a sensation that she became a leading light in the American Revolution - while her unorthodox love-life scandalised her contemporaries . . .In this brilliant book, Susannah Gibson explores the lives and legacies of these and other figures who went on to inspire writers and thinkers from Mary Wollstonecraft to Virginia Woolf and lead the way for feminism. Bluestockings: the unexpected and inspiring stories of the forgotten heroines of Britain's very first women's movement.

Bo Hatches a Plan (Good Dog #11)

by Cam Higgins

In this adorable eleventh book of the Good Dog series, Bo eagerly waits for the new baby chicks!Springtime has arrived at the Davis family farm! With the warmer weather comes mud playtime, new blooms, and new hatchlings in the chicken coop! When Bo is tasked with guarding the eggs, he promises the chickens there won&’t be any horsing around. But when his best puppy pal, Scrapper, shows up with the zoomies…well, things become eggs-tra difficult. With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Good Dog chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Boaters of London: Alternative Living on the Water (Lifeworlds: Knowledges, Politics, Histories #5)

by Ben Bowles

London and the Southeast of England is home to an alternative community of people called 'boaters': individuals and families who live on narrowboats, cruisers and barges, along a network of canals and rivers. Many of these people move from place to place every two weeks due to mooring rules and form itinerant communities in the heart of some of the UK’s most built-up and expensive urban spaces. Boaters of London is an ethnography that delves into the process of becoming a boater, adopting an alternative lifestyle on the water and the political impact that this travelling population has on the state.

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