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American Impresario: William F. Buckley, Jr., and the Elements of American Character
by Lawrence PerelmanIn 1994, William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative icon, received a letter from an eighteen-year-old aspiring pianist by the name of Lawrence Perelman, the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants. Buckley&’s response sparked a remarkable cross-generational friendship during which Perelman learned of the timeless elements of Buckley&’s character, and the central role of classical music in Buckley&’s American vision.Lawrence Perelman, an eighteen-year-old aspiring pianist and son of Soviet Jewish immigrants, wrote a letter to William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative icon, in 1994. A remarkable cross-generational friendship was sparked by Buckley&’s response. During their friendship Perelman would go on to learn of the timeless elements of Buckley&’s character and the central role of classical music in Buckley&’s American vision. In 2025, the 100th anniversary of Buckley&’s birth, this book delves into some of Buckley&’s virtues which Perelman witnessed firsthand and argues that those virtues can transform the fabric of America&’s character. Their friendship spanned from 1995 to February 27, 2008, the day Buckley passed away in his Connecticut home while Perelman practiced piano in a nearby room for a private recital that evening for Buckley and friends that would never happen. American Impresario is a portrait of Buckley, the impresario of the conservative movement, man of faith, Cold Warrior, bulwark against Anti-Semitism, Renaissance man, musician, and mentor to countless people who continue their work today. This book will inspire readers, both young and old, to emulate Buckley&’s virtues, including a return to civil discourse, anonymous philanthropy, faith, patriotism and fostering relationships between mentor and protégé, as part of a goal to reweave the fabric of our nation&’s character.
Survival of the Filthiest: A Get Fuzzy Collection (Get Fuzzy #17)
by Darby ConleySurvival of the Filthiest takes Bucky the cat and Satchel the pooch back to their animal origins, not that they&’ve ever strayed too far from their nonpedigrees. Constantly testing the patience of their &“amateur treat boy&” Rob, Bucky and Satchel pull off daily antics in the Get Fuzzy household that are routinely smelly, messy, and, yes, even filthy. In Survival of the Filthiest, Bucky decides to secede from the United States and declare the state of Buckyvania in his closet, complete with visitor permissions and postcards. When the state of Buckyvania has a food shortage, he is forced to launch a successful special ops raiding party. Not to be deterred when Buckyvania falls, Bucky begins a government takeover plan with Mac Manc McManx slated as the new president. Meanwhile, Satchel, convinced there are ghosts in the house, hires the Atlantic Research of Supernatural Entities Group to ghostbust. When their study is a bust, Mystic Misty, a feline cable access psychic, steps in to uncover the spirits. All this amid Bucky making batteries out of monkeys and Satchel eating all but the head of Rob&’s Star Wars collectible equate to another sidesplitting look into the crazy world of Get Fuzzy.
When Bad Things Happen to Stupid People: A Close To Home Collection (Close to Home #16)
by John McPhersonSome call it weird. Others, eclectic, creative, hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny, and good old-fashioned snort-milk-out-your-nose humor. Whatever adjective you apply to Close to Home, it has become one of the most popular comic panels in the funny pages today. Close to Home has devout fans that range from elementary students to octogenarians. As one fan put it, "I feel like you have been looking in my window and are drawing my life!" Though by no means a Peeping Tom, John McPherson does have the unique skill of being able to take those idiosyncrasies of daily life that drive us all nuts and infuse them with razor-sharp wit.In When Bad Things Happen to Stupid People John features angry letters from readers, cartoons that were killed by the editor, a glimpse inside his creative process, and never-before-seen photos of his erasers, quill pens, and his lucky drawing slippers. Who could resist it?
Yukon Wedding (Alaskan Brides Ser.)
by Allie PleiterA gold-rush town is no place for a single mother. But widow Lana Bristow won't abandon the only home her son has ever known. She'll fight to remain in Treasure Creek, Alaska-even if it means wedding Mack Tanner, the man she blames for her husband's death.Mack sees marriage as his duty, the only way to protect his former business partner's family. Yet what starts as an obligation changes as his spoiled socialite bride proves to be a woman of strength and grace. A woman who shows Mack the only treasure he needs is her heart.
Girl on the Block: A True Story of Coming of Age Behind the Counter
by Jessica WraggGabrielle Hamilton meets April Bloomfield in a raw and rollicking memoir that pulls back the curtain on life as a female butcher.When 16-year-old Jessica Wragg applied for a job at the local farm shop in her hometown of Chesterfield, England, she never expected to land a position behind the all-male butchery counter. Young and enthusiastic, and fueled by a newfound fascination with the craft, Wragg quickly realized that she was an outcast in a world of middle-aged men who spoke a secret language to fool customers and were reluctant to share the tricks of their trade with a novice.A decade later, against all odds, Wragg is pulling back the curtain on an industry that is still problematically set in its old-school ways. Like her female counterparts in the restaurant world, she has had to fight to establish herself in the meat industry, memorizing muscle and bone and tendon, while battling sexism and ageism. Girl on the Block is a fish-out-of-water story that blends Wragg's personal journey with an exploration of the sanctity of her craft and an honest look at the modern meat industry. A tour through one of the oldest, dirtiest, and most fascinating professions, Girl on the Block is Wragg's tale of returning home with blood on her boots at the end of fourteen-hour days and finding her way in the end.
The Legal Lampoon: A Biased, Unfair, and Completely Accurate Law Review from Non Sequitur (Non Sequitur #3)
by Wiley MillerWhen he launched Non Sequitur a decade ago, Wiley Miller knew he didn't want a running joke. So he took the name of his strip from the Latin phrase for "it does not follow" and created a comic that features no central character or theme, no setting or time frame, just a Twilight Zone of cartoon moments. Day after day, Non Sequitur hilariously jabs at the feats and foibles of life, skewering everyone from doctors to politicians. Wiley's irreverent, satirical wit, combined with his superbly crafted illustrations, confirms once and for all that the universe is one big joke at humanity's expense. In Wiley's world, no one is a better target than lawyers. That's why The Legal Lampoon, a collection of the cream of Non Sequitur's legal cartoon crop, will be one of the Wiley's most popular books. Consider the poor panhandler standing next to a signboard that reads, "Stood on principle. Won my lawsuit. Went bankrupt." Or the Master of Spin, responding to his client's lost appeal to the parole board: "Congratulations! You've been held over by popular demand . . ." Or a fund-raiser who can't get any donations until she edits her sign to read: "Donations to spay and neuter stray pets and lawyers." Throughout the pages of The Legal Lampoon, lawyers get a royal roasting. It's a hilarious collection that will appeal to everyone who both reviles and respects lawyers. Yes, it's true: Many lawyers let Wiley know how much they appreciate his attorney humor. It's a book made in legal heaven.
Swanfolk: A Novel
by Kristin OmarsdottirLike a modern Midsummer Night’s Dream, an ethereal and haunting novel about a young spy who enchanted by a species of half-swan, half-human creatures—an obsession that ultimately leads her to question her own existence—and sanity.In the not-too-distant future, a young spy named Elísabet Eva finds herself mentally unraveling following an assignment in Paris. Everything in Elísabet’s life in the city—her friends, social engagements, and late nights—revolved around her work as a spy with the Special Unit. To regain her mental balance, Elísabet finds herself taking long solitary walks near the lake.One day, she sees two strange beasts emerging from the water—a pair of seemingly mythical creatures, human woman above the waist, swan below. Curious, she follows them through tangles of thickets to a clearing . . . and into a strange new reality. Elísabet’s walks become regular visits to these swan women. As she earns their trust, the creatures reveal the enigma of their secret existence and their desire to reproduce. Pulled further and further into the swanfolk’s monomaniacal (and often violent) quest, Elísabet finds her own mind growing increasingly untrustworthy. Ultimately, she is forced to reckon with both the consequences of her involvement with these unusual beings and her own past—and face a truth she’s carefully tried to evade.
The Temptations of Lord Tintagel: The Cornish Dukes (The Cornish Dukes #3)
by Bronwyn ScottWhen his enemy… becomes his truly tempting ally! Inigo’s best friend’s life was cut brutally short by his association with the lovely Audevere Brenley and her father. Now Inigo seeks justice. But never did he dream that his greatest ally would be Audevere herself. What begins as business is branded with passion as Inigo rediscovers the intrepid, determined woman he thought he knew. His most dangerous revelation? His own feelings for her! The Cornish Dukes Born to inherit, destined for love! Book 1 — The Secrets of Lord Lynford Book 2 — The Passions of Lord Trevethow Book 3 — The Temptations of Lord Tintagel Look out for the next book in the series, coming soon! “Tempted by His Secret Cinderella blew me away, it’s stylish, seductive, intriguing and utterly romantic, honestly it’s perfect!” — Goodreads on Tempted by His Secret Cinderella “Do not think that this is just a mere tortured hero comes homes and heroine tries to bring him back to his old self, because this book is far, far more than that, the story goes from the expected to the utterly heart in mouth unexpected and then finishes with the most beautiful ending.” — Chicks, Rogues and Scandals on Captivated by her Convenient Husband
Dumbheart: A Get Fuzzy Collection (Get Fuzzy #14)
by Darby ConleyBucky B. Katt is leading the charge of the Highlands Kittyscouts. Bolstered by his roommates Rob Wilco (decked out in a borrowed hotel bathrobe and a Burger King crown) and Satchel Pooch (protected by a colander helmet), the trio from Get Fuzzy are ready to entertain their readers with another collection of their antics. Bucky's crazy schemes and snarky attitude play off the good hearted Satchel and the exasperated Rob to endless comic results.
What's Important Is Feeling: Stories
by Adam WilsonBankers prowl Brooklyn bars on the eve of the stock market crash. A debate over Young Elvis versus Vegas Elvis turns existential. Detoxing junkies use a live lobster to spice up their love life. Students on summer break struggle to escape the orbit of a seemingly utopic communal house.And in the title story, selected for The Best American Short Stories, two film school buddies working on a doomed project are left sizing up their own talent, hoping to come out on top—but fearing they won't.In What's Important Is Feeling, Adam Wilson follows the through-line of contemporary coming-of-age from the ravings of teenage lust to the staggering loneliness of proto-adulthood. He navigates the tough terrain of American life with a delicate balance of comedy and compassion, lyricism and unsparing straightforwardness. Wilson's characters wander through a purgatory of yearning, hope, and grief. No one emerges unscathed.
Zombies Need Love Too: And Still Another Lio Collection (Lio Ser. #6)
by Mark Tatulli"... Mark Tatulli's Lio isn't just a charmingly macabre strip about a creepy little boy who dabbles in the occult; it's also a daily demonstration of how a skilled artist can express sometimes complicated comedic ideas without any dialogue. . . ."— A.V. Club, The OnionLio is a small boy with a penchant for befriending squids, monsters, and aliens. He's a curious scientist, a comic-book fan, defender of the defenseless, and creator of an army of zombie bunnies. All without saying a word. Zombies Need Love Too is Lio's fifth book with AMP.
Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life: Because You're Worth It
by George BresciaOpen the door to harmonious, powerful, and positive dressing with a guide that&’s like The Secret—for your wardrobe. In this groundbreaking how-to book, style expert George Brescia shows you how to transform yourself from the inside out.More than a style guide, this revolutionary book by a seasoned stylist teaches a method of conscious dressing that begins with a powerful internal change. Instead of just grabbing for whatever&’s on hand, you&’ll learn to set your goals for the day, determining how you want to be perceived, and then dress in a way that helps manifest those intentions. Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life reveals the true power your clothing has to affect your life, showing how this second skin impacts your job prospects, your romantic life, your income, and even your deepest sense of self. Translating his styling methods into a philosophy anyone can apply on her own, Brescia also delivers tips and tricks of the trade to help convert even the most hapless dresser into a happy and educated shopper. Because the goal is to have you not only looking great, but feeling more confident, too. From major closet overhauls to a whole new philosophy on color, this is a comprehensive manual for anyone who&’s ever looked at her closet in despair. Accessible, direct, honest, and thought-provoking, Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life takes an eye-opening look at the intersection between our clothing and our emotions, hopes, and dreams, showing us how improving our external appearance can have life-changing effects on how we&’re perceived by others—and more importantly, on how we perceive ourselves.
Your Life Is a Life of Hope!: Thoughts on Things That Make Life Worth Living
by Lord BirthdayIn Your Life Is a Life of Hope!, the Internet&’s favorite mustachioed king presents a series of short, illustrated essays in which he argues for hope by way of absurdity and transcendence by way of the mundane. In his signature childlike, dryly humorous style, Lord Birthday explores the things that make life so great, including jackets and bags and &“booping someone on the nose.&” Both strange and strangely moving, this collection will delight fans and newcomers alike.
In the Bleachers: Baseball (Udig Ser.)
by Steve MooreThe world of sports is tough, competitive, and often hysterical. Steve Moore highlights the humor of sports and creates moments of absurdity in his comic strip In the Bleachers. In this e-book original compilation, the sport of baseball is lampooned on and off the field. From an umpire-vaporizing homemade laser to an all-too-true riff on the inexpiable infield fly rule, the ironic illustrations that Steve Moore is known for make good fun our of America's pastime. This latest compilation of In the Bleachers features Steve Moore&’s unique comedic style that has propelled his career from journalism to TV/feature film animation. He has had huge success in the industry with two animated feature films and 26 animated shorts for ESPN. Moore&’s success has not diminished his devotion to his comic strip as he continues to draw from his experience to give each of his comics a fresh and hilarious take on sports.
Paris to Provence: Childhood Memories of Food & France
by Sara Remington Ethel Brennan&“This beautiful mémoire will beguile everyone who loves France and should be essential reading for anyone going there for the first time. Ethel and Sara have captured a beloved place through the rosy, whimsical, wacky, tender, and honest lens of childhood. Forget three-star dining and luxury travel; this is the France that I love and remember with pleasure. The recipes are simple and soul satisfying—from café fare and home cooking to street food and a village feast. I was enchanted with the evocative photos and charmed by every memory.&”—Alice Medrich, author of Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts&“To read Paris to Provence is to take a beautiful and wonderfully nostalgic journey to the France of my childhood, the France of sweet dreams. If you&’ve ever had your soul captured by the magic that exists in the lighter side of la France profonde, and if you have a sensitivity toward joyful moments created around food, family, and friends, then Paris to Provence is for you. It&’s a lovely book filled with classic and simple yet delicious French recipes. Somebody needs to open a restaurant here in the United States that uses this book to inspire its menu. I&’d eat there at least once a week!&”—William Widmaier, author of A Feast at the BeachEthel and Sara beguile you with recipes and stories from their summer childhoods as they traveled with their respective families from Paris to Provence. In markets, cafés, truck stops, bakeries, bistros, and French family homes, the girls experienced their first taste of France, re-created here through recipes, stories, and photographs. Inspired by her memories of truck stop lunches sitting next to tables of grizzled truckers, Ethel gives us Steak au Poivre à la Sauce aux Morilles (pepper steak with morels). Sara&’s whimsical game of using her asparagus as soldiers&’ spears to guard her food from her sister is the source of her recipe for Les Soldats (soft-boiled eggs and fresh asparagus spears). Lingering over late-night dinners with grown-ups and listening in on their stories of the resistance and wild boar hunts inspired Ethel&’s recipe for Fraises au Vin Rouge (strawberries in red wine syrup). Rosemary and its powerful scent, first discovered by Sara while hiking with her family in the Luberon Mountains in the south of France, infuses her recipe for Cotes d&’Agneau Grillées au Romarin (grilled lamb chops with rosemary). From Îles Flottantes (poached meringues in crème anglaise) to Escargots (snails in garlic butter), and from Merguez (spicy grilled lamb sausage patties) to Ratatouille (summer vegetable stew), each recipe reflects Sara and Ethel&’s childhood experiences in Paris and Provence. Sixty thoughtful, simple, and traditionally French dishes complemented by over one hundred luscious photographs will send you toyour kitchen, and maybe even to France.
Fingers Pointing Towards the Moon: Reflections of a Pilgrim on the Way
by Wei Wu WeiFingers Pointing Towards the Moon was the first of a series of extraordinary spiritual manifestos written by the anonymous Wei Wu Wei. Like a master instructing every reader who has the dedication to read this book, the author maintains direct and unrelenting perspective, giving Fingers Pointing to the Moon its status as one of Zen Buddhism's essential classics. The depth of understanding evinced by Wei Wu Wei places him with Paul Reps, Alan Watts, and Philip Kapleau as one of the earliest and most profound interpreters of Zen.
Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist: Fresh Takes on Favorite Dishes
by Cat Cora Ann Krueger SpivackThe Iron Chef offers over 100 fast & fresh recipes offering modern, healthy takes on popular favorites.On the wildly popular show Iron Chef America, Cat Cora fires up the imagination of millions of cooks by improvising exciting dishes while the clock is ticking. Now in Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, she shares recipes she makes where cooking really counts: at home.If you’re searching for casual fare that looks as if you spent hours on it (but takes a fraction of the time), you’ll want to try tomato-mozzarella skewers with Blood Mary vinaigrette (witch crispy onion rings on the side), fettucine with scallops and lime, and blueberry-lemon poppyseed upside-down cake.And if you need fast, healthful meals, you’ll find delicious inspiration in this book. These are the meals Cat puts together after work for her own family, including her four boys under the age of seven: enchilada pie, easy chicken curry, bucatini pasta with bacon, and crispy baked fish sticks with honey mustard dipping sauce.Wish your favorite dishes were a little faster, fresher, and brighter-flavored? Then you’ll welcome Cat’s take on the classics: baked “fried calamari, soft tacos with grilled flank steak and pineapple salsa, and cherry-filled chocolate cupcakes. Many, like Greek-style nachos, “pulled pork” sloppy joes, and red velvet coconut cake, are Cat’s spins on foods she enjoyed as a child growing up in a Greek family in the South.Cat helps you sneak out a few calories (when it improves the taste) and freshen things up, slipping chipotle chili croutons into Caesar salad or lemongrass into coq au vin. She reveals the secrets she learned over decades of cooking in restaurants. Best of all, Cat shows you how to “twist” these recipes, changing each one in subtle or dramatic ways the next time to make it your very own.Praise for Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist“When . . . Cora sets out to provide unique flavors, she delivers. . . . Her more than 100 recipes touch on every part of the menu, adding not only new tastes, but also new knowledge.” —Booklist“Easily identifiable recipes like Chili and Minestrone are infused with Cora's signature zesty flair . . . and she certainly proves she's got a lot to offer. . . . Readers will easily identify with Cora's laid back, family-style approach to cooking, and find effective and valuable tips throughout. Over seventy full-color photos add style and remind the reader that casual trumps extravagant in Cora's kitchen. Her book will appeal to the home cook who wants to break from the monotony of the weeknight meal.” —Publishers Weekly
Confessions to My Mother
by Cathy GuisewiteFor years, Cathy and her mother have been working out their relationship on the comic pages in such an honest, relatable, humor-filled way that thousands of mothers and daughters have written to say the comic strip is the single thing that has helped them keep speaking to each other over the years. In Confessions to My Mother, Cathy helps daughters speak to their mothers in an even more poignant way--with page after page of everything from embarrassing truths..."The last time you came to visit I spent a whole day hiding things before you got here."to belated admissions...I'm sorry for the 10 to 15 years I spent grunting at you."to personal revelations...The inside of my bathroom cabinet looks exactly as bad as the inside of your bathroom cabinet."and heartfelt sentiments.."When I make your chicken soup, it doesn't taste like your chicken soup.""The thing I am the most sure of in my life is that you love me.""Because of you, I can't throw out a cardboard box."According to creator Cathy Guisewite, Confessions to My Mother is "all the deep, insightful, meaningful things I want to say to Mom, but never actually say because I'm too busy acting like a five-year-old when I'm with her."
Blueschild Baby: A Novel
by George Cain“The most important work of fiction by an Afro-American since Native Son.” —Addison Gayle, Jr., The New York Times Book ReviewA searing chronicle of the life of a young ex-convict and heroin addict in 1960’s Harlem, an unsparing portrait of a man who couldn’t free himself from the horrors of addiction Blueschild Baby takes place during the summer of 1967—the summer of race riots all across the nation; the Summer of Love in the Haight Ashbury; the summer of Marines dying near Con Thien, across the world in Vietnam—but the novel illuminates the contours of a more private hell: the angry desperation of a heroin addict who returns to his home in Harlem after being in prison.First published in 1970, this frankly autobiographical novel was a revelation, a stunning depiction of a marginal figure, marked literally and figuratively by his drug addiction and navigating a predatory underground of junkies and hustlers—and named George Cain, like his author.Now with a new preface by acclaimed writer Leslie Jamison, this is an unvarnished conjuring of the tyranny of dependence: its desperation, its degradation, its rage and rebellion; the fragile, unsettled, occasional shards of hope it permits; the strange joys of being alive and young and lost and hooked and full of feverish determination anyway.“[A] powerful literary account of addiction.” —The New Yorker
Going to the Chapel (Valentine Brides #5)
by Alice SharpeVALENTINE BRIDESALWAYS PLANNING A WEDDING, BUT NEVER HER OWNFor jilted bride Elinor Bosley, romance was strictly business. Her days were spent running the Lakeside Wedding Chapel, marrying impulsive strangers in quickie ceremonies. But Elinor had sworn off "happily ever after" for herself...or so she'd thought.Then she met Tom Rex. Suddenly this sexy single dad had her hearing wedding bells of her own. Too bad Tom believed marriage was for fools. Could Elinor find a way to change this reluctant hunk into a willing husband?VALENTINE BRIDES: When Cupid strikes, marriage is sure to follow!
Non Sequitur's Beastly Things (Non Sequitur #2)
by Wiley MillerIf a cartoonist successfully captures life's humorous and ironic moments in three short panels, readers applaud. When Wiley does the same in his single-scene format, they roll on the carpet laughing.Non Sequitur not only breaks the three-panel mold, it succeeds without regular characters, standard settings, or repeat situations to fall back on. Each piece, in other words, hangs out there as Wiley's snapshot of the worlds of work, leisure, and life's many crossroads.Non Sequitur's Beastly Things, as guided by Rolf the dog, keeps readers howling, growling, and scratching for more. You will delight, for instance, in crocodiles luring fishermen with dollar bills, Randy the science lab kid who announces that his homework ate his dog, and the desert dweller who celebrates the change of season by raking needles beneath his cacti.
Women in Yoruba Religions (Women in Religions)
by Oyèrónké Oládém?Uncovers the influence of Yoruba culture on women’s religious lives and leadership in religions practiced by Yoruba people Women in Yoruba Religions examines the profound influence of Yoruba culture in Yoruba religion, Christianity, Islam, and Afro-Diasporic religions such as Santeria and Candomblé, placing gender relations in historical and social contexts. While the coming of Christianity and Islam to Yorubaland has posed significant challenges to Yoruba gender relations by propagating patriarchal gender roles, the resources within Yoruba culture have enabled women to contest the full acceptance of those new norms. Oyeronke Olademo asserts that Yoruba women attain and wield agency in family and society through their economic and religious roles, and Yoruba operate within a system of gender balance, so that neither of the sexes can be subsumed in the other. Olademo utilizes historical and phenomenological methods, incorporating impressive data from interviews and participant-observation, showing how religion is at the core of Yoruba lived experiences and is intricately bound up in all sectors of daily life in Yorubaland and abroad in the diaspora.
Haven of Liberty: New York Jews in the New World, 1654-1865 (City of Promises #1)
by Howard B RockHaven of Liberty chronicles the arrival of the first Jews to New York in 1654 and highlights the role of republicanism in shaping their identity and institutions. Rock follows the Jews of NewYork through the Dutch and British colonial eras, the American Revolution and early republic, and the antebellum years, ending with a path-breaking account of their outlook and behavior during the Civil War. Overcoming significant barriers, these courageous men and women laid the foundations for one of the world’s foremost Jewish cities.
The Imagined Juror: How Hypothetical Juries Influence Federal Prosecutors
by Annelise Riles Anna OffitExamines the outsized influence of jurors on prosecutorial discretion Thanks to television and popular media, the jury is deeply embedded in the American public’s imagination of the legal system. For the country’s federal prosecutors, however, jurors have become an increasingly rare sight. Today, in fact, less than 2% of their cases will proceed to an actual jury trial. And yet, when federal prosecutors describe their jobs and what the profession means to them, the jury is a central theme. Anna Offit’s The Imagined Juror examines the counterintuitive importance of jurors in federal prosecutors’ work at a moment when jury trials are statistically in decline. Drawing on extensive field research among federal prosecutors, the book represents “the first ethnographic study of US attorneys,” according to legal scholar Annelise Riles. It describes a world of legal practice in which jurors are frequently summoned—as make-believe audiences for proposed arguments, hypothetical evaluators of evidence, and invented decision-makers who would work together to reach a verdict. Even the question of moving forward with a prosecution often hinges on how federal prosecutors assume a jury will react to elements of the case—an exercise where the perspectives of the public are imagined and incorporated into every stage of trial preparation.Based on these findings, Offit argues that the decreasing number of jury trials at the federal level has not eliminated the influence of the jury but altered it. As imaginary figures, jurors continue to play an important and understudied role in shaping the work and professional identities of federal prosecutors. At the same time, imaginary jurors are not real jurors, and prosecutors at times caricature the public by leaning on stereotypes or preconceived and simplistic ideas about how laypeople think. Imagined jurors, it turns out, are a critical, if flawed, resource for introducing lay perspective into the legal process. As Offit shows, recentering laypeople and achieving the democratic promise of our legal system will require renewed commitment to the jury trial and juries that reflect the diversity of the American public.
Mississippi River Tragedies: A Century of Unnatural Disaster (Religion, Race, and Ethnicity)
by Christine A Klein Sandra B Zellmer“A stunning and important book. It tells a sweeping tale of folly, greed, ignorance, injustice, and unintended consequences. We all should heed its lessons.” —David Baron, award-winning author of The Beast in the GardenAmerican engineers have done astounding things to bend the Mississippi River to their will: forcing one of its tributaries to flow uphill, transforming over a thousand miles of roiling currents into a placid staircase of water, and wresting the lower half of the river apart from its floodplain. American law has aided and abetted these feats. But despite our best efforts, so-called “natural disasters” continue to strike the Mississippi basin, as raging floodwaters decimate waterfront communities and abandoned towns literally crumble into the Gulf of Mexico. In some places, only the tombstones remain, leaning at odd angles as the underlying soil erodes away. Mississippi River Tragedies reveals that it is seductively deceptive—but horribly misleading—to call such catastrophes “natural.”Authors Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer present a sympathetic account of the human dreams, pride, and foibles that got us to this point, weaving together engaging historical narratives and accessible law stories drawn from actual courtroom dramas. The authors deftly uncover the larger story of how the law reflects and even amplifies our ambivalent attitude toward nature—simultaneously revering wild rivers and places for what they are, while working feverishly to change them into something else. Despite their sobering revelations, the authors’ final message is one of hope. Although the acknowledgement of human responsibility for unnatural disasters can lead to blame, guilt, and liability, it can also prod us to confront the consequences of our actions, leading to a liberating sense of possibility and to the knowledge necessary to avoid future disasters.