Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisEducated in Platonic philosophy rather than the military arts, the Ostrogothic king Theodahad was never meant to rule. His unexpected nomination as co-regent by his cousin Queen Amalasuintha plunged him into the intrigues of the Gothic court, and Theodahad soon conspired to assassinate the queen. But, once alone on the throne, his lack of political experience and military skill made him ineffective at best and dangerously incompetent at worst. Defeated by the Byzantine emperor Justinian, Theodahad was killed by his own subjects.In Theodahad, Massimiliano Vitiello rigorously investigates the ancient sources in order to reconstruct the events of Theodahad’s life and the contours of sixth-century diplomacy and political intrigues. Painting a picture of an unlikely king whose reign helped spell the end of Ostrogothic Italy, Vitiello’s book not only illuminates Theodahad’s own life but also offers new insight into the sixth-century Mediterranean world.

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Book SynopsisIlluminating the First Nations struggles against the Canadian state, It’s All about the Land exposes how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships. Renowned Kahnawà:ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred explains how the Canadian government’s reconciliation agenda is a new form of colonization that is guaranteed to fail.Bringing together Alfred’s speeches and interviews from over the past two decades, the book shows that Indigenous peoples across the world face a stark choice: reconnect with their authentic cultures and values or continue following a slow road to annihilation.Rooted in ancestral spirit, knowledge, and law, It’s All about the Land presents a passionate argument for Indigenous Resurgence as the pathway toward justice for Indigenous peoples.Trade Review“It’s All about the Land serves as a powerful voice in the discourse surrounding Indigenous rights and identity. The book champions the concept of Indigenous resurgence – a pathway toward justice that emphasizes reconnecting with authentic cultures and values. Alfred’s message is a rallying cry for Indigenous Peoples to reclaim their ancestral spirit, knowledge, and governance.” -- Karine Alhakim, University of Toronto Mississauga * The Medium *Table of ContentsForeword: The Battle to Decolonize Ourselves Inside and Out Pamela Palmater Introduction Ann Rogers Wasáse Redux June 2005, TV Ontario From Noble Savage to Righteous Warrior March 6, 2010, Vancouver, BC The Psychic Landscape of Contemporary Colonialism November 9, 2011, Ottawa Practical Decolonization April 9, 2012, Kingston, ON Warrior Scholarship March 18, 2013, Victoria, BC Constitutional Recognition and Colonial Doublespeak November 27, 2013, Melbourne, Australia On Being and Becoming Indigenous November 28, 2013, Melbourne, Australia Reconciliation as Recolonization September 20, 2016, Montreal, QC From Red Power to Resurgence November 2, 2018, Vancouver, BC Rebuilding the Fire: In Conversation with Pamela Palmater July 5, 2019, Warrior Life Podcast Ronón:kwe January 19, 2021, The Mythic Masculine Podcast Rooted Responsibility March 2021, Victoria, BC You Can’t Decolonize Colonization September 16, 2022, The Decolonized Buffalo Podcast Afterword: Wa'tkwanonhwerá:ton Taiaiake Alfred Bonus Track: The Four Intuitions April 20, 2003, TV Ontario A Note on the Sources Index

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Book SynopsisIn his fifty-year career, Frank Underhill has contributed a great deal to freeing Canada from its colonial past. He has acted the part of a gadfly, incessantly stinging Canadians for their complacency, and has been the master of metaphor and the ironical use of cliché in his lecture and broadcasts, essays and book reviews. His clarity and cool wit are often devastating in their penetration, and he has poured an incredible energy into his speeches and writing, as the bibliography in this volume testifies. They remain a witty and penetrating commentary on world affairs.His principle targets over the years were small-town colonialism, anti-Americanism, the depression, and post-war threats of totalitarianism. Much of his writing and speaking has centred on the political and moral life of the community: his aims have been the preservation of freedom and the creation of a climate of opinion that would foster excellence in individual and collective accomplishments.This volume

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Book SynopsisIn Spenser's famous Flight, Patrick Cheney challenges the received wisdom about the shape and goal of Spenser's literary career. He contends that Spenser's idea of a literary career is not strictly the convential Virgilian pattern of pastoral to epic, but a Christian revision of that pattern in light of Petrarch and the Reformation.Cheney demonstrates that, far from changing his mind about his career as a result of disillusionment, Spenser embarks upon and completes a daring progress that secures his status as an Orphic poet.In October, Spenser calls his idea of a literary career the 'famous flight.' Both classical and Christian culture has authorized the myth of the winged poet as a primary myth of fame and glory. Cheney shows that throughout his poetry Spenser relies on an image of flight to accomplish his highest goal.

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Book SynopsisEllen Fairclough is perhaps best known as the first woman in Canada to become a federal cabinet minister. John Diefenbaker appointed her Secretary of State in 1957. In the course of her career she also served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for Indian Affairs, and was in charge of the National Gallery, the National Film Board, the Dominion Archives, and the National Library. She was also a chartered accountant, a business woman, a local politician in Hamilton, and a wife and mother. At a time when many people believed that a woman's place was in the home, she successfully balanced family obligations with a career in the largely male world of federal politics.Writing with the style and wit for which she was famous as a politician, Ellen Fairclough, now ninety, tells her story. Her reminiscences describe her early life, her efforts to become a business woman, and her experiences as a Progressive Conservative member for the constituency of Ham

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Book SynopsisBiblical scholar, social critic, and internationalist, Robert Alexander Falconer was also the foremost Canadian university leader of his generation, serving as president of the University of Toronto from 1907 to 1932. James Greenlee's biography chronicles his development as an academic leader and a public man.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Lisa Riggin's San Francisco’s Queen of Vice . . . tells with impressive research the story of abortionist Inez Brown Burns."—Marvin Olasky, World Magazine"An important, timely book and an enjoyable read."—Rebecca Kluchin, Journal of American History“With a novelist’s eye for detail and pacing, Lisa Riggin recounts a chapter of San Francisco history that mixes vice and virtue as only the City by the Bay can. . . . It is a gripping narrative that chronicles America’s struggle with an issue that remains a critical political battleground even today.”—Ethan Rarick, author of California Rising: The Life and Times of Pat Brown“Lisa Riggin has penned an insightful, entertaining, and important book that reads almost like a novel. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in twentieth-century California history and the slippery relationship between politics, society, and culture.”—Kathleen A. Cairns, author of The Case of Rose Bird: Gender, Politics, and the California CourtsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Prologue: The Beginning of the End Part 1: The Queen Bee Chapter 1. On Trial Chapter 2. From the Palace to a Tent . . . and Back Again Chapter 3. Love Pirate Chapter 4. Off the Hook Chapter 5. “Miss X” Chapter 6. The Fixer Part 2: Edmund “Pat” Brown Chapter 7. “Five-to-One” Odds Chapter 8. A “New Broom” Chapter 9. Cops and Robbers Chapter 10. Disappeared Part 3: The Supervisor and the Socialite Chapter 11. Houseguests Chapter 12. On the Lam Chapter 13. “The Prophet” Chapter 14. Death House Part 4: A Grand Fight Chapter 15. The Lone Holdout Chapter 16. “Accomplices and Co-Conspirators” Chapter 17. A Grand Fight Chapter 18. The End of the Road Part 5: Follow the Money Chapter 19. “Baghdad by the Bay” Chapter 20. Wise Guys Chapter 21. Murder “Mis-Trial” Chapter 22. The Corrupt and Contented IRS Chapter 23. The Kefauver Committee Chapter 24. “Hello Again” Part 6: The Bone Rattler Chapter 25. Official Closets Chapter 26. “That Big Wind” Epilogue: Death and Taxes Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDante published his ambitious and unusual poem, Divine Comedy, more than seven hundred years ago. In the ensuing centuries countless retellings, innumerable adaptations, tens of thousands of fiery sermons from Catholic bishops and Baptist preachers, all those New Yorker cartoons, and masterpieces of European art have afforded Dante’s fictional apparition of hell unending attention and credibility. Dinty W. Moore did not buy in. Moore started questioning religion at a young age, quizzing the nuns in his Catholic school, and has been questioning it ever since. Yet after years of Catholic school, religious guilt, and persistent cultural conditioning, Moore still can’t shake the feelings of inadequacy, and asks: What would the world be like if eternal damnation was not hanging constantly over our sheepish heads? Why do we persist in believing a myth that merely makes us miserable? In To Hell with It, Moore reflects on and pokes fun at the over-sTrade Review"Unstrap your backpack of guilt and sit down for a laugh."—Kirkus Reviews"If you've even wondered why the hell we came up with hell, this is the book for you. Dinty W. Moore knows of hell well, and in all sorts of ways."—George Yatchisin, California Review of Books"It's probably safe to say don't read this book if you're heavy into orthodoxy and prefer to understand with certainty how the world works. But if like most of the contemporary world you're struggling to understand our collective Christian history and indoctrination more broadly, or even just how some things are more grey than black and white, you'll enjoy the descent into Dinty's mind. To hell with anyone else that tells you differently."—Emily Dillon, Hippocampus Magazine"In To Hell With It: On Sin and Sex, Chicken Wings, and Dante’s Entirely Ridiculous, Needlessly Guilt-Inducing Inferno, Moore sketches, howls, gorges, and guffaws his way through internal and external landscapes of guilt and excess to present an everyman’s critique of Dante’s Inferno. He both laments and lampoons the Inferno and its death grip on our collective and individual consciences. The result is part memoir, part travelogue, part journal left under the bed of a vacated freshman dorm at a Catholic university."—David Gottlieb, Another Chicago Magazine"Moore's humor, combining intellect with pop culture knowledge, shines throughout the book."—Rev. Elizabeth Felicetti, Good River Review"In Italy they're celebrating seven centuries of Dante . . . but I doubt anyone there has whipped up a carnival so wild as Dinty Moore's."—John Domini, Vol. 1 Brooklyn“Dinty W Moore might say, ‘to hell with it!’ But he doesn’t mean it. He’s too good for that, and too funny—Kurt Vonnegut funny—and even with his head in a bucket of county fair chicken, too wise to tempt the fates. To Hell with It is a madcap, deep, hopeful, absurd, learned, solemn, silly, and somehow redeeming look at the hell we make for ourselves, the hell the world offers, and the heaven to be found if only we look in the heart of each of our hearts, plus cartoons!”—Bill Roorbach, author of Life among Giants“I don’t dare say that Dinty’s Inferno is better than Dante’s. But it is a hell of a lot funnier. It’s so funny that you don’t realize how smart it is until it’s too late: you’ve suffered Deep Thoughts. You realize you’ve been not only entertained but enlightened. Okay, okay, to hell with it: Dinty’s is better.”—Beth Ann Fennelly, author of Heating and Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs“Moore’s mashup of classic texts and pop culture, the personal and the spiritual, is creative nonfiction as its quintessential best. To Hell with It is a fascinating, humorous, and compelling cosmology to revel to. This is stand-up theology at its finest.”—Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other InconveniencesTable of ContentsAuthor’s Note Prologue: The Hole 1. Cantos I–III: Dinty’s Inferno 2. Canto IV: Pudgy, Smiley, Jughead, and Fritz 3. Canto V: The Burning Bush 4. Canto VI: Gobbets of Chicken 5. Canto VII: Some Precious Blood, a Speck of Bone 6. Canto VIII: Into the Pickling Swill 7. Cantos IX–XI: The Little Heretic’s New Baltimore Catechism 8. Cantos XII–XVII: The Hell Hole 9. Cantos XVIII–XXX: Bring on the Ass Trumpets 10. Cantos XXXI–XXXIV: Beyond Goode and Evil Epilogue: My Paradiso (With Basil and Tomato Cream) Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisThis fifteenth installment in the complete collection of Henry James's more than ten thousand letters records James's ongoing efforts to care for his sister, develop his work, strengthen his professional status, build friendships, and engage timely political and economic issues.Trade Review"Michael Anesko and Gregory W. Zacharias's achievement amounts to a culmination; they have given us authoritative editions comprising all James’s extant letters, complete with helpful contextual information."—Rafael Walker, Edith Wharton ReviewPraise for The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1878–1880, volumes 1 & 2 “Michael Anesko’s superb introduction to both volumes places James’s letters in these crucial years in the context of James’s literary works and the broader social history in which they were produced. . . . These new volumes of The Complete Letters of Henry James deserve our admiration for their scholarly rigor and the teamwork required not only of the volume editors and Michael Anesko but also of the associate editors, editorial assistants, and advisory group of this monumental project. . . . These handsome volumes . . . [are] extraordinary resources.”—John Carlos Rowe, Resource for American Literary StudyPraise for earlier volumes in The Complete Letters of Henry James series “Reading [these] edited letters is a delight. The transcriptions allow one to read fluidly rather than haltingly, preserving the rhythm and tone of the original communications together with their content. The explanatory notes do a superb job of contextualizing the letters and identifying references and allusions within them. I could not help but admire the astonishing discernment and scholarship manifested in this volume.”—Sarah Wadsworth, professor of English at Marquette University “Rippling through these letters are the first imaginative stirrings of one of the greatest fiction and travel writers in the language. [James] was also one of the most entertaining—and prolific—correspondents. . . . These are richly enthralling letters.”—Peter Kemp, Sunday Times (London) “This latest volume of the Complete Letters represents, no less than its forebears, an inestimable contribution to readers hitherto obliged to hunt down James’s letters in various selections or scattered archives, and deserves to be greeted with the same jubilant chorus of praise and gratitude.”—Alicia Rix, Times Literary Supplement Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Symbols and Abbreviations Chronology Errata 1885 December 24 To Theodore E. Child December 29 To Henrietta Reubell 1886 January 1 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich January 5 To Archibald Philip Primrose, Lord Rosebery January 7 To Elizabeth Boott January 11 To Mrs. Pfeiffer January 13 To Mrs. Pfeiffer January 21 To Edward Tyas Cook January 23 To Edward Tyas Cook January 25 To Frederick Macmillan January 28 To Edmund Gosse January 31 To Mr. Pfeiffer February 2 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich February 4 To Robert Louis Stevenson February 6 To Edwin Lawrence Godkin February 7 To Grace Norton February 11 To Maria Theresa Villiers Earle February 12 To Mary Smith Mundella February 22 To Elizabeth Boott February 22 To Francis Boott February 25 To Lady Elizabeth Eberstadt Lewis February 26 To Lady Elizabeth Eberstadt Lewis March 3 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich March 3 To Edward Lee Childe March 8 To Edith Russell, Lady Playfair March 9 To William James March 11 To Henrietta Reubell March 12 To Edwin Lawrence Godkin c. March 14 August 28 To Sir John Forbes Clark c. March 14 August 28 To Lady Constance Wilhelmina Frances Leslie March 14 To George Du Maurier March 17 To Elizabeth Boott March 18 To Edmund Gosse March 18 To Mary James Wilkinson Mathews March 19 August 27 To Louisa and Mary Wilhelmina Lawrence March 19 To Laurence Alma-Tadema March 26 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich March 27 or April 3, 10, or 17 To Robert Louis and Frances Van de Grift Stevenson March 29 or April 5 or 12 To Sidney Colvin March 29 or April 5 or 12 To Frances Van de Grift Stevenson March 29 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich March 29 To Emma Wilkinson Pertz April 2 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich April 7 To Ellen “Nellie” Epps Gosse April 7 To William James April 7 To Emma Wilkinson Pertz April 8 To Margaret Oliphant April 13 To Catharine Walsh April 16 To William Jones Hoppin April 18 To Frances Van de Grift Stevenson April 21 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich April 22 To Margaret Oliphant April 26 To Alfred Lyttelton April 29 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich May 1886 To Edmund Yates May 3 To Anne Benson Skepper Procter May 10 To Mary Morton Hartpence Sands May 13 To Mrs. Phelps May 16 To Lady Elizabeth Eberstadt Lewis May 19 To James Bryce May 19 To Henrietta Reubell May 19 To Laurence Alma-Tadema May 21 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich May 25 To Francis Boott May 27 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich May 29 To Mary James Wilkinson Mathews June 5 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich June 10 To Lady Isabella Augusta Persse Gregory June 10 To Miss Townley June 13 To Catharine Walsh June 13 To William James June 15 To Marion Langdon June 18 To Frederick Macmillan June 24 To Frederick Macmillan June 26 To Lady Elizabeth Eberstadt Lewis June 28 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich July 5 To Robert Underwood Johnson July 7 To Thomas Bailey Aldrich July 12 To Robert Underwood Johnson July 14 To Ariana Randolph Wormeley Curtis July 16 To Robert Louis Stevenson July 16 To Grace Norton July 23 To Robert Underwood Johnson July 25 To Robert Underwood Johnson July 30 To Robert Louis Stevenson August 5 To George Du Maurier August 7 To Edmund Gosse August 12 To Elizabeth Boott August 12 To Edmund Gosse August 15 To Francis Boott August 28 To Edmund Gosse August 28 To Frederick Locker-Lampson September 4 To James Russell Lowell c. September 8 c. October 1 1886 To Edmund Gosse September 10, 11 To William James September 12 To Lady Jane O’Meara Simon September 14 To Julian Russell Sturgis September 20 To Frederick Macmillan September 20 To Julian Russell Sturgis September 27 To Houghton, Mifflin and Company September 28 To Robert Underwood Johnson September 29 To Henry White October 1 To Florence Eveleen Olliffe Bell October 2 To Houghton, Mifflin and Company October 8 To Houghton, Mifflin and Company October 12 To Houghton, Mifflin and Company October 13 To Margaret Oliphant October 13 To Archibald Philip Primrose, Lord Rosebery October 18 To Elizabeth Boott October 19 To William Dean Howells October 20 To Katharine de Kay Bronson October 21 To Isabella Stewart Gardner October 22 To Edmund Gosse October 22 To Frederick Macmillan October 25 To Edmund Gosse October 25 To Robert Underwood Johnson October 25 188687 or 189094 To Elizabeth “Lily” Gaskell Norton October 26 To Isabella Stewart Gardner October 26 To Edmund Gosse October 28 To Carlo Placci October 29 To Edmund Gosse October 30 To Catharine Walsh November 3 To Edmund Gosse November 3 To Elizabeth “Dolly” Yates Thompson November 4 To Francis Boott November 4 To Katharine de Kay Bronson November 5 To Isabella Stewart Gardner November 5 To Robert Louis Stevenson November 8 To Edmund Gosse November 9 To Edwin Lawrence Godkin November 12 To Elizabeth “Lily” Millet November 12 To Henrietta Reubell November 12 To Robert Louis Stevenson November 13 To William James November 16 To Katharine de Mattos November 16 To Katharine Peabody Loring November 16 To James Russell Lowell November 17 To Frederick Locker-Lampson November 20 To Ellen “Nellie” Epps Gosse November 25 To Mrs. Simpson November 26 To Francis Boott November 27 To Florence Eveleen Olliffe Bell December 1 To Henry Alden December 1 To Violet Paget December 1 To Robert Louis Stevenson December 6 To Katharine de Kay Bronson December 6 To Lady Louisa Erskine Wolseley December 6 To Charles Eliot Norton December 7 To Grace Norton December 7 To William Dean Howells December 11, 18, or 25 1886; April 9, 16, 23, or 30 1887; or May 7, 14, or 21 1887 To Emma Wilkinson Pertz December 19 To William Archer December 19 To Robert Louis Stevenson December 23 To William James and Alice Howe Gibbens James December 24 To John Milton Hay December 31 To Linda White Mazini Villari Biographical Register General Editors’ Note Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisOwned by his father, Isaac Harold Anderson (1835-1906) was born a slave but went on to become a wealthy businessman, grocer, politician, publisher, and religious leader. Alicia Jackson presents a biography of Anderson and in it a microhistory of Black religious life and politics after emancipation.

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Book SynopsisRediscovers the career of Black activist E. Azalia Hackley (1867-1922), a concert artist, nationally famous music teacher, and charismatic lecturer. Juanita Karpf reclaims Hackley's legacy and details the talent, energy, determination, and unprecedented worldview she brought to the cause of racial uplift.

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Book SynopsisAs snippets of lived experience, eye-catching visual images, and reflections of historical moments, the cards in the collection become sources for understanding not only African American life, but also broader American history and culture.

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Book SynopsisLuke Kabat became one of more than seven hundred student volunteers who joined experienced Black civil rights workers and clergy to challenge white supremacy in the US’s most segregated state. rawing on a wealth of primary resources, his sister delves into her family history to understand Luke’s motivations and documents his experiences.

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Book SynopsisIn Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana, author Keagan LeJeune brilliantly weaves the unusual folklore, landscape, and history of Louisiana along with his own family lineage that begins in 1760 to trace the trajectory of people’s lives in the Bayou State.Trade ReviewKeagan LeJeune argues that despite the challenges of climate change, a troubled economy, and racial inequity, the idiosyncrasies of Louisiana’s geography, mythology, and people make it a place worth fighting for." - Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center, Northwestern State University"Combining memoir with careful research, LeJeune’s work approaches the culture and landscape of Louisiana through the lens of solastalgia, a term coined by Glenn Albrecht for the feeling of homesickness when one has not left home. Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana beautifully depicts Louisiana’s folklore and traditions through the personal journey of its narrator." - Marcia Gaudet, author of Carville: Remembering Leprosy in America

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Book SynopsisMost people only consider the Mississippi River when they cross it or when it inconveniently abandons its banks. But every year, millions of tons of cargo are transported by towboats on the river. In this volume, Captain Lee Hendrix provides unique insight on people who work and live on and near the Mississippi River.Trade ReviewPeep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain is a one-of-a-kind book about the folkways and lore of barge and towboat crews on the Mississippi River. These are stories filled with suspense, humor, and heart." - Macon Fry, author of They Called Us River Rats

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Book SynopsisIn Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana, author Keagan LeJeune brilliantly weaves the unusual folklore, landscape, and history of Louisiana along with his own family lineage that begins in 1760 to trace the trajectory of people's lives in the Bayou State.Trade ReviewKeagan LeJeune argues that despite the challenges of climate change, a troubled economy, and racial inequity, the idiosyncrasies of Louisiana’s geography, mythology, and people make it a place worth fighting for." - Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center, Northwestern State University"Combining memoir with careful research, LeJeune’s work approaches the culture and landscape of Louisiana through the lens of solastalgia, a term coined by Glenn Albrecht for the feeling of homesickness when one has not left home. Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana beautifully depicts Louisiana’s folklore and traditions through the personal journey of its narrator." - Marcia Gaudet, author of Carville: Remembering Leprosy in America

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Book SynopsisWith the enactment in 1891 of the Evarts Act, a court of appeals was created in each of the nation''s nine circuits. What is now called the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit began as a three-judge court covering New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, expanding over time to thirteen active judges. Over the past 125 years, the Second Circuit has adjudicated thousands upon thousands of cases, and with its tradition of oral argument, it is open to litigants regardless of status, economic or otherwise. Planned as part of the celebration of the Second Circuit''s 125th anniversary, this volume contains biographies of all 74 judges who have sat on the Second Circuit, from Lewis Bartholomew Woodruff (18091875), who presided over the pre-Evarts Circuit Courts, to Sonia Sotomayor, who left the Second Circuit in 2009 to serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court. Also included are essays on the life and career of William Maxwell Evarts Act and on the story of the Second Circuit itself.

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Book SynopsisWhat led a former United States Attorney General to become one of the world's most notorious defenders of the despised? Defending the Public's Enemy examines Clark's enigmatic life and career in a quest to answer this perplexing question. The culmination of ten years of research and interviews, Lonnie T. Brown, Jr. explores how Clark evolved from our government's chief lawyer to a strident advocate for some of America's most vilified enemies. Clark's early career was enmeshed with seminally important people and events of the 1960s: Martin Luther King, Jr., Watts Riots, Selma-to-Montgomery March, Black Panthers, Vietnam. As a government insider, he worked to secure the civil rights of black Americans, resisting persistent, racist calls for more law and order. However, upon entering the private sector, Clark seemingly changed, morphing into the government's adversary by aligning with a mystifying array of demonized clients—among them, alleged terrorists, reputed Nazi war criminals, and brutal dictators, including Saddam Hussein. Is Clark a man of character and integrity, committed to ensuring his government's adherence to the ideals of justice and fairness, or is he a professional antagonist, anti-American and reflexively contrarian to the core? The provocative life chronicled in Defending the Public's Enemy is emblematic of the contradictions at the heart of American political history, and society's ambivalent relationship with dissenters and outliers, as well as those who defend them.Trade Review"Lonnie T. Brown Jr.'s biography of the remarkable Ramsey Clark is careful, thorough, and insightful. It is an important contribution to the history of American lawyering." -- Randall Kennedy * Harvard Law School *"In this captivating biography, Lonnie T. Brown offers an intimate window into Ramsey Clark's controversial career as it intersected and shaped twentieth-century political and legal history, and challenges how we understand the role of lawyers in a democratic society." -- Anthony Romero, Executive Director * ACLU *"Ramsey Clark is at once an important participant in the major events of the past 60-plus years of American and world history, particularly relating to civil and human rights, and a lawyer whose professional career is among the most interesting and impactful. Brown's book is both a fascinating account of the man and lawyer and a captivating lens through which to see a connection among important events in contemporary history." -- Bruce Green * Fordham University School of Law *"In this biography of Clark, author Lonnie T. Brown skillfully leads us through his subject's life and career, giving us clues as to why Clark turned into such an unyielding critic of his country." -- Rebecca Roiphe * JOTWELL *"Ramsey Clark is an unsung hero of the civil rights movement. Through extensive interviews with Clark, Lonnie T. Brown, Jr. deepens the portrait of one of the most complex figures in twentieth-century American history. Spanning Clark's career as a lawyer and public servant from the 1960's civil rights and anti-war protests through the trial of Saddam Hussein, this fascinating book reveals a 'sophisticated yet shadowy Forrest Gump' indeed." -- W. Bradley Wendel * Cornell Law School *"Evolving from one of the most accomplished public lawyers of his time to perhaps the most vilified, Ramsey Clark has been an important and controversial participant in nearly every important American public debate, from civil rights to the post-9/11 world. In this sympathetic, personal account, Lonnie T. Brown, Jr. strikes a balance between Clark's defenders and his critics. Clark will continue to inspire passionate disagreement, but this is the best account we have of the career of this important public figure." -- Kenneth W. Mack * author of Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsPrologue chapter abstractThe Prologue recounts the origins of my interest in Ramsey Clark, including two inauspicious early encounters during which I had virtually no idea who he was. As the years passed, I became ever-more intrigued with Clark, spawned largely by a case that I covered in my civil -procedure class in which he served as lead counsel—Saltany v. Reagan, as in President Ronald Reagan, one of the defendants that Clark sued on behalf of Libyan residents. When he volunteered to represent former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, I had to figure out why a former U.S. attorney general would do such a thing, among many other things. I wrote a law review article examining the Hussein representation, and with a nudge from a former colleague and friend of Clark's, I shared it with my subject and soon thereafter embarked on my quest to tell his life story. Introduction: A Puzzling Journey chapter abstractThis Introduction sets the stage for the book, posing the conundrum that is Ramsey Clark, an enormously important figure in American history who is largely unknown by most. It provides an overview in terms of his immeasurable contributions to society through his service within the Department of Justice during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, highlighting some of the most significant events in which he played pivotal roles, especially in the area of civil rights. The Introduction also notes the seemingly dramatic change that he underwent in his post-DOJ life, taking on causes and clients that almost inevitably appeared to be adverse to the country that he had so loyally served for eight years. Many have sought to understand and explain what happened to Ramsey Clark, if anything, and here I introduce some of the theories proffered by friends, colleagues, and other observers. 1Baby Bubba chapter abstractWith the disclaimer that the book will not go into excruciating, chronological detail concerning Ramsey Clark's family tree and personal history, this chapter proceeds to cover the beginning of Clark's journey, broadly depicting his childhood and early adult years, including service in World War II, college, marriage, law school, children, and law practice in Dallas, Texas. The chapter also examines some defining episodes during those years that foreshadow the direction that his life would take, such as the death of his 6-year-old brother, his father Tom's oversight of the World War II-related internment of Japanese Americans, and Ramsey's perplexing acquisition of a large bust of Adolf Hitler while serving as a Marine courier. 2The Preacher chapter abstractThis chapter chronicles Ramsey Clark's transition from private to public life. With the election of President John F. Kennedy, Clark was moved to seek an appointment within the Justice Department. Some strong family-related connections, including with Vice President Lyndon Johnson, helped him secure an appointment as assistant attorney general for the Lands Division. While his noteworthy Lands Division work is touched upon in the chapter, the concentration is on Clark's dedicated involvement in emerging civil rights issues. He acted as a DOJ surrogate throughout the South, ensuring the enforcement of the Supreme Court's desegregation mandate. Clark became known within the DOJ for his willingness to speak his mind, garnering him the nickname "the Preacher." The chapter concludes with the devastating impact upon Clark of the tragic assassination of President Kennedy and his subsequent increased role within the new Johnson administration. 3"Language of the Unheard" chapter abstractThis chapter examines the significant role that Ramsey Clark played in pivotal aspects of the civil rights movement, beginning with his crafting of a memo to Bobby Kennedy that provided much of the initial inspiration and framework for what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He wrote this on the heels of his involvement with the historic admission of James Meredith as the first African American at the University of Mississippi. In addition, the chapter canvasses Clark's important work on behalf of black citizens as the deputy attorney general, including his oversight of the third Selma to Montgomery civil rights march and his extensive involvement in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. 4Taking Poor Black People Seriously chapter abstractThis chapter delves deeply into Clark's transformative role as chair of the President's task force that investigated the Watts riots, which were triggered by a combative police arrest in the black community. As the chapter's title conveys, Clark took the rioters seriously, and he compassionately sought to understand what had led to the dramatic civil unrest. By listening, Clark came to profoundly comprehend the frustrations and hopelessness felt by African Americans, and he communicated this in a hard-hitting report to the president—so unashamedly truthful, in fact, that it was not released to the public. The chapter reveals that this was a defining experience for Clark, one that likely colored virtually everything Clark did thereafter. In addition, the chapter recounts his elevation to attorney general, a role in which he would controversially continue to deal with urban rioting in the same empathetic way. 5"I Am a Man" chapter abstractThis chapter examines the profound influence that Martin Luther King, Jr. had on Ramsey Clark. The focus is on the labor strike by black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, inspired by the slavelike treatment they received as employees of the city. Dr. King had already announced his Poor People's Campaign, which was designed to shed a revealing light on the intense poverty problem in America. The Memphis strike—with its simple, but unforgettable slogan "I Am a Man"—embodied the poverty issue. It captured Dr. King's attention. Unfortunately, his involvement provided the setting for King's assassination on April 4, 1968. Attorney General Clark was the first federal official on the scene and led the international manhunt to capture King's assassin. The chapter demonstrates how Dr. King's example helped shape Clark's views on society. In many respects, he would subsequently carry the mantle that Dr. King hoisted throughout his life. 6"Hell No, We Won't Go!" chapter abstractThis chapter focuses on the widespread protests that emerged in opposition to America's involvement in the Vietnam War, particularly in the form of draft-eligible men refusing induction into the military, either on their own accord or at the urging of others. President Johnson was obsessed with the war, believing that defeat would forever tarnish his noteworthy civil rights legacy. As such, he took great offense to those who actively opposed the war effort, and he placed intense pressure on Clark to put an end to the draft-dodging and related demonstrations through criminal prosecution. The chapter examines and seeks to explain two instances of Clark's actions in response that were perplexingly inconsistent: his refusal to indict Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael and, in contrast, his decision to prosecute antiwar proponent and noted pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock and the other members of the so-called Boston Five. 7Battling on the Inside chapter abstractThis chapter reveals the palpable tension between President Johnson and his independent attorney general. Clark was so committed to his values that he was willing to defy the president if he thought that was the right thing to do. The chapter examines significant examples of this dynamic, including Clark's stalling of a controversial judicial appointment that upset the close relationship between Johnson and Georgia Senator Richard Russell. The chapter also recounts Clark's defiance of President Johnson and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in connection with the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Clark was intent on protecting the anti–Vietnam War protesters, much to Johnson and Daley's dismay. The chapter recounts the intense police–protester clash that ensued and the resulting criminal prosecution of the so-called Chicago Seven. It also notes Clark's principle-based filing of various lawsuits, notwithstanding Johnson's directive that no new, long-term projects be undertaken after Nixon's election. 8Taking the Battle to the Outside chapter abstractThis chapter picks up with Clark's departure from the Justice Department and chronicles his developing penchant for undertaking seemingly anti-American causes. Most notably, the chapter details Clark's opposition to the Vietnam War, which, besides promoting complete amnesty for draft evaders, also included a controversial visit to North Vietnam to test firsthand the accuracy of his government's positive portrayal of its war effort. Clark determined the "truth" to be otherwise, and he publicly revealed what he witnessed and demanded an end to the "unjust" war. Related to this, the chapter likewise examines Clark's representation of various antiwar advocates and his growing stature as a leader in the international antiwar movement. Furthermore, the chapter recounts Clark's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaigns, plus his representations of Frank Serpico and one of the Attica Brothers. 9Black Is Beautiful chapter abstractThis chapter observes that Ramsey Clark was involved in a number of highly notable matters following his departure from the DOJ and tells the story of one of his most intriguing cases, the defense of Ruchell Magee. The prosecution of Magee, who is African American, emanated from an armed courtroom seizure of hostages and resulting shooting deaths of various individuals, including a trial judge. The controversial racial component of the case, combined with the unjust nature of the justice system that shackled Magee throughout virtually his entire life, are used to highlight Clark's concern for and appreciation of black people. In a similar vein, the chapter recounts Clark's oversight of the investigation into the police-sanctioned murders of Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, and it elaborates on Clark's unique predisposition to view the black race as beautiful. 10Anti-Semite? chapter abstractThis chapter explores the theory of some Clark critics that he is anti-Semitic. It delves into his controversial representations of reputed Nazi war criminals Karl Linnas and Jack Reimer, as well as his longstanding association with and representation of the PLO, including his defense of the organization in the infamous lawsuit stemming from the murder of Leon Klinghoffer, a disabled American Jew, by Palestinian terrorists. Apart from Clark's participation in these matters, he has also taken some controversial supportive positions that seem to go beyond what one would expect in a pure attorney–client relationship. The chapter analyzes and questions the claims of anti-Semitism after discussing details of some of Clark's contentious associations. In this regard, it casts doubt on the pejorative label by examining parallels between similar affiliations, such as his representation of the Branch Davidians and his involvement with other demonized individuals and groups. 11Saddam Hussein chapter abstractThis chapter centers around what has to be Clark's most controversial representation—that of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. The chapter examines why Clark would choose to defend Hussein and tests the widely held view that this particular client choice confirms that Clark is simply unpatriotic and anti-American. As the chapter reveals, Clark has represented a number of international clients and causes that could be characterized as siding with America's enemy, including inserting himself into the 1980 Iran hostage crisis and suing President Ronald Reagan, among others, on behalf of a number of Libyan residents in the aftermath of the U.S.-led bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. Most notably, Clark installed himself as counsel for notorious Rwandan Pastor Elizaphan Ntakirutimana and Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic. The chapter suggests that Clark's motivations for representing these individuals are far more complex than most believe. 12Cold Pizza chapter abstractThis chapter delves more deeply into Ramsey Clark's personal qualities, especially his unassuming nature and utter lack of concern with the accumulation of wealth. It begins by exploring the extraordinarily close relationship between Clark and his wife Georgia, and it emphasizes the enormous contribution that she made in her own right, as well as to her husband's ambitions. She was a remarkable woman, and without her, much of what Clark accomplished would not have been possible. The chapter also recounts a very revealing episode regarding Clark's law school classmate and dear friend George Anastaplo. Most importantly, the chapter examines Clark's relationship with his daughter Ronda and the pivotal effect that she undeniably has had upon her father. His empathy for and love of people who are less fortunate most assuredly was inspired, at least in part, by lessons that Clark learned from his daughter. 13Like Father, Like Son chapter abstractThis chapter compares and contrasts Ramsey Clark with his equally famous father Tom Clark. Tom and Ramsey are the only father and son to have held the post of U.S. attorney general, which turns out to be but one of a number of telling similarities between the two men. Tom, who would culminate his career in public service as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, was viewed as politically conservative. As such, most would presume that he could not have been more different than his ultra-liberal son. The chapter reveals the fallacy of this assumption by chronicling examples where their social views coincided—most significantly, in the area of civil rights. To be sure, Tom and Ramsey were different in many respects, and the chapter addresses these distinctions. It also explores the nature of their somewhat complex father–son relationship, as well as the internal dynamics of their respective families. Conclusion: "Carry On . . . and Kick Up Some Dust" chapter abstractThe Conclusion reflects on the entirety of Ramsey Clark's life journey, focusing on his 90th birthday celebration and the screening of a documentary about him by filmmaker Joseph Stillman titled "Citizen Clark . . . A Life of Principle." The chapter emphasizes the enormous complexity and contradictory nature of Clark's life, which have led some to view him as heroic and unfailingly goodhearted and others to conclude that he is unpatriotic and evil. Most, however, are completely unfamiliar with him, oblivious to the critical role he played in countless historical episodes. He is a true enigma—a nonviolent, fearless, self-deprecating defender of those whom society has been conditioned to recognize as enemies. There is simply no way to reconcile all of the incongruities in his life journey, and this is what makes Clark so fascinating and why it is essential for the world to know his story.

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Book SynopsisBernie Madoff's arrest could not have come at a more darkly poetic moment. Economic upheaval had plunged America into a horrid recession. Then, on December 11, 2008, Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme came to light. A father turned in by his sons; a son who took his own life; another son dying and estranged from his father; a woman at the center of a storm—Madoff's story was a media magnet, voraciously consumed by a justice-seeking public. Bernie Madoff and the Crisis goes beyond purely investigative accounts to examine how and why Madoff became the epicenter of public fury and titillation. Rooting her argument in critical sociology, Colleen P. Eren analyzes media coverage of this landmark case alongside original interviews with dozens of journalists and editors involved in the reportage, the SEC Director of Public Affairs, and Bernie Madoff himself. Turning the mirror back onto society, Eren locates Madoff within a broader reckoning about free market capitalism. She argues that our ideological and cultural tendencies to attribute blame to individuals—be they regulators, victims, or "monsters" like Madoff—distracts us from more systemic critiques. Bernie Madoff and the Crisis offers fresh insight into the 2008 crisis, whether we have come to terms with it, and what we have yet to gain from the case of the century.Trade Review"Eren crafts a narrative of Bernie Madoff's crimes as a sweeping comment on our society at large, which created and upheld the kill-or-be-killed finance ethos, and thereby produced the twenty-first century version of a Wall Street serial killer."—Erin Arvedlund, author of Too Good to Be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff"There is important primary data here and a creative analysis. Eren makes a notable contribution to the literature on financial crime, as well as our understanding of the role that the Madoff case played during an unfolding financial crisis."—Kitty Calavita, University of California, Irvine, author of Big Money Crime"Eren uses massive amounts of media commentary and interviews—with journalists and Madoff himself—to reveal salient points about the contemporary economy, society, and its demonology. An easy read, and an informative one as we continue to sift through the ashes of the financial crisis and our societal stance on white collar crime."—Michael Levi, Cardiff University and author of The Phantom Capitalists and Regulating Fraud"Eren provides the first investigation of why the crimes of Wall Street and Madoff—though economically and legally dissimilar—were culturally inseparable to the public. Steeped in the voices of reporters, regulators, and Bernie himself, this book is a major contribution to the study of white-collar crime."—Gregg Barak, Eastern Michigan University, author of Theft of a Nation: Wall Street Looting and Federal Regulatory Colluding"Bernie Madoff and the Crisis<\i> is an engaging, insightful and thought-provoking book. Its theoretical lens and empirical design should inspire future research on social reactions to white-collar crime, also of the more mundane kind. The book will be appealing to a wide readership."—Aleksandra Jordanoska, British Journal of Criminology<\i>"Bernie Madoff and the Crisis is a brief, engaging book that reminds readers about the complexity of social and economic problems and the mistake in simplifying them and thinking that criminal law alone can resolve them."—David Schultz, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice BooksTable of Contents1. A Crisis in Search of a Villain 2. Out of the Business Section, Into the Front Pages 3. Sleeping Watchdogs: Blaming the Regulators 4. It's How You're Rich That Matters: Narratives of the Haves, the Have Nots, and Have Lots 5. Boil Him in Oil: Cracking Down on Wall Street through Madoff 6. The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same?

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Book SynopsisAn innovative reassessment of the last writings and final years of Karl Marx. In the last years of his life, Karl Marx expanded his research in new directions—studying recent anthropological discoveries, analyzing communal forms of ownership in precapitalist societies, supporting the populist movement in Russia, and expressing critiques of colonial oppression in India, Ireland, Algeria, and Egypt. Between 1881 and 1883, he also traveled beyond Europe for the first and only time. Focusing on these last years of Marx's life, this book dispels two key misrepresentations of his work: that Marx ceased to write late in life, and that he was a Eurocentric and economic thinker fixated on class conflict alone. With The Last Years of Karl Marx, Marcello Musto claims a renewed relevance for the late work of Marx, highlighting unpublished or previously neglected writings, many of which remain unavailable in English. Readers are invited to reconsider Marx's critique of European colonialism, his ideas on non-Western societies, and his theories on the possibility of revolution in noncapitalist countries. From Marx's late manuscripts, notebooks, and letters emerge an author markedly different from the one represented by many of his contemporary critics and followers alike. As Marx currently experiences a significant rediscovery, this volume fills a gap in the popularly accepted biography and suggests an innovative reassessment of some of his key concepts.Trade Review"Marcello Musto, arguably the greatest connoisseur of Marx's life, offers us one revelation after another. Whereas many have understood the period after the Paris Commune as a time of divulgation and implementation of his already established political doctrine, Musto instead brilliantly demonstrates that Marx spent these years opening new and important theoretical horizons upon which we must meditate in order not to remain 'Marxists' against Marx himself!"—Étienne Balibar, author of The Philosophy of Marx"Marcello Musto's work is essential for his analysis of Marx's life and thought. In this book, Musto focuses on Marx's inquiries in his final years. The anthropological manuscripts, the studies on the transformation of property, and the criticism of colonialism written in this period are striking. Musto takes us by the hand and invites us to discover a new Marx."—Antonio Negri, author of Marx beyond Marx"This volume is a major contribution to the study of Marx and revolutionary thought. Beautifully written, constructed through an insightful examination of thousands of pages of Marx's unpublished writings and notes, this book represents a timely contribution to the contemporary Marx revival. It is a gift to the many who still look to Marx for political inspiration."—Silvia Federici, author of Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation"[A] study that breaks new ground in our understanding of Marx between 1881 and 1883....Musto gives us a portrait of a thinker in his last years that challenges the representations others have imposed upon him."—Daniel Whittall, Review 31"Musto masterfully weaves together rich biographical detail and a sophisticated engagement with Marx's mature, oftentimes self-questioning writing."—Nicolas Allen, Jacobin"Marcello Musto is undoubtedly the rising star on the "marxological" firmament. The Last Years of Karl Marx is an innovative book that helps us, in a magisterial way, to discover Marx's intellectualactivity during the period 1881-1883."—Aktief"There has been a gaping hole in studies of Karl Marx leaving out the last few years before his death in March 1883. Despite the recent revival of Marx studies, this 'forgotten chapter' of his life has remained in the shadows, until now with Marcello Musto's informative and well-crafted book, The Last Years of Karl Marx."—Robert Ware, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books"Musto's book presents an overview of Marx's studies, debates, correspondence, affectionate relationships, diseases, sorrows, and journeys during the last years of his life. Pages cataloguing Marx's readings are very useful and informative... Such pages are... followed by stories of Marx's family life, correspondence regarding politics, and Marx's personal relations with his comrades. This rhythm of the prose leads the reader through the pages of this book, which is packed with detailed information."—Paula Rauhala, Socialism and Democracy"Musto clears up the many misunderstandings of Marx, conveying, for example, that Marx did not believe that interpretive frameworks based on Western European history should be slavishly applied to other contexts, and that he was not an economic determinist...Highly recommended."—M. J. Wert, CHOICE"Marcello Musto's combination of personal biography and intellectual appraisal makes for inspiring reading. He argues very well that Marx's ideas cannot be limited to a simplistic formula, but are living and dynamic."—Barry Healy, Green Left"Musto...makes a strength of what is usually claimed to be a liability of Marx's theory: that he does not sketch the communist future. Just as capitalism permeates different historical and geographical environments differently and at a different pace, albeit with some common features, Marx's nimble historical understanding means that we are more likely to confront communist futures rather than a single monolith."—Amy E. Wendling, The Review of Politics"Musto's study makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of Marx in his last years, offering an angle from which to consider him that departs from the more usual focus on either the young Marx orCapital.(...)As it stands, this study by Musto fills a huge gap in our understanding of Marx."—Kevin B. Anderson, New Politics: Journal of Socialist Thought"By stitching together the unfinished work in progress and the whole range of disciplines Marx was preoccupied with in his last years, Marcello Mustopresents a systematically connected bold socio-political reading of Marx."—Arkayan Ganguly, Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory"Marcello Musto's The Last Years of Karl Marx: An Intellectual Biography provides an illuminating glance at the work and life of Karl Marx during the most unexamined period of his life. Musto's oscillation between Marx's work and life provides readers with both an intellectual allurement towards research in Marx's later years and with a warm image of Marx's intimate life sure to guarantee both laughs and tears."—Carlos L. Garrido, Midwestern Marx"In The Last Years of Karl Marx, Marcello Musto provides an affectionate and careful journey through the final two years of Marx's life."—William Clare Roberts, Political Science QuarterlyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. New Research Horizons 2. Controversy over the Development of Capitalism in Russia 3. The Travails of "Old Nick" 4. The Moor's Last Journey

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Book SynopsisAn innovative reassessment of the last writings and final years of Karl Marx. In the last years of his life, Karl Marx expanded his research in new directions—studying recent anthropological discoveries, analyzing communal forms of ownership in precapitalist societies, supporting the populist movement in Russia, and expressing critiques of colonial oppression in India, Ireland, Algeria, and Egypt. Between 1881 and 1883, he also traveled beyond Europe for the first and only time. Focusing on these last years of Marx's life, this book dispels two key misrepresentations of his work: that Marx ceased to write late in life, and that he was a Eurocentric and economic thinker fixated on class conflict alone. With The Last Years of Karl Marx, Marcello Musto claims a renewed relevance for the late work of Marx, highlighting unpublished or previously neglected writings, many of which remain unavailable in English. Readers are invited to reconsider Marx's critique of European colonialism, his ideas on non-Western societies, and his theories on the possibility of revolution in noncapitalist countries. From Marx's late manuscripts, notebooks, and letters emerge an author markedly different from the one represented by many of his contemporary critics and followers alike. As Marx currently experiences a significant rediscovery, this volume fills a gap in the popularly accepted biography and suggests an innovative reassessment of some of his key concepts.Trade Review"Marcello Musto, arguably the greatest connoisseur of Marx's life, offers us one revelation after another. Whereas many have understood the period after the Paris Commune as a time of divulgation and implementation of his already established political doctrine, Musto instead brilliantly demonstrates that Marx spent these years opening new and important theoretical horizons upon which we must meditate in order not to remain 'Marxists' against Marx himself!"—Étienne Balibar, author of The Philosophy of Marx"Marcello Musto's work is essential for his analysis of Marx's life and thought. In this book, Musto focuses on Marx's inquiries in his final years. The anthropological manuscripts, the studies on the transformation of property, and the criticism of colonialism written in this period are striking. Musto takes us by the hand and invites us to discover a new Marx."—Antonio Negri, author of Marx beyond Marx"This volume is a major contribution to the study of Marx and revolutionary thought. Beautifully written, constructed through an insightful examination of thousands of pages of Marx's unpublished writings and notes, this book represents a timely contribution to the contemporary Marx revival. It is a gift to the many who still look to Marx for political inspiration."—Silvia Federici, author of Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation"[A] study that breaks new ground in our understanding of Marx between 1881 and 1883....Musto gives us a portrait of a thinker in his last years that challenges the representations others have imposed upon him."—Daniel Whittall, Review 31"Musto masterfully weaves together rich biographical detail and a sophisticated engagement with Marx's mature, oftentimes self-questioning writing."—Nicolas Allen, Jacobin"Marcello Musto is undoubtedly the rising star on the "marxological" firmament. The Last Years of Karl Marx is an innovative book that helps us, in a magisterial way, to discover Marx's intellectualactivity during the period 1881-1883."—Aktief"There has been a gaping hole in studies of Karl Marx leaving out the last few years before his death in March 1883. Despite the recent revival of Marx studies, this 'forgotten chapter' of his life has remained in the shadows, until now with Marcello Musto's informative and well-crafted book, The Last Years of Karl Marx."—Robert Ware, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books"Musto's book presents an overview of Marx's studies, debates, correspondence, affectionate relationships, diseases, sorrows, and journeys during the last years of his life. Pages cataloguing Marx's readings are very useful and informative... Such pages are... followed by stories of Marx's family life, correspondence regarding politics, and Marx's personal relations with his comrades. This rhythm of the prose leads the reader through the pages of this book, which is packed with detailed information."—Paula Rauhala, Socialism and Democracy"Musto clears up the many misunderstandings of Marx, conveying, for example, that Marx did not believe that interpretive frameworks based on Western European history should be slavishly applied to other contexts, and that he was not an economic determinist...Highly recommended."—M. J. Wert, CHOICE"Marcello Musto's combination of personal biography and intellectual appraisal makes for inspiring reading. He argues very well that Marx's ideas cannot be limited to a simplistic formula, but are living and dynamic."—Barry Healy, Green Left"Musto...makes a strength of what is usually claimed to be a liability of Marx's theory: that he does not sketch the communist future. Just as capitalism permeates different historical and geographical environments differently and at a different pace, albeit with some common features, Marx's nimble historical understanding means that we are more likely to confront communist futures rather than a single monolith."—Amy E. Wendling, The Review of Politics"Musto's study makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of Marx in his last years, offering an angle from which to consider him that departs from the more usual focus on either the young Marx orCapital.(...)As it stands, this study by Musto fills a huge gap in our understanding of Marx."—Kevin B. Anderson, New Politics: Journal of Socialist Thought"By stitching together the unfinished work in progress and the whole range of disciplines Marx was preoccupied with in his last years, Marcello Mustopresents a systematically connected bold socio-political reading of Marx."—Arkayan Ganguly, Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory"Marcello Musto's The Last Years of Karl Marx: An Intellectual Biography provides an illuminating glance at the work and life of Karl Marx during the most unexamined period of his life. Musto's oscillation between Marx's work and life provides readers with both an intellectual allurement towards research in Marx's later years and with a warm image of Marx's intimate life sure to guarantee both laughs and tears."—Carlos L. Garrido, Midwestern Marx"In The Last Years of Karl Marx, Marcello Musto provides an affectionate and careful journey through the final two years of Marx's life."—William Clare Roberts, Political Science QuarterlyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. New Research Horizons 2. Controversy over the Development of Capitalism in Russia 3. The Travails of "Old Nick" 4. The Moor's Last Journey

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Book SynopsisTawfiq Zayyad (1929–94) was a renowned Palestinian poet and a committed communist activist. For four decades, he was a dominant figure in political life in Israel, as a local council member, mayor of Nazareth, and member of the Israeli parliament. Zayyad personified the collective struggle of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, challenging the military government following the creation of the state of Israel, leading the 1976 nationwide strike against land confiscation, and tirelessly protesting Israeli military occupation after 1967. With this book, Tamir Sorek offers the first biography of this charismatic figure. Zayyad's life was one of balance and contradiction—between his revolutionary writings as Palestinian patriotic poet and his pragmatic political work in the Israeli public sphere. He was uncompromising in his protest of injustices against the Palestinian people, but always committed to a universalist vision of Arab-Jewish brotherhood. It was this combination of traits that made Zayyad an exceptional leader—and makes his biography larger than the man himself to offer a compelling story about Palestinians and the state of Israel.Trade Review"With nuance, precision, and admiration, Tamir Sorek tells the story of Tawfiq Zayyad's complicated and heroic life, and with it, the story of an ongoing catastrophe and the Palestinian people's unceasing battle for survival and dignity. The Optimist pays homage to resistance, radical politics, and the struggle for social mobility, all of which typified Zayyad's long career. A bold and important achievement."—Orit Bashkin, University of Chicago, author of Impossible Exodus: Iraqi Jews in Israel"Tamir Sorek provides a richly detailed excursion into the life and work of an eminent 'organic intellectual,' who found in language a means for recovery after Israel's colonial erasure of Palestine. The Optimist is valuable to anyone interested in encountering fusions between Marxism and Messianism, Jewishness and Arabness, Christianity and Islam, childhood and adulthood, the prosaic and the poetic, the political and the personal."—Khaled Furani, Tel Aviv University, author of Silencing the Sea: Secular Rhythms in Palestinian Poetry"The Optimist is a deftly written biography that will fascinate readers already familiar with the broad contours of Tawfiq Zayyad's life as well as those encountering him for the first time. Tamir Sorek provides fresh insight into how someone can maintain hope in a region too often characterized as hopeless."—Maha Nassar, author of Brothers Apart: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Arab World"[Tamir Sorek] presents an unprecedented, in-depth exploration of the life and work of Tawfiq Zayyad....The Optimist is a must read."—Naim Mousa, Mondoweiss"This sympathetic and informative biography is a welcome celebration of [Tawfiq Zayyad's] memory as well as a valuable contribution to our understanding of Palestinian history."—John Green, Morning Star Online"Tamir Sorek has written a superb biography of Tawfiq Zayyad... The imperative for Zayyad, as Sorek shows, was (and, presumably, would be) to organize and mobilize against conditions and policies of oppression by taking advantage of every non-violent opportunity for struggle."—Ian S. Lustick, International Journal of Middle East Studies"The Optimist is more than an excellent biography of Zayyad. It offers a comprehensive account of the ICP, from its early formations to its conceptions, contested ideology, and hierarchal structure. The book is also highly recommended for its insightful political history of Palestinian citizens of Israel under the enduring communist leadership throughout the second half of the twentieth century."—Nadeem Karkabi, Journal of Palestine Studies"In chapter after chapter, Sorek reveals deep strata of Zayyad's personality as a political leader and his motivations in persisting in fighting for Palestinian rights."—Sheren Falah Saab, HaaretzTable of ContentsPrologue 1. Communism and Anticolonialism 2. Steadfastness 3. Badges of Modernity 4. In the Crossfire 5. Municipal Struggles 6. National Leadership 7. Children in the Battlefield 8. A Secular Holy Warrior 9. A Spoke in the Wheel of History 10. Oslo: The Sky Is the Limit

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Book SynopsisGrowing up, Reid was confused and disturbed by the radically different opportunities his best friend received. After a childhood spent together, Jamie and Reid found themselves on opposite sides of a high school hallway that separated kids based on a misunderstanding of their supposed "potential." The gap between the two friends widened as Reid's classes enabled him to pursue an elite college degree across the country studying educational opportunity and teaching. Then, Reid became a teacher at an under-resourced South Carolina high school where efforts to serve the incredible students were stymied by internal segregation and administrative ambivalence. He was disabused of the Hollywood myth that a good teacher could simply save the day, when each false start with his students forced him to reckon with how much he didn't know. After Reid assigned students a project to create a positive change, they pushed him to figure out how he, too, could make a bigger difference. While an individual's efforts are no match against entrenched systems, Reid learned firsthand that a community of people powered by data can effect change. This lesson motivated him to found Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to finding the students who were overlooked, discouraged, or otherwise missing from higher-level classes. As EOS became more successful, partnering with major philanthropies, universities, and even the White House, Reid grappled with his role as a leader. Only through the efforts of, first, his students in South Carolina, and later his team at EOS, would he come to understand, and begin to overcome, the limitations of his vision. Informed by extensive new data on educational opportunity in America, The Kid Across the Hall is a powerful story of learning and unlearning; of leading and learning to follow.Trade Review"It's great to know that my father's work is continuing in classes all around the country. It's reflected in The Kid Across the Hall. I encourage you to read it." —Jaime Escalante, Jr."If you're concerned about the future of our schools and children, The Kid Across the Hall will be well worth your time. As an expert and a practitioner, Reid is an incredibly thoughtful educator who models learning, engaging difference, and collaborating through challenge." —John King, Jr., Tenth United States Secretary of Education"This is a masterful blend of scholarship, autobiography, policy, and passion. It's nearly impossible to write a serious book about a crucial topic—here it's America's fumbling treatment of schooling, opportunity, and equity—while vividly incorporating one's own remarkable saga. Reid poured himself into solving the problems that he agonizes over, made major contributions to their solution, and what he learned along the way is gripping. Keep an eye on him!" —Chester Finn, Fordham Institute; Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education"Reid's story made me think deeply about the best ways to address challenges in the education system. His book also made me reflect on how the social sector can better live out its espoused values of compassion and integrity. His narrative challenges all of us to see the best in others, and bring out the best in ourselves." —Shawon Jackson, Founder & CEO, Vocal Justice"There is a broadening awareness of how important a sense of belonging is to a person's education. But this book makes a special contribution. It brings this process to life as it exists on the ground, in the lives of real students and educators. It is a must-read for anyone dedicated to seeing our schools fulfill their democratic mission." —Claude Steele, author of Whistling Vivaldi"A brilliant and effective blending of personal memoir with educational reformation experience The Kid Across the Hall: The Fight for Opportunity in Our Schools by educator Reid Saaris will have immense value for readers with an interest in the educational ramification of income inequality and the role that nonprofit organizations and collective 'front line' leadership can accomplish."—Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisThe compelling true story of Nelly Benatar—a hero of the anti-Fascist North African resistance and humanitarian who changed the course of history for the "last million" escaping the Second World War. When France fell to Hitler's armies in June 1940, a flood of refugees fleeing Nazi terror quickly overwhelmed Europe's borders and spilled across the Mediterranean to North Africa, touching off a humanitarian crisis of dizzying proportions. Nelly Benatar, a highly regarded Casablancan Jewish lawyer, quickly claimed a role of rescuer and almost single-handedly organized a sweeping program of wartime refugee relief. But for all her remarkable achievements, Benatar's story has never been told. With this book, Susan Gilson Miller introduces readers to a woman who fought injustice as an anti-Fascist resistant, advocate for refugee rights, liberator of Vichy-run forced labor camps, and legal counselor to hundreds of Holocaust survivors. Miller crafts a gripping biography that spins a tale like a Hollywood thriller, yet finds its truth in archives gathered across Europe, North Africa, Israel, and the United States and from Benatar's personal collection of eighteen thousand documents now housed in the US Holocaust Museum. Years of Glory offers a rich narrative and a deeper understanding of the complex currents that shaped Jewish, North African, and world history over the course of the Second World War. The traumas of genocide, the struggle for anti-colonial liberation, and the eventual Jewish exodus from Arab lands all take on new meaning when reflected through the interstices of Benatar's life. A courageous woman with a deep moral conscience and an iron will, Nelly Benatar helped to lay the groundwork for crucial postwar efforts to build a better world over Europe's ashes.Trade Review"Susan Gilson Miller's Years of Glory illuminates major themes: that period's refugee crisis, resistance in Morocco to the Vichy regime, a talented woman's professional advancement in a traditional society, and the life of a once-vibrant Jewish community in North Africa. An exemplary unearthing of the remarkable legal career of Nelly Benatar." —Robert O. Paxton, author of Vichy France and the Jews and The Anatomy of Fascism"A brilliant work of history, Years of Glory reads like a thriller. Susan Gilson Miller describes the hardships but also the glory of Jewish life in Morocco through the intrepid Nelly Benatar, one of the great heroes of modern Jewish history, whose extraordinary leadership Miller uncovers in this fascinating book." —Susannah Heschel, author of The Aryan Jesus"Susan Gilson Miller's groundbreaking book reveals the life of an unsung Moroccan heroine, Nelly Benatar. Years of Glory is historical detective work at its finest, showing how, in the face of an unprecedented refugee crisis, Benatar's struggle bound Moroccans of all faiths in an enduring sense of duty, love, and compassion." —Hicham Alaoui"Narrating the life of a remarkable woman, Susan Gilson Miller has written a fascinating account of the herculean struggles to obtain justice for the sea of stateless and homeless people. Miller's fine book provides an excellent example of the importance of historical remembering." —Caroline Moorehead, author of A House in the Mountains"Susan Gilson Miller helps readers experience the war from aNorth African perspective, refocusing resistance and Holocaust history away from its usual European setting... This study of Nelly Benatar makes it clear that Morocco was an integral part of the Vichy/Nazi war machine. The issues Benatar raised about meeting the needs of stateless people, and about the role of Israel as aJewish homeland, are as important today as they everwere."—Bettina Berch, Jewish Book Council"Thanks to Susan Gilson Miller's marvelous new biography, Benatar's legacy is finally made legible for readers. More importantly,Years of Glory explores the Maghrib as a central part of the Holocaust and World War II. At the same time, Miller demonstrates just how profoundly the war disrupted the lives of those in Morocco and across French North Africa, soundly refuting historiographies that have tended to see the war as a blip in Maghribi history. And Miller does all this in lucid, beautiful prose that draws readers in: I literally could not put the book down."—Jessica M. Marglin, The Middle East Journal"[Years of Glory] is a beautifully written reconstruction of Benatar's cosmopolitan and peripatetic life of service."—Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah, The Middle GroundTable of Contents1. The Early Years 2. 1939: The Undesirables 3. 1940 Refugees and Resistance 4. 1941: The Casablanca Connection 5. 1942: Stateless in Morocco 6. 1943: Liberating the Camps 7. 1944: The Right to Have Rights 8. 1945: The Shock of Recognition 9. After the War

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Book SynopsisWinner of the prestigious Casa de las Américas Prize, this work spins a heartfelt story of an improbable relationship between an anthropologist and her charismatic Indigenous father. When Aparecida Vilaça first traveled down the remote Negro River in Amazonia, she expected to come back with notebooks and tapes full of observations about the Indigenous Wari' people—but not with a new father. In Paletó and Me, Vilaça shares her life with her adoptive Wari' family, and the profound personal transformations involved in becoming kin. Paletó—unfailingly charming, always prepared with a joke—shines with life in Vilaça's account of their unusual father-daughter relationship. Paletó was many things: he was a survivor, who lived through the arrival of violent invaders and diseases. He was a leader, who taught through laughter and care, spoke softly, yet was always ready to jump into the unknown. He could shift seamlessly between the roles of the observer and the observed, and in his visits to Rio de Janeiro, deconstructs urban social conventions with ease and wit. Begun the day after Paletó's death at the age of 85, Paletó and Me is a celebration of life, weaving together the author's own memories of learning the lifeways of Indigenous Amazonia with her father's testimony to Wari' persistence in the face of colonization. Speaking from the heart as both anthropologist and daughter, Vilaça offers an intimate look at Indigenous lives in Brazil over nearly a century.Trade Review"In this extraordinary account, the rich experiences of a seasoned social anthropologist are superbly sustained by novelistic insights. Aparecida Vilaça takes us on a journey into a profoundly alien culture by entering the mind of one man, Paletó. His life spanned, it seemed, an entire history of human civilization. From an upbringing and early adulthood in an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon forest to the explosive, savage intrusions of modernity, his outlook remained deeply humane. Through him, Vilaça holds up a mirror to the unchanging fundamentals of human nature."—Ian McEwan"Simple and profound, this book is a testament to an ethical, moral, and political commitment to the colonized peoples of America."—Casa de las Américas Prize committee"When I read Paletó and Me, I had a wonderful revelation. Our ancestors, with wisdom and magic, foresaw an irrepressible capacity of people to affect worlds and to make families across cultures. And I gained a 'relative' in the talented writer Aparecida Vilaça, whose anthropology is made of affects between worlds."—Ailton Krenak, author of Ideas to Postpone the End of the World"The wonderful draw of Paletó and Me is the courage of one woman immersing herself in another culture and 'making relatives.' Through her acute observations, Aparecida Vilaça conveys a way of being to any reader who may not know how one indigenous community continues to exist." —Linda Hogan, author of The Radiant Lives of Animals"Paletó and Aparecida's unlikely, potent kinship is narrated unforgettably in this book, without the narrator glossing over any of the violence of colonialism across which it happened. Kinship is always a surprise, never to be taken for granted. Paletó and Me shows how such a surprise continues to matter."—Donna Haraway, author of Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene"In this fascinating account, Aparecida Vilaça at times effaces herself—concealed by her friend's lively voice—and at times reemerges in the luminous form of her singular and personal writing. Far from being a conventional anthropological text, Paletó and Me depicts the inebriating journey between identities that reveal themselves to be both ancient and fleeting."—Mia Couto, author of Sleepwalking Land"Written in a conversational tone and guided by memories, Paletó and Me is inspired by questions rather than conclusions and completely forsakes ideology, rendering Aparecida Vilaça's memories into a delightful story."—Paulo Roberto Pires, Época Magazine"Vilaa manages to captivate us by letting her and Paletó's memories speak for themselves. Beautifully written, Paletó and me is not only a joy to read, but should become the model for anthropologists wishing to express the personal aspects of their fieldwork."—Niklas Hartmann, Journal of the Anthropological Society of OxfordTable of Contents1. Death without Cannibalism 2. The Encounter 3. The Peccary Brother 4. The Houses 5. Escaping Death for the First Time 6. The First White and Other Wars 7. The Stone Axe, the Dream of Paris, and the Bachelor House 8. The Jaguar Mother-in-Law 9. The Wives 10. Escaping Death for the Second Time: The Massacre 11. The Bewitched Bride and Poison in the Houses 12. Meeting the Whites 13. Sexy 14. Talking with the Bishop and the Misunderstandings of Contact 15. The Epidemics 16. Guajará-Mirim, Brazil 17. Meeting the Missionaries 18. In the Land of the Priests 19. Becoming a Believer 20. One Coach Station, Two Airports, and a Titanium Leg 21. When the Water Meets the Clouds and the Fish-Men 22. The Animals Who Are People, the Big Rock, and the Bones of the Dead 23. The Slippery People and the Big Television 24. Making Kin 25. The Farewell

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Book SynopsisIn 1524, a man named David Reubeni appeared in Venice, claiming to be the ambassador of a powerful Jewish kingdom deep in the heart of Arabia. In this era of fierce rivalry between great powers, voyages of fantastic discovery, and brutal conquest of new lands, people throughout the Mediterranean saw the signs of an impending apocalypse and envisioned a coming war that would end with a decisive Christian or Islamic victory. With his army of hardy desert warriors from lost Israelite tribes, Reubeni pledged to deliver the Jews to the Holy Land by force and restore their pride and autonomy. He would spend a decade shuttling between European rulers in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France, seeking weaponry in exchange for the support of his hitherto unknown but mighty Jewish kingdom. Many, however, believed him to favor the relatively tolerant Ottomans over the persecutorial Christian regimes. Reubeni was hailed as a messiah by many wealthy Jews and Iberia's oppressed conversos, but his grand ambitions were halted in Regensburg when the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, turned him over to the Inquisition and, in 1538, he was likely burned at the stake. Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah is the first English translation of Reubeni's Hebrew-language diary, detailing his travels and personal travails. Written in a Hebrew drawn from everyday speech, entirely unlike other literary works of the period, Reubeni's diary reveals both the dramatic desperation of Renaissance Jewish communities and the struggles of the diplomat, trickster, and dreamer who wanted to save them.Trade Review"Alan Verskin has once again proven himself to be a master translator with this English rendering of the Hebrew diary of the semi-messianic figure, David Reubeni. Verskin is no less a master storyteller who vividly recreates the historical setting of Reubeni's activity in his detailed introduction, which is eminently scholarly yet fully accessible."—Norman A. Stillman, Executive Editor of Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World"A fantastical tale of adventure, political intrigue, and apocalyptic expectation, David Reubeni's diary is surely one of the most fascinating pieces of Jewish writing from the age of exploration. Alan Verskin's elegant and eminently readable translation reveals the exploits of this self-declared messenger of a mythical Jewish kingdom as he pursues his unlikely quest to restore Jews to their ancient homeland."—Matthias B. Lehmann, author of The Baron"There were several ways in which Verskin could have approached this project. The material is so rich that he could have produced an updated English version of Aaron Ze'ev Aescoly's thick, heavily annotated and augmented 1940 Hebrew edition of the diary. But this would have been the work of several decades. On the other hand, he could have given us a bare translation with minimal apparatus. This small, elegant volume, which features Verskin's rich thirty-page introduction and deft, helpful endnotes, seems just right."—Matt Goldish, Jewish Review of Books"Almost everything known about Reubeni derives from his Hebrew diary, which Verskin here translates and presents along with an introduction to Reubeni's life and detailed notes that make the diary accessible. Even as scholars continue to debate Reubeni's origins and biography, this engaging book does a wonderful service by introducing Reubeni through his own telling of his quite remarkable story. Recommended."—A. J. Avery-Peck, CHOICE"Verskin's solid introduction allows the reader to fully appreciate how unique this diary is for the history of modern Jewish history.... Diary of a Jewish Messiah is recommended to all libraries."—Roger S. Kohn, Association of Jewish Libraries ReviewsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Africa 2. Egypt and the Holy Land 3. Italy 4. Portugal 5. Spain Appendix: Solomon Cohen's Addendum

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Book SynopsisIn 1524, a man named David Reubeni appeared in Venice, claiming to be the ambassador of a powerful Jewish kingdom deep in the heart of Arabia. In this era of fierce rivalry between great powers, voyages of fantastic discovery, and brutal conquest of new lands, people throughout the Mediterranean saw the signs of an impending apocalypse and envisioned a coming war that would end with a decisive Christian or Islamic victory. With his army of hardy desert warriors from lost Israelite tribes, Reubeni pledged to deliver the Jews to the Holy Land by force and restore their pride and autonomy. He would spend a decade shuttling between European rulers in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France, seeking weaponry in exchange for the support of his hitherto unknown but mighty Jewish kingdom. Many, however, believed him to favor the relatively tolerant Ottomans over the persecutorial Christian regimes. Reubeni was hailed as a messiah by many wealthy Jews and Iberia's oppressed conversos, but his grand ambitions were halted in Regensburg when the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, turned him over to the Inquisition and, in 1538, he was likely burned at the stake. Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah is the first English translation of Reubeni's Hebrew-language diary, detailing his travels and personal travails. Written in a Hebrew drawn from everyday speech, entirely unlike other literary works of the period, Reubeni's diary reveals both the dramatic desperation of Renaissance Jewish communities and the struggles of the diplomat, trickster, and dreamer who wanted to save them.Trade Review"Alan Verskin has once again proven himself to be a master translator with this English rendering of the Hebrew diary of the semi-messianic figure, David Reubeni. Verskin is no less a master storyteller who vividly recreates the historical setting of Reubeni's activity in his detailed introduction, which is eminently scholarly yet fully accessible."—Norman A. Stillman, Executive Editor of Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World"A fantastical tale of adventure, political intrigue, and apocalyptic expectation, David Reubeni's diary is surely one of the most fascinating pieces of Jewish writing from the age of exploration. Alan Verskin's elegant and eminently readable translation reveals the exploits of this self-declared messenger of a mythical Jewish kingdom as he pursues his unlikely quest to restore Jews to their ancient homeland."—Matthias B. Lehmann, author of The Baron"There were several ways in which Verskin could have approached this project. The material is so rich that he could have produced an updated English version of Aaron Ze'ev Aescoly's thick, heavily annotated and augmented 1940 Hebrew edition of the diary. But this would have been the work of several decades. On the other hand, he could have given us a bare translation with minimal apparatus. This small, elegant volume, which features Verskin's rich thirty-page introduction and deft, helpful endnotes, seems just right."—Matt Goldish, Jewish Review of Books"Almost everything known about Reubeni derives from his Hebrew diary, which Verskin here translates and presents along with an introduction to Reubeni's life and detailed notes that make the diary accessible. Even as scholars continue to debate Reubeni's origins and biography, this engaging book does a wonderful service by introducing Reubeni through his own telling of his quite remarkable story. Recommended."—A. J. Avery-Peck, CHOICE"Verskin's solid introduction allows the reader to fully appreciate how unique this diary is for the history of modern Jewish history.... Diary of a Jewish Messiah is recommended to all libraries."—Roger S. Kohn, Association of Jewish Libraries ReviewsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Africa 2. Egypt and the Holy Land 3. Italy 4. Portugal 5. Spain Appendix: Solomon Cohen's Addendum

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Book SynopsisTwo brothers turn from Jehovah’s Witnesses in Allentown, PA, to neo-Nazi murderers in this true crime investigation from the author of Lobster Boy. Raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses and frustrated with their parents’ repressive rules, Bryan and David Freeman rebelled as teenagers. Encouraged by an acquaintance he met while institutionalized at a reform school, Bryan became a neo-Nazi. Bryan then indoctrinated David, and their flare for defiance took a dark turn. After callously murdering their father, mother, and younger brother, the skinhead brothers took flight across America, with police from three states in hot pursuit. They were eventually captured in Michigan and returned to Pennsylvania for trial. During the trial, author Fred Rosen uncovered evidence that one of the brothers might not have been as culpable as authorities claimed, and divulged the history of a family torn apart by stringent religious beliefs.Trade ReviewPraise for Fred Rosen “The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy

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Book SynopsisThe author of the true crime “masterpiece” Lobster Boy traces a brutal killer’s history across two decades of slipping past the legal system (The Guardian). When police in Tampa, Florida, arrested Larry Singleton in 1997 for brutally murdering prostitute Roxanne Hayes, they soon realized it wasn’t the man’s first violent attack. Back in 1978 he had gained notoriety as “the Mad Chopper” for raping and cutting off the arms of 15-year-old Mary Vincent on a patch of desolate, sun-scorched land 5 miles off the highway near Modesto, California. When Singleton was let out of prison on supervised parole after serving only 8 years for his crimes, no community in California would accept him. He eventually moved back to his home in Florida, where he killed Hayes nearly 20 years after his original crime. But his first victim, Vincent, had survived, walking nearly a mile to get help after the assault, and testified against him at his trial for murdering Hayes.Trade ReviewPraise for Fred Rosen “The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy

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Book SynopsisThe true story of Louisiana serial killer Ronald Dominique’s ten-year murder spree, the men he slayed, and the detectives who hunted him down. In 1997, the bodies of young African American men began turning up in the cane fields of the quiet suburbs of New Orleans. The victims—many of them transient street hustlers—had been brutally raped and strangled, but police had no leads on the killer’s identity. The murders continued, leaving southeast Louisiana’s gay community rattled and authorities desperate for a break in the case. Then, Detectives Dennis Thornton and Dawn Bergeron came together as task force partners, indefatigable in their decade-long effort to track down the killer. In 2006, DNA evidence finally linked the murders to a suspect: the unassuming Ronald Joseph Dominique, who had lived under the radar for years, working as a pizza deliveryman and meter reader. But who was Ronald Dominique and what led him to commit such heinous crimes? With direct access to the investigation, Dominique’s confession, and all of the killer’s body dump sites in throughout the state, author Fred Rosen enters the warped mind of a murderer and captures a troubled, disturbing, and broken life. As with the many other serial killers he has covered, including Jeffrey Dahmer (the Milwaukee Cannibal) and Dennis Rader (the BTK Killer), Rosen provides a horrifying and fascinating account of the lengths to which a bloodthirsty monster will go to lure and brutalize his victims.Trade Review“Although the FBI once considered him the country’s most significant serial killer—twenty-three victims!—the Bayou Strangler hardly made national news. Fred Rosen takes us to the bars of the French Quarter, the dirt roads of rural Louisiana, and a little-known subculture. The prejudices he uncovers turned reporters away, but not two dedicated detectives, who emerge as heroes. This book makes a fascinating read not only as true crime but also as a biting social commentary.” —Ann Marie Ackermann, author of Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee “How was one of the most prolific serial killers able to operate undetected for nearly a decade? Read The Bayou Strangler for the shocking truth.” —Jim Seeley, “Mr. True Crime” on social mediaPraise for Fred Rosen “The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy “A truly unforgettable story, brilliantly written. A true crime classic.” —Dan Zupansky, host of Blog Talk Radio’s True Murder on Flesh Collectors “A fast-moving, satisfying production of popular history.” —Booklist on Gold!

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