Biography: general Books

Book SynopsisBest known for his focus on the intuitive force within, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) also anticipated major modern discoveries in mineralogy, psychology, and anatomy. In this succinct and readable collection, Stanley expertly brings the most significant writings from Swedenborg''s oeuvre together, showing readers a man who created a hieroglyphic language, reimagined the Genesis story, influenced Blake, Balzac, Strindberg, and Yeats, and authored a number of anonymous works that put the Swedish clergy of his day on high alert. This is the fourth title in the Western Esoteric Masters Series from North Atlantic Books.

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Book SynopsisA rigorously researched biography of the founder of modern magick, as well as a study of the occult, sexuality, Eastern religion, and more The name “Aleister Crowley” instantly conjures visions of diabolic ceremonies and orgiastic indulgences—and while the sardonic Crowley would perhaps be the last to challenge such a view, he was also much more than “the Beast,” as this authoritative biography shows. Perdurabo—entitled after the magical name Crowley chose when inducted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—traces Crowley’s remarkable journey from his birth as the only son of a wealthy lay preacher to his death in a boarding house as the world’s foremost authority on magick. Along the way, he rebels against his conservative religious upbringing; befriends famous artists, writers, and philosophers (and becomes a poet himself); is attacked for his practice of “the black arts”; and teaches that science and magick can work together. While seeking to spread his infamous philosophy of, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” Crowley becomes one of the most notorious figures of his day. Based on Richard Kaczynski’s twenty years of research, and including previously unpublished biographical details, Perdurabo paints a memorable portrait of the man who inspired the counterculture and influenced generations of artists, punks, wiccans, and other denizens of the demimonde.

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Book SynopsisThis riveting sequel to My Bloody Life traces Reymundo Sanchez’s struggle to create a “normal” life outside the Latin Kings, one of the nation's most notorious street gangs, and to move beyond his past. Sanchez illustrates how the Latin King motto “once a king, always a king” rings true and details the difficulty and danger of leaving that life behind. Filled with heartpounding scenes of his backslide into drugs, sex, and violence, Once a King, Always a King recounts how Sanchez wound up in prison and provides an engrossing firsthand account of how the Latin Kings are run from inside the prison system. Harrowing testaments to Sanchez’s determination to rebuild his life include his efforts to separate his family from gang life and his struggle to adapt to marriage and the corporate world. Despite temptations, nightmares, regressions into violence, and his own internal demons, Sanchez makes an uneasy peace with his new life. This raw, powerful, and brutally honest memoir traces the transformation of an accomplished gangbanger into a responsible citizen.Trade Review"Riveting sequel to 'My Bloody Life'." -- Zona Latina."The pseudonymous author must be enthusiastically applauded for his struggle to extract himself from the jaws of the monster." -- KirkusReviews"A slow-motion riot of drugs, sex and gunplay." -- Publishers Weekly on My Bloody Life"A survivor who turned his life around, Sanchez writes plainly and powerfully, and what is shocking about his tragic tale is not the barbaric actions of young gangbangers but the appalling collusion of adults, from criminally abusive parents to mercenary gun dealers and immoral cops." -- Booklist on My Bloody Life"Sanchez carefully traces his own transformation from an inner-city Puerto Rican boy who likes to play baseball into an accomplished gangbanger in Chicago's notorious Latin Kings--someone for whom pulling the trigger was becoming second nature." -- The Washington Post on My Bloody Life

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Book SynopsisAfter college, Anne Thomas Soffee journeyed to Los Angeles to start a career as a rock journalist and small-time heavy metal flack. This hilarious peek into the early years of the hair-band era reveals the hierarchy of fishnets, bustiers, and chicks with the Holy Grail—a backstage pass. A taste for other people's prescriptions and too much beer edges her freelance journalism work right off her schedule. She struggles with not being thin enough, pretty enough, or cool enough when, in the midst of the L.A. riots, Soffee is offered a coveted slot in Virginia Commonwealth University's MFA writing program. Determined to pull herself out of current habits, Soffee starts turning her life around, making a stop at rehab before she heads off to graduate school. Her quarter-life crisis is packed with offbeat characters that prove that fact is often funnier than fiction.Trade Review"Funny, trashy and smart." -- The New York Times"A truly well-written rock 'n' roll memoir." -- Punk Planet"A laugh-out-loud charmer." -- Bust"Totally enjoyable." -- Maximum Rock n Roll"Funny as hell!" -- Score! Music Magazine"A compelling read." -- Metal Maniacs"Incredibly sharp . . . Easy to read and clever, making it hard to put down." --Venuszine.com"Wickedly funny." -- Seattle WeeklyTable of Contents"That Girls Has a Ring in Her Nose"; I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone"; Confessions of a Reluctant Danzig Bimbo; Strippers, Clown Rooms, and Danzig Among the Mangoes; Payola Means Never Having to Say "You Suck"; Idle Worship; Industry Weasel; There Goes the Neighbourhood; Last Call; Tattoo Me.

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Book SynopsisThe first of William Gilmore Simms's Border Romance series, this is a vividly accurate and entertaining account of two very different societies in frontier Georgia during the height of the gold-rush era.

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Book SynopsisThis powerful collection of fifteen memoirs by and about one of the greatest poets of our time weaves an unforgettable drama of friendship, grace, and courage, through long years of heartbreak and hunger.

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Book SynopsisThe First Well is an engaging autobiographical account of Jabra’s boyhood in Bethlehem, where he was born in 1920, and later in Jerusalem, where he moved as a teenager with his parents.Through the eyes and heart of a sensitive, highly imaginative boy, Jabra describes the first sources of his artistic sensibility—the houses, fields, and orchards of his childhood and the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The First Well is the story of his intellectual and spiritual growth nurtured and encouraged by his family, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and his teachers. His story is both captivatingly innocent and full of wisdom. Wordsworth’s observation, “The Child is father of the Man,” is entirely apt as Jabra’s literary and artistic interests take root and blossom. Here is a chronicle of the experiences and events he drew upon as he became one of the leading authors of the Arab world.

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Book SynopsisTen years in the making, taken largely fron primary materials, some lent by descendents, this biography is a balanced portrait of an extraordinary Arkansas leader, progressive governor of the state from 1917 to 1921.

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Book SynopsisIn this novelette, William Gilmore Simms records one of the awful realities of America's early frontier, that of women trapped in ill-fated marriages. Forced into a union with her lover, Helen Halsey is exploited and victimized in a domestic situation from which there is no release.Utilizing the compression of the short novel form, Simms weaves elaborate plot lines of violence, romance, and intrigue to create a fast-moving, action-packed tale of an America just beginning its search for identity, justice, and spiritual truth. Edgar Allan Poe said of Simms that "in invention, in vigor, in movement, in the power of exciting interest, and in the artistical arrangement of his themes," he surpassed "any of his countrymen."

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Book SynopsisJabbour Douaihy’s Autumn Equinox is a diary of a young man recently resettled in his Lebanese village after going to college in the United States. It continues from the end of May through the September equinox of 1986, narrating his efforts to remake himself through adjustments to his reading, writing, and eating habits, his dress, his posture, his family relationships, his love life. . . . The diary begins with a view of an Israeli bombing in South Lebanon and ends with a description of refugee families fleeing to the mountain villages. Otherwise, except for allusions to what is going on in the capital, the Lebanese Civil War is far from the story, although its violence has never been far from this village. America, personified by a Lara who does not answer his letters, is a faraway land of nostalgia. The village is here, at the center of the young man’s narration, peopled by comic characters who seem to insist on their own unchanging selfhoods and to resist his attempts to be different. The Civil War and the Occupation, the author seems to be saying, are not the only sources of turmoil. Violence and revenge have been part of the people’s consciousness, and people might indeed need to redefine themselves while at the same time adjusting to the environment.

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Book SynopsisWhile he served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, William Sabel dutifully wrote home to his parents in Chicago every week. More than half a century later, five years' worth of correspondence is featured in Seeds of Hope: An Engineer's World War II Letters. Sabel was 25 years old, single, and living on a poultry farm in Marshall County, Indiana, when he was drafted into military service in April 1941. As an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers he traveled overseas in January 1943 and served in the South Pacific for three years. When he returned home in February 1946, Sabel discovered that his mother had saved all of his letters, totaling about 300, in a box. In the early 1990s, when he became interested in computers, Sabel decided to compile all of his letters chronologically, a process that took about 14 months. This book details his various experiences, ranging from his unit's involvement in building hospitals and roads to interesting stories about crops such as watermelons and cucumbers for the hospital from seeds Sabel's parents had sent from home. Seed's of Hope: An Engineer's World War II Letters is funny, provocative, enlightening, and just a plain good read providing a glimpse behind the scenes of the war in the Pacific.

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating autobiography is set against the backdrop of some of the most dramatic episodes of the twentieth century. It is the story of a stubborn struggle against unjust regimes, sustained by a deep belief in the strength of the human spirit and the transcendental power of music. It is also an account of a rich spiritual life, during which the author has built upon her Jewish roots through the study of Eastern philosophy and meditation. Born in Germany, Eva Mayer Schay's early childhood in Mallorca was an idyllic one. Her parents had emigrated to the island following the Nazi party's rise to power, but in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the family was repatriated to Germany. Her father was arrested and given the choice of concentration camp or departing for Italy. They managed to leave Mussolini's Italy for South Africa before the race laws were implemented. During World War II, Mayer Schay's parents were classed as "enemy aliens" in South Africa, which led to considerable hardship. Her father died in 1945, after the end of the war. She went through all her schooling and university in Johannesburg, continued her musical studies in London, and after returning to Johannesburg, taught violin, played chamber music, and became a member of the SABC Symphony Orchestra. Defying apartheid, she was fired, later reinstated, but left Johannesburg to play with the Durban Civic Orchestra in 1959. Appalled at the increasing harshness of the nationalist government and by the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, she and her mother finally emigrated to England in 1961.In London, Mayer Schay worked as freelance violinist and was married in 1967. In September 1968, she joined the orchestra of Sadler's Wells Opera at the Coliseum Theatre, later renamed English National Opera, where she remained for almost thirty years.

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Book SynopsisAfternoons with Puppy is a heartwarming account of dynamic relationships and outcomes involving a therapist, his therapy animals, and his patients, gathered from almost two decades of ongoing practice. It is a narrative of Dr. Aubrey H. Fine's experiences and his growing respect for the power of the animals’ effects on his patients and himself. Fine observes that healing is rarely, if ever, accomplished in isolation. There is always a reaching out and a connection at the heart of the therapeutic enterprise. Afternoons with Puppy reveals the ways in which our bond with animals centers our being. Interacting with an animal, as simple as having a puppy in your lap gnawing on your thumb, strips away the unimportant and provides the neutral, primal ground on which healing and new growth can take place. Afternoons with Puppy is an emotional journey that will continue long after the last page.

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Book SynopsisIn a 1941 Nazi roundup of educated Poles, Stefan Budziaszek—newly graduated from medical school in Krakow—was incarcerated in the Krakow Montelupich Prison and transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp in February 1942. German big businesses brutally exploited the cheap labor of prisoners in the camp, and workers were dying. In 1943, Stefan, now a functionary prisoner, was put in charge of the on-site prisoner hospital, which at the time was more like an infirmary staffed by well-connected but untrained prisoners. Stefan transformed this facility from just two barracks into a working hospital and outpatient facility that employed more than 40 prisoner doctors and served a population of 10,000 slave laborers.Stefan and his staff developed the hospital by commandeering medication, surgical equipment, and even building materials, often from the so-called Canada warehouse filled with the effects of Holocaust victims. But where does seeking the cooperation of the Nazi concentration camp staff become collusion with Nazi genocide? How did physicians deal with debilitated patients who faced “selection” for transfer to the gas chambers? Auschwitz was a cauldron of competing agendas. Unexpectedly, ideological rivalry among prisoners themselves manifested itself as well. Prominent Holocaust witnesses Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi both sought treatment at this prisoner hospital. They, other patients, and hospital staff bear witness to the agency of prisoner doctors in an environment better known for death than survival.

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Book SynopsisUnlike other American astronauts, Virgil I. ""Gus""Grissom never had the chance to publish his memoirs. Killed along with his crewin a launch pad fire on January 27, 1967, Grissom also lost his chance to walkon the moon and return to describe his journey. Others went in his place. Thestories of the moon walkers are familiar. Less appreciated are Grissom'scontributions.The international prestige of winning the Moon Race cannotbe understated, and Grissom played a pivotal and enduring role in securing thatlegacy for the United States. Indeed, Grissom was first and foremost a ColdWarrior, a member of the first group of Mercury astronauts whose goal it was tobeat the Soviet Union into space and eventually to the moon.Drawing on extensive interviews with fellow astronauts, NASA engineers, family members, and friends of Gus Grissom, George Leopold deliversa comprehensive and corrective account of Grissom’s life that places his careerin the context of the Cold War and the history of human spaceflight.Calculated Risk: TheSupersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom adds significantly to ourunderstanding of that tumultuous and ultimately triumphant period in American history.Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Pure Oxygen 1. 1926 2. Work 3. Purdue 4. Wingman 5. Test Pilot 6. Mercury Seven 7. Extracurricular Activities 8. The Flight of Liberty Bell 7 9. Down a Peg 10. Apogee 11. Risk and Reward 12. How Astronauts Talk 13. Front of the Line 14. Death at 218 Feet 15. Abandon in Place Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEva and Otto is a truestory about German opposition and resistance to Hitler as revealed through the early lives of Eva Lewinski Pfister (1910–1991) and Otto Pfister (1900–1985). It is an intimate and epic account of two Germans—Eva born Jewish, Otto born Catholic—who worked with a little-known German political group that resisted and fought against Hitler in Germany before 1933 and then in exile in Paris before the German invasion of France in May 1940. After their improbable escapes from separate internment and imprisonment in Europe, Eva obtained refuge in America in October 1940 where she worked to rescue other endangered political refugees, including Otto, with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt. As revealed in recently declassified records, Eva and Otto later engaged in different secret assignments with the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in support of the Allied war effort. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Eva and Otto gave each other hope and strength as they acted upon what they understood to be an ethical duty to help others threatened by fascism. The book provides a sobering insight into the personal risks and costs of a commitment to that duty. Their unusually beautiful writing—directed to each other in diaries and correspondence during two long periods of wartime separation—also reveals an unlikely and inspiring love story.Table of Contents Preface Prologue Part I. Eva's Path to 28 Boulevard Poissonnière 1. Childhood in Goldap (1910–1926) 2. Study in France and at the Walkemühle (1926–1932) 3. Anti-Nazi Work in Germany (1932–1933) 4. Early Years in Exile in Paris (1933–1935) Part II. Otto's Path to 28 Boulevard Poissonnière 5. Childhood in Munich (1900–1920) 6. "Education" in Italy and France (1920–1935) Part III. Resistance and Love in Paris, 1935–1940 7. Anti-Nazi Work in Paris 8. War Begins: Internment, Sabotage, and Love Part IV. German Invasion on May 9, 1940: Eva and Otto Forced on Separate Paths 9. Eva's Internment at Vélodrome d'Hiver and Camp de Gurs 10. Eva's Refuge in Castagnède, Montauban, and Marseille 11. Otto's Capture and Imprisonment by the Nazis 12. Otto's Return to Paris and Flight to Montauban 13. Eva's Escape over the Pyrenees and Unexpected Delay in Lisbon Eva's Voyage from Lisbon to New York Part V. New York, 1940–1941: Urgent Efforts to Rescue ISK Colleagues, including Otto 15. Eva's Daunting Task of Obtaining U.S. Visas 16. Help from Eleanor Roosevelt and Other Americans 17. Three Crucial Meetings on December 27, 1940 18. 1940 Correspondence 19. Eva's Other Activities before the End of 1940 20. Further Pleas to Help Otto and Other Refugees 21. Otto's Wait for a Visa in Southern France 22. Otto's Escape to America 23. Eva's Defense of Her Decision to Marry Otto Part VI. Rescue Efforts and Work for the OSS in the Face of Personal Challenges 24. Priorities: Eva's Rescue and Relief Work 25. René-Eva Correspondence: Eva's Secret Work with the Office of Strategic Services 26. Three Big Decisions in 1943–1944 27. A Devastating Loss Part VII. Separated Again 28. Otto's OSS Mission and Eva and Otto's Wartime Correspondence 29. The War Drags On, Reports on Nazi Atrocities, and Another Personal Loss 30. Questions about the Future as the Allies Battle in Europe Part VIII. Hope Renewed 31. 1945: Signs of Spring as the War in Europe Grinds to an End 32. A New Life Epilogue Afterword Acknowledgments Appendix A. Summary Backgrounds of ISK Members on Eva's List of Applicants for Emergency Visas Appendix B. Examples of René-Eva and Robert-Eclair Correspondence Appendix C. Eva's Memorial Summary of Otto's Life Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn this major revision of The Life of Samuel Johnson, Robert DeMaria makes a compelling claim for the attention of a new generation of Johnson's readers and admirers.Trade Review"DeMaria's excellent revision of Johnson the scholar..." TES "DeMaria is himself a fine commentator, and some of his paraphrases outshine the originals..." Bostonia "DeMaria's scrupulous patient exploration of the career in all its aspects is - right down to his book's informative and skillful Notes and Index - a heroic undertaking. He has carried it out beautifully." Professor William H. Pritchard, Amherst "DeMaria's penetrating biography..." Gwin J. Kolb "Balanced, incisive, and wide-ranging..." Bruce Redford "Robert DeMaria has written a learned and at times provocative work which undoubtedly adds to our understanding of the great man." The Times "Robert DeMaria has very nearly done it ... a thoroughly serious, even solemn Johnson." Keith Walker, TLS "This is a fine and original critical account." Literary Review "A pleasantly written, useful introduction to Johnson's writing." Library Journal "A very readable account." Times Educational Supplement "Johnson observed that people require reminding more often than instructing. Demaria's study provides both." Magill's Literary Annual 1994 "Demaria's biography is a balanced book, and - as one might expect - a learned one." Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 "An erudite, fact-packed work that delves into the social context for Johnson's writing." The Observer "Anyone wishing to enjoy a highly readable and informative book on Johnson should find a copy of Robert DeMaria's The Life of Samuel Johnson, A Critical Biography. Even the most ardent Johnsonian will learn something new, and it can be recommended to students without qualification... Most of the facts of Johnson's life are well known; DeMaria uses them to guide us on a journey through Johnson's intellectual landscape. Rocky Mountain Modern Language AssociationTable of ContentsList of Illustrations. A Note on the Form of Citation. Preface. 1. Lichfield. 2. Oxford and Birmingham. 3. Irene. 4. London. 5. Early Biographical Writings. 6. Miscellaneous Prose. 7. The Harleian Library. 8. Johnson's Dictionary. . 9. The Vanity of Human Wishes. 10. The Rambler. 11. Sermons. 12. The Adventurer. 13. The Literary Magazine. 14. The Idler. 15. Rasselas. 16. Shakespeare. 17. Lectures on the English Law. 18. Late Political Writings. 19. A Jourey to the Western Islands of Scotland. 20. The Lives of the Poets. 21. Final Years. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis important new critical biography traces in carefully considered detail what is known of Geoffrey Chaucer's personal life while exploring the fascinating relationship between the man of affairs, who made so many 'improvisations and accommodations' to ensure his own survival, and the poet. A major reexamination of England's greatest narrative poet, it is supplemented with reproductions of Chaucer portraits and other illustrations, including maps of medieval England.Trade Review"Few can write so interestingly, fewer Chaucerians." Notes and Queries "In this rich and comprehensive book, Professor Pearsall combines his expert knowledge of modern Chaucer scholarship and criticism with a refreshing directness in expressing his own opinions. He sees the same `aloof and uncomitted' spirit in Chaucer's poems as in his career; and it is hard to believe that there will ever be a more coherent and convincing account of the life and works of this elusive poet." J. A. Burrow "... highly readable, built on a sound scholarly base with wit and judgment...." Derek Brewer "... it is the merit of Pearsall's book that he returns England's first true poet to the muddle, viciousness and disorder of 14th-century London. He insists continually that we divest ourselves of modern preoccupations... in order to see Chaucer as he was." Peter Ackroyd, The Times "An excellent account." Peter Ackroyd The Times "The life-records are expertly interpreted in terms of social history. The works are placed in their generic frames, and discussed in probable order of composition through the life. The criticism, if at times it has to be summary, is sturdy, candid and well-judged. The scholarship is masterly, that is, unobtrusive, and the lively exposition free from old academic vices, and from modern ones." English "Rife with insights into both the poet's life and his work, this superb book can introduce undergraduates to Chaucer and yet also provide much for seasoned critics and scholars to ponder and debate. A fine reference for the life, times, and works. A must for all libraries." Choice "Is a pleasure to read. An excellent book by a distinguished scholar." Notes and Queries "Pearsall has solved, with elegance and precision, the problem of writing on things which have not only often been considered before, but also frequently discussed." Buchbesprechungen "Pearsall's writing is marked by its firm reasonableness and humour and a confident awareness of contemporary critical thought, and his studies of Chaucer's literary experiments and enquiries as he turned from one visionary poem to another form some of the most stimulating pages of this book." Southern Humanities Review "Often hilarious, by turns, enlightening and provocative. It can be read and appreciated on several levels, as a detailed history of the period, as textual history, and as literary criticism as well as biography." Modern Law Review "Any book-length biography of Chaucer has to be the product of a highly creative imagination, for very little is known about the poets life. This one, highly readable, is fleshed out with a little history and a lot of intelligent and perceptive literary criticism." Sunday Telegraph "Excellent on Chaucer both as a creative writer and a public administrator." The Observer "It is hard to imagine how Derek Pearsall's fine 'critical biography' of Chaucer could be superseded. It will, however, enrage most people some of the time, and some people most of the time; but all for the right reasons. Its originality lies in its refusal to speculate. Pearsall refuses to join the game of invention. Nor will he refashion Chaucer to his own preferred image... this book is a delight to read." Review of English StudiesTable of ContentsList of figures and illustrations. List of Abbreviations. Introduction: Writing a life of Chaucer. 1. Beginnings (c.1340-1360). 2. Early Career (The 1360s). 3. Advances (The 1370s). 4. Fame (1380-1386). 5. Reversals, New Beginnings (1386-1391). 6. Renewal (The 1390s). Epilogue. Appendix I The Chaucer Portraits. Notes. List of Short Titles and Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisCombining interviews and personal narrative, the author presents a portrait of the turbulent history of Peru, starting in 1983 when the Shining Path guerillas plunged the country into crisis. She explores why so many Peruvian women felt compelled to join the terrorists.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents Richard D. Kahlenberg's memoirs of his time at the Harvard Law School. He cites incident after incident to show how students' natural public-spiritedness is turned into self-interest.

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Book SynopsisPolly Adler's ""house"" - the brothel that gave this best-selling 1953 autobiography its title - was a major site of New York City underworld activity from the 1920s through the 1940s. Adler's notorious Lexington Avenue house of prostitution functioned as a sort of social club for New York's gangsters and a variety of other celebrities, including Robert Benchley and his friend Dorothy Parker. According to one New York tabloid, it made Adler's name ""synonymous with sin."" This new edition of Adler's autobiography brings back into print a book that was a mass phenomenon, in both hardback and paperback, when it was first published. A self-consciously literary work, ""A House Is Not a Home"" provides an informal social history of immigrant mobility, prostitution, Jewish life in New York, police dishonesty, the ""white slavery"" scare of the early twentieth century, and political corruption. Adler's story fills an important gap in the history of immigrant life, urban experience, and organized crime in New York City. While most other accounts of the New York underworld focus on the lives of men, from Herbert Asbury's ""Gangs of New York"" through more recent works on Jewish and Italian gangsters, this book brings women's lives and problems to the forefront. ""A House Is Not a Home"" is compellingly readable and was popular enough to draw Hollywood's attention in the early 1960s - leading to a film starring Shelley Winters as Adler. The book has been largely forgotten in the ensuing decades, lost both to its initial audience of general readers and to scholars in women's studies, immigration history, and autobiography who are likely to find it a treasure trove. Now, with a new introduction by Rachel Rubin that contextualizes Adler's life and literary achievement, ""A House Is Not a Home"" is again available to the many readers who have come to understand such ""marginal"" life stories as a special refraction of the more typical American success narrative.

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