Fiction companion works

Book SynopsisEver since Arthur Conan Doyle created the pipe-smoking, deer-stalkered character, Sherlock Holmes, he has become a part of popular culture for generations, and here every aspect of the legendary detective is investigated. Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide-range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.Table of ContentsIntroduction The Doyle Family - Background of the author Literary beginnings - Conan Doyle at school Dr Joseph Bell - Mentor and model for Holmes The doctor who wanted to write - Conan Doyle sets up practice in Southsea Who came before? - Other literary detectives A Study in Scarlet - How Sherlock Holmes was born A slow birth process - Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 Holmes described - Appearance, character and background Watson described - Appearance, character and background Holmes' Baker Street - Numbers and complications So many choices - The search for 221B The Sign of (the) Four - The story of the follow-up novel Evocative of its time - Conan Doyle's London The Strand Magazine - Reading for the masses Sidney Paget - The first great Holmes illustrator The human side - Re-introduction of Holmes Central attraction - Why Holmes still works today Deduction - It's a science Mycroft Holmes - Sherlock's big brother Mrs Hudson - The long-suffering landlady Scotland Yarders - Lestrade and all the rest Professor Moriarty - The Napoleon of Crime Women and Holmes - What he really thought of them Holmes' literary tastes - What he reads and what he recommends Holmes' musical tastes - The detective takes time to relax A rare actor - Sherlock Holmes in disguise Town versus country - Holmes, the city-dweller Expert monographs - Holmes, the writer Great quotations - Holmes, the brilliant conversationalist The early plots - Short story breakdown, Part 1 Holmes is critical - Watson's writing analysed Increasing returns - Conan Doyle and his considerable earnings Reichenbach beckoned - The killing of Sherlock Holmes Start of something - The Holmes phenomenon First parodies - Sherlock Holmes becomes a copied man The footlights - Holmes takes to the stage Sherlock Holmes - The play that became Gillette's great success The Hound looms - The return of the detective It was inevitable - The story of the real return The Return of Sherlock Holmes - Short story breakdown, Part 2 The start of scholarship - Something new in detective fiction The bright Ronald Knox - 'Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes' Baffled! - Holmes in the silent film era Output dwindles - The story of writing His Last Bow His Last Bow - Short story breakdown, Part 3 Post Gillette's masterpiece - More Holmes on stage, Part 1 Spiritualism dominates - Conan Doyle and his religious beliefs The final demise - Conan Doyle's last decade of writing The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes - Short story breakdown, Part 4 Mystery stories - And yet another three? The 'talkies' - The arrival of film with sound Rathbone arrives - A triumph before typecasting Rathbone runs away - The Rathbone-Bruce partnership ends Up to date - More Holmes on stage, Part 2 The birth of societies - With their roots firmly in scholarship An insatiable appetite - Holmes and modern media Enduring appeal - Holmes in the 21st century Epilogue - Remembering Conan Doyle Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisLearn about the world''s greatest detective in The Sherlock Holmes Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Sherlock Holmes in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Sherlock Holmes Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Sherlock Holmes, with:- Includes all four novels and 56 short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe Sherl

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Book SynopsisTravel the myriad worlds of the DC Multiverse. If you want to truly understand DC Comics, The DC Book is your one-stop guide to the DC Multiverse. This unique, insightful examination of a mind-boggling comics universe takes readers on a compelling journey from the dawn of Super Heroes to the formation of the Dark Multiverse... and beyond.Meticulously researched and expertly written, The DC Book is packed with stunning comics artwork, illuminating infographics, and incisive, specially curated essays that shed new light on the ever-evolving DC Multiverse. From the world''s finest Super Heroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, to iconic villains like the Joker, Lex Luthor, and Darkseid, to mythic realms like Apokolips and Themyscira, to cosmic energies like The Source and The Speed Force, The DC Book explores the key concepts, characters, and events that have defined and shaped DC Comics over the past 80 years.Divided into key subject areas, i

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Book SynopsisDangerous, dark and difficult to detect, poisons have been a common character in literature from ancient times to the modern day. Their ability to perform deadly deeds at a distance is a common device for creating dramatic tension and playing on our real life fears. But what is fact and what is pure fiction? From Shakespeare and Dickens to Hugo and Poe, the macabre world of literary poisonings is as large as it is fascinating. Utilising real forensic science Poisonous Tales explores the real science inspiring the toxins and tinctures in our favourite works. Could a poison really mimic death in Romeo and Juliet? What is the cause of the mad Hatter’s malady in Alice in Wonderland? And could a stone from the stomach of a goat really have been used as an antidote in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Through these and many more ‘cases’ we discover the captivating truth in the texts and how real-life tragedies can replicate themselves in fiction.Table of ContentsUseful Herb or Dreadful Poison;The Cry of Death;A Ghostly Encounter with Poison;The Flattering Truth of Sleep;The Queen of Poisons;Outfoxed by Digitalis;Poison for a Broken Heart;The Power to Heal as well as Harm;Beautiful but Deadly;Nature’s Toxic Gift;Mad as a Hatter;The Silent Killer

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Book SynopsisSet in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, Kashmir and Delhi in theate ''60s, intertwined with the significant cultural, student, sexual and intellectual revolutions taking place around that time, Afternoon is the story of a young student finding theove of hisife and two young women whoseives intersect with his at different points of time. It is also the story of a Kashmiri Muslim girl who carried memories and impressions of her home state but grew up in Delhi. The other woman, an American Field Service worker from Upper East Side New York, findsife taking unexpected turns on a short field visit to India. Her visit confirms her decision to go to Berkeley instead of the Seven Sisters where she had also got admission because of her academic brilliance. The Cold War mentality and way ofooking at each other had noteft either America or the USSR. Conscription and a highly unpopular Vietnam War were raging. The Establishment in Berkeley and elsewhere in California was as determined as the idealistic students to get its way, which meant crushing their movements. There are threats to these relationships from other interested parties and events. The decisions that are involved in inter-continental relationships. The belief that there is nothing more important thanove. Afternoon best reflects how ourives are shaped by the choices we make and factors beyond our control.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, the pompous and self-important Abbot spots a chance to take part in that Holy Grail of Bridge - the Bermuda Bowl world championships. Casting all ethics aside, he pursues this dream. Partnered by the Parrot, with the Witchdoctor, Mbozi, Mrs Okoku and Miss Nabooba as team-mates, he travels to India''s Chennai and faces many of the world''s real-life players.Regular followers of David Bird''s work will know what to expect - a first-rate mixture of amazing bridge, entertaining characters and sparkling dialogue.

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Book SynopsisA philosophical exploration of J.R.R. Tolkien''s beloved classicjust in time for the December 2012 release of Peter Jackson''s new film adaptation, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey J.R.R. Tolkien''s The Hobbit is one of the best-loved fantasy books of all time and the enchanting prequel to The Lord of the Rings. With the help of some of history''s great philosophers, this book ponders a host of deep questions raised in this timeless tale, such as: Are adventures simply nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner, or are they exciting and potentially life-changing events? What duties do friends have to one another? Should mercy be extended even to those who deserve to die? Gives you new insights into The Hobbit''s central characters, including Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Gollum, and Thorin and their exploits, from the Shire through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain Explores key questions about TheTrade Review"The value in this approach, of course, is that these essays are simple; they are incredibly short (each runs about five pages), and they are clear and accessible." (Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 1 February 2015) "Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson's anthology of essays, 'The Hobbit and Philosophy', may have an overblown title, but the authors do a good job of focusing on themes like possessiveness, providence and free will, courage and decision-making." (The Times Literary Supplement, 21 December 2012) Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Thag You Very Buch x Introduction: Never Laugh at Live Philosophers 1 Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson PART ONE DISCOVER YOUR INNER TOOK 1 The Adventurous Hobbit 7 Gregory Bassham 2 “The Road Goes Ever On and On”: A Hobbit’s Tao 20 Michael C. Brannigan 3 Big Hairy Feet: A Hobbit’s Guide to Enlightenment 32 Eric Bronson 4 Bilbo Baggins: The Cosmopolitan Hobbit 45 Dennis Knepp PART TWO THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SLIMY 5 The Glory of Bilbo Baggins 61 Charles Taliaferro and Craig Lindahl-Urben 6 Pride and Humility in The Hobbit 74 Laura Garcia 7 “My Precious”: Tolkien on the Perils of Possessiveness 90 Anna Minore and Gregory Bassham 8 Tolkien’s Just War 103 David Kyle Johnson 9 “Pretty Fair Nonsense”: Art and Beauty in The Hobbit 118 Philip Tallon 10 Hobbitus Ludens: Why Hobbits Like to Play and Why We Should, Too 129 David L. O’Hara PART THREE RIDDLES AND RINGS 11 “The Lord of Magic and Machines”: Tolkien on Magic and Technology 147 W. Christopher Stewart 12 Inside The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins and the Paradox of Fiction 161 Amy Kind 13 Philosophy in the Dark: The Hobbit and Hermeneutics 176 Tom Grimwood PART FOUR BEING THERE AND BACK AGAIN 14 Some Hobbits Have All the Luck 193 Randall M. Jensen 15 The Consolation of Bilbo: Providence and Free Will in Middle-Earth 206 Grant Sterling 16 Out of the Frying Pan: Courage and Decision Making in Wilderland 218 Jamie Carlin Watson 17 There and Back Again: A Song of Innocence and Experience 235 Joe Kraus CONTRIBUTORS: Our Most Excellent and Audacious Contributors 251 INDEX: The Moon Letters 257

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive and compelling guide to Suzanne Collins's bestselling young-adult, dystopian trilogy The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Already a publishing phenomenon to rival Harry Potter (over 50 million copies sold), there are three sequels to the 2012 blockbuster movie of The Hunger Games scheduled for release between 2013 and 2015; Mockingjay Part 1 is due to be released in November 2014. Robb explores the inspiration behind the books, the author, the themes and influences of the three books, the movie adaptations and their cultural impact, the books' legacy and spin-offs. Suzanne Collins has created a series of characters and situations that have struck a chord not only with the target audience of teenagers, but which have also drawn in adult readers, making the series second only to Harry Potter in National Public Radio's popular poll of the Top 100 Teen Novels.Inspired when flicking TV channels between a reality television entertainment show and

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Book SynopsisFrances Harper’s fourth novel follows the life of the beautiful, light-skinned Iola Leroy to tell the story of black families in slavery, during the Civil War, and after Emancipation. Iola Leroy adopts and adapts three genres that commanded significant audiences in the nineteenth century: the sentimental romance, the slave narrative, and plantation fiction. Written by the foremost black woman activist of the nineteenth century, the novel sheds light on the movements for abolition, public education, and voting rights through a compelling narrative. This edition engages the latest research on Harper’s life and work and offers ways to teach these major moments in United States history by centering the experiences of African Americans. The appendices provide primary documents that help readers do what they are seldom encouraged to do: consider the experiences and perspectives of people who are not white. The Introduction traces Harper’s biography and the changing critical perspectives on the novel. Trade Review“Edited by one of the finest scholars of American literature, this Broadview edition of the much beloved, popular nineteenth-century classic Iola Leroy commands new attention and demonstrates fresh relevance. Koritha Mitchell elegantly argues for the merits of this early novel as an African American community text, based on its aesthetic qualities, the political currents that shaped it, and the material realities of its production, circulation, and readership. Appendices of thoughtfully curated secondary sources that privilege the firsthand testimonies of early African Americans about emancipatory, intellectual, social, and cultural matters, and that feature more creative and critical selections by Harper, bring distinction to this teachable, accessible edition. If one wishes to understand how the aftermath of enslavement has influenced and continues to shape the African American literary tradition and national conversations among and about African Americans, the Broadview edition of Iola Leroy is a necessary place to begin.” — Barbara McCaskill, University of Georgia“Koritha Mitchell gives us the definitive edition of Iola Leroy, a novel that reflects the mature insight and creative prowess of teacher, activist, and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Readers are guided through this compelling saga of post–Civil War race, gender, class, and politics by Mitchell’s patient, expert hand. Her original interpretations are enriched by careful attention to the important debates that have always surrounded Harper’s work. Return to this edition again and again to discover the many meanings embedded in Iola Leroy and in Harper’s gifted prose.” — Martha S. Jones, Johns Hopkins University“Koritha Mitchell’s Broadview Press edition is a triumph and a gift to the field. Her critical work in this volume ensures that generations of readers will recognize the novel as a touchstone in their literary educations and imaginations.… Like all the best critical and cultural editions, it serves as a model for the kind of scholarship we want to write and help our students to write. The contextual materials that bookend Mitchell’s introduction and the novel itself serve not only as citations for her critical throughlines but also as an invitation to readers to be more aware of how they read texts through one another. Mitchell has produced an unparalleled resource that positions Iola Leroy as a definitive text, and her editorial provocation urges us to keep reading, rereading, and reconsidering this novel.” —Mollie Barnes, Legacy“Koritha Mitchell’s new cultural edition of Harper’s fourth novel, Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows of Uplift (first published in 1892), provides a compelling new entry in this tradition and an indispensable resource for those who assign Harper regularly or who have hesitated to teach Iola out of concern for the syllabus space required to get students up to speed on its historical and cultural contexts. Mitchell’s introduction on its own is worth the price of admission, as it synthesizes the latest work in Harper studies and situates Iola within it. … In addition to her biographical and bibliographic work, Mitchell offers a fresh take on Iola’s form and politics. Iola, Mitchell posits, ‘exemplifies the dynamism and complexity of … “community conversation” … the broad, dynamic discussions among African Americans about the countless issues affecting community members’ life chances and well-being’ (30). Throughout, Mitchell foregrounds Harper’s abiding faith in black communities and incisive critiques of white supremacy.…“Mitchell’s critical apparatus speaks to previous scholars’ monumental efforts to make Harper studies a robust field. It speaks also to an ethics of citation that should be emulated. This cultural edition offers the nineteenth century in a box, robust enough to anchor a course in which Iola represents either the ‘early’ or ‘late’ text. Mitchell’s attention to the intersections of form, literary history, and politics make it an ideal edition for graduate seminars, exam lists, and research, as well.” — Derrick R. Spires, African American ReviewTable of Contents Appendix A: Slavery, Civil War & Emancipation, Reconstruction & Its Demise 1. Fugitive Slave Act (1850) 2. United States Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney, The Dred Scott Decision (1857) 3. First Confiscation Act (1861) 4. Second Confiscation Act (1862) 5. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) 6. The Freedmen's Bureau Act (1865) 7. The Thirteenth Amendment (1865) 8. The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) 9. The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) 10. The Compromise of 1877 11. United States Supreme Court Justice Billings Brown, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Appendix B: Not White? Then, You Can't Be Equal 1. 1. Abraham Lincoln, Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes (1862) 2. 2. Frances Harper, ""Mrs. Frances E. Watkins Harper on the War and the President's 3. Colonization Scheme"" (1862) 4. 3. Michigan Supreme Court Justice James Campbell, The People v. Dean (1866) Appendix C: Black Families in Slavery and Freedom 1. From Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass… (1845) 2. Dictated Letter, from enslaved husband to wife when separated by owner 3. Dictated Letter, from enslaved husband to wife when separated by owner 4. Dictated letter, from enslaved wife to husband when separated by owner 5. ""Arrest of Fugitive Slaves,"" Cincinnati Gazette (29 January 1856) 6. Frances Harper, ""The Slave Mother: A Tale of Ohio"" (1857) 7. Testimony about enslaved men and women who escaped slavery to join the Union 8. effort and often planned to return to help family members escape (1863) 9. Letter from a black soldier to his children (1864) 10. Letter from a black soldier to the owner of one of his daughters (1864) 11. Notices in hopes of finding lost loved ones after Emancipation a. From Colored Tennessean (Nashville) (24 March 1866) b. From Christian Recorder (24 March 1866) c. From Christian Recorder (28 January 1871) d. From Southwestern Christian Advocate (17 July 1879) e. From Christian Recorder (5 October 1882) f. From Christian Recorder (3 January 1884) g. From Loyal Georgian (Augusta, Ga.) (13 October 1886) h. From Christian Recorder (6 January 1893) Appendix D: Education in Slavery and Freedom 1. A law making the education of enslaved people illegal 2. Account about an enslaved woman who ran a midnight school 3. Account of teaching/learning in secret during slavery 4. An account of finding the spark for learning while enslaved 5. Accounts of the consequences of learning to read and write 6. Account of black soldiers wanting education 7. Account of recently emancipated people's eagerness to learn 8. Testimony on KKK preventing school attendance after Emancipation Appendix E: Preventing Freedom Even After Emancipation 1. Laws constraining black girls and boys via apprenticeship and African Americans of every age via vagrancy statutes (1865) 2. Testimony about KKK raping black women whose husbands/fathers voted (1871) 3. From Henry W. Grady, ""The Race Problem in the South"" (1889) 4. From Ida B. Wells, The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States (1895) Appendix F: Black Women's Activism 1. Frances Harper, ""We Are All Bound Up Together"" (1866) 2. Frances Harper, ""Aunt Chloe's Politics"" (1872) 3. Frances Harper, ""Colored Women of America"" (1878) 4. Frances Harper, ""The Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Colored Woman"" (1888) 5. Frances Harper, ""Enlightened Motherhood: An Address … Before the Brooklyn Literary Society"" (15 November 1892) 6. Fannie Barrier Williams, ""The Intellectual Progress of The Colored Women of the United States Since The Emancipation Proclamation"" (1893) Appendix G: Being Black and a Woman: Aesthetics and Reception 1. William J. Watkins, ""The Reformer"" (1854) 2. Grace Greenwood, Impressions of Harper as a speaker (1866) 3. From Anna Julia Cooper, ""The Status of Woman in America"" (1892) 4. ""Publications Reviewed,"" Christian Recorder (12 January 1893) 5. ""Review 1,"" The Independent (5 January 1893) 6. Richmond Planet (21 January1893) 7. ""Recent Fiction,"" The Nation (23 February 1893) 8. From ""Our Book List,"" The A.M.E. Church Review (April 1893) 9. ""Book Review,"" Friends' Review; a Religious, Literary and Miscellaneous Journal (22 June 1893) 10. Review of Reviews (January 1895) 11. ""Recent Fiction,"" The Independent (29 October 1896) 12. Edward Elmore Brock, ""Brock's Literary Leaves,"" Freeman (Indianapolis) (14 August 1897) 13. [W.E.B. Du Bois], ""Writers,"" Crisis (April 1911)

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Book SynopsisBridget Jones for a new generation: fresh, modern, laugh-out-loud commercial women's fiction.Trade ReviewHilarious and heartwarming * Closer *Hilarious * Bella *Lucy Vine turned the rom-com genre on its head * Cosmopolitan *A bawdy breath of fresh air * Sunday Mirror *Utterly addictive and utterly charming...her best yet * Daisy Buchanan *Warning: read this book and you will doubtless snort with laughter in inappropriate public places. Quite simply, #brilliant * Ella Dove *'Her best work yet: it's funnier, it's more tender... You need to have this with you in your beach bag' -- Laura Jane WilliamsI tore through this quicker than a duty-free Toblerone. Wickedly funny and so painfully perceptive, it's the perfect antidote to all the #blessed wanderlust filling up your Instagram feed -- Lauren BravoHilarious and touching -- Louise O'NeillReally, really funny, but also kind of heart wrenching -- Sophie KinsellaFeel-good . . . we didn't want it to end * Heat *

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Book SynopsisHow do you find a book when you can't recall the title or author? This homage to a common reader's dilemma is a gift the booklover in your life won't soon forget.

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Book SynopsisYuvika, Arnav, Kunal and Nandini, fun loving, irreverent youngsters, join medical school and bond over their first anatomy lesson.

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Book SynopsisJournalist Tom Roston’s The Writer’s Crusade is the story of Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughterhouse-Five, an enduring masterpiece on trauma and memory.“A book about time; or, put another way, a book about how Pilgrim (and Vonnegut) became unstuck in time and how this ‘unsticking’ created Slaughterhouse-Five . . . Roston [casts] himself as part literary scholar and part psychoanalytic sleuth.” —Washington Post Kurt Vonnegut was 20 years old when he enlisted in the United States Army. Less than two years later, he was captured by the Germans in the single deadliest US engagement of the war, the Battle of the Bulge. He was taken to a POW camp, then transferred to a work camp near Dresden, and held in a slaughterhouse called Schlachthof Fünf where he survived the horrific firebombing that killed thousands and destroyed the city. To the millions of fans of Vonnegut&rsquTrade Review“A book about time; or, put another way, a book about how Pilgrim (and Vonnegut) became unstuck in time and how this 'unsticking' created ‘Slaughterhouse-Five'... Roston [casts] himself as part literary scholar and part psychoanalytic sleuth.” * The Washington Post *“A fresh look at Kurt Vonnegut’s classic 1969 novel through the lens of PTSD...[Roston] successfully reenergizes a major work from a writer whose star has faded somewhat. New wars, and more recent fiction about them, may have overshadowed Slaughterhouse-Five, but Roston persuasively shows how the novel speaks both to Vonnegut’s moment and to our own.” * Kirkus Reviews *“Part biography, part literary interpretation, and part fan notes, The Writer's Crusade is a spellbinding reexamination of both Slaughterhouse-Five and its author, Kurt Vonnegut. Although the emphasis of this marvelous book is on PTSD, Tom Roston never loses sight of the intuitive, imaginative genius of a boldly original prose stylist. Any Vonnegut enthusiast, and anyone interested in the sources of fine literature, will find pleasure in these pages.” -- Tim O’Brien“[An] engrossing tale...an absorbing biographical study...Roston [makes] a strong case that the roots of the novel—and its ultimate message—stem from Vonnegut’s attempts to process all he had witnessed in the war.” * Bookpage *“[Roston’s] passion for Vonnegut’s writing is contagious. … a fresh take on a classic.” * Publishers Weekly *“The Writer's Crusade is a multifaceted look at one of the great modern novels. It’s part history of how the book came to be, part Vonnegut biography, and a thoughtful consideration of the book’s impact on America’s post-WWII combat vets...The Writer’s Crusade is an important consideration of Kurt Vonnegut and the legacy of Slaughterhouse-Five. Even better, Roston’s work will send readers back to the original novel, and with fresh new insights on Vonnegut’s complex masterpiece.” * New York Journal of Books *“Mr. Roston gives the reader a book that encompasses many things — simultaneously biography, literary analysis, an inquiry into the creative process, and a concise history of the perception and recognition of war trauma and the development of the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder. He writes with informed insight as well as wit, and his tone is light and engaging despite the seriousness of the subject.... ‘The Writer's Crusade’ provides a thoughtful head start for a renewed appreciation of the author and his best-known work.” * East Hampton Star *A stark reminder of Vonnegut’s uneasy position with contemporary liberalism * The American Conservative Magazine *“Kurt Vonnegut’s dogged pursuit of the truth about his war experiences in writing what would become Slaughterhouse-Five is fully rendered in Tom Roston’s perfectly titled The Writer’s Crusade. In readable and probing prose, Roston illuminates Vonnegut as a veteran, writer, and human being, and investigates haunting questions about war and human nature. For anyone touched by war, Slaughterhouse-Five, or intrigued by the intersection of creativity with trauma and recovery, this superb book is for you.” -- Suzanne McConnell, coauthor, with Kurt Vonnegut, of Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style"I read Slaughterhouse-Five when I had just returned from my war in Vietnam. I didn't understand it until I read The Writer's Crusade. Tom Roston's insightful exploration of Vonnegut's struggle to write the novel, and its significant place in our ongoing task of better understanding and treating the trauma of war should be read by all fans of Vonnegut, and all who suffer from trauma, no matter what the source.” -- Karl Marlantes“I absolutely loved The Writer’s Crusade. As soon as I finished it, I picked up Slaughterhouse-Fiveagain. Tom Roston’s excellent book has given me the great gift of getting to read Vonnegut’s masterpiece as though it were my first time.” -- Kevin Powers“The best thing that Roston does...is to give context to the question of whether Slaughterhouse-Five is an autobiographical portrait of Vonnegut’s own war trauma. Roston writes in depth about the novel itself and how it came to be written... Roston also provides a history of war trauma and how our understanding of it has evolved over the years.” * The Millions *

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Book SynopsisUS consulate shortlists 6 young Indian achievers for a competition with absurd tests. Winner meets the President. Candidates desperate to win, willing to do anything. Book "The President is Coming" is a witty comedy reflecting Indian society.

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Book SynopsisLaila navigates relationships with Neil, Rahul, and Sameer while juggling her job as a sex columnist. Girl Plus One follows her humorous and entertaining journey to find the perfect plus one in Mumbai.

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Book SynopsisSex and death meet in a story bursting with laughs and essential life lessons.

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Book SynopsisSikander Bansi, an unlikely political heir in Delhi, secretly records politicians in Parliament as they haggle to become cabinet ministers, bag defense contracts, dodge criminal charges and collect corporate largesse. Among them is a rising leader of the People''s Party, Nalan Malik, whose success has come through unscrupulous means. When Sikander suddenly disappears, Mira Mouli, a newspaper journalist with an unusual gift of knowing people''s thoughts, receives the controversial Parliament tapes along with clues to find him.

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Book SynopsisTapan escapes childhood trauma in America but faces past in London when he meets daughter of man his father killed. Can forgiveness and reconciliation happen? "Blood" explores loss and redemption.

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