Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisA harrowing yet uplifting account of Stalin's persecution of the Russian intelligentsia in the 1930s, and of one man - Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), whose poetry, in spite of the unfolding tragedy of his life, preserved its unique creative gaiety. Nadezhda and Osip Mandelstam married in 1922. Nadezhda's memoir covers their last four years together. She begins in Moscow in May 1934 with the knock on the door at one o'clock in the morning, and her husband's arrest by the secret police for composing a satire of Stalin. She tells of his imprisonment, interrogation and exile to the Urals, where she accompanied him, and where he wrote his last great poems; his release and return to Moscow, only to be entrapped, rearrested and sentenced to hard labour in Siberia; of her own efforts to secure his release and to save his manuscripts (and to memorize all his poems in case she could not); of her discovery of the truth about his death in a transit camp near Vladivostock. For all its grim subject matter, it is a story of courage in adversity, and even humour finds a place. Nadezhda means 'hope' in Russian, and Hope against Hope is one of the greatest testaments to the value of literature and imaginative freedom ever written. It is also a love story that relates the daily struggle to keep both love and art alive in the most desperate circumstances. After years of circulating secretly in the Soviet Union it was published in the West in 1970, and has since achieved the status of a classic.Trade ReviewNothing one can say will either communicate or affect the genius of this book. To pass judgment on it is almost insolence - even judgment that is merely celebration and. homage -- George Steiner * The New Yorker *The witnesses to living on an edge under the tyrant are now many; none, not even Solzhenitsyn, has written better. -- Doris LessingHope against Hope puts [Mandelstam] at the centre of the liberal resistance under the Soviet Union. A masterpiece of prose as well as a model of bilgraphical narrative and social analysis. -- Clive JamesA Day of Judgment on earth for her age and its literature -- Joseph Brodsky

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Book SynopsisImperfect Partners is a unique hybrid – part memoir, part foreign policy study of U.S. relations with Southeast Asia, a critically important region that has become the central arena in the global U.S.-China competition. From the People Power revolt in the Philippines to the opening of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, from building a partnership with newly democratic Indonesia to responding to genocide in Myanmar and coups in Thailand, Scot Marciel was present and involved. His direct involvement and deep knowledge of the region, along with his extensive policymaking work in Washington, allows him to bring to life the complexities and realities of key events and U.S. responses, along with rare insights into U.S. foreign policy decisionmaking and the work of American diplomats in the field. Trade ReviewFor the United States, Southeast Asia is one of the most important and least understood parts of the world. Scot Marciel draws on his vast diplomatic experience to bring a wealth of illuminating stories, hard-earned insights, and wise analysis to bear on a region that will help determine our capacity to deal with the most pressing issues of the 21st century. . . . Imperfect Partners is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand Southeast Asia and America’s relationship with its countries and people. -- Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor and author of After the FallDrawing on his 35 years of diplomatic experience, Scot Marciel has written an illuminating survey of the United States’ relations with Southeast Asia. . . . This is an excellent primer on a part of the world whose significance has grown substantially in recent years with the rise of neighboring China. -- John Negroponte, career diplomat, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the first director of national intelligenceAmbassador Scot Marciel has written a gem of a book. His thoughtfully researched account is brought to life with fascinating insights and captivating, on-the-scene anecdotes. . . . Imperfect Partners is a must-read for U.S. policymakers, business leaders, academics, humanitarians, and everyday Americans engaging with the nations of Southeast Asia. -- Kristie Kenney, former State Department counselor and U.S. ambassador to Thailand, the Philippines, and EcuadorA master practitioner has provided us with a ringside view of how our diplomats pursue American interests in Southeast Asia. This is must reading for aspiring Southeast Asia hands who want to familiarize themselves with American regional diplomacy. It’s also indispensable reading for American strategists, who will ignore Ambassador Marciel’s policy prescriptions at their peril. -- Dave Shear, former assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and U.S. ambassador to Vietnam

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. A Hanging, the ninth in the Orwell’s Essays series, tells the story of the execution of an unnamed convict in Burma. With the veracity of the story unknown, but thought to be loosely based on Orwell’s own experiences in Burma, the haunting tale leaves the reader contemplating the heavy topic of colonialism, and the right of one to take the life of another.Trade Review'One of Orwell’s earliest essays, but already a demonstration of his superb and subtle craftsmanship.' (Los Angeles Times)

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Book SynopsisTom Baskett's The Dog Comes With The Practice is a memoir that is in turns both deeply touching and laugh-out-loud funny. He recalls his early years working as a junior hospital doctor and as a locum general practitioner in Northern Ireland in the mid 20th century, before specializing and providing consultant obstetrical and gynaecological services in Canada's remote Arctic communities. His writing about technical medical matters is crystal clear, his humour typically Irish and self-deprecatory, his concern for his patients as individuals and his willingness to expose his own fears and regrets shine through.Now in a new and expanded version with 10 more chapters!Trade Review"It's the medical equivalent of AllCreatures Great and Small" -- Patrick Taylor. New York Times & USAToday best-selling author of the Irish Country Doctor series"Funny and moving stories . If you'retired of misery lit, read this and feel better. This book has something to sayto today's trainees." -- The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist"The description of life as a medicalstudent and young doctor is authentic, told with humour and laced with directquotes from colleagues and patients, often in the colourful Belfast vernacular ...A valuable account of a system of training that is now part of history" --Ulster Medical Journal"Told as a series of patient stories... In the virtual and technology-driven world we inhabit, this gentle volumereminds us that, at the core, medicine is about people" -- Journal ofObstetrics and Gynecology Canada"It reads as tales given after dinner atthe fireside. Humorous and self-deprecating, but at times serious and poignant,describing the limits of 1960s medicine. A good read, with education andthought thrown in" -- British Society for the History of Medicine

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Book Synopsis''A lovely kind of nostalgia, which colourises the black and white of yesteryear'' - The Oldie Review''He writes about them all with wonderful precision and a powerful evocation'' - Radio Times''Like my father before me, I believe that both the playing and watching of sport can teach us important lessons about ourselves by providing practical instruction in co-operation, tests of resolve and temper''For Michael Parkinson it was never really in doubt that he would spend his life in sport. His father, a fearsome fast bowler himself, indoctrinated young Michael from an early age into the Yorkshire cricket tradition and supporting Barnsley FC. All he ever wanted was to play cricket for Yorkshire and England.He rose through the ranks of Barnsley cricket along with his friends Dickie Bird and Geoffrey Boycott. But while they went on to find fame on the field, he spent the next few decades watching, writing and talking abouTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR MICHAEL PARKISON:A lovely kind of nostalgia, which colourises the black and white of yesteryear * The Oldie Review *He writes about them all with wonderful precision and a powerful evocation * Radio Times *A quietly impressive book, which does something most celebrity autobiographies shy away from: it seeks the truth and, more often than not, finds it * Mail, on Like Father, Like Son *A joyous, breezy read . . . It is also beautifully written * Daily Telegraph on Parky *Funny and self-deprecating and just as laid-back as he is on camera * Independent on Parky *Engrossing and entertaining * Irish Time on Parky *

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Book SynopsisHekmat Al-Taweel (1922–2008) was a native Palestinian Christian from Gaza City whose narrative unearths a version of history long excluded from mainstream discourse and provides an unfamiliar perspective on Muslim–Christian relationships. Her stories about life in Gaza highlight shared history, vibrant culture, and cherished traditions. Al-Taweel continued her education after marriage, sought community volunteer work, worked as a teacher and supervisor, and committed to activism throughout her life, all of which contradicts widespread Western orientalized stereotypes of Arab women. She also shares insights into life in Gaza during the British Mandate period as well as the 1948 Nakba and its aftermath. This is the third book in the Women’s Voices from Gaza Series, which honours women’s unique and underrepresented perspectives on the social, material, and political realities of Palestinian life. Foreword by Ilan Pappe.Trade Review“The Women's Voices From Gaza series is exceptional, offering insights into modern Gaza’s social history. It will attract a wide readership in Palestine studies and gender studies, as well as individuals interested in the Palestine question.” Rema Hammami, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Birzeit UniversityTable of ContentsPreface: Introducing Women’s Voices from Gaza ix Foreword, Ilan Pappe xv Acknowledgements xxiii Introduction xxv Come My Children 1 / Childhood: Growing Up in Gaza 3 2 / The British Mandate and School Days 21 3 / Marriage and Relations with Palestinian Muslims 39 4 / Business and Life Before and After the 1948 Nakba 51 5 / Palestinian Resistance Against the British Mandate 59 6 / The Egyptian Administration and the Israeli Occupation 71 7 / Yusuf, the United States, and Palestine 85 Chronology of Events in Palestine 107 Notes 127 Glossary 145 Bibliography 149

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Book SynopsisPULITZER PRIZE FINALIST ?Named a Top 10 Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate, and PeopleOne of Barack Obama''s Favorite Books of 2023?Brave and nuanced . . . an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph.? ?The New York Times?Immensely emotional and unforgettably haunting.? ?The Wall Street JournalAcclaimed author Jonathan Rosen?s haunting investigation of the forces that led his closest childhood friend, Michael Laudor, from the heights of brilliant promise to the forensic psychiatric hospital where he has lived since killing the woman he loved. A story about friendship, love, and the price of self-delusion, The Best Minds explores the ways in which we understand?and fail to understand?mental illness.When the Rosens moved to New Rochelle in 1973, Jonathan Rosen and Michael Laudor became inseparable. Both children of college professors, the boys were best friends and keen competitors, and, when they both got into Yale University, seemed set to join the American meritocratic elite. Michael blazed through college in three years, graduating summa cum laude and landing a top-flight consulting job. But all wasn?t as it seemed. One day, Jonathan received the call: Michael had suffered a serious psychotic break and was in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Michael was still battling delusions when he traded his halfway house for Yale Law School. Featured in The New York Times as a role model genius, he sold a memoir, with film rights to Ron Howard. But then Michael, in the grip of an unshakeable paranoid fantasy, stabbed his girlfriend Carrie to death and became a front-page story of an entirely different sort. Tender, funny, and harrowing by turns, The Best Minds is Jonathan Rosen?s magnificent and heartbreaking account of good intentions and tragic outcomes whose significance will echo widely.

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Book SynopsisOne part memoir, one part comedy special, one part crazy first date. Just you and Matt between the covers. What could be better? Matt Rife is well aware that he's both the most loved and the most controversial comic in America today. And honestly, he thinks that's your problem. Matt reveals (without apology, of course) what led him to becoming comedy's biggest lightning rod before he reached thirty, in a story full of bold and hysterical takes on everything from Justin Bieber tramp stamps and rap battles with ex-cons to Matt's struggles with depression and his many brushes with failure before finally hitting it big. Born in trashy backwoods Ohio, Matt was saved by his foul-mouthed but loving grandpa Steve, who fostered his passion for standup. He started hitting comedy clubs before he could even drink, cutting his teeth in front of crowds who dared him to succeed. Matt honed a brand of razor-sharp, brutally honest stan

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Book SynopsisIn Ghosts in a Photograph, award-winning nonfiction writer Myrna Kostash delves into the lives of her grandparents, all of whom moved from Galicia, now present-day Ukraine, to Alberta at the turn of the twentieth century. Discovering a packet of family mementos, Kostash begins questioning what she knows about her extended families'' pasts and whose narrative is allowed to prevail in Canada.This memoir, however, is not just a personal story, but a public one of immigration, partisan allegiance, and the stark differences in how two sets of families survive in a new country: one as homesteaders, the other as working-class Edmontonians. Working within the gaps in history-including the unsolved murder in Ukraine of her great uncle-Kostash uses her remarkable acumen as writer and researcher to interrogate the idea of straightforward and singular-voiced pasts and the stories we tell ourselves about where we come from.Rich in detail and propelled by vital curiosity, Ghosts in a Photograph is a determined, compelling, and multifaceted family chronicle.

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Book SynopsisA profound book of essays from a celebrated master of the form. Darkness is not empty, writes Teju Cole in Black Paper, a book that meditates on what it means to sustain our humanityand witness the humanity of othersin a time of darkness. One of the most celebrated essayists of his generation, Cole here plays variations on the essay form, modeling ways to attend to experiencenot just to take in but to think critically about what we sense and what we don't. Wide-ranging but thematically unified, the essays address ethical questions about what it means to be human and what it means to bear witness, recognizing how our individual present is informed by a collective past. Cole's writings in Black Paper approach the fractured moment of our history through a constellation of interrelated concerns: confrontation with unsettling art, elegies both public and private, the defense of writing in a time of political upheaval, the role of the color black in the visual arts, the use of shadow iTrade Review"What we see is an individual taking stock of their surroundings, a mode that Cole has mastered. To read this book is to enjoy the generosity of his thought, to be invited into a contemplation of your inner life, to embrace the complexity of others, and to see in the darkness not only despair but also understanding and even refuge.” -- Simukai Chigudu * Guardian *"A collection of essays that bursts with unrestrained humanity. . . . Cole’s eighth book is technically excellent, and more importantly, it blazes a wholesome style to living and being alive. It holds many truths, some conflicting, because this is what humanity is." * Open Country *“This collection of Cole’s feels rawer and more personal than those that have come before—Blind Spot and Known and Strange Things—layering as it does his art essays with homages to lost friends and analysis of his own 2012 novel, Open City. . . . The feeling of sadness that obviously motivated the [newest] essays, the feeling of being weighed down by all one is called to see—the phrase is bearing witness, after all—is made lighter by the example of other artists, the potential for joy in sensing all the world is." * New Republic *“Fashioned from a cache of his travel, lyric, critical, and personal essays, Black Paper argues “for the urgency of using our senses—interpreted as capaciously as possible—to respond to experience, embrace epiphany, and intensify our ethical commitments.” * Nation *"The novelist and critic travels through genres and across the globe in these thoughtful, powerful essays about the lives of migrants and man’s inhumanity." * Observer *"In essays ranging on topics from Edward Said to the US-Mexico border to 'Black Panther,' Cole interrogates what it means to bear witness in a turbulent world." * New York Times *“Black Paper is not simply a collection. There is an identifiable through-line which brings these multiple essays together into a unified text: namely, a reckoning with aesthetic experience when one is surrounded by darkness. If impaired vision is the issue in his earlier Blind Spot, total loss of sight is what is at stake here. Can we become comfortable seeing in the dark, or even seeing darkness and welcoming what is there to be found? . . . Through the artful vehicle of his precise prose, Cole has arrested us. He has made us stop, ponder, and pay attention.” * Los Angeles Review of Books *"The celebrated author of Open City explores the ways we retain our humanity and different ways of thinking about the colour black." * Guardian *"The lingering tone of this collection is enigmatic but consolatory; a book for our troubling times. Black Paper reinforces the idea of Cole as a public intellectual, but one who works on his own terms." * US Studies Online *”Cole asserts that we should make more expansive and subtle use of all our senses in taking in the world. Indeed, read as a whole, these stories ‘collectively argue for using our senses – interpreted as capaciously as possible – to respond to experience, embrace epiphany, and intensify our ethical commitments.’” * Aesthetica *"For those coming to [Cole's] nonfiction for the first time, his exuberant prose speaks for itself." * ALH Online Review *"From scrutiny of a colonial-era photograph in 'Restoring Darkness' to 'Experience,' in which he considers human senses and our cultural understandings, Cole's engaging collection of essays reassembles the visual kaleidoscope of life now in sharp, exacting prose. Cole should be seen and attentively read." * Booklist *“In this erudite collection of observations written over the past three years, art historian Cole meditates on art, identity, politics, and literature to decipher ‘the fractured moment in our history.’ . . . Offering a window into his articulate worldview, Cole brings into sharp relief the very humanity he seeks.” * Publishers Weekly *“Dense and provocative, the essays in Black Paper are a reminder that darkness cannot last forever, and even within it, there is meaning and hope.” * Foreword *“[Teju Cole is] an emissary for our best selves. He is sampling himself for our benefit, hoping for enlightenment, and seeking to provide pleasure to us through his art. May his realm expand.” * Norman Rush, New York Review of Books, on Known and Strange Things *“The places he can go, you feel, are just about limitless.” * Dwight Garner, New York Times, on Every Day Is for the Thief *“He takes in news from African countries and American cities; but also, by necessity and interest, Asian, European and Latin American culture and history. In short, the world belongs to Cole and is thornily and gloriously allied with his curiosity and his personhood.” * Claudia Rankine, New York Times Book Review, on Known and Strange Things *“The forms of resistance depend on the culture they resist, and in our era of generalizations and approximations and sloppiness, Teju Cole’s precise and vivid observation and description is an antidote and a joy. This is a book written with a scalpel, a microscope, and walking shoes, full of telling details and sometimes big surprises.” * Rebecca Solnit, on Known and Strange Things *"Cole’s erudition, eclecticism, and empathy are remarkable, but it is his capacity for lyrical writing that stays with the reader and marks him out as one of the most significant cultural figures of our times." * Tortoise *"Cole deftly warps and wefts his engagements with 17th-century painter Caravaggio, starting in the 1970s–80s as a boy in Lagos, Nigeria and later as a journalist traveling to view as many of the artist's works as possible during the immigration crisis in Italy that has swept up so many asylum seekers from Africa. Elegantly and urgently, Cole brings readers full circle. What links the essays in the book is Cole’s understanding that people 'make images in response to disaster. Seeing is part of . . . coming to terms.' He importunes readers to reach beyond tragedy and discover a new language. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Part One After Caravaggio Part Two: Elegies Room 406 Mama’s Shroud Four Elegies Two Elegies A Letter to John Berger A Quartet for Edward Said Part Three: Shadows Gossamer World: On Santu Mofokeng An Incantation for Marie Cosindas Pictures in the Aftermath Shattered Glass What Does It Mean to Look at This? A Crime Scene at the Border Shadow Cabinet: On Kerry James Marshall Nighted Color: On Lorna Simpson The Blackness of the Panther Restoring the Darkness Part Four: Coming to Our Senses Experience Epiphany Ethics Part Five: In a Dark Time A Time for Refusal Resist, Refuse Through the Door Passages North On Carrying and Being Carried Epilogue Black Paper Acknowledgments Index

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Book Synopsis'Swan Dive is to ballet what Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was to restaurants, a chance to go behind the serene front of house to the sweaty, foul-mouthed, psychofrenzy backstage.' – Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesIn this love letter to the art of dance, Georgina Pazcoguin, New York City Ballet’s first Asian American female soloist, lays bare the backstage world of elite ballet.With an unapologetic sense of humour about the cut-throat mentality required, Pazcoguin takes us from her small home town in Pennsylvania to training for one of the most revered ballet companies in the world – a company that was rocked by scandal in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Pazcoguin continues to be one of the few dancers openly speaking up against harassment, abuse and racism – all of which she has painfully experienced firsthand.Tying together Pazcoguin’s fight for equality with an infectious passion for her craft, Swan Dive is a page-turning, one-of-a-kind memoir that guarantees you’ll never view a ballerina or a ballet the same way again.'Always arresting onstage, Georgina Pazcoguin gives us a take on the ballet world that is witty and from the heart. An eye-opening read.' – Mikhail Baryshnikov'A funny, poignant and shocking read . . . [Pazcoguin] punctures, with enormous glee, the stereotype of the ballet dancer as an elegant, ethereal being.' – Fiona Sturges, GuardianTrade ReviewSwan Dive is to ballet what Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential was to restaurants, a chance to go behind the serene front of house to the sweaty, foul-mouthed, psychofrenzy backstage. -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *Swan Dive is a sharp plunge into the reality of ballet in all its perfectionist genius and rigour, and all its abuses and sadism. What makes Pazcoguin’s message so haunting is that exploitation and violation are seen as the price that female dancers have to pay to perform some of the greatest dances known to humanity. -- Bidisha * Observer *Her resilience is written on every page, often in capitals, with wit and rage displayed in equal measure. -- Sarah Crompton * Sunday Times Books of the Year *A funny, poignant and shocking read . . . [Pazcoguin] punctures, with enormous glee, the stereotype of the ballet dancer as an elegant, ethereal being. -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian *Explosive . . . This is far from misery memoir. There’s a passionate joy in the dancing itself, and the lively pages are filled with colloquialisms -- Marianka Swain * Daily Telegraph *A blisteringly honest tale of overcoming hurdles — racism, misogyny, sexual harassment and psychological abuse — to reach the top of a fiendishly cut-throat industry. -- Laura Pullman * Sunday Times *A gritty, shocking yet also humorous account of the demands of life as an elite dancer from the first Asian American female soloist at the New York City Ballet. * i News *Ballet fans should definitely get their hands on Swan Dive by Georgina Pazcoguin which is a truthful, funny, shocking and scandalous exploration of elite ballet. * Stylist *Pazcoguin's highly readable account of a life in the most painful profession . . . a power pack of inspiration. * Strong Words *A page-turner * New York Times *Witty, sobering, hell-raising . . . Pazcoguin exposes more turmoil at New York City Ballet than any fictional melodrama could hope to match. * Washington Post *While the juicy details of beautiful people behaving badly are beguiling, it’s Pazcoguin’s unsparing criticism of the industry that begs an encore. This is potent stuff * Publishers Weekly *Always arresting onstage, Georgina Pazcoguin gives us a take on the ballet world that is witty and from the heart. An eye-opening read. -- Mikhail BaryshnikovRevelatory . . . Sure to ruffle some tutus * New York Post *Come for the unfiltered peek behind the curtain, stay for the accessible, often hilarious writing * Dance Magazine *Pazcoguin writes with astounding passion about her achievements, and her prose is enchanting as she describes finally being comfortable in her own skin. Vulnerable, raw, and full of grit, this is the story of a woman who has been broken yet clawed her way to victory . . . A personal tale of darkness, passion, and euphoric triumph * Library Journal *In her brisk, spirited debut memoir, [Pazcoguin] recounts her experiences in the competitive, hierarchal ballet world . . . A lively chronicle of dedication and joy. * Kirkus Reviews *Aggressively entertaining. . . [Swan Dive] is equal parts autobiography, insider intel, and righteous indignation * Shelf Awareness *A thoroughly captivating read. Determination and passion are the cornerstones of Georgina’s magic onstage and off, and her humor and wit make this peek behind the curtain like no other dance memoir. Her courage in the face of adversity is to be admired -- Chita RiveraGeorgina has led quite the journey to become the woman she is today. She exemplifies a natural, nostalgic showgirl attitude combined with the sensitivity and precision of a life in ballet. -- Zac PosenThis is a fearless book written with a courageous, blazing spirit. Georgina’s story compels you to look at yours as fiercely as she examines hers. -- Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of Define American and author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented CitizenYou will find Swan Dive to be a wild ride dancing between risk and balance, legacy and possibility. -- Andy Blankenbuehler, award-winning choreographer of In the Heights and Hamilton

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Book SynopsisFrom the globally acclaimed, best-selling novelist and author of We Should All Be Feminists, a timely and deeply personal account of the loss of her father.Essential. ?BooklistNotes on Grief is an exquisite work of meditation, remembrance, and hope, written in the wake of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie''s beloved father?s death in the summer of 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged around the world, and kept Adichie and her family members separated from one another, her father succumbed unexpectedly to complications of kidney failure. Expanding on her original New Yorker piece, Adichie shares how this loss shook her to her core. She writes about being one of the millions of people grieving this year; about the familial and cultural dimensions of grief and also about the loneliness and anger that are unavoidable in it. With signature precision of language, and glittering, devastating detail on the page?and never without touches of rich, honest humor?Adichie weaves together her own experience of her father?s death with threads of his life story, from his remarkable survival during the Biafran war, through a long career as a statistics professor, into the days of the pandemic in which he?d stay connected with his children and grandchildren over video chat from the family home in Abba, Nigeria. In the compact format of We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, Adichie delivers a gem of a book?a book that fundamentally connects us to one another as it probes one of the most universal human experiences. Notes on Grief is a book for this moment?a work readers will treasure and share now more than ever?and yet will prove durable and timeless, an indispensable addition to Adichie''s canon.

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Book SynopsisIn The Bear Doesn’t Know, Paul Schullery—honored naturalist, storyteller, and former Yellowstone ranger—has given us a bear-lover’s book of wonders. It is rich in the joy, beauty, inspiration, and pure fun to be had during a life well lived in bear country. While exploring the cultural complications of an animal we have long both feared and adored, he chronicles the bumpy course of our coming to terms with the mysteries of bear ecology and behavior. Schullery brings to the matter of bears a long view—of our centuries-long and always-evolving perception of wild bears, of the scientific exploration of bear ecology and behavior, and of the sometimes bitter struggles to protect bear populations for the future. Featuring Schullery’s trademark gifts for historical inquiry and scientific translation, as well as for mixing humor with telling insight, Schullery enlivens The Bear Doesn’t Know with many of his own quirky tales ofTrade Review"Readable, enlightening and genuinely entertaining, Schullery navigates easily between being conversational and deeply knowledgeable because of his background, experience and research. Rooted in the scientific and historical, the book is humbly philosophical with an imminently humane point of view. In fact, the viewpoint is often that of the bear. And thank goodness it is. Schullery shows quite clearly how danger and fascination go hand-in-hand."—Charles E. Rankin, Roundup Magazine"This book is a most fitting tribute to everything that bears represent to us and to the bears themselves, even if they don't know."—Frank T. van Manen, International Bear News"For all his love for bears, Schullery is a well-grounded realist. . . . Schullery tells readers they must not view bears through a human lens, but to instead look, listen, and learn to 'accept that animals are best appreciated on their own terms, no matter how dramatically those terms may differ from ours.'"—David James, Anchorage Daily News"This book is ideal for those who wish a more realistic glimpse of this wonderous creature."—J. Kemper Campbell, Lincoln Journal Star“Paul Schullery has spent the last fifty years watching and thinking about bears. In this entertaining and informative collection of essays and stories he lets us in on what he discovered. We’re lucky he did. Schullery possesses a wonderfully inquisitive mind, a passion for the natural world, and, thankfully for us all, a talent for explaining things with both precision and a wry sense of humor.”—Dayton Duncan, writer and producer of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea“Paul Schullery is a master of the essayist’s and memoirist’s craft. His prose is clean and cogent, witty and wise. He pays great attention. He has been out among the bears—often with the biologists who study them—and this has given him a fine understanding of and appreciation for these formidable mammals. The Bear Doesn’t Know is educating and entertaining, a thoroughly delightful paean to these very special creatures with whom we are privileged to share the earth.”—Charles Fergus, author of the Gideon Stoltz Mystery series“From John Muir forward, writers in the American West have been trying to make sense of wild creatures and places. Paul Schullery, with his always lyrical, thoughtful, and, at times, witty prose, has been one of the best modern observers, having close association with this nation’s most venerable natural destination, Yellowstone. No animals are more synonymous with Yellowstone than bears. Schullery takes us into Yellowstone and farther afield. In The Bear Doesn’t Know, Schullery, much to our delight, comes out of his own thankfully-brief hibernation and regales us with inspiring bear stories. He introduces us to the real bruin, even better than myth, and, along the way, tugs on our heartstrings to have us care more about their survival in this briskly paced world. He bestows bruins with the respect they deserve and reminds us that the responsibility of coexistence is on us. The Bear Doesn’t Know is a wonderful read that stays with you long after you turn the last page.”—Todd Wilkinson, coauthor of Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399, The Most Famous Bear of Greater YellowstoneTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface: Bear Stories and the Art of the Memoir Part 1. Yellowstone 1. Early Bears 2. The Bear Doesn’t Know 3. Arts and Craps 4. Nervous Neighbors 5. Almost My Favorite Bear Story 6. Bears at the Door Part 2. Bears at Home 7. Something Like Bear Hunting 8. Embryonic Journeys 9. Ferocious Beasts 10. Bear Attacks: An Appreciation 11. The Question Answered 12. On Skipping The Revenant Part 3. Alaska 13. Denali Days 14. Brooks Bears 15. Waiting 16. Back to Scary Hill 17. Grizzly Dreams Part 4. The Literary Bear 18. Bear Books 19. Trailblazers 20. Early Experts 21. Myths, Legends, and a Bear of Very Little Brain 22. The Modern Sensibility Epilogue: A Word from the Bear Sources Bibliography

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Book SynopsisLady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. Spider Woman is her story. As 'a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire', she only went into the law because her headteacher told her she wasn't clever enough to study history. She became the most senior judge in the country but it was an unconventional path to the top. How does a self-professed 'girly swot' get ahead in a profession dominated by men? Was it a surprise that the perspectives of women and other disadvantaged groups had been overlooked, or that children's interests were marginalised? A lifelong smasher of glass-ceilings, who took as her motto 'women are equal to everything', her landmark rulings in areas including domestic violence, divorce, mental health and equality were her attempt to correct that. As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful. Yet that dramatic moment was merely the pinnacle of a career throughout which she was hailed as a pioneering reformer. Wise, warm and inspiring, Spider Woman shows how the law shapes our world and supports us in crisis. It is the story of how Lady Hale found that she could overcome the odds, which shows that anyone from similar beginnings will find that they can cope too.Trade ReviewBrenda Hale is a superhero who embodies Parker's law that great power brings equivalent responsibility. Her wise, accessible memoir is essential, entertaining and inspirational reading for all lovers of freedom, equality and justice -- Shami ChakrabartiWhat a life, what a story... Spider Woman is restrained, warm, dryly funny ... and an inspiration to all women to aim high... Whatever her title, Brenda Hale rocks -- Melanie Reid * The Times *Inspirational and iconic -- Philippe SandsA feminist icon... Her success story is an inspiration for men and women both - showing that law matters -- Baroness Helena Kennedy QCThis book is not only essential reading for anyone who is in the Law or interested in the Law but it is also a fascinating personal story -- Cherie Blair

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Book SynopsisThe world’s leading wolf expert describes the first years of a major study that transformed our understanding of one of nature’s most iconic creatures In the late 1940s, a small pack of wolves crossed the ice of Lake Superior to the island wilderness of Isle Royale, creating a perfect “laboratory” for a long-term study of predators and prey. As the wolves hunted and killed the island’s moose, a young graduate student named Dave Mech began research that would unlock the mystery of one of nature’s most revered (and reviled) animals—and eventually became an internationally renowned and respected wolf expert. This is the story of those early years.Wolf Island recounts three extraordinary summers and winters Mech spent on the isolated outpost of Isle Royale National Park, tracking and observing wolves and moose on foot and by airplane—and upending the common misperception of wolves as destructive killers of insatiable appetite. Mech sets the scene with one of his most thrilling encounters: witnessing an aerial view of a spectacular hunt, then venturing by snowshoe (against the pilot’s warning) to photograph the pack of hungry wolves at their kill. Wolf Island owes as much to the spirit of adventure as to the impetus of scientific curiosity. Written with science and outdoor writer Greg Breining, who recorded hours of interviews with Mech and had access to his journals and field notes from those years, the book captures the immediacy of scientific fieldwork in all its triumphs and frustrations. It takes us back to the beginning of a classic environmental study that continues today, spanning nearly sixty years—research and experiences that would transform one of the most despised creatures on Earth into an icon of wilderness and ecological health. Trade Review "No scientist has done more to shape our understanding of wolves than L. David Mech, and no ecosystem has been more influential than Isle Royale. Wolf Island is a lively, well-told story that sheds new light on the early days of ecology’s most important long-term study, the formative years of a master biologist, and the complex lives of an iconic and misunderstood predator."—Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter "L. David Mech’s writing on wolves is foundational: every new study owes a debt to his scholarship, and any respectable stack of wolf books is anchored by The Wolf, his indispensable classic. With Wolf Island, we now have a volume to top the stack as well. Mech’s excellent and eminently readable account of the origins of his fieldwork in Isle Royale National Park is as inspirational as it is educational. Here’s hoping it sends another generation of students—and readers of all ages—into the wild."—Nate Blakeslee, author of American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West "For many of us fascinated with wolves, Adolph Murie and L. David Mech are the two scientist/field naturalists whose books first gave these animals life and breath. Now, in this unflinching and highly readable memoir, Mech lets readers experience the inside story of how, as a young graduate student, he illuminated the murky world of America’s iconic predator. And ended up writing a classic."—Dan Flores, New York Times best-selling author of Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History "Fans of wolves, field biology, and good natural history writing will welcome Mech’s long-overdue reminiscences."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Nature lovers will enjoy Mech’s mix of reminiscence and zoological insight."—Publishers Weekly "An important read for budding wildlife biologists and anyone interested in the survival of species."—Wilderness News "The book is enjoyable, informative, fascinating and will convince readers Isle Royale is unique."—Michigan In Books "Filled with details of fascinating discoveries and engaging first-person stories... The book should be in all libraries."—CHOICE "An interesting read for anyone who enjoys science and nature."—Northern Wilds "A highly engaging account that wolf aficionados, lovers of wilderness and national parks, and people that enjoy wildlife biology and natural history stories will appreciate."—Canadian Field Naturalist "Essential Reading for those who are interested in wold biology and their management."—Biological Conservation "Drawing on journals, field notes, and extensive interviews, the book recounts three sumers and winters 60 years ago that Mech spent on the island observing wolves and moose."—Minnesota Alumni "Wolf Island will please anyone with an interest in wilderness adventure, Lake Superior, or wildlife."—Ely Winter Times Table of ContentsContentsForewordRolf O. PetersonMap of Isle RoyaleWe Didn’t KnowThe Chance of a LifetimeDiscovery: Summer 1958Eye in the Sky: Winter 1959Island Life: Summer 1959Finding Patterns: Winter 1960Island of Change: Summer 1960Putting Together the Pieces: Winter 1961The Wolves of Isle RoyaleThe View from AfarAcknowledgmentsIndex

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Book SynopsisRumours of Spring follows Farah Bashir's adolescence in 1990s Srinagar amidst conflict. Ordinary tasks are filled with fear as she navigates daily life. The memoir captures moments of resilience and vitality, showing how territorial conflict impacts everyday life in Kashmir.

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Book SynopsisThe inspirational story of respected football talent scout, Rui Marques. Instead of continuing on the rather dull career path of an economist, Rui transformed his destiny by winning major Fantasy Football competitions in two different countries, and carving his own unique path into the real world of football. From early childhood Rui developed a great passion for football, yet only years later came to recognise his gift of being able to spot raw sporting talent. After completing an economics degree, Rui entered a Daily Mirror Fantasy Football competition - and won the first prize of GBP75,000. This was followed with another Fantasy first place in Germany, scooping Bild's EURO100,000 prize. As a result he earned his first scouting job at a Portuguese club, but after only two seasons became European scout at Sporting Kansas City, helping his team to win trophies before taking on a challenging new role as European scout with Polish champions Legia Warsaw. The Unknown Champion is the ultimate proof that if we follow our dreams, they can come true.

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Book SynopsisIn the run up to the 1987 election Christopher Hope returned to his native South Africa after a twelve-year absence. The nature of that year's whites-only election and the bitter defeat of the liberals led him to write this satirical, evocative portrait of what it looked and felt like growing up in a country gripped by an absurd, racist insanity.Full of exquisite and despairing descriptions, Hope weaves together journalistic commentary and his own personal story as he encounters the bloody battles that have divided his homeland. This is a mordantly witty account of escape, displacement and disillusionment, and a modern classic of journalistic memoir.Trade ReviewVentures deeper and deeper into the theatre of cruelty, enacting a tangled, horrifying dark comedy. * J.M. Coetzee *Hope writes with extraordinary exuberance and invention. * Literary Review *Marvellously chilling * The Times *Mocking, angry and beautiful * Washington Post *Exactly the right note of cold, poetic irony * Financial Times *Breathtaking to the very end * Guardian on 'My Mother's Lovers' *

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Book SynopsisIn this timely, much-needed book, theologian, social psychologist, and activist Christena Cleveland recounts her personal journey to dismantle the cultural “whitemalegod” and uncover the Sacred Black Feminine, introducing a Black Female God who imbues us with hope, healing, and liberating presence.For years, Christena Cleveland spoke about racial reconciliation to congregations, justice organizations, and colleges. But she increasingly felt she could no longer trust in the God she’d been implicitly taught to worship—a white male God who preferentially empowered white men despite his claim to love all people. A God who clearly did not relate to, advocate for, or affirm a Black woman like Christena. Her crisis of faith sent her on an intellectual and spiritual journey through history and across France, on a 400-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas to find healing in the Sacred Black Femin

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Book SynopsisHow do we find courage when climate change overwhelms us emotionally? In this magical, often funny and deeply moving true story, awardwinning science reporter Jonica Newby explores how to navigate the emotional turmoil of climate change. After researching what global warming will do to the snow country she loves, Newby plummeted into a state of profound climate grief. And if she was struggling, she wondered, how was everyone else coping? What should parents tell their anxious kids? How might we all live our best lives under the weight of this fearsome knowledge? Then reality outstripped imagination as her family was swept up in the apocalyptic 2020 fires. Featuring illuminating conversations with singer–songwriter Missy Higgins, comedians Charlie Pickering and Craig Reucassel and business leader Mike Cannon Brookes, practical advice from psychological and scientific experts, incredible accounts from everyday heroes, plus inspiring stories from the climate strike kids, Beyond Climate Grief provides guidance and emotional sustenance to help shore up courage for the uncertainties ahead. It reminds us of the love, beauty and wonder in the world, even amidst disaster. And how we all have a touch of epic hero inside.

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinary true story of danger, innovation and deep sea discovery. In 1971 Alec Crawford is determined to make his fortune from ship salvage. Early attempts lead nowhere until he teams up with a new partner, Simon Martin. Diving in Hebridean waters, they explore remains of the Spanish Armada, and the wreck of the SS Politician, the vessel made famous in the Whisky Galore. But money is scarce and irregular, and the work is fraught with danger and disappointment. Until they hear of one of the most incredible wrecks of all time – the White Star Liner Oceanic, which, when built in 1899, was the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world. Widely regarded as an ‘undiveable’ wreck, lying somewhere off the remote island of Foula, they decide to take the challenge. They face unbelievably dangerous waters and appalling weather conditions, and when a large salvage company takes action against them, they also have a huge legal fight on their hands. But if they succeed, the rewards will be enormous…Trade Review'Absorbing … Crawford writes of difficult and very dangerous work with a good deal of sangfroid. Good humour and an absence of hyperbole make this an unusually likeable, as well as interesting, memoir' -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *'Crawford is a born story-teller, and his tales unfold as easily and naturally as he were an old friend' * The Shetland Times *'The combination of proper adventure, sunken treasure, Scottish islands, memories of fragile communities, the affection this book is written with, and the pleasure of spending time in the company of someone who's achieved some really notable things gives this book a much broader appeal than you might initially suppose ... It's a story of genuine adventure ... Highly recommended' * Desperate Reader Blogspot *'Crawford has had a long career in rescuing sometimes very valuable stuff from deep water, but his book Treasure Islands tells the story of the early days, diving on shallow wrecks in the Forth, the Western Isles and Shetland…Going down there and rummaging through things… you must have been conscious of the danger but it sounds quite Wild West' * BBC Radio Scotland *'Crawford pioneered many of the methods now used in deep sea recovery, but this book is more about the excitement than the technicalities. It is also a love song to Scotland and a vanishing way of life' * Sorted Magazine *'A thrilling memoir ... [with] good humour throughout' * The Bookseller *'Treasure Islands is a fascinating and intriguing book… Alec Crawford is the underwater version of Robert Louis Stevenson with his incredible stories of the many wrecks he has dived' -- Cordon Cagailte * Stornoway Gazette *

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Book Synopsis'The disease he has is addiction,' Nina Renata Aron writes of her boyfriend. 'The disease I have is loving him.' Their affair is dramatic, urgent - an intoxicating antidote to the lonely days of early motherhood. But soon, K starts using again. Even as his addiction deepens, she stays, thinking she can save him. It's a familiar pattern, developed in an adolescence marred by family trauma - how can she break it? If she leaves, has she failed? In this unflinching memoir, Aron shows the devastating effect of addiction on loved ones. She also untangles the messy ties between her own history of enabling, society's expectations of womanhood and our ideas of love. She cracks open the feminised phenomenon of co-dependency, tracing its development from the formation of Al-Anon to recent research in the psychology of addiction, and asks uncomfortable questions about when help becomes harm, and when we choose to leave.Trade ReviewIncredible ... so well written and loving that once you pick it up, you'll read it in a couple of sittings. * Stylist *A bleak, brutal and brilliant account of the devastation addiction can wreak on a relationship * i Paper *This book is an essential read * Washington Post *Dark, gorgeously narrated * Publishers Weekly *A beautiful, nuanced portrait of living alongside addiction * Booklist *A scorching, unvarnished memoir * EW *This book is an essential read. It shows us that addicts are more than statistics, their co-dependents more than "snivelling, whimpering, and brokenhearted." These are real people, rendered by Aron with eye-opening complexity and dynamism. In this book, the underrepresented & overlooked world of the codependent emerges from the bargain basement of self-help and shopworn homilies into the realm of love and loathing, birth and death, blood and urine. Into the realm, in other words, of the literary. -- Rebekah Frumkin * Washington Post *From the title to the final sentence, a wildly imaginative, feminine and feminist book with a palpable energetic power that feels as much incantation as memoir. -- Emma Forrest, author * Your Voice in My Head *Has given us language to feel the depth and devastations of love, to pay respect to the gnarled and beautiful ways we grow. -- Chanel Miller, author * Know My Name *What a marvel this book is, that such a harrowing subject can be rendered with such tenderness. ... I have no doubt that this will be one of the best books of 2020. -- Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, YesAt turns wild and punk rock, redemptive and heartfelt, I couldn't put it down. -- Chelsea Bieker, author of GodshotNina Renata Aron's prose is masterful and her piercing insight into her own story makes this a sharp-edged and dazzling read. ... a remarkable achievement. -- Carvell WallaceA whip-smart addition to the literature of addiction and an intimate look at the beating heart of codependency. It's a propulsive story of empathy, desire, recklessness, and the things we risk for love-I couldn't put it down. -- Kimberly King Parsons, author * Black Light *Aron's dark, gorgeously narrated memoir of destructive codependency will captivate readers. * Publishers Weekly *In Aron's candid and heart-wrenching memoir, the gnarled knots of love and addiction are untied and tangled and tied again. ... A beautiful, nuanced portrait of living alongside addiction." * Booklist (starred review) *No matter what your relationship to addictive behavior might be, Aron offers a fresh and sometimes shocking perspective that has been sidelined since the beginning of the recovery movement. ... Whether she's describing her mental state...or the landscape of addiction ..., each page of Aron's memoir glints with hard-won truths. * LA Times *'Incredible ... This is also a deeply feminist book that highlights the patriarchal structures that keep women in such damaging relationships. If this all sounds heavy - it is - but it's so well written and loving that once you pick it up, you'll read it in a couple of sittings.' * Stylist *[A] scorching, unvarnished memoir * Entertainment Weekly *Unflinching...Aron writes in gripping prose about the thrills and dangers of her own substance use and relationship with K - their weak-kneed passion and wolfish needs, as well as her guilt-ridden enabling and savior-complex optimism. * San Francisco Chronicle *So powerful and so beautifully written -- Katherine Heiny

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Book SynopsisRay Didinger opens his lively memoir Finished Business with the Philadelphia Eagles' upset win in Super Bowl LII. When the Eagles finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy, Didinger does his best to straddle the emotions of a working reporter and a long-suffering Philly fan. His ability to do that is why he has built up such a loyal following. Didingerbegan following the Eagles as a kid, hanging out in his grandfather's bar in Southwest Philadelphia. He spent his summers at the team's training camp in Hershey. It was there he met his idol, flanker Tommy McDonald. He would later write a play, Tommy and Me, about their friendship and his efforts to see McDonald enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Didinger has been covering the Eagles as a newspaper columnist or TV analyst since 1970. Over the years, he wrote sports for the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News. He later produced Emmy Awardwinning documentaries for NFL Films before transitioning to sports talk radio an

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Book SynopsisLife, not death, in the world of Alzheimer's Broken Beauty is a journey of the author's mother, called Beauty, and her journey through the world of Alzheimer's. But the book's sole focus isn't on death, loss, or devastation. While these components play a part, this is overall, the story of a family who has grasped on to life, not death, and who celebrates victory over tragedy. Sarah Smith tells a story about the caregivers, the facility, the friends, the family, the events, the struggles, the suffering, the pain, the hope--and more than anything else--the abundant love all around us. Smith makes us witnesses to a unique kind of love that cannot be proven by scientists. God's love resides everywhere you look within these pages and within the walls where Beauty resides.

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