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  Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi...

  Al Kennedy

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  A biography of the life, work, and legacy of a pivotal figure in New Orleans cultural history. Based on more than seventy interviews with the subject and his close friends and family, this biography delves deep into the life of Donald Harrison—a waiter, performer, mentor to musicians, philosopher, devoted family man, and, most notably, the Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. The firsthand accounts and anecdotes from those who knew him offer insight into the electrifying existence of a man who enriched the culture of New Orleans, took pride in his African American heritage, and advocated education throughout the city.  Beneath a vibrant costume of colorful feathers and intricate beading stood a man of conviction who possessed a great intellect and intense pride. Harrison grew up during the Great Depression and faced discrimination throughout his life but refused to bow down to oppression. Through determination and an insatiable eagerness to learn, he found solace in philosophy, jazz, and art and spiritual meaning in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition. He shared his ideals and discoveries with his family, whom he protected fiercely, until he took his last breath in 1998. Harrison’s wife, children, and grandchildren continue to carry his legacy by furthering literacy programs for New Orleans’ youth.  From Harrison’s birth in 1933 to his desire to become a Mardi Gras Indian to the moment he met his beloved wife, author Al Kennedy shares Harrison’s significant life experiences. He allows Big Chief Donald to take center stage and explain—in his own words—the mysterious world of the Mardi Gras Indians, their customs, and beliefs. Rare personal photographs from family albums depict the Big Chief with his family, parading through the streets on Carnival Day, and performing the timeless rituals of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. This well-researched biography presents a side of the Big Chief the public did not see, revealing the rebellious spirit of a man who demanded respect, guarded his family, and guided his tribe with utmost pride. Praise for Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians“Enormously enjoyable, richly informative, and deeply moving. . . . To meet the Harrisons is to encounter an America you can't help but fall in love with and be inspired by forever, while gaining a glimpse into the powerful and meaningful tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans. It's a story of strength, passion, survival, and resistance. It’s a story for today.” —Jonathan Demme, Academy Award–winning director“Building on his impressive knowledge of New Orleans culture, Al Kennedy delivers a masterpiece of artistic biography. The world needs to know about Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Al Kennedy tells his full story in this wonderful book. . . . A powerful read.” —Robert Farris Thompson, Col. John Trumbull Professor, History of Art; Master of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University; and author, Tango: The Art History of Love, Face of the Gods, and Aesthetic of the Cool

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  To the New Owners - A Martha's...

  Madeleine Blais

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  The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist “gives a familial face to the mystique of Martha’s Vineyard” in a memoir with “gentle humor and . . . elegiac sweetness” (Kirkus Reviews).   A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist   In the 1970s, Madeleine Blais’s in-laws purchased a vacation house on Martha’s Vineyard. A little more than two miles down a dirt road, it had no electricity or modern plumbing, the roof leaked, and mice had invaded the walls. It was perfect.   Sitting on Tisbury Great Pond—well-stocked with delicious oysters and crab—the house faced the ocean and the sky. Though improvements were made, the ethos remained the same: no heat, television, or telephone. Instead, there were countless hours at the beach, meals cooked and savored with friends, nights talking under the stars, until, in 2014, the house was sold.   To the New Owners is Madeleine Blais’s “witty and charming . . . deeply felt memoir” of this house, and of the Vineyard itself, from the history of the island and its famous visitors, to the ferry, the pie shops, the quirky charms and customs, and the abundant natural beauty. But more than that, this is an elegy for a special place—a retreat that held the intimate history of her family (The National Book Review).  

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  Nixon and Kissinger - Partners...

  Robert Dallek

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  In this epic dual biography, one of our most distinguished scholars—the bestselling author of An Unfinished Life—probes the lives and times of two unlikely leaders whose partnership dominated American and world affairs and changed the course of historyRichard Nixon and Henry Kissinger were two of the most compelling, contradictory, and important leaders in America in the second half of the 20th century. Both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals.  Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger’s tumultuous personal relationship—their collaboration and rivalry—and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach of foreign policy achievements. He also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad, including the nightmare of Vietnam, the brilliant opening to China, détente with the Soviet Union, the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, the disastrous overthrow of Allende in Chile, and growing tensions between India and Pakistan, while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public’s attention from the growing scandal of Watergate.  Authoritative, illuminating, and deeply engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a shocking new understanding of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.

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  Expulsion

  Madeleine King

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  “I need to live fully into every moment of aliveness”, writes former city Councillor and lawyer, Madeleine King. Join Madeleine as she takes you on an adventurous and riveting tale of living full tilt.Madeleine had lived on three continents before she was three years old. She was then educated in South Africa, England, Switzerland and France. As a barrister she spent ten years fighting for her clients in English courtrooms. Her marriage unexpectedly took her to Western Canada where she settled in Calgary. While her two children were tiny, she re-qualified as an Alberta lawyer and developed a private law practice. Some years later she was elected to two terms on Calgary City council where she led a transformation of the city from its suburban history into a vibrant urban mecca with a strong creative community. And late in life, after fourteen years as a single, she found romance.This is a story of Madeleine King’s journey from mischievous teenage years when she was expelled from a Swiss boarding school through educational and health challenges to family life, a chance to make a difference in her community, and find personal fulfillment.  It examines the struggle to challenge a damaging teenage assessment. It is a path with many turns, but with a sense of perseverance, delight and joy.This audiobook is read by Canadian actor, Maureen Thomas.

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  The Very Best Classic Crime...

  G.K. Chesterton, Edgar Wallace,...

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  A timeless collection of crime short stories full of suspense and twists including stories by G. K. Chesteron, Edgar Wallace and Arthur Conan Doyle. Classic recordings read by Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Bart Wolffe.

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  The Case of the Chocolate Cream...

  Kaye Jones

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  The true story of the seemingly respectable woman convicted of a murderous spree in Victorian-era Brighton, England.   In 1871, when the news broke of a series of mysterious poisonings in the popular resort town of Brighton, shock and horror gripped the public. Even more disturbing was the revelation that the culprit was not a common criminal but a local “lady of fortune,” Christiana Edmunds.   Starting in March, Christiana had sent out dozens of poisoned chocolates and sweets to Brighton’s residents. Her campaign resulted in the death of four-year-old vacationer Sidney Barker, and wounded countless others. Her arrest in August provoked such an emotional response from the local public that her trial was moved from Brighton to London’s Old Bailey.   The prosecution anticipated an easy victory. Christiana had not confessed, but witnesses confirmed she had purchased strychnine and their testimonies placed her at the scenes of the crimes. She had a motive too, argued the prosecution; she was a scorned woman. Despite the defense’s best efforts, the jury took only one hour to convict her of the murder of Sidney Barker and the attempted murder of three others. This book tells the engrossing story of the crime, the trial, the darker underworld of Victorian Brighton, and the ultimate fate of Christiana Edmunds.  

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