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  Literature after Feminism

  Rita Felski

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  Recent commentators have portrayed feminist critics as grim-faced ideologues who are destroying the study of literature. Feminists, they claim, reduce art to politics and are hostile to any form of aesthetic pleasure. Literature after Feminism is the first work to comprehensively rebut such caricatures, while also offering a clear-eyed assessment of the relative merits of various feminist approaches to literature.Spelling out her main arguments clearly and succinctly, Rita Felski explains how feminism has changed the ways people read and think about literature. She organizes her book around four key questions: Do women and men read differently? How have feminist critics imagined the female author? What does plot have to do with gender? And what do feminists have to say about the relationship between literary and political value? Interweaving incisive commentary with literary examples, Felski advocates a double critical vision that can do justice to the social and political meanings of literature without dismissing or scanting the aesthetic.

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  How Work Works - The Subtle...

  Michelle P. King

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  A unique and revelatory guide to understanding and navigating the unwritten rules of the workplace—the key to achieving success, finding meaning, and staying true to your authentic self in today’s business world—from the organizational expert and celebrated author of The Fix. 
  In her two decades researching organizations, Michelle King has discovered that people who succeed possess a particularly unique skill: They know how workplaces work. More specifically, to get ahead, they do not rely on the often generic and outdated written formal rules that for a century have defined the workplace. Instead, they have learned to gauge how they should behave and perform by becoming aware of informal (and unspoken) rules that exist just below the surface, rather than “formal” organizational guidelines. In this one-of-a-kind guide, King offers her proprietary framework based on over ten years of research and hundreds of employees who reached leadership positions. By focusing on five key areas -- navigating informal networks; developing self-awareness and awareness of others; learning the skills you need to be adaptive to changing conditions; getting support for your next promotion; and finding meaning and fulfillment at work—King teaches every professional how to understand and make these systems work for them and achieve their career ambitions. 
  The new world of work requires a new way of working. With more people vying for top positions, a volatile unpredictable global workplace, and an ever-evolving landscape, it is increasingly important for employees to understand how to negotiate the unspoken and intangible elements of workplace culture.. In How Work Works, King dispels old myths and provides keen observations about what it means to find belonging, build networks, manage the informal and ultimately thrive at work.

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  Violette Szabo - The Life That I...

  Susan Ottaway

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  The story of Violette Szabo is one of the most extraordinary in the annals of World War II espionage and covert operations. 
   
   
   
  Totally fearless and a dead shot, Violette Szabo volunteered to become part of the Special Operations Executive, Britain's premier sabotage and subversion organization of the time. On June 7, 1944, Violette left behind a two-year-old daughter to parachute into France on a special mission. 
   
   
   
  Szabo and other British agents were assigned to organize French resistance fighters to hinder the advance of the SS Das Reich Division to the Normandy beaches. Unfortunately, Szabo's party was soon ambushed by the SS. 
   
   
   
  Unable to walk due to a twisted ankle, Szabo covered the retreat of her comrades with machine-gun fire. Captured, she went through a series of interrogations and changes of confinement before ending up at Ravensbruck, the German all-women's concentration camp. She was finally executed on January 26, 1945. She was twenty-three years old. 
   
   
   
  This exceptional work has been written with the assistance of Violette Szabo's daughter Tanya and unravels fact and fiction about one of the most fascinating characters of World War II.

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  Columbia Disaster The: The...

  Editors Charles River

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  On February 1, the Columbia was due to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 09:16. Only a few members of the press were present to watch the landing - this was, after all, supposed to be a routine return from a routine mission, the 113th for the shuttle program and the 28th for Columbia, one of the oldest Space Shuttles. 
  Reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere is always the most dangerous part of any space mission. The intense heat generated as a spacecraft enters the thin upper atmosphere at immense speed can be potentially lethal, but the shuttle was designed to deal with this heat, and Columbia had successfully done it 27 times in the past. For the five men and two women on board and the members of the press present, everything seemed normal, but there was a measure of concern among those in the ground control team. The team was aware that Columbia had possibly suffered damage to the thermal tiles forming the heat shield on one wing soon after liftoff, but no one knew how extensive the damage was or even if it existed at all. There was also some disagreement about how serious it might be - some on the ground were concerned this might compromise the shuttle wing’s ability to resist the heat of reentry, while others were sure it was a minor issue that would have no serious impact on the mission. Videos of the launch had been exhaustively reviewed by engineers on the ground, but it was impossible to be certain of the precise level of damage to the heat shielding on the underside and leading edge of the wing.  
  There was no agreement on what should or could be done, so one thing was universally agreed upon: the crew would not be informed of the problem. There was nothing they could do to make repairs and no way to avoid reentry. 

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  Qin Dynasty - The Birth of China...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Qin state emerged as a formidable power during the turbulent Warring States period (475–221 BCE), a time when rival kingdoms vied for dominance over China. Originally a small and relatively minor state located in the western regions, Qin gradually expanded its influence through strategic warfare, strong leadership, and administrative reforms. Unlike some of the more culturally refined states in the east, Qin was often perceived as a land of rugged warriors and strict discipline, an image that ultimately worked in its favor. 
  One of the key figures in Qin’s rise was Duke Xiao (r. 361–338 BCE), who implemented sweeping reforms with the help of his advisor Shang Yang. Shang Yang, a staunch advocate of Legalism, introduced policies that emphasized merit-based governance, agricultural development, and a powerful military structure. His reforms transformed Qin into a highly efficient and centralized state, strengthening its ability to compete with and eventually surpass its rivals. While Shang Yang's policies greatly benefited Qin, they also led to significant social hardships, as strict laws and severe punishments were imposed to maintain order. 
  Militarily, Qin adopted advanced tactics and weaponry, incorporating iron tools and crossbows that gave its armies a technological edge. The state also developed a well-organized conscription system, ensuring a steady supply of disciplined soldiers. Unlike some of the fragmented alliances among other states, Qin’s centralized command structure allowed for swift and decisive military campaigns. Under leaders such as King Huiwen and later King Zhaoxiang, Qin expanded its territory, securing vital strategic locations that set the stage for its final conquest.

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  Reacher - The Stories Behind the...

  Lee Child

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  After making his debut in The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular―and most enduring―fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories. 
   
   
   
  These are the origin tales of all of the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child, chock full of colorful anecdotes and intriguing inspirations. One by one, they expand upon each novel and place it in the context not only of the author's life, but of the world outside the books. And taken together, they chart the rise of an action icon, from 1997's The Killing Floor to 2019's Blue Moon. An afterword by crime fiction expert and bookseller Otto Penzler considers the importance of the character and novels in the canon of contemporary crime fiction. 
   
   
   
  In addition to the essays, this collection also includes an original Reacher short story―the first new Reacher appearance entirely written by Lee Child since 2019. Entertaining and enlightening, Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories is a must-listen for fans of the Jack Reacher series and a capstone to any collection of this excellent author.

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