Verlag: HarperCollins e-books
The exquisitely artful fiction debut of Vanity Fair columnist Elissa Schappell is a novel told in ten stories that resonate with the most profound experiences in the life of a young woman -- friendship and rivalry, the love for a man, the birth of a child, and the death of a father.
Abraham Lincoln’s early years were marked by hardship, poverty, and a relentless drive to rise above his circumstances. Born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky in 1809, Lincoln experienced the difficulties of frontier life. His family moved frequently, and his formal education was limited to less than a year’s worth of school. Yet, even in these early years, he developed a deep curiosity and love for learning. He read whatever books he could find, often borrowing them from neighbors, and was known to read by firelight late into the night. This hunger for knowledge became a central part of his identity and would later feed into his political ambitions. Lincoln’s entry into politics began in Illinois, where he settled in the town of New Salem. There, he earned a reputation for honesty, storytelling, and a sharp intellect. He first ran for the state legislature in 1832 and lost, but he tried again two years later and won. As a member of the Illinois State Legislature, he began to develop his political skills and established a clear stance on important issues such as internal improvements and economic development. He aligned himself with the Whig Party, inspired by Henry Clay’s vision of a strong national economy. During this time, Lincoln also began to study law, teaching himself the subject and eventually becoming a successful lawyer in Springfield, where he built a respectable career and deepened his connections. Though he was gaining traction in law and state politics, Lincoln’s ambition reached further. He served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives in the late 1840s, during which he opposed the Mexican-American War and supported internal improvements. However, his criticism of the war was unpopular, and after his term, he faded from national politics for a while. Yet, Lincoln was far from finished. The moral and political debate over slavery rekindled his interest in national affairs.Zum Buch
A Basketball Season for the Ages In the spirit of Hoosiers, Friday Night Lights, and The Boys in the Boat comes the classic underdog story of a high school basketball team's quest for glory and a young man's journey of growth, family, and determination. Set against the vibrant backdrop of mid-1970s Long Island, New York, this heartwarming memoir captures the excitement, challenges, and camaraderie of a small-town varsity basketball team and its dreams of triumph. Thirteen-year-old Tom McKeown, growing up in a close-knit Irish American family, struggles to balance school, friends, and the newly discovered world of teenage society. It’s an era when race and class divisions were very real, but bridged by athletics and community purpose. From his vantage in the eighth grade, Tom and the Village of Babylon follow their varsity basketball team, the Panthers, as they fight their way forward in hopes of claiming the first ever Long Island Championship. Led by visionary coach Roy Koelbel and star player Glenn Vickers, the Panthers confront adversity on and off the court. Each obstacle overcome brings them closer to that elusive title. At the heart of their journey is a knockdown trilogy of games with a familiar and formidable Amityville team, who have dreams of their own. With a keen eye for strategy, detail, execution, and a deep love for the game of basketball, McKeown chronicles a season of finding purpose in unexpected places, the power of teamwork, and the thrill of cheering for a team that embodies the heart and spirit of a community. Even when faced with potential heartbreak, you’ll find yourself shouting, “This is Panther Country!”Zum Buch
An irresistibly moving, funny and urgent memoir about the reality of caring for your parents, when you can barely care for yourself.'Moving and real, as well as splutter-your-tea funny' – Miranda SawyerIt was the kind of phone call we all dread. Your elderly father has been admitted to hospital. Your mum is about to be left at home alone. The answer? Drop everything. Go. Help. The reality? Not so straightforward. Suddenly, you’re a kid again, stranded in the overheated house you grew up in. They need you 24/7, that much is obvious. And you want to help, of course you do. But soon your life starts to unravel almost as quickly as their health.In between bouts of washing, feeding, cooking and fighting there are days that test you, days where everything goes wrong and days where everyone, miraculously rises to the occasion. And in between all of that, you learn how to care. But this time with feeling.Irresistibly funny, unflinching and deeply moving, this is a love letter to family and friends, to carers and to anyone who has ever packed a small bag intent on staying for just a few days. This is a true story of what it really means to be a carer. This is The Reluctant Carer.‘Hilarious, bitter, poignant and profound . . . like an existential soap opera – only with more laughs.‘ - Philip Hoare, author of LeviathanZum Buch
How a famous painting opens a window into the life, times, and philosophy of René DescartesIn the Louvre museum hangs a portrait that is considered the iconic image of René Descartes, the great seventeenth-century French philosopher. And the painter of the work? The Dutch master Frans Hals—or so it was long believed, until the work was downgraded to a copy of an original. But where is the authentic version, and who painted it? Is the man in the painting—and in its original—really Descartes?A unique combination of philosophy, biography, and art history, The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter investigates the remarkable individuals and circumstances behind a small portrait. Through this image—and the intersecting lives of a brilliant philosopher, a Catholic priest, and a gifted painter—Steven Nadler opens a fascinating portal into Descartes's life and times, skillfully presenting an accessible introduction to Descartes's philosophical and scientific ideas, and an illuminating tour of the volatile political and religious environment of the Dutch Golden Age. As Nadler shows, Descartes's innovative ideas about the world, about human nature and knowledge, and about philosophy itself, stirred great controversy. Philosophical and theological critics vigorously opposed his views, and civil and ecclesiastic authorities condemned his writings. Nevertheless, Descartes's thought came to dominate the philosophical world of the period, and can rightly be called the philosophy of the seventeenth century.Shedding light on a well-known image, The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter offers an engaging exploration of a celebrated philosopher's world and work.Zum Buch
“Drag embodies the queer possibility that exists within each of us—the infinite ways in which gender, good taste, and art can be lived.” –Sasha Velour This book is a quilt, piecing together memoir, history, and theory into a living portrait of an artist and an art. Sasha Velour illuminates drag as a unique form of expression with a rich history and a revolutionary spirit. Each chapter strips off a new layer, removing one tantalizing glove and then another, to reveal all the twists and turns in the life of a queen. As Sasha recalls her own journey, from the women who raised her, to learning the craft of an artist, to success, disaster, and more, she also uncovers the history of queer life around the world that made it all possible. From shamans to “fairies balls,” empresses to RuPaul’s Drag Race (and beyond), The Big Reveal chronicles and celebrates our shared queer pasts. “If we want to be seen as legendary,” writes Sasha, “we have to weave ourselves into history.” From an iconoclastic drag queen comes an equally singular, thought-provoking manifesto that brings necessary and sparkling substance to our understanding of drag, queerness, beauty, and liberation! Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.Zum Buch
Gestapo Hunter explores the charmed life and exceptional career of Ted Sismore, widely considered one of the RAF's very best wartime navigators and leaders. A quiet, unassuming man who was nicknamed "Daisy" on account of his youthful complexion, Ted was one of only a handful of aircrew to complete a tour of operations in Blenheims in the summer of 1941. He flew in the daylight attack on Berlin, timed to coincide with an address being given by Hermann Göring, for which he received the first of several awards for gallantry and which was widely publicized. Identified by Basil Embry, the mercurial AOC of 2 Group, as something of a kindred spirit, Ted joined the Group's HQ staff, planning Operation Jericho, the famous attack on the prison at Amiens on February 18, 1944, and taking part on October 31 later that year in another "spectacular" to bomb the Gestapo HQ at Aarhus in Denmark. Raids on the SS and Gestapo became something of a specialty, Ted leading further pinpoint bombing attacks on "Shell House" in Copenhagen (Operation Carthage) and the Gestapo HQ at Odense. After the war, Ted teamed up with Mick Martin, the famous Dambuster, to break the flying record from London to Cape Town, in 1947, a journey of almost 7,000 miles. He later qualified as a pilot, flying Meteors, Javelins, and Canberras, retiring as an air commodore. He died in 2012.Zum Buch
