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  George Orwell: The Life and...

  Editors Charles River

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  for many walks of life, including commercial, diplomatic, academic, philosophical, and historical pursuits. George Orwell’s campaign for perfectly written English in an artistic and content-oriented sense might seem obsessive now, but the importance of written accuracy and well-conveyed meaning for that age cannot be overstated. In fact, Orwell and his works remain famous in large measure because they’re so critical of the ways in which language can be manipulated.  
  	Orwell believed that a decaying language was a decaying society, open to misinformation, manipulation, and rewritten versions of history, the kind of themes that have become synonymous with his name and works. He was a philosophical and political writer caught between strong capitalistic, socialistic, communist, and fascist forces operating around the globe in the early 20th century, and to prevent extremes on both sides from adopting and distorting his works, he labored to simplify his style past the possibility of misconception. His works hauntingly warn readers of the dangers of extremism, totalitarianism, and all other kinds of tyranny that can be found in government, and as a result, the word Orwellian is often thrown around. In the same vein, critics of government policies or individual politicians often make reference to Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian works that were contemporary with World War II.  
  	With such a successful nom de plume, it is difficult for almost anyone but family relations to recall Orwell’s real name. Eric Arthur Blair wanted to be a writer from the beginning, but so controversial were his works that he wished to avoid embarrassing or opening his family up to criticism. The name Orwell likely came from the beautiful River Orwell in East Anglia. Either way, the gifted English novelist, essayist, and critic became a major force in political literature of the 20th century.

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  A Man with Two Lives - From...

  Ambrose Bierce

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  Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language.  
  Growing up in Koscuisko County, Indiana poverty and religion were defining features of his childhood, and he would later describe his parents as “unwashed savages” and fanatically religious, showing him little affection but always quick to punish. He came to resent religion, and his introduction to literature appears to be their only positive effect. 
  At age 15 Bierce left home to become a printer’s devil, mixing ink and fetching type at The Northern Indian, a small Ohio paper. Falsely accused of theft he returned to his farm and spent time sending out work in the hopes of being published. 
  His Uncle Lucius advised he be sent to the Kentucky Military Institute. A year later he was commissioned as an Officer.  As the Civil War started Bierce enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment.  
  In April 1862 Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh, an experience which, though terrifying, became the source of several short stories. Two years later he sustained a serious head wound and was off duty for several months. He was discharged in early 1865.  
  A later expedition to inspect military outposts across the Great Plains took him all the way to San Francisco. He remained there to become involved with publishing and editing and to marry, Mary Ellen on Christmas Day 1871.  They had a child, Day, the following year.  
  In 1872 the family moved to England for 3 years where he wrote for Fun magazine. His son, Leigh, was born, and first book, ‘The Fiend’s Delight’, was published.  
  They returned to San Francisco and to work for a number of papers where he gained admiration for his crime reporting. In 1887 he began a column at the William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner.  
  Bierce’s marriage fell apart when he discovered compromising letters to his wife from a secret admirer. The following year, 1889 his son Day committed suicide, depressed by romantic rejection. 
  In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’.  Success and further works including poetry followed.  
  Bierce with Hearst’s resources helped uncover a financial plot by a railroad to turn 130 million dollars of loans into a handout. Confronted by the railroad and asked to name his price Bierce answered “my price is $130 million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States”.  
  He now began his first foray as a fabulist, publishing ‘Fantastic Fables’ in 1899.  But tragedy again struck two years later when his second son Leigh died of pneumonia relating to his alcoholism.  
  He continued to write short stories and poetry and also published ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’.  
  At the age of 71, in 1913 Bierce departed from Washington, D.C., for a tour of the battlefields where he had fought during the civil war. At the city of Chihuahua he wrote his last known communication, a letter to a friend. It’s closing words were “as to me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination,” Ambrose Bierce then vanished without trace.

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  Toujours La France! - Living the...

  Janine Marsh

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  Following on from her hugely popular books, My Good Life in France and My Good Year in France, ex-pat Janine Marsh shares more heart-warming and entertaining stories of her new life in rural France. 
   
   
   
  Since giving up their city jobs in London and moving to rural France over ten years ago, Janine and husband Mark have renovated their dream home and built a new life for themselves, adjusting to the delights and the peculiarities of life in a small French village. 
   
   
   
  Including much-loved village characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Pepperpot, Jean-Claude, Claudette, and the infamous Bread Man, in Toujours La France Janine also introduces listeners to some new faces and funny stories, as she and Mark continue their lives in this special part of northern France. With birthday parties, rural traditions, christenings, and even a funeral, there is never a quiet moment in the Seven Valleys.

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  Making an American Family - A...

  Janet Rodriguez

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  Making an American Family: A Recipe in Five Generations is the progressive story of one family, told through five generations, beginning with their journey into the United States during the Mexican Revolution, and culminating with their posterity, attending school online during the COVID19 pandemic. A family memoir, told through a chorus of voices, invites the reader into the multi-sensorial experience of memory and story. The price of “becoming American” in the USA proved to be high, but did the family think it was worth it? With passion and precision, Rodriguez serves the reader a family feast of memories, the perfect recipe for making an American family."Part memoir, part oral history, and part personal exploration on the part of a bi-ethnic woman who never felt Mexican enough, Making an American Family is a love letter to those who have gone, and a prayer for those still to come." ~Elizabeth Gonzalez James, author of Mona at Sea."Janet Rodriguez has poured her whole heart—all her love, all her longing, all her questions, all her tremendous talent—into this beautiful, delicious, deeply moving exploration of family and culture and home, investigating what is lost through assimilation, what is gained when family sticks together." ~Gayle Brandeis, author of Many Restless Concerns, and The Art of Misdiagnosis.“Canta, no llores...Sing, don't cry,” a wonderful, old Mexican song, describes this amazing family memoir. Janet Rodriguez follows her family's line to five generations, including family trees, recipes from her ancestors, and the most marvelous photos. And los cuentos, the stories, bring each generation to la vida on the page- MUCHAS BRAVAS, el amor, el canto song has been passed on." ~Alma Luz Villanueva, author of Song of The Golden Scorpion (novel), and Gracias (poetry)

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  The Diary of Countess Anna Maria...

  Anna Maria Berezowska

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  IPPY (Independent Publishers) 2021 award-winning Best European Non-Fiction. An unforgettable literary masterpiece written over 200 years ago by a remarkable woman during the struggle and fall of Europe's first attempt at a constitutional democracy. A coming-of-age story, love drama, and historical saga all in one, it reads more like a novel than an authentic memoir. Despite its epoch, the highs and lows of Countess Anna's journey reverberate with timeless issues that still affect us all today. This courageous young woman wrote down extraordinarily visceral details of the horrendous experiences she was living through between 1791 and 1795 -- fires, blizzards, near-starvation, bloody battles between nations, and savage bodily assaults. Nevertheless, she miraculously retained her poetic sensitivity and hopefulness, never succumbing to bitterness or resignation.Translated from mainly Polish over 60 years ago, this book contains unique descriptions of the lifestyle of an unknown peasant clan who rescued and revived Anna after a murderous carriage attack; graphic accounts of childbirth and healing practices; ghastly war scenes; candid comments on women's suppression and social class inequalities; poignant confessions of conflicts between love and duty; and explicitly sexual passages that Anna copied from the memoirs of her lascivious cousin Sophia. This Diary has never heretofore been published in its authenticity. Its present availability finally fulfills Countess Anna Berezowska's profound wish to share her experiences and insights with the world.

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  Spurgeon - A Life

  Alex DiPrima

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  Alex DiPrima paints a fresh portrait of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the most well-known gospel minister of the nineteenth century. By providing social, historical, and religious context, DiPrima helps us comprehend the scope of Spurgeon’s ministry in London. Combining academic expertise with popular presentation, this short biography of the famed Prince of Preachers will be the go-to introduction to Spurgeon for years to come.

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