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  Hilda's Story - Surviving the...

  Lori Krein

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  Not many children survived the Holocaust. In this book, Hilda Thieberger describes first hand how she and her husband, Irwin, with the help of many other kind souls, kept their daughter alive against a backdrop of war, starvation, and persecution.

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  The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth...

  Frances Wilson

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  A “sensitive and elegantly written” biography of Dorothy Wordsworth, sister and muse of the Romantic English poet William Wordsworth (Publishers Weekly).“[A] highly charged and forthright biography. . . . A ‘perpetual third party,’ Dorothy Wordsworth finally steps out of the shadows in this assured and involving reclamation of an intriguing, literary figure.” —Booklist (starred review)Described by the writer and opium addict Thomas De Quincey as “the very wildest . . . person I have ever known,” Dorothy Wordsworth was neither the self-effacing spinster nor the sacrificial saint of common telling. A brilliant stylist in her own right, Dorothy was at the center of the Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century. She was her brother William Wordsworth's inspiration, aide, and most valued reader, and a friend to Coleridge; both borrowed from her observations of the world for their own poems. William wrote of her, “She gave me eyes, she gave me ears.”In order to remain at her brother’s side, Dorothy sacrificed both marriage and comfort, jealously guarding their close-knit domesticity—one marked by a startling freedom from social convention. In the famed Grasmere Journals, Dorothy kept a record of this idyllic life together. The tale that unfolds through her brief, electric entries reveals an intense bond between brother and sister, culminating in Dorothy’s dramatic collapse on the day of William’s wedding to their childhood friend Mary Hutchinson. Dorothy lived out the rest of her years with her brother and Mary. The woman who strode the hills in all hours and all weathers would eventually retreat into the house for the last three decades of her life.In this succinct, arresting biography, Frances Wilson reveals Dorothy in all her complexity. From the coiled tension of Dorothy’s journals, she unleashes the rich emotional life of a woman determined to live on her own terms, and honors her impact on the key figures of Romanticism.“In The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth, Ms. Wilson strides purposefully through Wordsworth’s intoxicating life. . . . One chapter begins with a quotation from the political-punk band Gang of Four: ‘This heaven gives me migraine.’ This book, its own kind of heaven, gave me quite the opposite.” —The New York Times“Entertaining and sometimes ingenious. . . . Wilson . . . makes a strong case for taking a fresh look at Dorothy Wordsworth.” —Los Angeles Times

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  Launching Into the Unknown - The...

  Leoma Gilley

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  "What should I bring to Africa?" 
  The answer I got to that question at 31 years old was "Whatever makes you feel at home." Having lived in the southern United States, I had no idea what to pack. Once I arrived in Africa, I adjusted quickly to the various places I lived. “Home” became more of a state of mind than a physical location or set of things. 
  Some of my most unique experiences happened because I said yes to adventuring half-way around the globe:Waking in the middle of the night to find the house invaded by army ants;Realizing I was the only white person on a very full bus and feeling comfortable with that;Meeting someone at a shop and ending up in their home having breakfast;Spending an afternoon at the Sudanese ambassador’s house;Enjoying sheep intestines while thinking it is macaroni. 
  This is but a small fraction of the story, for Sudan was fuller, richer, more changeable, unpredictable, and fascinating than I expected. The people are gracious, forgiving, and hospitable. The tastes, sights, and sounds reflect a vibrant, determined, and joyful richness that overcomes poverty and significant difficulties. I was challenged and encouraged while learning great patience and the value of perseverance. This story bears my immense gratitude, especially to the Sudanese, who have taught me so much.

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  No Haven - The Connecticut Mob...

  Paul Bleakley

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  With Boston to the north and New York City to the south, Connecticut's history of organized crime is often overlooked. This is the untold story of New Haven's illegal past. 
   
   
   
  One of America's most historic and enduring cities, New Haven has wrangled with a perpetual identity struggle, torn between worlds that occasionally converged in chaos and violence. In the 1930s, Connecticut became a region where Mafia families like the Genoveses, Gambinos, Colombos, and Patriarcas shared turf—working together with enough profits to go around or descending into open war to rival that experienced in any major city. Central to this conflict were three men who were, at different times, cautious allies or sworn nemeses. Representing the Genoveses, Midge Renault reigned supreme thanks to his reputation for wanton violence. Meanwhile, Colombo capo Ralph "Whitey" Tropiano maintained a lower profile, which belied his reputation as a vicious killer. But it was his lieutenant, Billy "The Wild Guy" Grasso, who ultimately rose to the top after joining the New England Patriarca Family, enjoying a short rule that ended with a murder plot that left him on the wrong end of a bullet.

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  To Jerusalem and Back - A...

  Saul Bellow

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  This extraordinary book is the result of Saul Bellow’s sojourn in Israel in 1975. A personal record of his stay—his experiences and impressions—as well as a meditation, it crackles with wit and controversy on America’s relationship with this embattled country. 
  Using quick sketches and vignettes, Bellow captures the personal opinions, passions, and dreams of several Israelis, and he also adds to these his own reflections on being Jewish in the twentieth century. The varying viewpoints of those he encounters and interviews offer a revealing look at the history and challenges of Israel, and Bellow’s passionate storytelling draws listeners in to share in his experience.

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  Running with Scissors - A Memoir

  Augusten Burroughs

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  The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir from Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors, now a Major Motion Picture!Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. Suddenly, at age twelve, Augusten Burroughs found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules, there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock therapy machine under the stairs....Running with Scissors is at turns foul and harrowing, compelling and maniacally funny. But above all, it chronicles an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.

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