Publisher: Dey Street Books
The genius we never understood. . . . The man we never knew. . . . The truth we never heard. . . . The music we never forgot. . . . A revealing portrait of a legend by a close and trusted friend.
The Story behind 50 million TikTok Views"When Russia invaded my country, Ukraine, my parents, my dog and I fled to a bomb shelter that seemed more than bizarre to me. And because there was WiFi and the days were damn long and also boring, I posted videos to introduce my new home – some of them even went around the world. But my story is actually quite different: It's that of a young girl full of big dreams, who wanted to discover the world and thought war was a bad joke. Until the day I realised I was in the middle of the biggest nightmare of my life." Valeria decided to show the world her hometown Chernihiv and tell the real stories – images and events which none of us could have imagined could have taken place in the 21st century in the middle of Europe. And the horror does not end with her escape to Milan. Once there, Putin's bombs catch up with her and hit her right in the heart of her family. This is her story of bombs, evacuation, live, death and things that only make sense if you have to live in a bomb shelter. "It is horrible when you hear bombs, but you can't do anything – you are just a toy."Show book
Renée Nicholson’s professional training in ballet had both moments of magnificence and moments of torment, from fittings of elaborate platter tutus to strange language barriers and unrealistic expectations of the body. In Fierce and Delicate, she looks back on the often confused and driven self she had been shaped into—always away from home, with friends who were also rivals, influenced by teachers in ways sometimes productive and at other times bordering on sadistic—and finds beauty in the small roles she performed. When, inevitably, Nicholson moved on from dancing, severed from her first love by illness, she discovered that she retained the lyricism and narrative of ballet itself as she negotiated life with rheumatoid arthritis. An intentionally fractured memoir-in-essays, Fierce and Delicate navigates the traditional geographies of South Florida, northern Michigan, New York City, Milwaukee, West Virginia, and also geographies of the body—long, supple limbs; knee replacements; remembered bodies and actual. It is a book about the world of professional dance and also about living with chronic disease, about being shattered yet realizing the power to assemble oneself again, in a new way.Show book
The stories in this book are based on a fundamental belief Susan, my wife, and I have that every experience we go through is what gives life its true meaning. Indeed, some of the unpleasant experiences just add more flavor to life. Having a nice laugh about something is the magic trick in many cases. Life takes a new meaning and purpose if one adorns positive lenses to perceive every situation. We hope the reader will reach the same conclusion. All stories in the book are linked to our passion for spending time in the beautiful countryside in Kenya. And more so, engaging in one form of small-scale farming or another. There is something magical about it. Something that never ceases to nourish our souls.Show book
Go back to where you came from, you terrorist!This is just one of the many warm, lovely, and helpful tips that Wajahat Ali and other children of immigrants receive on a daily basis. Go back where, exactly? Fremont, California, where he grew up, but now an unaffordable place to live? Or Pakistan, the country his parents left behind a half-century ago?While living the American Dream, young Wajahat devoured comic books (devoid of brown superheroes) and fielded well-intentioned advice from uncles and aunties (“Become a doctor!”). He had turmeric stains under his fingernails, was accident-prone, suffered from OCD, and wore Husky pants. That is, he was as American as his neighbors, with roots all over the world. Then, while Ali was studying at University of California, Berkeley, 9/11 happened. Muslims replaced Communists as America’s enemy #1, and he became an accidental spokesman and ambassador of all ordinary, unthreatening things Muslim-y.Now a middle-aged dad, Ali has become one of the foremost and funniest public intellectuals in America. In Go Back to Where You Came From, he tackles the dangers of Islamophobia, white supremacy, and chocolate hummus, peppering personal stories with astute insights into national security, immigration, and pop culture. In this refreshingly bold, hopeful, and uproarious memoir, Ali offers indispensable lessons for cultivating a more compassionate, inclusive, and delicious America.Show book
Harry Askin was 22 when he enlisted at Nottingham in September 1914 and was sent to train with the Royal Marines at Portsmouth.He set sail with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in late February 1915. On 25 April he was towed ashore to Gallipoli. So began a nine month ordeal of constant fighting and shelling on that bare and desperate Peninsula.In this diary he captures the atmosphere of danger and death, blazing heat in summer and rain and cold at other times. The smell of dead bodies was everywhere and while the fortitude of the troops was astonishing, at times confusion and panic prevailed. Harry was wounded twice in one day but the surgeon removed the bullet and he returned to the firing line.Harry was among the last to withdraw and his reward was to be sent to the Western Front. Again he was wounded. This is a stirring memoir which paints a vivid picture of the horrors of war.Show book
'I FELT RECOGNISED ON EVERY PAGE, LEARNT SO MANY NEW THINGS, AND LAUGHED SO HARD I CHOKED ON MY WATER. READ THIS!!!' NAOISE DOLAN, AUTHOR OF EXCITING TIMES 'CANDID, WITTY ... A BRAVE BOOK THAT PUTS VULNERABILITY FULLY ON SHOW' INDEPENDENT Obsessive was, still is, my natural state, and I never wondered why. I didn't mind, didn't know that other people could feel at peace. I always felt like a raw nerve, but then, I thought that everyone did. Writer and journalist Marianne Eloise was born obsessive. What that means changes day to day, depending on what her brain latches onto: fixations with certain topics, intrusive violent thoughts, looping phrases. Some obsessions have lasted a lifetime, while others will be intense but only last a week or two. Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking is a culmination of a life spend obsessing, offering a glimpse into Marianne's brain, but also an insight into the lives of others like her. From death to Medusa, to Disneyland to fire, to LA to her dog, the essays explore the intersection of neurodivergence, fixation and disorder, telling the story of one life underpinned and ultimately made whole by obsession.Show book
