Working-Class Heroes
Working-Class Heroes

Author: Maria Kefalas

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2003-02-17

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780520936652

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Chicago's Southwest Side is one of the last remaining footholds for the city's white working class, a little-studied and little-understood segment of the American population. This book paints a nuanced and complex portrait of the firefighters, police officers, stay-at-home mothers, and office workers living in the stable working-class community known as Beltway. Building on the classic Chicago School of urban studies and incorporating new perspectives from cultural geography and sociology, Maria Kefalas considers the significance of home, community, and nation for Beltway residents.

American Heroes
American Heroes

Author: Oliver North

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13: 1476714371

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes Proved, a moving collection of “straightforward, honest testimonials to the courage American troops display on and off the battlefield” (Kirkus Reviews). For more than a dozen years, combat-decorated Marine Oliver North and his award-winning documentary team from FOX News Channel’s War Stories traveled to the frontlines of the War on Terror to profile the dedicated men and women who serve our nation. This time, he follows them from the battlefield to the homefront and finds extraordinary inspiration in their triumph over life-altering adversity. In this new volume of his New York Times bestselling American Heroes series, North describes the courage, commitment, and strength of those who serve—and those who love them. The term “selfless devotion” may be a cliché to many—but not to the men and women on the pages of this book. Their stories resound with bravery, a warrior ethos, and spiritual strength that will encourage us all. Heroes are people who knowingly place themselves at risk for the benefit of others. Since the terror attack of September 11, 2001, more than two million young Americans have volunteered to serve in difficult and dangerous places. No military force in history has been asked to do more than those who have served and sacrificed in this long fight. They are American heroes. So too are their loved ones here at home. These are their stories.

The Blood of Heroes
The Blood of Heroes

Author: James Donovan

Publisher: Little, Brown

Published: 2012-05-15

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0316202541

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On February 23, 1836, a large Mexican army led by dictator Santa Anna reached San Antonio and laid siege to about 175 Texas rebels holed up in the Alamo. The Texans refused to surrender for nearly two weeks until almost 2,000 Mexican troops unleashed a final assault. The defenders fought valiantly-for their lives and for a free and independent Texas-but in the end, they were all slaughtered. Their ultimate sacrifice inspired the rallying cry "Remember the Alamo!" and eventual triumph. Exhaustively researched, and drawing upon fresh primary sources in U.S. and Mexican archives, The Blood of Heros is the definitive account of this epic battle. Populated by larger-than-life characters -- including Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William Barret Travis -- this is a stirring story of audacity, valor, and redemption.

Epic
Epic

Author: Frederick Turner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-28

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 1351296825

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Epic does many things. Among others, it defines the nature of the human storyteller; recalls the creation of the world and of the human race; describes the paradoxical role of the hero as both the Everyman and the radical exception; and establishes the complex quest underlying all human action. Epic illustrates that these ingredients of epic storytelling are universal cultural elements, in existence across multiple remote geographical locations, historical eras, ethnic and linguistic groups, and levels of technological and economic development. Frederick Turner argues that epic, despite being scoffed at and neglected for over sixty years, is the most fundamental and important of all literary forms and thereby deserves serious critical attention. It is the source and originof all other literature, the frame within which any story is possible. The mission of this book is to repair gaps in the literary understanding of epic studies—and offer permission to future epic writers and composers. The cultural genres of Marvel Comics, gothic, anime, manga, multi-user dungeon gaming, and superhero movies reprise all the epic themes and motifs. Consider The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Lost, The Matrix, Superman, Harry Potter, and Narnia. Here can be found the epic beast-man, the miraculous birth of the hero, the creation myth, the founding of the city, the quest journey, the descent into the land of the dead, the monsters, and the trickster. This book will be of interest to all readers fascinated by folklore, oral tradition, religious studies, anthropology, mythology, and enthusiastic about literature in general.

Heroes of Empire
Heroes of Empire

Author: Edward Berenson

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 0520272587

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Examines, through the lives of five important English and French figures, the history of the exploration and colonization of Africa between 1870 and 1914, and the role the mass media played in promoting colonial conquest.