How to Be Dead in a Year of Snakes
How to Be Dead in a Year of Snakes

Author: Chris Tse

Publisher: Auckland University Press

Published: 2015-01-01

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 177558755X

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In 1905, white supremacist Lionel Terry murdered the Cantonese gold prospector Joe Kum Yung to draw attention to his crusade to rid New Zealand of Chinese and other east Asian immigrants. Author Chris Tse uses this story—and its reenactment for a documentary a hundred years later—to reflect on the experiences of Chinese migrants of the period, their wishes and hopes, their estrangement and alienation, their ghostly reverberation through a white-majority culture. Along the way readers visit the gold fields of the south; a shipwreck in the Hokianga that left the spirits of 500 Chinese gold miners in an unmemorialized limbo for a hundred years; and the streets of Newtown, Wellington, where Lionel Terry went out one night "looking for a Chinaman." Chris Tse's flickering use of imagery, resonant language, and flexible pronouns are particularly suited to the historic events he describes and the viewpoints he shifts through. How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes is a welcome poetic addition to New Zealand literature.

When We Die
When We Die

Author: Prof. Cedric Mims

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: 2014-10-21

Total Pages: 531

ISBN-13: 1466883855

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An unusually comprehensive study of death as both a social and scientific phenomenon, When We Die is as frank as it is informed. This far-reaching discussion considers mortality from the personal and the universal perspective, generously citing past and present poets and physicians from a diverse and telling range of traditions. Mims, who for two decades served as Professor of Microbiology at London's Guys Hospital, brings a humane, inquisitive, and learned sensibility to his topic. "This book is a light-hearted but wide-ranging survey of death, the causes of death, and the disposal of corpses," writes Mims. "It tells why we die and how we die, and what happens to the dead body and its bits and pieces. It describes the ways corpses are dealt with in different religions and in different parts of the world; the methods for preserving bodies; and the ways—fascinating in their diversity—in which corpses or parts of corpses are used and abused." The volume also explores such crucial death-based notions as the afterlife, the soul, and the prospect of immortality. By way of the book's main focus, Mims continues: "We should take a more matter-of-fact view of death (and) accept it and talk about it more than we do—as we have done with the once taboo subject of sex." This is a work that any student of social anthropology will find equally enlightening and essential.

The Snake Doctor
The Snake Doctor

Author: Odie Hawkins

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2013-03-01

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1481709348

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Snake Doctor is a modern, African-American Faustian epic. The story is of a man who made a supernatural deal with a wizard in the Equatorial Rain Forest of Northern Ghana. The deal that was made guaranteed this man that he would receive the money he needed to make the break out film he yearned to make. The proper sacrifices were made, the money poured in and the filmmaker became an international success. But all does not remain sweetness n light. The shadow of the wizards influence remains a mental section that the filmakers son must deal with. It takes grit, determination and hard work to overcome the obstacles, but the deeds are done and we are led to believe that all will be well.

Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870-1879
Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870-1879

Author: Herman Lehmann

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2023-12-26

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13:

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Herman Lehmann's 'Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870-1879' provides a compelling firsthand account of his experiences living among Native American tribes during a pivotal period in American history. Through vivid storytelling, Lehmann offers a unique perspective on the cultural interactions and conflicts that characterized the American frontier in the late 19th century. The book is written in a straightforward, no-nonsense style that immerses readers in the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of Lehmann's time with the Indians. It serves as both a historical document and a gripping narrative that sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of American history. Herman Lehmann, a German American who was abducted by Apaches as a child and later adopted by the Comanche tribe, brings a personal and empathetic voice to the story. His firsthand experiences provide valuable insights into the customs, beliefs, and struggles of Native American communities, making his account both informative and engaging. Lehmann's unique background and deep connection to the indigenous peoples he lived among lend authenticity and nuance to his narrative. I highly recommend 'Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870-1879' to readers interested in frontier history, Native American studies, and personal narratives. Lehmann's book offers a captivating glimpse into a bygone era and challenges readers to reconsider their preconceptions about the complexities of cultural exchange and adaptation on the American frontier.

Congressional Record
Congressional Record

Author: United States. Congress

Publisher:

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 1316

ISBN-13:

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The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection

Author: Gardner Dozois

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: 2010-07-06

Total Pages: 685

ISBN-13: 1429905697

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The thirty-two stories in this collection imaginatively take us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: John Barnes, Elizabeth Bear, Damien Broderick, Karl Bunker, Paul Cornell, Albert E. Cowdrey, Ian Creasey, Steven Gould, Dominic Green, Nicola Griffith, Alexander Irvine, John Kessel, Ted Kosmatka, Nancy Kress, Jay Lake, Rand B. Lee, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Maureen F. McHugh, Sarah Monette, Michael Poore, Robert Reed, Adam Roberts, Chris Roberson, Mary Rosenblum, Geoff Ryman, Vandana Singh, Bruce Sterling, Lavie Tidhar, James Van Pelt, Jo Walton, Peter Watts, Robert Charles Wilson, and John C. Wright. Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book both a valuable resource and the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination, and the heart.