Winner of the 2015 Best Translated Book Award The thirteen stories in this collection are vintage Can Xue. Similar to her novels (The Last Lover, Frontier) and other collections (Vertical Motion) the focus is less on what happens and more on the experience of reading. "Mother River" is a short bildungsroman of a young man who decides to become a fisherman (and crafter of spherical maps) and discovers that performing the role itself is more important than the number of fish they catch. Surreal, provocative, and unique, Mother River reinforces Can Xue's status as one of the most reward and complex writers working today--and a perennial favorite to win the Nobel Prize.
A powerful exploration of grief and resilience following the death of the author's son that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Helen Macdonald found solace in training a wild goshawk. Cheryl Strayed found strength in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. For Carol Smith, a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist struggling with the sudden death of her seven-year-old son, Christopher, the way to cross the river of sorrow was through work. In Crossing the River, Smith recounts how she faced down her crippling loss through reporting a series of profiles of people coping with their own intense challenges, whether a life-altering accident, injury, or diagnosis. These were stories of survival and transformation, of people facing devastating situations that changed them in unexpected ways. Smith deftly mixes the stories of these individuals and their families with her own account of how they helped her heal. General John Shalikashvili, once the most powerful member of the American military, taught Carol how to face fear with discipline and endurance. Seth, a young boy with a rare and incurable illness, shed light on the totality of her son's experiences, and in turn helps readers see that the value of a life is not measured in days. Crossing the River is a beautiful and profoundly moving book, an unforgettable journey through grief toward hope, and a valuable, illuminating read for anyone coping with loss.
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A fiery tour de force... I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful." -Alison Borden, The Denver Post From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip--a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.
"Celtic Mythology" is a study on ancient folk tales and legends of old Ireland, Wales and other Celtic regions, which remained a precious legacy to their illustrative history. The book deals with different aspects of folklore and mythology: myths of the creation, tales of gods and their position and behavior, the mythical creatures and animals, folk tales of the divine land and many more. Well grounded in history and sociology, the author relates these folk tales, legends and myths of Gaelic, Brythonic and Gaulish people to each other and explores the influence of Christianity on their development through the ages. "The Religion of the Ancient Celts" is an exhaustive and comprehensive study of the Celtic religion. It provides insights into Celtic religious practices, and comparisons geographically as well as with more familiar Roman and Christian pantheons. The author offers numerous interpretations and overlaps regarding the mythological roles of gods and goddesses. The Celts interacted with many cultures over the years and adopted their gods and combined with theirs. Roman and Greek gods were adopted as were Vikings' and Christianity later.
Set in Jamaica and New York, this acclaimed first novel explores the ties that bind mother to child and weaves a mesmerizing tale of promises broken and dreams deferred.
From the acclaimed author of Floating in My Mother’s Palm and Children and Fire, a stunning story about ordinary people living in extraordinary times—“epic, daring, magnificent, the product of a defining and mesmerizing vision” (Los Angeles Times). Trudi Montag is a Zwerg—a dwarf—short, undesirable, different, the voice of anyone who has ever tried to fit in. Eventually she learns that being different is a secret that all humans share—from her mother who flees into madness, to her friend Georg whose parents pretend he’s a girl, to the Jews Trudi harbors in her cellar. Ursula Hegi brings us a timeless and unforgettable story in Trudi and a small town, weaving together a profound tapestry of emotional power, humanity, and truth.
Once passed through, became Xitang village by the family sink of the literary talent, broken house three rooms, family walls, no land. Wenxiu looked at her hungry son and daughter, then gritted her teeth and rolled up her sleeves. She searched for food, picked herbs, sold delicacies, bought land, and lived past the red blaze. However, the long-lost ghost suddenly came back, and Wen Xiu's smile blossomed.
Kongjian Yu and his office Turenscape are beyond doubt the foremost landscape architecture practice in China today. The vast scale of China and her apparently boundless growth have enabled Yu to test many ideas that are still largely theories in the Western world. His work – increasingly valued and appreciated in Europe and North America - has attained an extremely high and elegant level in both conception and execution. Kongjian Yu is known for his ecological stance, often against the resistance of local authorities. His guiding design principles are the appreciation of the ordinary and a deep embracing of nature, even in its potentially destructive aspects, such as floods. Among his most acclaimed projects are Houtan Park for Shanghai Expo, the Red Ribbon Park in Qinhuangdao, and Shipyard Park in Zhongshan. This book explores Yu’s work in 11 essays by noted authors and documents 22 major projects extensively.
Theatre was made for children. With their fertile imaginations and their honest ability to be carried away by a story, they are the best audiences that directors, actors, and playwrights could ever hope to encounter. They also represent the future of the arts. Theatre for Children is a collection of new and classic plays for children. Adapted from some of the most beloved stories in children's literature, such as Roald Dahl's The Witches, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as original plays, this anthology brings together new and overlooked plays that children are sure to love. Theatre for Children is an invaluable resource for directors, teachers, and students of theatre. Foreword Country Mouse and the Missing Lunch Mystery by Sandra Fenichel Asher Ernie's Incredible Illucinations by Alan Ayckbourn Two Donuts by Jose Cruz González Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Timothy Mason and Mel Marvin A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas by Laurie Brooks Braille: The Early Life of Louis Braille by Lola H. and Coleman A. Jennings Bless Cricket, Crest Toothpaste, and Tommy Tune by Linda Daugherty The Great Gilly Hopkins by David Paterson and Steve Liebman The Witches by David Wood Mississippi Pinocchio by Mary Surface and David Maddox The Wolf and Its Shadows by Sandra Fenichel Asher Ezigbo, The Spirit Child by Max Bush and Adaora Nzelibe Schmiedl Inuk and the Sun by Henry Beissel A Village Fable by James Still The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Y York
This book is an historical examination of environmental justice struggles across the globe from the perspective of environmentally marginalized communities. It is unique in environmental justice histography because it recounts these struggles by integrating the actual voices and memories of communities who grappled with environmental inequalities.
