Japan, that special set of islands, has a constant ability to amaze. Time and time again in the past few decades the country, its society, and its economy have appeared to be set on one particular course, or to be headed for an inevitable crisis, or in some important respect to be unchangeable. and yet time and time again Japan has spring a big surprise, astonishing observers, whether Japanese or non Japanese, by its ability suddenly to switch direction. That is exactly what has been happening as Japan has entered the final decade of the 20th century.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The timeless classic from the acclaimed author of American Psycho about the lost generation of 1980s Los Angeles who experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age. • The basis for the cult-classic film "Possesses an unnerving air of documentary reality." —The New York Times They live in a world shaped by casual nihilism, passivity, and too much money in a place devoid of feeling or hope. When Clay comes home for Christmas vacation from his Eastern college, he re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where everyone drives Porsches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs and also into the seamy world of L.A. after dark. Look for Bret Easton Ellis’s new novel, The Shards!
The Sun Never Sets tells the extraordinary story of L.W. "Bill" Lane, Jr., longtime publisher of Sunset magazine, pioneering environmentalist, and U.S. ambassador. Written with Stanford historian Bertrand Patenaude, this fascinating memoir traces Sunset's profound impact on a new generation of Americans seeking opportunity and adventure in the great American West. Bill Lane was a Californian whose life spanned a vital period of the state's emergence as the embodiment (or symbol) of the country's aspirations. His recollections offer readers a rich slice of the history of California and the West in the 20th century. Recounting his boyhood move from Iowa to California after his father purchased Sunset magazine in 1928, and his subsequent rise through the ranks of Sunset, Bill Lane's memoir evokes the American West that his magazine helped to shape. It illuminates the sources of Sunset's canny appeal and its manifold influence in the four major editorial fields it covered—travel, home, gardening, and cooking—while taking readers behind the scenes of American magazine publishing in the 20th century. The Sun Never Sets also reveals the evolution of Bill Lane's views and roles as an influential environmentalist and conservationist with strong connections to the national and California state parks, and it recounts his two stints as U.S. ambassador: in Japan in the 1970s, and in Australia in the 1980s. This memoir will especially appeal to readers interested in the history of the American West, environmental conservation and preservation, and publishing.
"A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn't commit"--
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures ... a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press). • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick! Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
The Gibbons worked their whole lives saving for their future. But at what cost? When it’s time to retire and reap the rewards of every sacrifice Vole insisted they make, they discover Bay is dying, and her burning desire to see the world beyond small-town Dorset will die with her. Grief-stricken, Vole is magically granted the ability to stop and restart time. Using his powers, he takes Bay on a journey to all the places she dreamed of seeing. But traveling through a time-frozen world has its dangers. Nothing changes: water doesn’t flow, fires don’t spark, no one can move or die... except Vole. When time stops, Vole grows old and unhinged; when time passes, Bay’s life fades. In the ultimate race against time, Vole must carry them thousands of miles around the world and confront his inner demons along the way, or forever fail the woman he loves.
Professor Peter L. Hays, an experienced teacher, has gathered together seasoned instructors who teach Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises throughout the country, in different colleges and high schools, and in different styles. An informative collection of approaches to the presentation of The Sun Also Rises, this volume provides historic background, glosses arcane references, presents critical interpretations, and offers methodologies to inspire teachers of college and high-school students. From material on the bitter aftermath of World War I and the "Lost Generation," to current theories on the construction and performance of gender, the book provides everything today's teachers need to develop and explain the themes in this classic of modern literature. Book jacket.
