When you were a baby I sat very still to hold you. I could see the veins through your skin like a map to inside you. I stopped breathing so you wouldn't ... You were just a boy on a bed in a room, like a kaleidoscope is a tube full of bits of broken glass. But the way I saw you was pieces refracting the light, shifting into an infinite universe of flowers and rainbows and insects and planets, magical dividing cells, pictures no one else knew ... Your whole life you can be told something is wrong and so you believe it.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize “A masterwork . . . the novel astonishes with its inventiveness . . . it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue.”—The New York Times Book Review A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero, one Ignatius J. Reilly, is "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times).
The first collection of stories from “one of the great short story writers of our time” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) breathed new life into the American short story, showing us the humor and tragedy that dwell in the hearts of ordinary people. "[Carver's stories] can ... be counted among the masterpieces of American Literature." —The New York Times Book Review "One of the great short story writers of our time—of any time." —The Philadelhpia Inquirer "The whole collection is a knock out. Few writers can match Raymond Carver's entwining style and language." —The Dallas Morning News
Destiny of the Dead is the second novel in a genre-bending series from New York Times bestselling author Kel Kade. One of Amazon's Best of the Month Books! The God of Death is tired of dealing with the living, so he’s decided everyone should die. And he’s found allies. The Berru, an empire of dark mages, has unleashed a terrifying army of monstrous lyksvight upon everyone with a pulse. While the wealthy and powerful, the kings and queens, abandon the dying world, one group of misfits says no more. Through dogged determination and the ability to bind souls to their dead bodies, Aaslo and his friends fight on. In the mountains of the far north, another bastion of defense is opened. Cherrí, the avatar of a vengeful fire god, has united the survivors amongst her people and begun her own war on the invaders. Now, Aaslo and Cherrí must find a way to unite their powers, one divine, the other profane, to throw back the monsters of the Berru, and challenge Death itself. The Shroud of Prophecy Series: Fate of the Fallen Destiny of the Dead At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
This textbook provides an accessible overview of US defense politics for upper-level students. This new edition has been fully updated and revised, with a new chapter on intelligence and new material on unmanned drones, women in the military, the Tea Party, and other key issues. Analyzing the ways in which the United States prepares for war, the authors demonstrate how political and organizational interests determine US defense policy and warn against over-emphasis on planning, centralization, and technocracy. Emphasizing the process of defense policy-making rather than just the outcomes of that process, US Defense Politics departs from the traditional style of many existing textbooks. Designed to help students understand the practical side of American national security policy, the book examines the following key themes: US grand strategy; who joins America's military; how and why weapons are bought; the management of defense; public attitudes toward the military and casualties; the roles of the President and the Congress in controlling the military; the effects of 9/11 and the Global War on Terror on security policy, homeland security, government reorganizations, and intra- and inter-service relations. The textbook will be essential reading for students of US defense politics, US national security policy and homeland security, and highly recommended for students of US foreign policy, US public policy and public administration.
This unique textbook provides a concise and practical approach to clinical dilemmas involving the liver, pancreas, and biliary tree. Six major sections encompass (1) Hepatic, (2) Biliary, (3) Pancreas, (4) Transplantation, (5) Trauma, and (6) Innovative Technology. Each topic is written by recognized experts from an "e;experiential"e; viewpoint combined with evidence-based medicine. The book contains over 170 chapters and over 350 contributors. It is relevant to Surgical Oncologists, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Surgeons, Transplant Surgeons, Traumatologists, HPB Interventionalists, General Surgeons, and trainees and students. The title of each chapter is in a form of a clinical scenario and each chapter begins with a Case Scenario and ends with Salient Points. Special debates are included in each section. There are numerous compelling images, detailed illustrations, comprehensive tables, thorough algorithms, and other adjunctive tools that enhance learning. The authors emanate from different corners of the world. The book is a valuable resource for faculty, students, surgical trainees, fellows, and all health care providers in the HPB/Trauma/Transplant/Oncology fields.
Ever since the publication of the first edition in 1997, the Companion to Specialist Surgical Practice series has met the needs of surgeons in higher training and practising consultants by providing contemporary, evidence-based information on the sub-specialist areas relevant to their general surgical practice. All eight volumes are thoroughly edited and supported by evidence-based references to support key recommendations. This new Fourth Edition brings together the relevant state-of-the-art specialist information that the editors and authors consider important for the practising sub-specialist general surgeon. Purchase of a print book also includes a downloadable version of the eBook. A standardised approach is used across the series to provide up-to-date information in a way that will be consistent and familiar to the reader. Each volume gives a current and concise summary of the key topics within each major surgical sub-specialty. Each volume highlights evidence-based practice both in the text and by also identifying the key papers in the extensive list of references at the end of every chapter. Written by an expanded group of authors with an increased international dimension to the content of all volumes.
