From the author of Persepolis, comes this illustrated fairy tale. Rose is one of three daughters of a rich merchant who always brings gifts for his girls from the market. One day Rose asks for the seed of a blue bean, but he fails to find one for her. She lets out a sigh in resignation, and her sigh attracts the Sigh, a mysterious being that brings the seed she desired to the merchant. But every debt has to be paid, and every gift has a price, and the Sigh returns a year later to take the merchant's daughter to a secret and distant palace.
For anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents. Appealing to fans of coming-of-age memoirs such as Fresh Off the Boat, Running with Scissors, or tales of assimilation like Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Displaced and The Refugees, Sigh, Gone explores one man’s bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. Against the hairspray-and-synthesizer backdrop of the ‘80s, he finds solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in the subculture of punk rock, he finds affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. In his journey for self-discovery Tran ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes—and ultimately saves—him.
"Life or death? Kill or die? How do you deal with having to dine on the humanity you adore? Feast on the miscreants. And don't get too close to the good ones. This is Paul Christian's choice. A seemingly mortal man, he is capable of altering into animal shapes, healing instantly, and manipulating people's thoughts and emotions. Unfortunately, well, most unfortunately for some, he needs human blood to survive. A low-key crime novelist, Paul leads a cautious and comfortable life-- until he falls in love. Lauren is just managing to keep her tavern open when she meets Paul-- a charismatic man who carefully weaves himself into her life. Suddenly her business picks up and she finds herself surrounded by new friends and a sense of family. And she begins to sense something else-- she's just not sure what it is-- or if it's good, or bad, or both. Strange things start to happen as Lauren gets sucked into Paul's life"--Page 4 of cover.
In his first novel since The Satanic Verses, Rushdie gives readers a masterpiece of controlled storytelling, informed by astonishing scope and ambition, by turns compassionate, wicked, poignant, and funny. From the paradise of Aurora's legendary salon to his omnipotent father's sky-garden atop a towering glass high-rise, the Moor's story evokes his family's often grotesque but compulsively moving fortunes in a world of possibilities embodied by India in this century.
Come sail with me aboard The Art of the Sigh and experience strong emotional seas, everchanging societal winds and the sanctuary of the shore. Your heart will be touched, your mind will be stimulated and your soul will be replenished. Some of the pieces send an overt message while others are less blatant. All are structured to pique your interest and engage your brain, your heart and inspire. Many of the pieces are based on real, easily recognizable events, to which we all can relate. Some of the pieces are reflections of circumstances in my personal life. Many readers will recognize themselves in these compositions. You will undergo personal enlightenment, as well as many moments of self-examination, empathy, sympathy, and compassion. In the interest of full disclosure, you may be brought to tears, laugh out loud, feel deep sadness, or profound anger. The voyage is a rollercoaster journey packed with thought-provoking scenarios mirroring real life events and episodes effecting life in the 21st century and the overwhelming challenges that face us all.
It's the end of the world as we know it - or is it? Gorgeous, confident, and demanding, Haruhi Suzumiya is the leader of the SOS Brigade, a club comprised of her high school's most extraordinary students. So when Haruhi is bored, it's up to the SOS Brigade do something about it. In this sequel to the clever and uniquely witty The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the SOS Brigade goes along with Haruhi's scheme to make a movie for the school's upcoming festival. But when filming begins, strange things start to happen, and Haruhi-who has no idea she's a goddess with the ability to destroy the world-starts to show her devastating powers. Could the end be near? Or is it just another day at high school? You never know when Haruhi is involved! Join the frenzy and the fun with this second book in the phenomenal bestselling series that took the world by storm with over 4.5 million copies sold. This hardcover collector's edition features the original Japanese cover!
In this novel, the story follows the SOS Brigade'sfirst movie making project, starring Mikuru Asahina as the main protagonist.Additionally, Nagato is made the antagonist in the movie and Koizumi is theconflict hero, who is supposed to end happily ever after with Mikuru, but facescompeting interests from Nagato. Haruhi comes up with the idea that the SOSBrigade needs to do something for the upcoming cultural festival. Her class isdoing a questionnaire, which is boring in her mind. She decides to make a movie,starring Mikuru. However, Haruhi begins to confuse the movie world with the realworld, and the real world begins to become more like her movie. The pigeons infront of the shrine turn white, then into Passenger Pigeons, cherry treesblossom in autumn, Mikuru begins to shoot lasers out of her eyes, and the catShamisen begins to talk. By the efforts of Itsuki and Yuki, Kyon eventuallyconvinces Haruhi to add a disclaimer at the end that the movie is a work offiction. Overnight, the movie apparently edits itself, and is shown. With thedisclaimer, Haruhi herself realizes it is a work of fiction, and the worldreverts back to normal.
