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Showing 1 - 20 of 13572 items
Quirky British author of The Missing of the Somme (DB 76938) and Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi (DB 74532)…
details his residency aboard the American aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. Describes the people he met and the experiences in which he engaged. 2014
Around the world in 80 books
By David Damrosch. 2021
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one…
another and with the world around them *Featured in the Chicago Tribune' s Great 2021 Fall Book Preview* Inspired by Jules Verne&’s hero Phileas Fogg, David Damrosch, chair of Harvard University&’s department of comparative literature and founder of Harvard&’s Institute for World Literature, set out to counter a pandemic&’s restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel Prize–winners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan, and Olga Tokarczuk, he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways in which the world bleeds into literature. To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today, Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives. In his literary cartography, Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics, hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy, and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we&’re entering. Taken together, these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on enduring problems, from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat, as well as the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books&’ heroines have to struggle—from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to Margaret Atwood today. Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings, and to see our world and its literature in new ways
Courage: My story of persecution (I, Witness)
By Freshta Tori Jan. 2022
As a girl and as part of an ethnic minority in Afghanistan, Freshta Tori Jan was persecuted relentlessly. Her family…
faced kidnappings and daily murder attempts on the bus, on the way to school, in the workplace, and beyond. Freshta's school was shut down by the Taliban, and many of her friends were murdered and shot. Her journey through poverty, terrorism, and other forms of injustice has enabled her to be a voice for those unable to share their stories and those unable to receive the opportunities she has sought. She believes in empowering youth in order to bring about change and to be the leaders of today and tomorrow. With a voice that is both accessible and engaging, Freshta brings forward a captivating first-person account of strength, resilience, and determination, delivering compelling narrative nonfiction by young people, for young people
How the states got their shapes too: the people behind the borderlines
By Mark Stein. 2011
Sequel to How the States Got Their Shapes (DB 67306) features biographical sketches of the politicians, surveyors, religious leaders, and…
others who created the borders of America's states. Basis for the series of the same name on TV's History Channel. 2011
All aboard: the complete North American train travel guide
By Jim Loomis. 2011
Frequent Amtrak passenger and travel columnist offers advice on planning trips in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; finding the…
lowest fares; tipping train staff; packing sparingly; and practicing rail-rider etiquette. Explains railroad equipment, safety, and history. Revised and updated third edition. 2011
A history of the world in 100 objects
By Neil MacGregor. 2011
British Museum director profiles one hundred pieces from the institution's collection that trace human history, from a stone chopping tool…
discovered in Tanzania in 1931--and estimated to be one of the first manmade objects--to a solar-powered lamp and charger manufactured in China in 2010. Bestseller. 2010
Sites unseen: traveling the world without sight
By Wendy S David. 2010
Based on her own experiences in Europe and North America, well-traveled blind psychologist provides tips and tools for taking trips…
without sighted assistance. Discusses where to go, how to get there, what to bring, what to do, and what questions to ask. 2010
Author retraces the travels of English adventurer Sir John Mandeville, who left for the Holy Land in 1322 and returned…
in 1356 with tales of countries throughout Asia that he claimed to have visited. Discusses the influence Mandeville had on explorers and writers in his day. 1996
Latin America (Modern World Cultures Ser.)
By Charles F. Gritzner. 2006
Emphasizes the culture of Latin America while discussing the geography, history, economics, and politics of these countries south of the…
United States border. Highlights the similarities and differences between North and Latin America in such areas as colonization and the rate of modernization. For junior and senior high readers. 2006
Jerusalem, Jerusalem: how the ancient city ignited our modern world
By James Carroll. 2011
Author of Constantine's Sword (DB 51712) and Practicing Catholic (DB 69393) traces the history of Jerusalem and explores its role…
as a locus for religious violence among the three Abrahamic religions--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. 2011
The 10 best of everything national parks: 800 top picks from coast to coast
By National Geographic. 2011
For this guide to exploring America's National Parks, National Geographic Society editors consulted nature writers and outdoor enthusiasts to identify…
eighty areas of interest--such as natural wonders, wildlife, history, day hikes, and campgrounds, cuisine--and recommend the ten best parks in each category. 2011
The 100 best affordable vacations (100 best vacations guides)
By Jane Wooldridge, Larry Bleiberg. 2011
North American destinations for the cost-conscious. Divided into four categories--classic Americana sites, wilderness trips, learning vacations, and wellness getaways--the guide…
suggests when to splurge on tours, meals, and train rides and ways to save on accommodations and time of year. Lists festivals and parks. Provides resources for more information. 2011
The tao of travel: enlightenments from lives on the road
By Paul Theroux. 2011
Travelers' visions, insights, and wisdom culled from the writings of Theroux and other literary figures. Robert Louis Stevenson discusses walking…
for walking's sake, Freya Stark describes the need for solitude, and Henry David Thoreau argues for staying home. Also features Claude Lévi-Strauss, Paul Bowles, Eudora Welty, and others. Bestseller. 2011
The land of little rain
By Mary Austin, Mary Hunter Austin. 2000
Early environmentalist and author Mary Austin, portrayed in Mary Austin and the American West (DB 72474), describes the landscape between…
the high Sierras and the Mojave Desert in this 1903 work about the flora, fauna, and people of the California desert. 1903
Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail
By Cheryl Strayed. 2012
Author recounts the three-month, 1,100-mile solo hike she took on a whim in 1995, after years of devastating personal losses.…
Describes her encounters with rattlesnakes, locals, fellow hikers, and her own thoughts during her trek from Los Angeles to Washington State on the Pacific Crest Trail. Strong language. Bestseller. 2012
How Paris became Paris: the invention of the modern city
By Joan DeJean, Joan E DeJean. 2014
The evolution of the city of Paris from its medieval French past to the celebrated "City of Light." Explores the…
seventeenth-century urban planning that created Europe's first great walking city and the diverse social, political, and artistic forces that gave birth to the modern metropolis. 2014
Turning the tables: restaurants and the rise of the American middle class, 1880-1920
By Andrew P. Haley. 2011
Cultural historian examines connections between the development of American restaurants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the…
evolution of the middle class. Discusses menus, service to women, and the gradual acceptance of various ethnic foods. 2011
Visit sunny Chernobyl: and other adventures in the world's most polluted places
By Andrew Blackwell. 2012
Journalist/filmmaker vacations in seven polluted places, including Chernobyl, site of the 1986 Ukrainian nuclear disaster; Alberta, home of Canada's oil-sand…
mines; and India, where the Yamuna river is full of sewage and industrial runoff. Describes the environmental devastation and discusses the motivations of polluters and activists. Some strong language. 2012
The Condé Nast Traveler book of unforgettable journeys: great writers on great places. Volume II
By Various, Klara Glowczewska. 2012
Selection of thirty essays that originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveler between 1988 and 2011. In "The Peak of My…
Desire" Russell Banks--author of The Lost Memory of Skin (DB 74780)--reminisces about his attempt to climb the Andes in Ecuador. 2011
22 accessible road trips: driving vacations for wheelers and slow walkers
By Candy Harrington, Candy B. Harrington. 2012
Advocate for accessible travel presents twenty-two itineraries designed for wheelchair users and/or slow walkers. Trips cover the continental United States,…
including one featuring Utah's five national parks and another showcasing "Land of Lincoln" in Illinois and the Iowa filming location of the movie Field of Dreams. 2012