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At her majesty's request: an African princess in Victorian England
By Walter Dean Myers. 1999
The life of an African princess who was about to be killed in a ritual sacrifice in 1850 when she…
was rescued by Commander Forbes, taken to England, and presented to Queen Victoria as Sarah Forbes Bonetta. The queen became Sarah's protector and godmother to her first child. For grades 5-8The earth is the Lord's: a tale of the rise of Genghis Khan
By Taylor Caldwell. 1975
Novel based upon the life of Genghis Khan, the thirteenth-century Mongol chieftain who led his swarm of shaggy barbarians over…
Asia, the Near East, and Hungary. The story begins with his birth as Temujin, the son of a petty chief in the Gobi desert, and ends with his first great victoryTalking to the enemy: stories
By Avner Mandelman. 2005
Nine stories about the Israeli experience. In "Terror" a father beats the son who fails to stand up for his…
five-year-old brother, thus instilling the precept that, right or wrong, family comes first, even before justice or fear. Strong language and some violence. Sophie Brody Medal. 2005The Gift
By Zoe Maeve. 2021
Production note: This title was created through eBOUND's Literary Image Description project. The author and illustrator wrote or consulted on…
the image descriptions, which are included in the body and narration of the text. The Shining meets Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette in this gripping debut from an award-winning talent.The Gift opens on the snow-blanketed grounds of the Alexander Palace in Western Russia where a moth has come to attend the birth of the fourth Romanov princess, Anastasia. She and her siblings grow up in a gilded world, isolated from the society beyond the palace walls despite their dominion over it. After mysteriously receiving a camera on her fifteenth birthday, she begins to document her world, but the gift carries with it a weight she can't yet see. A creature moves on the edge of her vision and stalks her dreams. As the revolution unfolds, the confines of Anastasia's world keep closing in. Something is following her, and it might not be human.Jishin
By Lee Riordan. 1997
In 1923, one of the greatest natural disasters ever recorded struck one of the most densely populated areas in the…
world. In Jishin, author Lee Riordan recreates this calamity, the Great Kanto Earthquake, providing both stirring adventure and touching romance.This book vividly describes the shaking and shuddering of the quake itself, during which thousands died, as much of the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama collapsed around their inhabitants. In the ensuing fires, many more perished as insatiable flames tore through the cities, destroying property and life. This gripping historical novel retells the story of the terrible quake that took over 140,000 lives.Jishin is also the story of Tatiana, the Russian countess, and Hugh, the American professor, who discover their love for one another against the backdrop of this destruction. The author built his tale on the recollections of Tatiana and Hugh, who were his parents, providing the book with an authenticity that gives it unusual poignancy and realism.Divine Stories
By Andy Rotman. 2008
Divine Stories is the inaugural volume in a landmark translation series devoted to making the wealth of classical Indian Buddhism…
accessible to modern readers. The stories here, among the first texts to be inscribed by Buddhists, highlight the moral economy of karma, illustrating how gestures of faith, especially offerings, can bring the reward of future happiness and ultimate liberation. Originally contained in the Divyavadana, an enormous compendium of Sanskrit Buddhist narratives from the early Common Era, the stories in this collection express the moral and ethical impulses of Indian Buddhist thought and are a testament to the historical and social power of narrative. Long believed by followers to be the actual words of the Buddha himself, these divine stories are without a doubt some of the most influential stories in the history of Buddhism.A Child Upon the Throne: A Medieval Romance (The Knights of England Series #4)
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2018
As a Kingdom Trembles With Revolt a Knight and His Lady Must Choose Between Duty and Love in the…
Medieval Historical Romance A Child Upon the Throne by Mary Ellen Johnson--Medieval England following the death of Edward III in 1377 through the Peasants Revolt of 1381--With a child king upon the throne and England s lucrative martial victories a faded memory Knight Matthew Hart wants only to reunite with his long-time lover Margery Watson and their son to live out his days far away from the royal court But Margery s loyalties are torn To settle down with the knight she s loved since childhood or commit treason and side with the commoners overburdened with servitude and taxes When revolt sparks among the masses thousands march on London vowing to overthrow all those in power Now Margery must choose between her place in society with a knight she loves and her true beliefs about freedom justice and equality From the Publisher Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author s penchant for detail and accuracy In keeping with being authentic to the era this story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man s inhumanity There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity Fans of Elizabeth Chadwick Bernard Cornwell and Philippa Gregory as well as Tamara Leigh and Suzan Tisdale will not want to miss this series Author Mary Ellen Johnson strides through history with the reader in the front seat Karen Lausa it challenged my intellect as well as my heart Margaret Watkins eBook Discovery ReviewerFrom the Author When crafting a story I am ever mindful of the parallels between the past and present Endless wars indifferent rulers rising taxes and corruption all of which inevitably resulted in a bloody insurrection An insurrection that while unsuccessful in the short term was even referenced by our Founding Fathers during their struggle for freedom As William Faulkner said The past isn t dead it s not even past so a knowledge of history is imperative THE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsJishin
By Lee Riordan. 1997
In 1923, one of the greatest natural disasters ever recorded struck one of the most densely populated areas in the…
world. In Jishin, author Lee Riordan recreates this calamity, the Great Kanto Earthquake, providing both stirring adventure and touching romance.This book vividly describes the shaking and shuddering of the quake itself, during which thousands died, as much of the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama collapsed around their inhabitants. In the ensuing fires, many more perished as insatiable flames tore through the cities, destroying property and life. This gripping historical novel retells the story of the terrible quake that took over 140,000 lives.Jishin is also the story of Tatiana, the Russian countess, and Hugh, the American professor, who discover their love for one another against the backdrop of this destruction. The author built his tale on the recollections of Tatiana and Hugh, who were his parents, providing the book with an authenticity that gives it unusual poignancy and realism.Counterfeiter and Other Stories
By Yasushi Inoue. 2000
In The Counterfeiter, a writer is commissioned to write the biography of a famous painter but becomes fascinated by a…
man who produced forgeries of the artist's work. Obasute concerns a man's obsession with a legend of old women being taken to a mountain and abandoned, and his interpretation of the actions of the members of his family in light of this legend. The Full Moon is a story of company politics, particularly the rise and fall of the firm's president, told largely through incidents at annual company parties.The Walls of Delhi
By Jason Grunebaum, Uday Prakash. 2012
A street sweeper discovers a cache of black market money and escapes to see the Taj Mahal with his underage…
mistress; an Untouchable races to reclaim his life that's been stolen by an upper-caste identity thief; a slum baby's head gets bigger and bigger as he gets smarter and smarter, while his family tries to find a cure. One of India's most original and audacious writers, Uday Prakash, weaves three tales of living and surviving in today's globalized India. In his stories, Prakash portrays realities about caste and class with an authenticity absent in most English-language fiction about South Asia. Sharply political but free of heavy handedness.Bing: From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China
By Michael Loewe. 2011
Much is known of life during the Han Empire, but the historical evidence remains fragmentary, and nowhere do we find…
a continuous account of the life of any one individual.In this engaging volume, Michael Loewe mines the written and material records to depict the imagined life of an ordinary person, Bing Wu, from the hardships of his earliest years on a rural farm to his retirement from a respected position in government service. Underlying the tale of Bing is a richly detailed portrait of life during the Han--the arduous tasks of the conscript laborer; military service on the defense lines of the north; the travels of a merchant; the grueling conditions in an iron foundry; the construction of tombs; preparations for entering the civil service; the duties of a junior clerk and the governing of a commandery. Along the way, we are introduced to the operation of a crossbow; methods of telling time; the practice of writing; the rituals of divination; the ceremony of a state occasion, laws and the harsh consequences of breaking them; the workings of the central government and much more.Included are a concise introduction, explanatory endnotes to each chapter, a selection of illustrations, a map of the Han Empire, notes for further reading and an essay by Loewe entitled, "A Brief History of the Han Empire."The Trials of Zion: A Novel
By Alan M. Dershowitz. 2010
"No one knows more about Israel's existential dilemma than Alan Dershowitz-or writes about it better. From its explosive beginning to…
its startling climax, THE TRIALS OF ZION excites and intrigues, even as it depicts the unique dangers of a lethal part of the world. This is a terrific novel. " -Richard North Patterson "For a legalist, mired for years in towers of ivory not even hewn from the teeth of endangered elephants but constructed, indeed, and solely, of the casuistic and notional, Mr. Dershowitz writes a real good rip-snorter. " -David Mamet "A thought-provoking thriller set in two of the world's most gripping arenas of conflict, the Middle East and the courtroom. " -Steven Pinker, author ofThe Stuff of Thought,and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction "As in all his essays, in his novel also, Alan Dershowitz demonstrates his great love for Israel as well as his inspired passion for Jewish memory, justice, and storytelling. " -Elie Wiesel A shocking act of terror brings the Middle East to the point of explosion. As the resulting political conflict threatens to erupt, a young Jewish-American lawyer joins the defense team of an arrested but possibly innocent Palestinian. Soon the lawyer's father, a famed criminal attorney, must win the Palestinian's case or risk losing his daughter forever. To do so, he must take into account the tormented history of the Holy Land from every possible angle. THE TRIALS OF ZION combines the tension of the greatest courtroom dramas with the action of a fast-moving thriller, all set against the colorful backdrop of one of the most complex cultural settings in the world. Filled with memorable characters, this novel offers readers not only compelling suspense, but a panoramic view of the history of a beloved and bitterly contested land, and a sharply controversial perspective on the sources of--and the possible solutions to--the world's longest and most crucial international crisis.Still Life and Other Stories
By Wayne P. Lammers, Junzo Shono. 1992
"Shono conveys both intimacy and distance, tranquility and tension, as he explores the shifting relations between husband and wife, father…
and son, brother and sister." -Publishers Weekly"These stories are so artful... they seem like the artless productions of life itself." -Kenyon College Book Review -- Kenyon College Book Review"This collection should be sipped and savored like warm sake." -Small PressWinner of the Pen Center West Award, this delicate collection of thirteen linked tales reveals the flow of daily life in the modern Japanese family. Junzo Shono's artful layering of commonplace events, images, and conversations has been compared to haiku poetry crossed with an Ozu film.Basti
By Intizar Husain, Asif Farrukhi, Frances W. Pritchett. 1979
An NYRB Classics OriginalBasti is a beautifully written reckoning with the tragic history of Pakistan. Basti means settlement, a common…
place, and Intizar Husain's extraordinary novel begins with a mythic, even mystic, vision of harmony between old and young, man and woman, Muslim and Hindu. Then Zakir, the hero, wakes to the modern world. Crowds gather. Slogans echo. Cities burn. Whether hunkered down with family or furtively meeting to exchange news with friends in cafés, Zakir is alone in a country lost to the politics of loneliness.history. The new country of Pakistan is born, separating him once and for all from the woman he loves, and in a jagged and jarring sequence of scenes we witness a nation and a psyche torn into existence only to be torn apart again and again by political, religious, economic, linguistic, personal, and sexual conflicts--in effect, a world of loneliness. Zakir, whose name means "remember," serves as the historian of this troubled place, while the ties he maintains across the years with old friends--friends who run into one another in cafés and on corners and the odd other places where history takes a time-out--suggest that the possibility of reconciliation is not simply a dream. The characters wait for a sign that minds and hearts may still meet. In the meantime, the dazzling artistry of Basti itself gives us reason to hope against hope.The Moon Opera
By Howard Goldblatt, Bi Feiyu, Sylvia Li-chun Lin. 2007
The debut novel of one of China's rising young literary talents--a gem of a book that takes a piercing look…
into the world of Chinese opera and its female stars In a fit of diva jealousy, Xiao Yanqiu, star of The Moon Opera, disfigures her understudy with boiling water. Spurned by the troupe, she turns to teaching. Twenty years later, a rich cigarette-factory boss offers to underwrite a restaging of the cursed opera, but only on the condition that Xiao Yanqiu return to the role of Chang'e. So she does, this time believing she has fully become the immortal moon goddess. Set against the drama, intrigue, jealousy, retribution, and redemption of backstage Peking opera, The Moon Opera is a stunning portrait of women in a world that simultaneously reveres and restricts them. Bi Feiyu, one of China's young literary stars, re-creates all the temptations and triumphs of the stage the world over in this gem of a novel.The Moon Opera
By Howard Goldblatt, Bi Feiyu, Sylvia Li. 2007
The debut novel of one of China's rising young literary talents--a gem of a book that takes a piercing look…
into the world of Chinese opera and its female stars In a fit of diva jealousy, Xiao Yanqiu, star of The Moon Opera, disfigures her understudy with boiling water. Spurned by the troupe, she turns to teaching. Twenty years later, a rich cigarette-factory boss offers to underwrite a restaging of the cursed opera, but only on the condition that Xiao Yanqiu return to the role of Chang'e. So she does, this time believing she has fully become the immortal moon goddess. Set against the drama, intrigue, jealousy, retribution, and redemption of backstage Peking opera, The Moon Opera is a stunning portrait of women in a world that simultaneously reveres and restricts them. Bi Feiyu, one of China's young literary stars, re-creates all the temptations and triumphs of the stage the world over in this gem of a novel.The Knights of England Boxed Set, Books 1-3: Three Complete Historical Medieval Romance
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2018
"I was captivated by the beautiful covers from the start and that captivation just carried straight through from page one…
to the end of each book." ~Jeannette R HolthamA Breathtaking Medieval Saga of Love, Duty, Loyalty, Failure and Triumph in the First Three Volumes of The Knights of England by Mary Ellen Johnson BOOK 1: The Lion and the Leopard - Maria Rendell wants to be a dutiful wife to husband Phillip, but can't deny her attraction to their liege lord, Richard of Sussex. Loving Philip should be easy. She has married the knight of whom minstrels sing; the knight who saved Richard's life. But when Phillip abandons Maria to indulge his wanderlust, she turns to Richard, sparking a passionate affair amidst the crumbling kingdom of Edward II. Meanwhile, Edward II's barons are rebelling, executing his favorites, and across the channel in France, Isabella, Edward II's wife—the She-Wolf of France—plans to invade England. Then King Edward is captured as Richard and Maria prepare to flee to safety, and Phillip returns. Now the day of reckoning is at hand—not only for Maria, Richard, and Phillip, but for that most unfortunate of Plantagenet kings, Edward II.BOOK 2: A Knight There Was - Following his return from battle with a life-threatening sickness, Margery Watson nurses Golden Knight Matthew Hart back to health. A bond deepening between them, Matthew--who refuses to marry so his younger brother may inherit all--begs Margery to openly live with him. Margery agrees. Like her grandmother before her, she will risk all for love. But a scheming adversary concocts a deception in Matthew's absence that leaves Margery the unwitting wife of a wealthy goldsmith--who seeks only to trade on her family name--while believing she was betrayed by Matthew. When Matthew returns from London to find Margery wedded and bedded, he accuses her of betraying HIM. Now, both Margery and Matthew foolishly believe that time, distance and heartbreak will be enough to keep them forever apart.BOOK 3: Within A Forest Dark - With his belief in the Perfection of Knighthood challenged by battlefield atrocities, Matthew Hart returns to London, wishing to reunite with his first love, Margery Watson. Margery's cruel husband is now dead. As a wealthy widow, she has no intention of returning to the bonds of marriage. But she cannot turn away her handsome knight, no matter the depth of innocent blood he spilled in the name of honor and duty. As Matthew forces himself to fulfill feudal obligations, and Margery's unrest turns treasonous, the forces of king and kingdom may prove the lovers' ultimate undoing or their best hope.Publisher Note: Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author's penchant for detail and accuracy. This story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man's inhumanity. There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity. Fans of Elizabeth Chadwick, Bernard Cornwell and Philippa Gregory as well as Tamara Leigh and Suzan Tisdale will not want to miss this historically accurate series."Author Mary Ellen Johnson strides through history with the reader in the front seat." ~Karen Lausa". . . it challenged my intellect as well as my heart." ~Margaret Watkins, eBook Discovery ReviewerTHE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND, in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsMEET MARY ELLEN JOHNSONMary Ellen Johnson's writing career began with her passion for Medieval England. Then she took a 20-year detour when she got involved in a local murder and ultimately became the Executive Director of The Pendulum Foundation, a non-profit serving kids serving life in prison. With Mary Ellen's goal of sentencing reform nearing successful completion, she is returning to her first love, novel writing.Wintry Night (Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan)
By Qiao Li. 2001
An epic spanning more than half a century of Taiwan's history, this breathtaking historical novel traces the fortunes of the…
Pengs, a family of Hakka Chinese settlers, across three generations from the 1890s, just before Taiwan was ceded to Japan as a result of the Sino-Japanese war, through World War II. Li Qiao brilliantly re-creates the dramatic world of these pioneers—and the colonization of Taiwan itself—exploring their relationships with the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan and their struggle to establish their own ethnic and political identities.This carefully researched work of fiction draws upon Li's own experiences and family history, as well as oral and written histories of the era. Originally published in Chinese as a trilogy, this newly translated edition is an abridgement for English-speaking readers and marks the work's first appearance in the English-speaking world. It was well-received in Taiwan as an honest—and influential—recreation of Taiwan's history before the relocation of the Republic of China from the mainland to Taiwan.Because Li's saga is so deeply imbued with the unique culture and complex history of Taiwan, an introduction explaining the cultural and historical background of the novel is included to help orient the reader to this amazingly rich cultural context. This informative introduction and the sweeping saga of the novel itself together provide an important view of Taiwan's little known colonial experience.Quelling the Demons' Revolt: A Novel from Ming China (Translations from the Asian Classics)
By Guanzhong Luo. 2017
In this Ming-era novel, historical narrative, raucous humor, and the supernatural are interwoven to tell the tale of an unsuccessful…
attempt to overthrow the Song dynasty. A poor young girl meets an old woman who gives her a magic book that allows her to create rice and money. Her father, terrified that his daughter's demonic nature might be discovered, marries her off. Forced to flee, she and others with supernatural abilities find themselves in the midst of a grotesque version of a historical uprising, in which facts are intermingled with slapstick humor and wild fictions.Attributed to the writer Luo Guanzhong, Quelling the Demons' Revolt is centered on the events of the rebellion led by Wang Ze in 1047–48. But it is a distorted, humorous version, in which Wang Ze's lieutenants show up as a comical peddler and a mysterious Daoist priest and a celebrated warrior appears despite having died many years earlier. Rather than fantastic adventures and supernatural marvels, the author points to human vanities and fixations as well as social injustice, warning of the vulnerability of any pursuit of order in a world plagued by demonic forces as well as mundane corruption. Although the story takes place long before the era in which it was written, ultimately Quelling the Demons' Revolt is the story of the Ming dynasty in Song masquerade, presciently warning of the dynasty's downfall. The novel is divided into chapters, but in many ways it is an arrangement of self-contained stories that draw on vernacular storytelling. This translation offers English-speaking readers a spirited example of social critique combined with caustic humor from the era of Luo Guanzhong.Twilight in a Knotted World
By Mr Sidhhartha Sarma. 2020
The soil of central India hides more than the bones of long-dead giants. The East India Company is master of…
almost the entire subcontinent, but real power is now with the Crown. Far from the great games of the empire, Captain William Henry Sleeman is content to administer Jabalpur district and dig for remnants of petrified bones with his charming and knowledgeable wife. Until he is tasked with investigating the activities of an obscure group of criminals who are said to strangle their victims. As Sleeman uncovers the many layers of the Phansigar problem, he finds a language unlike any other, and a set of beliefs, lore and superstitions seemingly drawn from the soul of the countryside. He finds orchards of corpses, and a hierarchy of stranglers, but also ordinary men driven to murder. He hears subtle murmurs of discontentment at the changes which have come to a land believed by some to be unchanging. He finds auguries of a conflict to come. And behind it all, the legend of a mysterious, beautiful man, whose capture might be the key to understanding the Phansigars. Sleeman&’s inquiries will make him confront the nature of his beloved adopted homeland and of the mighty people in Calcutta who he serves. Through the prism of caste, the consequent web of intricate social and cultural relationships, and the nature of travel in the hinterland, he will see the real face of India and come across its uncomfortable, bleak truths. But to unravel such truths is not easy…