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Showing 1 - 20 of 1710 items
By Eva Petulengro. 2011
Born into a Romany gypsy family in 1939, Eva Petulengro's childhood seemed to her to be idyllic in every way.…
She would travel the country with her family in their painted caravan and spend evenings by the fire as they sang and told stories of their past. She didn't go to school or visit a doctor when she was unwell. Instead her family would gather wild herbs to make traditional remedies, hunt game and rabbits, and while the men tended horses to make a living, the young girls would join the women in reading palms. But Eva's perfect world would be turned upside down as the countryside became increasingly hostile to all travellers. 2011.By Beverley Nichols. 1972
By Sandra Martin, Ed Martin Sandra. 2007
In twenty-two original narratives, some of Canada's most acclaimed writers share stories, memories, insights, and revelations - from the comic…
to the tragic - about the first man in their lives. These complex stories will open a fresh and intense conversation with daughters everywhere about the men they've observed since childhood: their fathers. Some descriptions of sex and violence and some strong language. 2007.By Leah Rosenberg. 1981
By James McBride. 1996
One of twelve siblings in Brooklyn, the author was confused about his mother's race. She called herself light-skinned and refused…
to discuss her past. Years later she admitted to being an Orthodox rabbi's daughter whose family shunned her after her marriage to the first of her two black husbands. Some strong language. 1996.By Penny Junor. 2018
Royal biographer Penny Junor tells the story of the woman reviled as a pariah who, thanks to numerous twists of…
fate, became the popular princess consort. Junor argues that although Camilla played a central role in the darkest days of the modern monarchy--Charles and Diana's acrimonious and scandalous split--she also played a crucial role in restoring the Royal Family's reputation, especially that of Prince Charles. 2018.By Lee Siegel. 2017
Hoping to make a killing in New Jersey real estate, the author's father, Monroe Siegel, takes a draw from his…
employer against unearned commission. When the recession hits in the 1970s, Monroe finds himself owing a small fortune to his firm. He sinks toward divorce and bankruptcy, while Lola, Lee's mother, suffers a nervous breakdown that turns her into a different person. Shamed and enraged by his father's fate, Lee grows up wondering what society owes a person who has failed materially but preserved his humanity. Touches on fundamental questions: How do we balance our obligations to ourselves with our obligations to others? What do we owe society when its rules have a legal basis but not a moral one? 2017.By Ryszard Kapuscinski. 1984
Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own…
army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, Polish journalist Kapuscinski travelled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews. Some descriptions of violence. 1984, c1978. Uniform title: Cesarz.By John Cannon. 2000
This account of the Bronte family traces their Irish ancestry from its murky origins around 1710 to 1820 when the…
Bronte family arrived at Haworth Parsonage, Yorkshire. Patrick Brunty was the eldest of a family of ten from Ballynaskeagh near Newry in County Down. His parents were uneducated and impoverished, but his father, Hugh, was known locally as a storyteller whose repertoire included the strange tale of Welsh Brunty, almost certainly a prototype for Heathcliff. Patrick won a scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge, was ordained a Church of England priest, and held various ministries until finally he arrived in Haworth with his wife suffering from cancer and six young children. He cherished literary ambitions which he passed on to Charlotte, Emily and Anne; and this book points out certain themes and stories in their novels which could only have come from a profound knowledge of their Irish roots as told to them by their father. 2000.By Jeannette Walls. 2006
Reporter for MSNBC.com looks back on her unsettled life. Describes growing up in a dysfunctional family, which was always on…
the move. She recalls her father's dream of building a "glass castle," and relates how she and her siblings escaped to make lives of their own. Bestseller. 2006.By Helen Cathcart. 1971
By Geoffrey Wolff. 1979
The author recaptures the paradox of his brilliant father's turbulent life. Although he found it "fun to be Duke Wolff’s…
son," it was also harrowing to see his father's lies, debts, drinking, and irresponsibility. Some strong language. 1979.By Michael Bloch. 1996
This biography of Wallis Warfield, Duchess of Windsor, examines her relationship with Edward VIII, her previous unhappy marriages, and their…
life together after they were forced to leave England. Her early life is also examined and questions surrounding her birth and early life are addressed. 1996.By Michael Bloch. 1982
By Donald Spoto. 1995
This book describes a number of intriguing incidents in the personal lives of the British Royal Family, dating back to…
the time of Queen Victoria. The family conflicts and the personal failings of a number of the royals have been magnified through the lens of the press, ever eager for fresh details with which to build the impression of scandal. 1995.By Don Gillmor. 1999
When Don Gillmor's grandmother broke her hip at the age of eighty, a family secret was revealed: her twin sister…
was not really her twin, but her aunt. The secret had been hidden since the family moved from Scotland to Winnipeg in order to escape the shame of her illegitimacy. The discovery of this secret prompted Gillmor to journey to Scotland and trace his family's history. 1999.By Joe Fiorito. 1999
Fiorito recalls his life growing as a poor, Italian boy in 1950s Fort William, Ontario. He shares memories of his…
father, and of the stories his father told about his own family. Strong language. c1999.By Christopher P Andersen. 2000
Calling this the final book in his Kennedy family trilogy, the author of "Jackie after Jack" discusses the life and…
untimely death of John Kennedy Jr. in 1999. Thirty-eight-year-old John, his wife, Carolyn, and her sister died in a plane John was piloting. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2000.By Denise Chong. 1994
Chong traces her family's history from China to Canada. Her grandfather left his wife and emigrated to Canada, accompanied by…
the concubine he bought in 1924. In Canada, they stinted and sacrificed to support his family in China. Chong tells of her grandparents and parents, and the visits she made to China to try to unite the strands of her family's past. Winner of the 1995 CNIB Talking Book of the Year Award. 1994.By John Cowell. 1999
Author John Cowell’s mother Winifred is a woman of true courage, generosity and spirit; a woman who throughout her life…
has pitted herself against poverty and hardship. The heart-rending story of one woman's struggle and refusal to succumb to adversity - the beatings of a violent husband, the crippling poverty of age – and to raise six children in the only way she knew how. 1999.