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In this inspiring biography, discover the true story of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh -- and learn about the… woman behind one of literature's most beloved heroines.Harriet the Spy, first published in 1964, has mesmerized generations of readers and launched a million diarists. Its beloved antiheroine, Harriet, is erratic, unsentimental, and endearing-very much like the woman who created her, Louise Fitzhugh.Born in 1928, Fitzhugh was raised in segregated Memphis, but she soon escaped her cloistered world and headed for New York, where her expanded milieu stretched from the lesbian bars of Greenwich Village to the art world of postwar Europe, and her circle of friends included members of the avant-garde like Maurice Sendak and Lorraine Hansberry. Fitzhugh's novels, written in an era of political defiance, are full of resistance: to authority, to conformity, and even -- radically, for a children's author -- to make-believe.As a children's author and a lesbian, Fitzhugh was often pressured to disguise her true nature. Sometimes You Have to Lie tells the story of her hidden life and of the creation of her masterpiece, which remains long after her death as a testament to the complicated relationship between truth, secrecy, and individualism.
Semën Kanatchikov, born in a central Russian village in 1879, was one of the thousands of peasants who made the… transition from traditional village life to the life of an urban factory worker in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the last years of the nineteenth century. Unlike the others, however, he recorded his personal and political experiences (up to the even of the 1905 Revolution) in an autobiography. First published in the Soviet Union in the 1920s, this memoir gives us the richest and most thoughtful firsthand account we have of life among the urban lower classes in Imperial Russia. We follow this shy but determined peasant youth's painful metamorphosis into a self-educated, skilled patternmaker, his politicization in the factories and workers' circles of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and his close but troubled relations with members of the liberal and radical intelligentsia. Kanatchikov was an exceptionally sensitive and honest observer, and we learn much from his memoirs about the day-to-day life of villagers and urban workers, including such personal matters as religious beliefs, family tensions, and male-female relationships. We also learn about conditions in the Russian prisons, exile life in the Russian Far North, and the Bolshevik-Menshevik split as seen from the workers' point of view.
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, each book presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT “Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.” Politician. Statesman. Conservationist. Historian. Lawman. Soldier. Writer. Husband. Father. These are some of the hats Theodore Roosevelt wore during the course of an extraordinary public life. Though most famous for his two terms as President of the United States, Roosevelt was one of the true renaissance men of our time, and his writings, both published (he authored more than thirty-five books) and private (he kept up a network of correspondences that produced well over 150,000 letters) provide remarkable insight to the depth of his thinking, and his utter commitment to making his country the best it could be. Edmund Morris’s bestselling biography has brought attention to this complex and often controversial figure who, many believe, created the 20th-century presidency. Now, The Wisdom of Theodore Roosevelt presents a carefully culled selection of his words and ideas on a range of subjects, providing a fascinating portrait of Roosevelt’s personality and beliefs as they evolved over time. Here is an essential volume for students, historians, Americans, and all those who agree that “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.”
In a narrative both panoramic and intimate, Tom Chaffin captures the four-decade friendship of Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de… Lafayette.Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette shared a singularly extraordinary friendship, one involved in the making of two revolutions—and two nations. Jefferson first met Lafayette in 1781, when the young French-born general was dispatched to Virginia to assist Jefferson, then the state’s governor, in fighting off the British. The charismatic Lafayette, hungry for glory, could not have seemed more different from Jefferson, the reserved statesman. But when Jefferson, a newly-appointed diplomat, moved to Paris three years later, speaking little French and in need of a partner, their friendship began in earnest. As Lafayette opened doors in Paris and Versailles for Jefferson, so too did the Virginian stand by Lafayette as the Frenchman became inexorably drawn into the maelstrom of his country's revolution. Jefferson counseled Lafayette as he drafted The Declaration of the Rights of Man and remained a firm supporter of the French Revolution, even after he returned to America in 1789. By 1792, however, the upheaval had rendered Lafayette a man without a country, locked away in a succession of Austrian and Prussian prisons. The burden fell on Jefferson and Lafayette's other friends to win his release. The two would not see each other again until 1824, in a powerful and emotional reunion at Jefferson’s Monticello. Steeped in primary sources, Revolutionary Brothers casts fresh light on this remarkable, often complicated, friendship of two extraordinary men.
The Philosophical Library presents the most important thinkers through the ages and their most influential writings THE WISDOM OF GEORGE… ELIOT “No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence.” —Romola Virginia Woolf once hailed George Eliot’s masterpiece, Middlemarch, as “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.” Certainly, Eliot was one of the greatest Victorian novelists, and her celebrated works include such classics as Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Adam Bede, and Daniel Deronda. Born Mary Ann Evans in 1819, George Eliot was an original, almost radical, thinker whose unorthodox lifestyle as a working woman living openly with her lover made her a social pariah and cost her dearly. Yet through her novels, which she called “experiments in life,” she found a huge public following for her gentle empathy and keen social observations. Her work endures, for though her characters’ world may be radically different from our own, they confront the same dilemmas of intellect and spirit that we struggle with today.
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, each book presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. <P><P> THE WISDOM OF JOHN ADAMS “Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to liberty, and few nations, if any, have found it.” John Adams was America’s second president, first vice president, and a leading revolutionary, yet his remarkable accomplishments have sometimes been overshadowed by his peers, Washington and Jefferson. David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography has helped reestablish Adams as a truly heroic figure in his own right—intelligent, passionate, fiercely patriotic, and staunchly committed to the ideals of the United States. <P><P>Now The Wisdom of John Adams further reveals—in Adams’ own words—this distinguished leader’s brilliance, foresight, and conviction. Here are excerpts from his greatest speeches and published works, including his oration on independence in the Continental Congress; Thoughts on Government, later the guide for several state constitutions; and his three-volume Defense of the Constitution of the United States. <P>The Wisdom of John Adams also includes a selection of his forthright correspondence, as well as his tender love letters to his wife and strongest ally, Abigail—in all, essential reading for any student of the “American Experiment.”
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, this series presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF W.E.B. DU BOIS “Throughout history, the powers of single blacks flash here and there like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote of W.E.B. Du Bois, “History cannot ignore [him] because history has to reflect truth, and Dr. Du Bois was a tireless explorer and a gifted discoverer of social truths. His singular greatness lay in his quest for truth about his own people.” Du Bois was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard (1896). A brilliant writer and speaker, he was the outstanding African-American intellectual of his time. His lifelong active struggle for racial equality and civil rights resulted in the founding of both the Niagara Movement and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As editor of the NAACP’s magazine, The Crisis, Du Bois presented the literary genius of many of the Harlem Renaissance’s most compelling voices; and his own works—the sociological study The Philadelphia Negro and his famous 1903 treatise, The Souls of Black Folk—eloquently delineated the African-American struggle for identity in America. During his lifetime, Du Bois was a powerful force in academia, literature, civil rights, and the peace movement. Using excerpts from his many books as well as from articles, essays, poems, letters, and speeches, The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois provides a telling portrait of the man and his groundbreaking ideas. It is a tribute to a voice that would not be silenced and to a pioneer who, in his passion for justice movingly declared, “the cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.”
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, this series presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF MARK TWAIN “Let me make the superstitions of a nation and I care not who makes its laws or its songs either.” Mark Twain was a figure larger than life, and he remains to this day the most universally revered American writer of all time. In such classics as Life on the Mississippi, Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn he crafted stories of heroism, adventure, tragedy, and comedy that reflected the changing America of the time. He was also one of our greatest wits, a satirist and humanist who used humor and twists of the tongue to reveal his controversial opinions and trademark irreverent spirit. Ernest Hemingway called Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, “the best book we’ve ever had. There was nothing before. There’s been nothing as good since.” And author Russell Banks wrote that Twain “makes possible an American literature which would otherwise not have been possible.” Here in these pages is the inimitable and invaluable insight of Mark Twain gathered from his many books, short stories, essays, sketches, and speeches, as well as from travel writing and autobiographical pieces—a treasure trove of wisdom from one of American literature’s most beloved figures. “Love your enemy; it will scare the hell out of them.”
A collection of quotations and excerpts from the former first lady's speeches, writings, and interviews offers insight into her contributions… to national policies regarding civil rights, poverty, and the United Nations.
The Philosophical Library presents the most important thinkers through the ages and their most influential writings THE WISDOM OF THE… SAINTS “There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge of the world.” —Saint Teresa of Avila The saints’ lives represent the divine will on earth, and their words offer hope when we are uncertain, security when we feel unsafe, and wisdom when we need it most. Here on these pages is a treasury of inspirational guidance on such diverse subjects as work, love, money, fear, indecision, peace, freedom, compassion, politics, health, and more. Drawn from the traditions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, The Wisdom of the Saints offers enlightenment that transcends all boundaries—hope that speaks to all of us, no matter what faith we follow. “The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.” –Saint Maximilian Kolbe
On a November night in 1984, Susan Rosenberg sat in the passenger seat of a U-Haul as it swerved along… the New Jersey Turnpike. At the wheel was a fellow political activist. In the back were 740 pounds of dynamite and assorted guns. That night I still believed with all my heart that what Che Guevara had said about revolutionaries being motivated by love was true. I also believed that our government ruled the world by force and that it was necessary to oppose it with force. Raised on New York City's Upper West Side, Rosenberg had been politically active since high school, involved in the black liberation movement and protesting repressive U. S. policies around the world and here at home. At twenty-nine, she was on the FBI's Most Wanted list. While unloading the U-Haul at a storage facility, Rosenberg was arrested and sentenced to an unprecedented 58 years for possession of weapons and explosives. I could not see the long distance I had traveled from my commitment to justice and equality to stockpiling guns and dynamite. Seeing that would take years. Rosenberg served sixteen years in some of the worst maximum-security prisons in the United States before being pardoned by President Clinton as he left office in 2001. Now, in a story that is both a powerful memoir and a profound indictment of the U. S. prison system, Rosenberg recounts her journey from the impassioned idealism of the 1960s to life as a political prisoner in her own country, subjected to dehumanizing treatment, yet touched by moments of grace and solidarity. Candid and eloquent, An American Radical reveals the woman behind the controversy--and reflects America's turbulent coming-of-age over the past half century. Since her release from prison in 2001, Susan Rosenberg has been a speaker, educator, and lecturer to young people, graduate students, and those concerned with the issues of women in prison, political prisoners, prison reform and social justice activism. She has lectured on these topics at Stanford Law School, Yale University Law School, Columbia University School of Human Rights, Rutgers University, Brown University Department of African American Studies, New York University Department of Women's and Legal Studies, University of Massachusetts Department of Legal Studies, University of Michigan, Georgia State University Law School, CUNY Graduate Center, and Washington University School of Law. In addition, she has participated in prison reform, women's studies and legal conferences around the country. Since 2004, Rosenberg has served as the director of communications at a faith-based human rights organization working to alleviate poverty, hunger and disease in the developing world. Rosenberg received an M. A. in Writing from Antioch University while in prison, as well as taking graduate courses in creative and expository writing from the University of Iowa. She is an award-winning member of PEN (Poets, Essayists and Novelists) and a member of the PEN Prison Writing Committee. For the last three years she has been on panels at the PEN World Voices Festival with globally recognized authors. She lives in New York City with her family.
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, this series presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” —Abraham Lincoln Politician. Statesman. Civil rights leader. Literary craftsman. For a century and a half, the life—and words—of 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, have been praised as a shining example of American leadership. But Lincoln’s path to greatness was a humble one. The son of a frontier farmer, Lincoln was largely self-educated. When he took the national stage as a politician, his simple, straightforward prose was revolutionary for its time—resonating with men and women from all walks of life. In fact, with his “jogtrot prose, compacted of words and phrases still with the bark on,” Lincoln almost single-handedly changed the way the English language is spoken in America. And while he will always be remembered as the man dedicated to restoring a shattered Union, and—with the Thirteenth Amendment—freeing slaves, Lincoln was also one of the greatest communicators this country has ever seen. Now, in this one essential volume, excerpts have been collected from all of Lincoln’s finest documents, letters, and, of course, speeches like his famous Gettysburg Address. The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln pays tribute to the president and patriot who, through both his words and deeds, changed the course of history.
The men and women who shaped our world—in their own words. The Wisdom Library invites you on a journey through… the lives and works of the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders. Compiled by scholars, this series presents excerpts from the most important and revealing writings of the most remarkable minds of all time. THE WISDOM OF JANE AUSTEN “Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.” Few novelists are as beloved as Jane Austen. For more than 150 years, her books have been read and reread by fans who cherish her satirical wit and acute insight, and modern generations have discovered her irresistible characters through film and television adaptations. Though rooted in the social mores of the early nineteenth century, Jane Austen’s works are timelessly appealing, and her observations remain surprisingly relevant in our very different times. The Wisdom of Jane Austen gleans nuggets of advice—alternately reflective and savagely witty—from her impressive literary legacy and correspondence, revealing her views on subjects as diverse as love, marriage, education, fashion, friendship, pride, poverty, success, sense, and of course, sensibility. This collection of gems reveals the very essence of Jane Austen—delightfully, abundantly wise.
As the Great Depression brought America to the brink of disaster, a devoted single mother in Cleveland, Ohio, wrestled triumph… out of adversity by creating a community activity that would inspire the nation. Josephine Morhard never waited for something to happen. At twelve years old, fiercely independent Josephine left her family’s Pennsylvania farm to start a new life. Coming of age during one of the most devastating times in America, and weathering two bad marriages, Josephine put her personal problems aside to insure a productive future for her daughter and son. But Junior was a volatile boy of eight—until his mother came upon a novel sports idea to encourage discipline, guidance, and self-worth in her son. Out of a dream, an empty lot, and the enthusiasm of other neighborhood kids, Josephine established the first boys’ baseball league in America. Her city—and the country—was watching. Beyond all expectations, the Cleveland Indians rallied behind her project. Indians legends Bob Feller, Jeff Heath, and Roy Weatherly helped hone the boys’ skills; renowned sports reporter Hal Lebovitz became an umpire; and they were given permission to play in historic League Park. All the while, as Josephine’s Little Indians graduated into the Junior American and Junior National Leagues, and finally a Little World Series, she instilled in her boys strong values, good sportsmanship, and an unprecedented sense of accomplishment. Some of them, like Ray Lindquist and Jack Heinen, would become Minor League players. Not one of Mrs. Morhard’s boys would ever forget her. In this stirring biography of an unsung American heroine, Josephine Morhard’s daughter-in-law recounts the extraordinary life and accomplishments of a resilient, selfless, and determined woman. Her inspiring true story—a long time coming—is something to cheer for.
“Bascomb has unearthed a remarkable piece of hidden history, and told it perfectly. The story brims with adventure, suspense, daring,… and heroism.” —David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon Neal Bascomb, New York Times best-selling author, delivers the spellbinding story of the downed Allied airmen who masterminded the remarkably courageous—and ingenious—breakout from Germany’s most devilish POW camp In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots alike might avoid death, only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany’s archipelago of POW camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, a land-locked Alcatraz of sorts that housed the most troublesome, escape-prone prisoners. Its commandant was a boorish, hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer who swore that none should ever leave. Desperate to break out of “Hellminden” and return to the fight, a group of Allied prisoners led by ace pilot (and former Army sapper) David Gray hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve. Once beyond the watch towers and round-the-clock patrols, Gray and almost a dozen of his half-starved fellow prisoners must then make a heroic 150 mile dash through enemy-occupied territory towards free Holland. Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Neal Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny, inspirational, and nail-biting suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War.
A revelatory biography of literary icon Henry Adams—one of America’s most prominent writers and intellectuals of his era, who witnessed… and contributed to America’s dramatic transition from “colonial” to “modern.” <P><P>Henry Adams is perhaps the most eclectic, accomplished, and important American writer of his time. His autobiography and modern classic The Education of Henry Adams was widely considered one of the best English-language nonfiction books of the 20th century. The last member of his distinguished family—after great-grandfather John Adams, and grandfather John Quincy Adams—to gain national attention, he is remembered today as an historian, a political commentator, and a memoirist. Now, historian David Brown sheds light on the brilliant yet under-celebrated life of this major American intellectual. <P><P>Adams not only lived through the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution but he met Abraham Lincoln, bowed before Queen Victoria, and counted powerful figures, including Secretary of State John Hay, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and President Theodore Roosevelt as friends and neighbors. His observations of these men and their policies in his private letters provide a penetrating assessment of Gilded Age America on the cusp of the modern era. The Last American Aristocrat details Adams’s relationships with his wife (Marian “Clover” Hooper) and, following her suicide, Elizabeth Cameron, the young wife of a senator and part of the famous Sherman clan from Ohio. <P><P>Henry Adams’s letters—thousands of them—demonstrate his struggles with depression, familial expectations, and reconciling with his unwanted widower’s existence. Presenting intimate and insightful details of a fascinating and unusual American life and a new window on nineteenth century US history, The Last American Aristocrat shows us a more &“modern&” and &“human&” Henry Adams than ever before.
Performing Miracles. Facing Wild Lions. Confronting Demons. Transforming the World. From Augustine to Mother Teresa, officially canonized as St. Teresa… of Calcutta, discover seventy of the best-known and best-loved saints and read their riveting stories. Meet Joan of Arc, whose transcendent faith compelled her to lead an army when the king’s courage failed. Francis of Assisi, whose gentleness tamed a man-eating wolf. Valentine, a bishop in the time of ancient Rome, who spoke so often of Christ’s love that his saint’s day, February 12, has been associated with courtly love since the Middle Ages. St. Thomas Aquinas, the great teacher. Peter Claver, who cared for hundreds of thousands of people on slave ships after their voyage as captives. And Bernadette, whose vision of Mary instructed her to dig the spring that became the healing waters of Lourdes. Each saint is illustrated in a dramatic and stylized full-color portrait, and included in every entry are the saint’s dates, location, emblems, feast days, and patronage. Taken together, these stories create a rich, inspiring, and entertaining history of faith and courage. For kids age 10 and up. A perfect gift for Confirmation.
This beautifully illustrated board book edition of instant bestseller Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History showcases women who changed… the world and is the perfect goodnight book to inspire big dreams. Featuring 18 trailblazing black women in American history, Dream Big, Little One is the irresistible board book adaptation of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. Among these women, you'll find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things - bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn't always accept them. The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing, inspiring generations to come.