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万本电子书0元读

Shoppers
Shoppers
Johnson, Denis
¥85.05
"Perfection is not the basis of what I'm talking about," says a member of the Cassandra family, which forms the center of Denis Johnson's plays, Hellhound on My Trail and Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames.The character could be speaking for his creator, because human imperfection is one of Denis Johnson's specialties -- in his critically acclaimed novels, short stories, and nonfiction, and, now, in two brilliant new plays. These two works present a dramatized field guide to some of the more dysfunctional and dysphoric inhabitants of the American West: a sexual-misconduct investigator who misconducts herself sexually; a renegade Jehovah's Witness who supports his splinter Jehovean group by dealing drugs; the Cassandra Brothers and their father and their grandmother, thrown together at a family reunion/wedding/melee at their shabby homestead in Ukiah, California.When Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames was performed in San Francisco in 2001, the Chronicle said, There's an enormous appeal in Johnson's bleak-comic vision of a semi-mythic American West. That appeal derives from the author's perfect vision of imperfection, embodied with such energy and courage in these marvelous pieces of theatre.
Smothered in Hugs
Smothered in Hugs
Cooper, Dennis
¥85.05
Selected from the range of Cooper's essays and reportage in Artforum, Bookforum, Detour, Interview, LA Weekly, Spin, and the Village Voice, among other publications, Smothered in Hugs presents the best nonfiction of one of America's greatest writers. Cooper has written on grave social issues, producing touchstone pieces for a generation of readers. His obituaries for Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix, and William S. Burroughs offer portraits that are both crystallizing and appropriately indefinite. His reckonings of contemporary writers are astute and unsparing. And, of course, he serves as witness to the work and play of an illustrious roster of cultural personalities and does so with an acuity and fairness missing from most pop culture criticism.
America's Mom
America's Mom
Kogan, Rick
¥85.05
For two generations of Americans, reading Ann Landers's daily column was as important as eating breakfast. For nearly fifty years an entire nation turned to this quick-witted, worldly-wise counselor for advice on everything from dinner etiquette to sex. But who was the woman behind the byline?Iowa-born Eppie Lederer was first hired by the Chicago Sun-Times to take over the daily advice column in 1955 -- and over the next half-century she helped shape the nation's social and sexual landscape. Award-winning journalist Rick Kogan was Ann Landers's last editor and close friend, and he paints a fascinating, full-bodied account of the triumphs, the wisdom, the courage, and the trials of one of the twentieth century's most enduring icons -- including her painful lifelong feud with her identical twin sister, "Dear Abby"; her stubborn refusal to shy away from even the most controversial topics; and the tragic breakup of her own thirty-six-year marriage. Filled with remarkable stories shared by people from all walks of life who were profoundly affected by the good sense and guidance of Ann Landers, America's Mom is a moving tribute to a singular woman who has earned an eternal place in our culture ... and our hearts.
The Last Face You'll Ever See
The Last Face You'll Ever See
Solotaroff, Ivan
¥85.05
In fascinating detail, Ivan Solotaroff introduces us to the men who carry out executions. Although the emphasis is on the personal lives of these men and of those they have to put to death, The Last Face You'll Ever See also addresses some of the deeper issues of the death penalty and connects the veiled, elusive figure of the executioner to the vast majority of Americans who, since 1977, have claimed to support executions. Why do we do itOr, more exactly, why do we want to?The Last Face You'll Ever See is not about the polarizing issues of the death penalty -- it is a firsthand report about the culture of executions: the executioners, the death-row inmates, and everyone involved in the act. An engrossing, unsettling, and provocative book, this work will forever affect anyone who reads it.
Feeling Strong
Feeling Strong
Person, Ethel S.
¥85.05
In Feeling Strong, noted psychoanalyst Ethel S. Person redefines the notion of power. Power is often narrowly understood as the force exerted by the politicians and business leaders who seem to be in charge and by the rich and famous who monopolize our headlines. The whiff of evil we often catch when the subject of power is in the air comes from this one conception of power-- the drive for dominance over other people, or, in its most extreme form, an overriding and often ruthless lust for total command. But this is far too limited a definition of power.Pointing to a more fulfilling sense of self-empowerment than is being touted in pop-psychology manuals of our time, Feeling Strong shows us that power is really our ability to produce an effect, to make something we want to happen actually take place. Power is a desire and a drive, and it central in our lives, dictating much of our behavior and consuming much of our interior lives.We all have a need to possess power, use it, understand it and negotiate it. This holds true not just in mediating our sex and love lives, our family lives and friendships, our work relationships but in seeking to realize our dreams, whether in pursuit of our ambitions, expression of our creative impulses, or in our need to identify with something larger than ourselves. These separate kinds of power are best described as interpersonal power and personal power, respectively, and they call on different parts of our psyche. Ideally, we acquire competence in both domains.Drawing from her expertise honed in clinical practice, as well as from examples in literature and true-life vignettes, Person shows how we can achieve authentic power, a fundamental and potentially benevolent part of human nature that allows us to experience ourselves as authentically strong. To find something that matters; to live life at a higher pitch; to feel inner certainty; to find a personality of your own and effectively plot our own life story -- these are the forms of power explored in the book. To achieve and maintain such empowerment always entails struggle and is a life-long journey. Feeling Strong will lead the way.
Síla v kordech rodu Wellnsburg?:Kapitán?v dárek
Síla v kordech rodu Wellnsburg?:Kapitán?v dárek
Erika P. Hamlet
¥85.05
To, aby se vrátil ?ivot na hrabství Wellnsburgov?ch do těch normálních kolejí, to by zde nesměl b?t dárek v?podobě t?í map ?elvích ostrov?, které dostali od samotného kapitána Geweryho, jen? jim je věnoval p?i odchodu z?jeho lodě, kterou mu v?ichni, v?etně ctihodn?ch sester Josephiny, Augustiny a Rosalindy pomohly opět získat z?rukou loupe?n?ch pirát?. Touha plavit se na ostrovy bude vyburcována samotn?m p?íchodem Kapitána Geweryho, kter? byl pozván na jejich svatby a o kterém si myslí, ?e jejich pozvání k?němu snad ani nedorazilo, kdy? se najednou z??ista jasna objeví v?kostele, aby jim osobně p?edal svou gratulaci. Jak to ale udělat, aby dostali svolení a mohli pou?ít jednu z?honosn?ch lodí hraběte Richarda Wellnsburga, kter? ji? nechce sly?et o ?ádném dobrodru?ství? Budou lhát a vyplují pod záminkou, ?e budou doprovázet svého hosta. Le? bude ale odhalena záhy poté co hrabě Richard, jeho dcera Katarine a Martrek dostanou zprávu od rychlého posla, ze které se dozvídá ?e ?lenové hraběcí rodiny jsou na ?elvích ostrovech, kde jim byla uloupená jejich honosná lo?. Kdo to udělal? Jak se s?tím vypo?ádají a jak?ch trik? pou?ijí ctihodné sestry – jejich sudi?ky, pro to aby pomohly?
Síla v kordech rodu Wellnsburg?:P?edur?en? cíl
Síla v kordech rodu Wellnsburg?:P?edur?en? cíl
Erika P. Hamlet
¥85.05
Síla Wellnsburgsk?ch kord? a jeho erbu je opravdu mocná, proto?e doká?e spojit rodinu i poté co se od ní někdo na dlouhou dobu odlou?í. Pomoc, kterou dostali se rozhodnou vrátit, hned poté co se dozví prav? d?vod jejich p?edur?ené cesty. V?e zní tak tajemně a dobrodru?n? ?ivot je láká. To, ?e tyto dvoj?ata, která se narodila s?mate?sk?m znaménkem hvězdi?ek hledá hned několik lidí o tom neměli Christopher s Elizabeth nejmen?ího tu?ení. Plaví se do Indie, aby nabídly svou pomoc, kde budou muset ?elit mistrovskému umění japonsk?ch ninj?. Ve sv?ch zádech mají ?lechtice - zpropadené lotry: Hedriena, Lambera a Merziena, kte?í je na jejich cestě pronásledují, proto?e byli do těch slu?eb najati a kter?m se nakonec poda?í bez problému unést Elizabeth, kterou vynesou ven ze Sheeradova pláce ve srolovaném koberci. V?té době co je Elizabeth uná?ena neznámo kam, její dvoj?e Christopher, spole?ně s?hrabětem Richardem a skupinou odvá?n?ch mu??, uvíznou v?pasti tajemné svatyně, v?podzemí Sheeradovy ?í?e.
Miori?a
Miori?a
Rațiu Emil
¥85.05
Dumitru Velea ??i continu? aventura ?n lumea xerxeian?, de aceast? dat? public?nd unul dintre cele mai consistente volume de versuri semnate de domnia sa de-a lungul anilor. Spun consistente g?ndindu-m? la un anume risc al atac?rii unei at?t de vaste tematici. Cartea face parte dintr-o pornire a poetului mai de ?ntindere, dedicat? suveranilor persani din dinastia Ahemenizilor. Iar c?nd spun aceasta, am ?n vedere, cel pu?in din punct de vedere tehnic, faptul c?, dup? piesa de teatru Xerxes, apare acum Xerxes la Hellespont. Posibilit??ile de interpretare a mesajului sunt, practic, nelimitate, fiindc? transfocaliz?nd versuri sau cuvinte, f?r? efort putem ?descinde“ ?n actualitatea imediat?. De aceea, ne putem ?ntreba, justificat: nu cumva, printr-o manevra subtil?, stilistic-epica, autorul a ?uitat“ deschis? o porti?? spre problematicile biografiei sale? (Dumitru Huruba)
The Obsession
The Obsession
Chernin, Kim
¥85.05
The Obsession is a deeply committed and beautifully written analysis of our society's increasing demand that women be thin. It offers a careful, thought provoking discussion of the reasons men have encouraged this obsession and women have embraced it. It is a book about women's efforts to become thin rather than to accept the natural dimensions of their bodies--a book about the meaning of food and its rejection.
Forty Minutes of Hell
Forty Minutes of Hell
Bradburd, Rus
¥85.05
An exploration of the racial politics of American sports, from the Jim Crow era to the present day, witnessed through the life of legendary African-American basketball coach and NCAA title winner Nolan Richardson Born in El Paso's Segundo Barrio, or Second Ward, pioneering basketball coach Nolan Richardson grew up in the only black family in a Mexican neighborhood and attended desegregated Bowie High School in 1955. Richardson went on to play at Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso, as the first black star player for legendary coach Don Haskins. Richardson eventually rose to national prominence as a coach in his own right. He became the first black coach at a predominately white school in the Old South to win the NCAA Championship in 1994 at the University of Arkansas. With Richardson's Razorbacks playing at a high-pressure, electrifying pace a style he called "Forty Minutes of Hell," which became a nationally known trademark Arkansas made three appearances in the Final Four, and Richardson was named NABC Coach of the Year in 1994.Richardson's gradual political awakening, and his subsequent refusal to keep quiet about overt or subtle racial injustices, marked his rise. Regardless of his staggering win totals, tensions in Arkansas culminated in an infamous 2002 press conference in which he accused the University of Arkansas of discriminating against him, bringing about an abrupt end to his college coaching career. The only coach in history to win a Junior College National Championship, the NIT, and the NCAA tournament, Richardson went on to coach internationally and in the WNBA.Rus Bradburd, a former college basketball coach who also worked with Don Haskins, highlights Richardson's trailblazing career with empathy and intimacy, revealing a man whose hard-won successes were matched by deeply felt losses. An intensive inside look at elite collegiate athletics and a chronicle of the transition away from the segregated era of American sport, Forty Minutes of Hell is the first full-length biography of Nolan Richardson, setting his complicated story against the backdrop of a decisive time in American history.
Never the Hope Itself
Never the Hope Itself
Hadden, Gerry
¥85.05
A former NPR correspondent takes you into his own ghost-filled life as he reports on a region in turmoil. Gerry Hadden was training to become a Buddhist monk when opportunity came knocking: the offer of a dream job as NPR's correspondent for Latin America. Arriving in Mexico in 2000 during the nation's first democratic transition of power, he witnesses both hope and uncertainty. But after 9/11, he finds himself documenting overlooked yet extraordinary events in a forgotten political landscape. As he reports on Colombia's drug wars, Guatemala's deleterious emigration, and Haiti's bloody rebellion, Hadden must also make a home for himself in Mexico City, coming to terms with its ghosts and chasing down the love of his life, in a riveting narrative that reveals the human heart at the center of international affairs.
The Glory Game
The Glory Game
Gifford, Frank
¥85.05
In 1958 Frank Gifford was the golden boy on the glamour team in the most celebrated city in the NFL. When his New York Giants played the Baltimore Colts for the league championship that year, it became the single most memorable contest in the history of professional football. Its drama, excitement, and controversy riveted the nation and helped propel football to the forefront of the American sports landscape. Now Hall of Famer and longtime television analyst Frank Gifford provides an inside-the-helmet account that will take its place in the annals of sports literature.
The River Road
The River Road
Osborn, Karen
¥85.05
David and Michael Sanderson are brothers, inseparable since childhood from each other and from their neighbor Kay Richards, a complicated young woman involved in a passionate and obsessive love affair with David. One spring night, while at home on a break from college, the threesome embarks on a night of adventure and experimentation, driving recklessly through the Connecticut Valley. Stopping at the French King Bridge, David -- full of hubris and hallucinogens -- dares to jump, mistakenly believing he'll be able to swim ashore. With this one act, he sets in motion an inexorable chain of events that indelibly alters the lives of everyone involved.Told through the alternating voices of Kay, Michael, and David's father, Kevin, The River Road is a closely observed and psychologically penetrating narrative of the accusations, murder investigation, and courtroom battle that follow.
Border-Line Personalities
Border-Line Personalities
Mulligan, Michelle Herrera
¥85.05
Why, in the minds of most Americans, are Latinas still thought of as maids, seductresses, and booty-shaking salsa divas?Never has the concept of Latina identity been more relevant. Also, never has there been a new generation of Latinas so ready to say what they mean and even criticize the Latina generation that preceded them. Until now.In Border-Line Personalities, twenty writers share their poignant and wickedly funny stories about fighting with their mothers, struggling with speaking Spanish, and dealing with the men who've done them wrong, among a myriad of other topics. In the end, each essay encompasses a different point of view, lending credence to the theory that no one can label any one item, idea, or person more Latina than the other.Questions posed to Latinas of all ages in Border-Line Personalities: Why do many of us often feel more American than LatinaHow important is Spanish, reallyDo we all really fit under one cultural umbrellaWhen thinking about having children, do we really have to consider being stay-at-home moms as most of us were raised to believe was law, or can Latinas even consider the possibility of raising children while workingWhat do we do when we fall in love with someone (male or female) outside our culture?
The Beautiful Game
The Beautiful Game
Littman, Jonathan
¥85.05
Once nobody noticed Santa Rosa's Thunder. They were a ragtag team of girls who wanted to play soccer, and no one took them seriously. Their male coach expected little from his "ladies, " and their mediocre performance convinced them he was right.Then a kind of miracle happened. Emiria Salzmann, Thunder's new coach, a top player herself, knew what it took to win--discipline, relentless drills, thigh-burning sprints, and an inspired passing game. The girls hated it, but their coach never let up. Tough and determined, she showed them what it felt like to be winners--and they loved it. As the momentum grew with a string of victories, the girls thrived on the competition, believing they had the right stuff to become champions.They were right! With spirits soaring, Thunder won its league on the last day of the season and headed for the state cup, emerging not just as powerful athletes but as strong, confident, emotionally healthy human beings--champions in the game of soccer, and in the game of life.
What Children Learn from Their Parents' Marriage
What Children Learn from Their Parents' Marriage
Siegel, Judith P., PhD
¥85.05
How are your children learning about intimacyWhat are they seeing when they watch you interacting with your spouseIn a ground breaking approach to family dynamics, What Children Learn from Their Parents' Marriage shows how a child's perception of the marriage his or her parents have created is the key to his or her psychological development and ultimate well-being.Talking to both intact families and divorcing couples with children, marriage and family therapist Judith P. Sigel identifies seven essential elements of marriage that determine the emotional health of a child.By combining her own work with the most current research, Dr. Siegal presents an eye-opening and highly readable book -- one that offers illuminating insight for parents everywhere who wish to build the secure foundation their children need for an emotionally healthy future.
Far from Zion
Far from Zion
London, Charles
¥85.05
"Are you Jewish?" It was a question Charles London heard everywhere he went. Raised in a nonreligious Jewish family, London knew his heritage but had no strong desire to experience it personally. He even spent much of his teen years pretending not to be Jewish. But in the summer of 2004, while doing relief work with children in Bosnia, he stumbled upon a community the likes of which he had not seen before where Jews worked alongside Muslims and Christians to rebuild a city ravaged by war. London liked this idea of a humanitarian Judaism, and though he didn't realize it at the time, this encounter gave him the idea for a journey that would take him around the world and back to his roots. The Jews' frequent flights from persecution have seen the establishment of communities in some of the most surprising places, and despite efforts by Israel to bring these scattered people home to Zion, many have chosen to remain in the land of their birth. From a shopkeeper selling Jewish trinkets in Iran, to a Hanukkah celebration in an Arkansas bowling alley; from Rangoon, where a fifty-seven-year-old chain-smoking caretaker keeps watch over an all-but-forgotten synagogue, to an engineering professor in Cuba proud of his Jewish heritage, yet even prouder of his Communist ideals, pockets of the Diaspora endure, despite intense pressure to flee. Their decision to stay put offers hope that peace may lie not in congregating behind borders but in the promise of a global community of neighbors. Far from Zion is the story of these Jews in far-flung places, and it's through their experiences that London examines his own identity. As he explores widespread Jewish communities struggling with their relationship to the larger world, he too grapples with his heritage and comes to terms with his own connection to Zion.
This is a Soul
This is a Soul
Berger, Marilyn
¥85.05
"Whoever Saves a Life, It Is Considered as If He Saved an Entire World" Dr. Rick Hodes arrived in Africa more than two decades ago to help the victims of a famine, but he never expected to call this extremely poor continent his home. Twenty-eight years later, he is still there.This Is a Soul tells the remarkable story of Rick Hodes's journey from suburban America to Mother Teresa's clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a boy, Rick was devoted to helping those in need, and eventually he determined that becoming a doctor would allow him to do the most good. When he heard about famine in Africa, that's where he went, and when genocide convulsed Rwanda, he went into the refugee camps to minister to the victims. When he was told that Ethiopia was allowing its Jews to emigrate to Israel, he went to help. While there, he was drawn to Mother Teresa's mission in Addis Ababa. It was there that Rick found his calling when he began caring for the sickest children in one of the world's poorest countries. But he did more than that he began taking them into his home and officially adopted five of them. This Is a Soul is also a book filled with great joy and triumph. When Rick's kids return from surgery or life-saving treatments, he is exultant. "Seeing these people after surgery is like going to heaven," he says.Marilyn Berger went to Africa to write about Dr. Hodes, but while there, she became involved with the story. When she came upon a small, deformed, and malnourished boy begging on the street, she recognized immediately that he had the exact disease Rick could cure. She took him to Rick, who eventually arranged for the boy to have a complicated and risky surgery, which turned out to be incredibly successful. The boy's story intertwined with Rick's, and Marilyn's as well is unforgettable in its pathos and subtle humor. This Is a Soul is not just a story of the savior and the saved, it is a celebration of love and wisdom, and an exploration of how charity and devotion can actually change lives in an overcrowded, unjust, and often harsh world.
What Would Barbra Do?
What Would Barbra Do?
Brockes, Emma
¥85.05
Emma Brockes didn't always love musicals. In fact, she hated them. One of her earliest (and most painful) memories is of her mother singing "The Hills Are Alive" while young Emma crossed the street to go to her babysitting gig. According to her mother, the music would keep muggers at bay. According to Emma, it warded off friends, a social life, and any chance of being normal. As she grew older, however, these same songs continued to resonate in her head, first like a broken record and then as a fond reminder of her mother's love. Some people would slice off their arm with a plastic knife before they'd sit through Fiddler on the Roof or The Sound of Music. But musicals are everywhere, and it's about time someone asked why. From An American in Paris to Oklahoma!, Brockes explores the history, art, and politics of musicals, and how they have become an indelible part of our popular culture. Smartly written and incredibly witty, this is a book for people who understand that there are few situations in which the question "What would Barbra do?" doesn't have relevance, in a world much better lived to a soundtrack of show tunes. At the heart of What Would Barbra Dois a touching story about a daughter, a mother, and how musicals kept them together. Part memoir, part musical history tour, it will keep you laughing and singing all at once.
The Hunger
The Hunger
DeLucie, John
¥85.05
A page-turning memoir from the chef of The Waverly Inn, New York City's vaunted celebrity gathering spot The Hunger is an insider's romp through the crazy life of the restaurant business, told by a journeyman chef who fought his way to the top. Trapped in a dead-end job, John DeLucie called it quits and invested his meager savings in a ten-week cooking class. Upon completion, armed with no professional experience and the barest of basic skills, he walked into the renowned gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca and asked for a job. The next day he found himself chopping forty pounds of onions in the prep-kitchen basement. A glamorous new chapter had begun. DeLucie worked his way up the bumpy NYC food chain, from executive chef at La Bottega to Nick & Toni's in East Hampton, eventually finding his way to The Waverly Inn, which he opened with publishing magnate Graydon Carter and several partners. It was here that John married his mastery of simple but unique flavors with Carter's A+ list of glitterati to create downtown's hottest eatery.The Hunger tracks John though the pitfalls of cooking for a living, as well as the roller-coaster ride that became his personal life. Woven into the grit are the stories behind some of DeLucie's signature recipes, including New York's "Best High-End Burger" and the now famous truffled mac and cheese. Here is John's tale about food, desire, and appetite and how one person overcame all odds to make it in the fiercely competitive world of food.
Holding Back the Sea
Holding Back the Sea
Hallowell, Christopher
¥85.05
Katrina's arrival on the Gulf Coast was a long time in coming. But it was assured. Since 1965, when Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans, breached a levee, and flooded part of the city, everyone was waiting and talking about when the Big One would strike and do even more damage. Katrina was that hurricane, predictedand imagined before she struck, but so much worse in her reality.Holding Back the Sea is about the consequences of ignoring the warning signs that nature provides and the struggle to convince the rest of the country that South Louisiana lay in the path of destruction. The signs were not subtle; there were Hurricanes Andrew in 1992, George and Mitch in 1998, and Ivan in 2004, among others. At one time or another in their journeys north, they all threatened New Orleans. Some had headed right for the city before veering to the east and west, sparing the Big Easy and reinforcing the nickname. But the Big Easy ended -- at least in reputation -- on August 29, 2005, when the Big One came ashore as Katrina.