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River east, river west : a novel / by Rey Lescure, Aube,author.;
"Shanghai, 2007: Fourteen-year-old Alva has always longed for more. Raised by her American expat mother, she's never known her Chinese father, and is certain a better life awaits them in America. But when her mother announces her engagement to their wealthy Chinese landlord, Lu Fang, Alva's hopes are dashed, and so she plots for the next best thing: the American School in Shanghai. Upon admission, though, Alva is surprised to discover an institution run by an exclusive community of expats and the ever-wilder thrills of a city where foreigners can ostensibly act as they please. 1985: In the seaside city of Qingdao, Lu Fang is a young, married man and a lowly clerk in a shipping yard. Though he once dreamed of a bright future, he is one of many casualties in his country's harsh political reforms. So when China opens its doors to the first wave of foreigners in decades, Lu Fang's world is split wide open after he meets an American woman who makes him confront difficult questions about his current status in life, and how much will ever be enough. In a stunning reversal of the east-to-west immigrant narrative and set against China's political history and economic rise, River East, River West is an intimate family drama and a sharp social novel. Alternating between Alva and Lu Fang's points of view, this is a profoundly moving exploration of race and class, cultural identity and belonging, and the often-false promise of the American Dream."--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Americans; Racially mixed teenagers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Long Island compromise [text (large print)] : a novel / by Brodesser-Akner, Taffy,author.;
"In 1983, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway in the nicest part of Long Island, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned to his wife and kids less than a week later, only slightly the worse for wear, and the family begins the hard work of trying to move on with their lives and resume their prized places in the saga of the American dream, coming to understand that though their money may have been what put them in danger, it is also what guaranteed them their safety in the end. But forty years later, when Carl's mother dies and the family comes home to mourn her, it becomes clear that nobody ever really got over anything. Carl's wife, Ruth, has spent her potential protecting her husband's emotional health. Their three grown children are each a mess: Nathan cannot seem to advance at his law firm and may have made a terrible investment with his trust fund; Beamer, a Hollywood screenwriter, will consume anything-substance, foodstuff, women-in order to numb his own perpetual terror; and Jenny has spent her life so bent on proving that she is not a product of the family's pathology that she comes to define it. Then there's Carl himself, the prickly, still-terrified father, who has been secretly seeking closure to the matter of his kidnapping for years, and the unthinkable act he commits that will alter the family's path forever"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Large print books.; Satirical fiction.; Novels.; Extortion; Families; Family secrets; Kidnapping; Life change events; Ransom; Rich people; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Brother & sister / by Keaton, Diane,author.;
When they were children in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions: they shared stories at night in their bunk beds; they swam, laughed, dressed up for Halloween. Their mother captured their American-dream childhoods in her diaries, and on camera. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. By the time he reached adulthood, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn't hold on to full-time work-- his life a world away from his sister's, and from the rest of their family. Now Diane is delving into the nuances of their shared, and separate, pasts to confront the difficult question of why and how Randy ended up living his life on "the other side of normal." In beautiful and fearless prose that's intertwined with photographs, journal entries, letters, and poetry-- many of them Randy's own writing and art-- this insightful memoir contemplates the inner workings of a family, the ties that hold it together, and the special bond between siblings even when they are pulled far apart. Here is a story about love and responsibility: about how, when we choose to reach out to the people we feel closest to-- in moments of difficulty and loss-- surprising things can happen. A story with universal echoes, Brother & Sister speaks across generations to families whose lives have been touched by the fragility and "otherness" of loved ones-- and to brothers and sisters everywhere.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Keaton, Diane; Keaton, Diane.; Motion picture actors and actresses; Brothers and sisters;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The president and the freedom fighter : Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and their battle to save America's soul / by Kilmeade, Brian,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Upon his election as President of the troubled United States, Abraham Lincoln faced a dilemma. He knew it was time for slavery to go, but how fast could the country change without being torn apart? Many abolitionists wanted Lincoln to move quickly, overturning the founding documents along the way. But Lincoln believed there was a way to extend equality to all while keeping and living up to the Constitution that he loved so much--if only he could buy enough time. Fortunately for Lincoln, Frederick Douglass agreed with him--or at least did eventually. In The President and the Freedom Fighter, Brian Kilmeade tells the little-known story of how the two men moved from strong disagreement to friendship, uniting over their love for the Constitution and over their surprising commonalities. Both came from destitution. Both were self-educated and self-made men. Both had fought hard for what they believed in. And though Douglass had the harder fight, one for his very freedom, the two men shared a belief that the American dream was for everyone. As he did in George Washington's Secret Six, Kilmeade has transformed this nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out how these two heroes, through their principles and patience, not only changed each other, but made America truly free for all"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865; Abolitionists; Presidents; Slavery; Slaves;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Feels like home : a song for the Sonoran borderlands / by Ronstadt, Linda,author.; Downes, Lawrence,author.; Steen, Bill,photographer.;
"Feels Like Home is a love letter to Ronstadt's Mexican American roots. It tells of her coming of age in the world between Tucson and the Rio Sonora region of northern Mexico, presented through stories, photographs, and recipes"--
Subjects: Cookbooks.; Recipes.; Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Ronstadt, Linda.; Mexican American cooking.; Singers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Beat the devils / by Weiss, Josh,author.;
"USA, 1958. President Joseph McCarthy sits in the White House, elected on a wave of populist xenophobia and barely-concealed anti-Semitism. The country is in the firm grip of McCarthy's Hueys, a secret police force evolved from the House of Unamerican Activities Committee. Hollywood's sparkling vision of the American dream has been suppressed; its remaining talents forced to turn out endless anti-communist propaganda. LAPD detective Morris Baker-a Holocaust survivor who drowns his fractured memories of the unspeakable in schnapps and work-is called to the scene of a horrific double-homicide. The victims are John Huston, a once-promising but now forgotten film director, and an up-and-coming young journalist named Walter Cronkite. Clutched in the hand of one of the dead men is a cryptic note containing the phrase "beat the devils" followed by a single name: Baker. Did the two men die in a murder-suicide, as the Hueys are quick to conclude, or were they murdered in a coverup designed to protect-or even set in motion-a secret plot connected to Baker's past? In a country where terror grows stronger by the day, and paranoia rises unchecked, Baker is determined to find justice for two men who raised their voices in a time when free speech comes at the ultimate cost. In the course of his investigation, Baker stumbles into a conspiracy that reaches deep into the halls of power and uncovers a secret that could destroy the City of Angels-and the American ideal itself"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Historical fiction.; Novels.; Conspiracies; Detectives; Holocaust survivors; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Cheap old houses : an unconventional guide to loving and restoring a forgotten home / by Finkelstein, Elizabeth(Architectural historian),author.; Finkelstein, Ethan,author.; Marshall, Kelly,photographer (expression); Poletto, Christina,author.;
"From the founders of the addictive Instagram handle and HGTV show Cheap Old Houses comes a lookbook of beautiful, affordable homes and a resource for anyone who's ever dreamed of buying and restoring an historic house. More than once, I've lost my heart to an old house. And many times over, I've seen others do the same exact thing. I'm not surprised anymore when someone professes love for a home that has been overlooked or shirked, and watch them chase these feelings of adoration straight into homeownership. Save this house! Welcome to the magical world of Cheap Old Houses, where the new American dream comes with zero mortgage and an alternative lifestyle fit for a storybook. Elizabeth and Ethan Finklestein have scoured the country to capture real homes bought for under 150,000-some for as little as 25,000 to 50,000-and the stories of how they were acquired and lovingly restored. Within these beautifully photographed pages, you'll discover monster Victorian mansions, Italianate-style farmhouses, Federal manors, off-the-beaten-path cabins, and even old schools and churches turned into residences. Peppering the home love stories is valuable insight from Elizabeth, who shares her perspective as a historical preservationist on her favorite details to look out for, from pocket doors to plaster walls to mansard roofs"--
Subjects: Architecture; Dwellings; Dwellings; Homeowners;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Joan is okay : a novel / by Wang, Weike,author.;
"'Joan is a thirtysomething ICU physician at a busy New York City hospital, the daughter of Chinese parents who moved to America to secure the American dream for Joan and her brother, Fang, then returned to China. Joan's whole life has been about study and work. She logs excessive hours at the hospital, exhibits little interest in having friends, let alone lovers, and her medical colleagues sometimes resent her, misreading dedication to work as ambition. Sometimes Joan looks up and wonders where her true roots lie: at the hospital, where her white doctor's coat makes her feel at home; or with her family, who try to shape her life by their own social and cultural expectations. But when Joan's father suddenly dies, her mother returns to America, now more determined than ever to connect with Joan while staying with Fang on his sprawling Greenwich estate. The hospital, and life on the Upper West Side of New York City, provide cover, and protection--for a while. But then a compelling new neighbor moves in to the apartment next door, and Joan is unwillingly drawn into the social lives of people she's been happily ignoring for years. And at the hospital, a new HR "wellness initiative" about work/life balance forces Joan to take a mandatory leave of absence; she's barred from the hospital and life as she knows it. When she decides to decamp to Fang's, and to her newly reconstituted family, her family tries to reorder her life, threatening the parameters she'd carefully calibrated--until the day she must return to the city to face a crisis larger than anything she's encountered"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Chinese American physicians; Chinese Americans; Epidemics; Families; Women physicians; Work-life balance;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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You can't be serious / by Penn, Kal,1977-author.;
"Kal Penn's unlikely career arc has taken him from nerdy American kid from an immigrant family in the New York suburb of Montclair, New Jersey, to world-famous actor, to White House staffer under President Obama, and back to actor again. Now, in You Can't Be Serious, he reflects on the most ridiculous, offensive, and rewarding moments that have stood out during his journey. With intelligence, humor, and charm on every page, Penn explores what it means to be the embodiment of the American Dream, as the child of immigrant parents who came to this country with very little, and who never expected to see their son get his big break by sliding off an oiled-up naked woman in a raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie. He also pulls back the curtain on racism in Hollywood and the constant reminders that he would never fit in. And of course, he reveals how, after twenty-five years fighting for success in Hollywood, he made the terrifying but rewarding decision to walk away from it all for a career in politics. Above all, You Can't Be Serious shows that everyone can have more than one life story. Penn bravely demonstrates by example that no matter who you are and where you come from, you have many more choices than those presented to you. It's a story about struggle, triumph, and learning how to keep your head up. And okay, yes, it's also about whether Kal really smoked weed in the White House with the former First Lady-because let's be honest, that's what you really want to know"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Penn, Kal, 1977-; Actors; East Indian Americans;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The soul of an entrepreneur : work and life beyond the startup myth / by Sax, David,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."We all know the story of the latest version of the American Dream: a young innovator drops out of college and creates the next big thing, remaking both business and culture in one fell swoop. We are told these stories constantly, always with the idea that we'll be next. But this story masks a lot about what really goes on in our economy. Most new businesses aren't tech startups; they are what we think of as ordinary: restaurants or dry cleaners or freelance writing or accounting or consulting services. And those who are starting new businesses aren't all millennials. In fact, if you're a new college grad, it's more likely that your parents will start a new business than that you will. In truth, entrepreneurship -- new business starts -- has been declining for a number of years. What's more, while we hear about the few startups that get billions from tech giants, most businesses are run by the people who found them, often on small or medium budgets. What does it actually take to run your own business, week by week and year by year? If you do make it past the first years, what happens when you start managing a big organization? When is it time to consider selling, or grooming your replacement? When you're an entrepreneur, these are not just financial questions but deeply personal ones. The Soul of an Entrepreneur is a rich, searching story about the reality of the business spirit. In a field full of gimmicky ideas and empty promises, it fills a much needed gap in the literature: exploring the truth of who we are, what we make, and why we devote our lives to it"--
Subjects: New business enterprises; Entrepreneurship; Businesspeople;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Results 91 to 100 of 347 | « previous |