Search:

Crosses in the sky : Jean de Brébeuf and the destruction of Huronia / by Bourrie, Mark,1957-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."This is the story of the collision of two worlds. In the early 1600s, the Jesuits -- the Catholic Church's most ferocious warriors for Christ -- tried to create their own nation on the Great Lakes and turn the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy into a model Jesuit state. At the centre of their campaign was missionary Jean de Brébeuf, a mystic who sought to die a martyr's death. He lived among a proud people who valued kindness and rights for all, especially women. In the end, Huronia was destroyed. Brébeuf became a Catholic saint, and the Jesuit's "martyrdom" became one of the founding myths of Canada. In this first secular biography of Brébeuf, historian Mark Bourrie recounts the missionary's fascinating life and tells the tragic story of the remarkable people he lived among. Drawing on the letters and documents of the time -- including Brébeuf's accounts of his bizarre spirituality -- and modern studies of the Jesuits, Bourrie shows how Huron leaders tried to navigate this new world and the people struggled to cope as their nation came apart. Riveting, clearly told, and deeply researched, Crosses in the Sky is an essential addition to -- and expansion of -- Canadian history."--Front cover flap.
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Brébeuf, Jean de, Saint, 1593-1649.; Jesuits; Missionaries; Huron-Wendat; Huron-Wendat;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

On book banning / by Wells, Ira,1981-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."A lively, accessible survey of literary censorship through the ages. The freedom to read is under attack. There are, today, more efforts to ban books from libraries than ever before. The supposed "dangers" posed by books including The Handmaid's Tale, Gender Queer, Huckleberry Finn, and the works of Dr. Seuss ... leading children down a path of sexual deviance, or harming them with racist language or non-inclusive narratives ... fuel the puritanical zeal of De Santis Republicans and progressive educators alike. On Book Banning argues that today's culture warriors proceed from a misunderstanding of literature as instrumental to the pursuit of their ideological agendas. In treating libraries as sites of contagion and exposure, censors are warping our children's relationship with literature and teaching them that the solution to opposing viewpoints is cancellation or outright expurgation. On Book Banning provides a lively, accessible survey of literary censorship through the ages ... from the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome, to the Catholic Church's attempts to tamp down religious dissent and scientific innovation, to state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ literature in the 1980s and beyond. Throughout, Ira Wells demonstrates how today's book bans stem from the ineradicable human impulse toward social control. In a whistle-stop tour of landmark legal cases, literary controversies, and philosophical arguments, we discover that the freedom to read and publish is the aberration in human history, and that censorship and restriction have been the rule. At a moment in which our democratic institutions are buckling under the stress of polarization, On Book Banning is both rallying cry and guide to resistance for those who reject the conflation of art and propaganda, for whom books remain sacred vessels of our shared humanity, and who will always insist upon reading for ourselves."--
Subjects: Censorship.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Sister wife : a memoir of faith, family, and finding freedom / by Woolley, Christine Brown,author.;
"From TLC's Sister Wives star Christine Brown Woolley, a groundbreaking and heartfelt memoir about living in a family like no other and finding the strength to leave polygamy--and the only life she's known--behind.Christine Brown Woolley had always dreamed of having a picture-perfect family--beautiful children, an adoring husband, and of course, a sisterhood of wives to share him with. Raised in Utah by practicing polygamists, Christine knew her life was less than normal, but that didn't stop her from loving the full house of her childhood any less. Becoming Kody Brown's third wife in 1994, Christine finally found the big, happy family she had hoped for. When TLC's hit show Sister Wives premiered in 2010, Christine knew it was her chance to shine a light on the brighter side of polygamy--the helping hands, the lively discussions, and their unmatched devotion to each other. But the cameras also revealed a much darker truth. Now, in this candid tell-all, Christine shares for the first time the journey that led her away from polygamy and the bold path she is carving to live apart from all she has ever known. Moving, genuine, and insightful, this is a uniquely powerful tour de force of Christine's journey toward and beyond her time in the spotlight as a sister wife"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Woolley, Christine Brown.; Apostolic United Brethren.; Sister wives (Television program); Latter Day Saint women; Polygamy; Polygamy; Reality television programs.; Women in Latter Day Saint churches.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Dark squares : how chess saved my life / by Rensch, Danny,author.;
"Born into the Church of Immortal Consciousness, Danny Rensch spent his childhood navigating the isolated confines of a cult. Despite psychological manipulation, physical abuse, and neglect, he persevered. An international chess master and world-class commentator, Rensch's remarkable journey led him to being the face of Chess.com, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world. With unflinching honesty, Rensch recounts his life, starting from the moment he discovered chess in the summer of 1995, all the way up to being at the center of the most explosive cheating scandal in chess history. He chronicles the traumas of being "special" in a cult that forced separation from his mother. Mentored by an alcoholic, Russian chess master, he found solace alongside suffering in his obsession for an ancient game, and chess became his only escape. Rensch rose through the chess ranks until a medical emergency nearly took him out of the game forever. And it almost did, until Chess.com came along. Deeply heartfelt, keenly reflective, and haunting, Dark Squares is the never-before-told story of Danny Rensch's resilience, survival, and his enduring love for the game that saved him"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Rensch, Danny.; Chess players; Chess; Ex-cultists;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Educated : a memoir / by Westover, Tara,author.;
"Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag." In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. As a way out, Tara began to educate herself, learning enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University. Her quest for knowledge would transform her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Tara Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes, and the will to change it."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Westover, Tara; Women; Survivalism; Home schooling; Women college students; Victims of family violence; Subculture; Christian biography.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Crossroads / by Franzen, Jonathan,author.;
"It's December 23, 1971, and the Hildebrandt family is at a crossroads. The patriarch, Russ, the associate pastor of a suburban Chicago church, is poised to break free of a marriage he finds joyless--unless his brilliant and unstable wife, Marion, breaks free of it first. Their eldest child, Clem, is coming home from college afire with moral absolutism, having taken an action that will shatter his father. Clem's sister, Becky, long the social queen of her high-school class, has veered into the era's counterculture, while their younger brother Perry, fed up with selling pot to support his drug habit, has firmly resolved to be a better person. Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate."--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Families; Intergenerational communication; Intergenerational relations;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 3
unAPI

The Imagineering story : the official biography of Walt Disney Imagineering / by Iwerks, Leslie,author.; Catalena, Mark,contributor.; Steele, Bruce C.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."The highly acclaimed and rated Disney+ documentary series, The Imagineering Story, becomes a book that greatly expands the award-winning filmmaker Leslie Iwerks' narrative of the fascinating history of Walt Disney Imagineering. The entire legacy of WDI is covered from day one through future projects with never-before-seen access and insights from people both on the inside and on the outside. So many stories and details were left on the cutting room floor--our book allows an expanded exploration of the magic of Imagineering. So many insider stories are featured. Sculptor Blaine Gibson's wife used to kick him under the table at restaurants for staring at interesting-looking people seated nearby, and he'd even find himself studying faces during Sunday morning worship. "You mean some of these characters might have features that are based on people you went to church with?" Marty Sklar once asked Gibson of the Imagineer's sculpts for Pirates of the Caribbean. "He finally admitted to me that that was true." In the early days, Walt Disney Imagineering "was in one little building and everybody parked in the back and you came in through the model shop, and you could see everything that was going on," recalled Marty Sklar. "When we started on the World's Fair in 1960 and 1961, we had 100 people here. And so everybody knew everything about what was happening and the status of [each] project, so you really felt like you were part of the whole team whether you were working on that project or not. And, you know, there was so much talent here.""--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Walt Disney Company; Walt Disney Company.; Imagineers (Group); Amusement parks; Amusement parks;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

I shouldn't be telling you this : (but I'm going to anyway) / by Devantez, Chelsea,author.;
"There are things Chelsea Devantez probably shouldn't be telling you. Many of them are in this book: some are embarrassing (like when she tried to break her three-year spell of celibacy using a guide of seduction tips). Some are confessional (getting sentenced to the "hell hill" at Mormon church camp). Some are TMI (a series of outrageous doctor visits that ended with one doctor misdiagnosing her as "pregnant." Woopsies!). Then there are things Chelsea really shouldn't be telling you: like the time her biggest family secret was publicly outed, or about the drive-by shootings and the precipitating domestic violence she survived. Yet through it all, it's the women in Chelsea's life who kept her going -- from the lowest points of her childhood when she and her mom had only 100 dollars left to their name, all the way to her career highs as the Emmy-nominated Head Writer for The Problem with Jon Stewart and sensational podcaster deemed 'the celebrity memoir whisperer' by her fans. In I Shouldn't Be Telling You This, Chelsea centers each story around a different woman who shaped her life, taking us on a tour of friends and strangers, fictional characters and celebrities, heroes and villains who will destroy any Netflix algorithm for a "strong female lead." Reading it will feel kinda of like that moment at a party when your friend beckons you close, sloshes her martini around, and covertly whispers, "I really shouldn't say this, but ...""--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Comedians; Television comedy writers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The gospel of wellness : gyms, gurus, goop, and the false promise of self-care / by Raphael, Rina,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Women are pursuing their health like never before. Whether it's juicing, biohacking, clutching crystals, or sipping collagen, today there is something for everyone, as the wellness industry has grown from modest roots into a $4.4 trillion entity and a full-blown movement promising health and vitality in the most fashionable package. But why suddenly are we all feeling so unwell? The truth is that deep within the underbelly of self-care-hidden beneath layers of clever marketing-wellness beckons with a far stronger, more seductive message than health alone. It promises women the one thing they desperately desire: control. Vividly told and deeply reported, The Gospel of Wellness reveals how this obsession is a direct result of women feeling dismissed, mistreated, and overburdened. Women are told they can manage the chaos ruling their life by following a laid-out plan: eat right, exercise, meditate, then buy or do all this stuff. And while wellness may have sprung from good intentions, we are now relentlessly flooded with exploitative offerings, questionable ideas, and a mounting pressure to stay devoted to the divine doctrine of wellness. What happens when the cure becomes as bad as the disease? With a critical eye, humor, and empathy, wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael examines how women have been led down a kale-covered path promising nothing short of salvation. She knows: Raphael was once a disciple herself-trying everything from "clean eating" to electric shock workouts-until her own awakening to the troubling consequences. Balancing the good with the bad, The Gospel of Wellness is a clear-eyed exploration of what wellness can actually offer us, knocking down the false idols and commandments that have taken hold and ultimately showing how we might shape a better future for the movement-and for our well-being"--
Subjects: Health products; Women; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The devil may dance : a novel / by Tapper, Jake,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Charlie and Margaret Marder, an established power couple in 1960s Washington DC, know all too well how the tangled web of power in the nation's capital can operate. But as they settle into their more sedate family life, they are suddenly recruited by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to learn more about a threat not only to the presidency but the security of the United States itself. In Los Angeles, they enter the world of stars and studios, attempting to figure out who is a friend and who a foe in a town built on illusion. At the center of their investigation is Frank Sinatra, a close friend of President John F. Kennedy and a rumored Mob crony, whom Charlie and Margaret must befriend in order to get the inside scoop. Drinks by the pool at the Sands and late-night adventures with the Rat Pack soon lead to the dead body of a new friend. Before they know it, the Marders are being pursued by dark forces in Hollywood studios, the Mob, the newly founded Church of Scientology, facing off against the most evil in a town of sleaze and secrets. In settings familiar but now sinister, Charlie and Margaret find the clock is not only ticking but running out. Someone out there knows what they've uncovered and can't let them leave town alive. Corruption and ambition form a deadly mix in this thrilling sequel to The Hellfire Club"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Historical fiction.; Sinatra, Frank, 1915-1998; Legislators; Corruption; Mafia; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI