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French exit : a tragedy of manners / by DeWitt, Patrick,1975-author.;
"Frances Price - tart widow, possessive mother, and Upper East Side force of nature - is in dire straits, beset by scandal and impending bankruptcy. Her adult son Malcolm is no help, mired in a permanent state of arrested development. And then there's the Price's aging cat, Small Frank, who Frances believes houses the spirit of her late husband, an infamously immoral litigator and world-class cad whose gruesome tabloid death rendered Frances and Malcolm social outcasts. Putting penury and pariahdom behind them, the family decides to cut their losses and head for the exit. One ocean voyage later, the curious trio land in their beloved Paris, the City of Light serving as a backdrop not for love or romance, but self-destruction and economic ruin - to riotous effect. A number of singular characters serve to round out the cast: a bashful private investigator, an aimless psychic proposing a seance, a doctor who makes house calls with his wine merchant in tow, and the inimitable Mme. Reynard, aggressive houseguest and dementedly friendly American expat. Brimming with pathos and wit, French Exit is a one-of-a-kind 'tragedy of manners,' a riotous send-up of high society, as well as a moving mother and son caper which only Patrick deWitt could conceive and execute."--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Families; Mothers and sons;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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After the miracle : the political crusades of Helen Keller / by Wallace, Max,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In this powerful new history, New York Times bestselling author Max Wallace draws on groundbreaking research to reframe Helen Keller's journey after the miracle, vividly bringing to light her rarely discussed, lifelong fight for social justice across gender, class, race, and ability. Raised in Alabama, she sent shockwaves through the South when she launched a public broadside against Jim Crow and donated to the NAACP. She used her fame to oppose American intervention in WWI. She spoke out against Hitler the month he took power in 1933 and embraced the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. She was one of the first public figures to alert the world to the evils of Apartheid, raising money to defend Nelson Mandela when he faced the death penalty for High Treason. She lambasted Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Cold War, even as her contemporaries shied away from his notorious witch hunt. But who was this revolutionary figure? She was Helen Keller. From books to movies to Barbie dolls, most mainstream portrayals of Keller focus heavily on her struggles as a deafblind child--portraying her Teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker. This narrative--which has often made Keller a secondary character in her own story--has resulted in few people knowing that Keller's greatest accomplishment was not learning to speak, but what she did with her voice when she found it. After the Miracle is a much-needed corrective to this antiquated narrative. In this first major biography of Keller in decades, Max Wallace reveals that the lionization of Sullivan at the expense of her famous pupil was no accident, and calls attention to Keller's efforts as a card-carrying socialist, fierce anti-racist, and progressive disability advocate. Despite being raised in an era when eugenics and discrimination were commonplace, Keller consistently challenged the media for its ableist coverage and was one of the first activists to highlight the links between disability and capitalism, even as she struggled against the expectations and prejudices of those closest to her. Peeling back the curtain that obscured Keller's political crusades in favor of her "inspirational" childhood, After the Miracle chronicles the complete legacy of one of the 20th century's most extraordinary figures"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968.; Deafblind people; Deafblind women; Deafblind women; Political activists; Women political activists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Ordinary human failings : a novel / by Nolan, Megan,author.;
When a ten-year-old child is suspected of a violent crime, her family must face the truth about their past in this psychologically keen story about class, trauma, and family secrets. From the author of 'Acts of Desperation' (a Dewey Diva pick), which won the Betty Trask award and was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. A Dewey Diva Pick.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Children; Family secrets; Immigrant families; Irish; Journalists; Reporters and reporting; Tabloid newspapers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Caste : the origins of our discontents / by Wilkerson, Isabel,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.""As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power--which groups have it and which do not." In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people's lives and behavior and the nation's fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people--including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball's Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others--she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity. Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of America life today"--
Subjects: Caste; Social stratification; Ethnicity; Power (Social sciences);
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Displacement [graphic novel] / by Hughes, Kiku,author,illustrator.;
Includes bibliographical references."Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself "stuck" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive. Kiku Hughes weaves a riveting, bittersweet tale that highlights the intergenerational impact and power of memory."--Amazon.
Subjects: Social issue comics.; Historical comics.; Graphic novels.; Japanese Americans; Japanese American families; Japanese Americans; Japanese Americans; Time travel;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The golden gate / by Chua, Amy,author.;
"Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change. In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan's investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years earlier: the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still. The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now adults: Iris's sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth-not the powerful influence of Bainbridges' grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley's district attorney, or the interest of China's First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings-Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion. Chua's page-turning debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Murder; Presidential candidates; Racially mixed people;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The lonely century : how to restore human connection in a world that's pulling apart / by Hertz, Noreena,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An economist takes on the most urgent social issue of our time, exploring the evolution of the global loneliness crisis, the sweeping impact of social isolation during the coronavirus, and the opportunities a post-Covid world presents to reverse these trends-by finding new ways to reconnect with each other, our communities, and even our democracy. Even before the global pandemic brought terms like "social distancing" into the vernacular, loneliness was well on its way to becoming the defining trait of the twenty-first century. Today, nearly half of adults in the United States report feeling lonely, and more than twenty percent of millennials say they have "no friends at all." All around us, the fabric of community is unraveling. And technology isn't the lone culprit. Rather, the crisis stems from the dismantling of civic institutions, the radical reorganization of the workplace, mass urban migration, and decades of neoliberal policies that placed self-interest above the collective good. On one hand, the prolonged period spent under lockdown has accelerated these trends: from remote work to contactless commerce to the hollowing out of shared public spaces. On the other, it has sharpened our awareness of the toll isolation takes on our families, our communities, and our mental health. This is not merely a mental health crisis. Loneliness increases our risk of heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Statistically, it's as bad for our health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. It's also an economic crisis, costing us billions annually. And it's a political crisis, as feelings of marginalization fuel divisiveness and extremism around the world. In The Lonely Century, readers accompany Hertz as she "rents a friend" in Manhattan, attends a "how to read a face" class at an Ivy League university, and meets Japanese nursing home residents who knit bonnets for their robot caregivers. Along the way, she urges us to ask ourselves what kind of world we want to create, post-pandemic: one where we retreat further into our self-isolating bubbles and remain ever-fearful of others, or one where we are more committed to reconnecting with one another, and with the democratic process itself. From compassionate AI to new models for urban living to the ingenuity unleashed in finding new ways to stay connected in the era of social distancing, The Lonely Century offers a hopeful vision for how to heal our fractured communities and restore connection in our lives. In the wake of Covid-19, this is not only more urgent, but more possible than ever"--
Subjects: Interpersonal relations.; Loneliness; Social media; Loneliness;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The swap / by Harding, Robyn,author.;
Low Morrison is not your average 18-year-old. You could blame her hippie parents and their polyamorous communal living arrangement or her looming height (she's 6'1") or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low doesn't fit in here. And neither does Freya, a once-famous social media influencer who now owns a pottery studio in town. After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya's spell, and buoyed by Low's adoration, Freya shares her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally Low feels a sense of belonging. That is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island in the hopes that their healthy new environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again. Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya orchestrates a couples' swap. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but when one of the women becomes pregnant and the other realizes that her own husband may be the baby's father, Low finds the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Resentment; Man-woman relationships; Secrecy;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Sunny. by Holm, Jennifer L.; Holm, Matthew.;
There's no question that Sunny has fun whenever she hangs out with Tony. They go to the movies together, talk a lot at school, and support each other when they need it. But are they dating? Sunny isn't sure... but her friend, Deb, is. She thinks Sunny and Tony should be doing the couples-skate at the local roller rink. And Tony should be giving Sunny his jacket to wear. And carrying her books to class. For Sunny, this doesn't feel great. It just feels... weird. Maybe she needs to stop taking everyone else's advice in order to figure things out for herself!
Subjects: Graphic novels.; Comics (Graphic works); Middle schools; Friendship; Dating (Social customs); Cartoons and comics.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Looking for Miss America : a pageant's 100-year quest to define womanhood / by Mifflin, Margot,1960-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Looking for Miss America is a fast-paced narrative history of the Miss America pageant from its start as a shocking east coast bathing-beauty revue in 1921 to its recent rebirth as a swimsuit-free "scholarship competition." It introduces the dreamers and dissidents, hustlers and heroines who won; the celebrities, including Norman Rockwell, Joan Crawford, and Rod McKuen, who judged; and the masterminds behind it, like director Lenora Slaughter, who "picked the pageant up by its bathing suit straps and put it down in an evening gown" in the 1930s, transforming it from a seaside skin show into a national institution. Approaching its 100th anniversary, the pageant has survived scandal, protests, mockery, and the mutiny of a queen who got cold feet and skipped town the night she won. One winner called Miss America "the kind of girl who would go into a bar and order orange juice in a loud voice"; another claimed "she's not a real person. She's something that happens every year." Looking for Miss America breaks down the blend of capitalism, patriotism, class anxiety and cultural mythology that has fueled the pageant, the racial biases it has perpetuated, and the social mobility it has enabled"--
Subjects: Miss America Pageant; Beauty contests;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 371 to 380 of 456 | « previous |