Selection Day


Book Description

From the bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger and Amnesty, a “ferociously brilliant” (Slate) novel about two brothers coming of age in a Mumbai slum, raised by their crazy, obsessive father to be cricket champions. *A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A NEW YORK TIMES and WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK Manjunath Kumar is fourteen and living in a slum in Mumbai. He knows he is good at cricket—if not as good as his older brother, Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling, and is fascinated by curious scientific facts and the world of CSI. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn’t know. Sometimes it even seems as though everyone has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself. When Manju meets Radha’s great rival, a mysterious Muslim boy privileged and confident in all the ways Manju is not, everything in Manju’s world begins to change, and he is faced by decisions that will challenge his sense of self and of the world around him. Filled with unforgettable characters from across India’s social strata—the old scout everyone calls Tommy Sir; Anand Mehta, the big-dreaming investor; Sofia, a wealthy, beautiful girl and the boys’ biggest fan—Selection Day “brings a family, a city, and an entire country to scabrous and antic life” (Chicago Tribune).




Amnesty


Book Description

An “urgent and significant book [that] speaks to our times” (The New York Times Book Review) from the bestselling, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The White Tiger and Selection Day about a young illegal immigrant who must decide whether to report crucial information about a murder—and thereby risk deportation. Danny—formerly Dhananjaya Rajaratnam—is an illegal immigrant in Sydney, Australia, denied refugee status after he fled from Sri Lanka. Working as a cleaner, living out of a grocery storeroom, for three years he’s been trying to create a new identity for himself. And now, with his beloved vegan girlfriend, Sonja, with his hidden accent and highlights in his hair, he is as close as he has ever come to living a normal life. But then one morning, Danny learns a female client of his has been murdered. The deed was done with a knife, at a creek he’d been to with her before; and a jacket was left at the scene, which he believes belongs to another of his clients—a doctor with whom Danny knows the woman was having an affair. Suddenly Danny is confronted with a choice: Come forward with his knowledge about the crime and risk being deported? Or say nothing, and let justice go undone? Over the course of this day, evaluating the weight of his past, his dreams for the future, and the unpredictable, often absurd reality of living invisibly and undocumented, he must wrestle with his conscience and decide if a person without rights still has responsibilities. “Searing and inventive,” Amnesty is a timeless and universal story that succeeds at “illuminating the courage of displaced peoples and the cruelties of those who conspire against them” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).




Presidential Selection


Book Description

Examining the development of the process of presidential selection from the founding of the republic to the present day, James Ceaser contends that many of the major purposes of the selection system as it was formerly understood have been ignored by current reformers and modern scholars. In an attempt to reverse this trend, Professor Ceaser discusses the theories of selection offered by leading American statesmen from the Founders and Thomas Jefferson to Martin Van Buren and Woodrow Wilson. From these theories he identifies a set of criteria for a sound selection system that he then uses to analyze and evaluate the recent changes in the selection process. Five normative functions of a presidential selection system comprise the author's criteria: it should minimize the harmful effects of ambitious contenders for the office, promote responsible executive leadership and power, help secure an able president, ensure a legitimate accession, and provide for an appropriate amount of choice and change. Professor Ceaser finds that the present system is characterized by weak parties and candidate-centered campaigns that lead to the problems of "image" politics and demagogic leadership appeals. He therefore argues for a more republican selection system in which political parties would be strengthened to serve as a restraining force on popular authority, public opinion, and individual aspirations for executive power.




The Passover Lamb: Read & Listen Edition


Book Description

In this Read & Listen edition, Miriam is worried when a sheep on her family's farm starts acting strangely. Spring lambing season is over, so what could be wrong with Snowball? Then—surprise—the sheep gives birth to triplets! When she realizes that the mother has enough milk for only two of her newborns, Miriam knows that the third baby will have to be bottle-fed every four hours. But it's almost Passover, and the family is about to leave for her grandparents' seder. And it's Miriam's turn this year to ask the Four Questions, which she's been practicing for weeks! When Miriam's father decides that they must stay home to care for the lamb, it's up to Miriam to think of a clever and—hilariously fitting—way to rescue both the baby lamb and her family's holiday. Author Linda Marshall based this out-of-the-ordinary Passover tale on a true event that took place on her own farm, weaving in details about sheep farming and infusing it with the warmth shared by a loving family. Readers will root for Miriam and her Passover lamb! This ebook contains Read & Listen audio narration.




The Art of Date Selection : Personal Date Selection


Book Description

Timing is Everything At the core of Date Selection practise resides the idea of 'doing the right thing, at the right time'. With Personal Date Selection, you can learn how to infuse positive energies present at a specific time into any activity you're embarking to have greater chances of success. From signing business contracts, to moving into a new house, or to making a marriage proposal - a good auspicious date is nothing but essential to the make-or-break of these important endeavours.




Creative Selection


Book Description

* WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * An insider's account of Apple's creative process during the golden years of Steve Jobs. Hundreds of millions of people use Apple products every day; several thousand work on Apple's campus in Cupertino, California; but only a handful sit at the drawing board. Creative Selection recounts the life of one of the few who worked behind the scenes, a highly-respected software engineer who worked in the final years of the Steve Jobs era—the Golden Age of Apple. Ken Kocienda offers an inside look at Apple’s creative process. For fifteen years, he was on the ground floor of the company as a specialist, directly responsible for experimenting with novel user interface concepts and writing powerful, easy-to-use software for products including the iPhone, the iPad, and the Safari web browser. His stories explain the symbiotic relationship between software and product development for those who have never dreamed of programming a computer, and reveal what it was like to work on the cutting edge of technology at one of the world's most admired companies. Kocienda shares moments of struggle and success, crisis and collaboration, illuminating each with lessons learned over his Apple career. He introduces the essential elements of innovation—inspiration, collaboration, craft, diligence, decisiveness, taste, and empathy—and uses these as a lens through which to understand productive work culture. An insider's tale of creativity and innovation at Apple, Creative Selection shows readers how a small group of people developed an evolutionary design model, and how they used this methodology to make groundbreaking and intuitive software which countless millions use every day.




When Dinosaurs Came with Everything


Book Description

Imagine if instead of getting the usual lollipop or sticker everywhere you go, there was something bigger on offer… something much, much bigger! This is exactly what happens when a little boy accompanies his mum on a busy shopping trip. Just when the little boy thinks he's going to die of boredom, something very unusual happens… shops everywhere are giving away a very special treat with every purchase ~ a free dinosaur! It's a dream come true… except, what exactly do you do with these Jurassic treats? And how do you convince mum to let you keep them?




Official Book Club Selection


Book Description

Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It's also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she's always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It's me, Kathy.) Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy's sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior–the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you've ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name. Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy's life have taught her the most valuable lessons–both inside and outside the entertainment industry. And as if all that wasn't enough, there are also dozens of exclusive and somewhat embarrassing photos from Kathy's own collection–featuring the diva of the D List herself, with her old nose as well as her new one, plus celebrity friends, foes, frenemies, and hangers-on for you to gawk at. Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious "Did she really say that?" moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.




The Seventh Wish


Book Description

With the same warmth and fun that readers loved in All the Answers, award-winning author Kate Messner weaves fantasy into the ordinary, giving every reader the opportunity to experience a little magic. Charlie feels like she's always coming in last. From her Mom's new job to her sister's life away at college, everything else always seems to be more important than Charlie's upcoming dance competition or science project. Unsure of how to get her family's attention, Charlie comes across the surprise of her life one day while ice-fishing . . . in the form of a floppy, scaly fish offering to grant her a wish in exchange for its freedom. Charlie can't believe her luck until she realizes that this fish has a funny way of granting wishes, despite her best intentions. But when her family faces a challenge bigger than any they've ever experienced, Charlie wonders if some things might be too important to risk on a wish.




The Astronaut Selection Test Book


Book Description

_________________________ *The* puzzle book of 2018, as featured in the Times, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio 4, and BBC Breakfast, and a Guardian Book of the Year pick. Have YOU got what it takes to be an astronaut? This book will help readers of all ages find out. Featuring 100 real astronaut tests and exercises from the European Space Agency's rigorous selection process, ranging from easy to fiendishly hard, The Astronaut Selection Test Book goes where no puzzle book has gone before. Including puzzles and tests on: · visual perception and logic · mental arithmetic and concentration · psychological readiness · teamwork and leadership · survival, physical and medical skills · foreign languages (every astronaut has to know Russian!) and much more, this richly illustrated book draws on Tim Peake's first-hand experience of applying to be an astronaut in 2008, when he and five others were chosen - out of over 8,000 applications! We've all dreamed of being an astronaut, though of the estimated 100 billion people who have ever lived, only 557 people have travelled to space. But with this unprecedented look into real astronaut selection, you might just find out your dreams can become reality... _________________________ HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM SOLVER... _______ 'Engrossing... a brain buster of a book... You'll learn plenty about space and what it takes to be an astronaut, but you'll also sharpen up your broader knowledge. For anyone interested in the space race and the imminent journey to Mars, here's the perfect stocking filler.' - STARBURST 'It's a brain work-out on steroids, stuffed with authentic selection tests... Entertaining and engaging... innovative, earnest, soulful and exhilarating' - BBC SKY AT NIGHT MAGAZINE (5 STARS, Book of the Month) 'It's such a good idea... this is a very good thing for Christmas Day' - GRAHAM NORTON, BBC RADIO 2 'Everybody, get this book... it's a fascinating read' - CHRIS MOYLES, RADIO X 'A fantastic gift... more than just a quiz' - WI LIFE 'The perfect [book] for big thinkers' - BBC ARTS, 2018's Biggest Books