Bend, Not Break


Book Description

Born on the eve of China’s Cultural Revolution, Ping Fu was separated from her family at the age of eight. She grew up fighting hunger and humiliation and shielding her younger sister from the teenagers in Mao’s Red Guard. At twenty-five, she found her way to the United States; her only resources were $80 and a few phrases of English. Yet Ping persevered, and the hard-won lessons of her childhood guided her to success in her new homeland. Aided by her well-honed survival instincts, a few good friends, and the kindness of strangers, she grew into someone she never thought she’d be—a strong, independent, entrepreneurial leader. “She tells her story with intelligence, verve and a candor that is often heart-rending.” —The Wall Street Journal “This well-written tale of courage, compassion, and undaunted curiosity reveals the life of a genuine hero.” —Booklist (starred review) “Her success at the American Dream is a real triumph.” —The New York Post




Between Two Worlds


Book Description

The first comprehensive study of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita in English, Between Two Worlds describes the genesis and reception of this important and controversial novel inside and outside the Soviet Union. The first comprehensive study of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita in English, Between Two Worlds describes the genesis and reception of this important and controversial novel inside and outside Russia.




Hero of Two Worlds


Book Description

From the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the Revolutions podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A #1 ABA INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BESTSELLER Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons. After his release, Lafayette sparred with Napoleon, joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII, and became an international symbol of liberty. Finally, as a revered elder statesman, he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830. From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.




American Chica


Book Description

In her father’s Peruvian family, Marie Arana was taught to be a proper lady, yet in her mother’s American family she learned to shoot a gun, break a horse, and snap a chicken’s neck for dinner. Arana shuttled easily between these deeply separate cultures for years. But only when she immigrated with her family to the United States did she come to understand that she was a hybrid American whose cultural identity was split in half. Coming to terms with this split is at the heart of this graceful, beautifully realized portrait of a child who “was a north-south collision, a New World fusion. An American Chica.” Here are two vastly different landscapes: Peru—earthquake-prone, charged with ghosts of history and mythology—and the sprawling prairie lands of Wyoming. In these rich terrains resides a colorful cast of family members who bring Arana’s historia to life...her proud grandfather who one day simply stopped coming down the stairs; her dazzling grandmother, “clicking through the house as if she were making her way onstage.” But most important are Arana’s parents: he a brilliant engineer, she a gifted musician. For more than half a century these two passionate, strong-willed people struggled to overcome the bicultural tensions in their marriage and, finally, to prevail.




The Kindred Chronicles: Between Two Worlds


Book Description

"CHAN HAS CREATED A FABULOUS NEW WORLD FOR SCI-FI LOVERS TO EXPLORE... BETWEEN TWO WORLDS BY D.A. CHAN IS A GRIPPING AND DESCRIPTIVE TALE." - FOREWORD REVIEWS DEATHLESSNESS HAS CONSEQUENCES. In Chris' case, it is his allegiance to the Dawnbringers - one of the ruling houses of the ancient city of Demos Geras, whose daughter he has grown to love. But there is a traitor from the capital, one whose plans involve the murder of the ruling houses to plunge all of kindredkind into war. Born to kindred nobility, Elline's life is one of duty and responsibility; and her betrothal to the Magister of Demos Geras might prove to be the saving grace in the coming chaos. But when she become responsible for Chris' death and life thereafter, she cannot deny her growing affections for him as well. With imminent danger ahead, Chris must choose to either pursue his love for Elline or preserve the peace between man and kindred, while Elline must decide to fulfill her vow to the Council before her feelings for Chris cause her to forsake her birthright. "Chan expertly brings to life the strange world of the kindred people... with weavers that can either manipulate emotions or space and time and blade dancers that use the wind to sense the smallest detail of their surroundings, battle scenes are rife with detail and excitement." - FOREWORD REVIEWS "A fantasy that incorporates elements of romance and straightforward action with consistently punchy prose... Chronicles is a good bet for hardcore fantasy fans and offers interesting moments for aficionados of other genres as well." - BLUEINK REVIEW "The concept of Between Two Worlds is rather innovative as a combination of the fantasy and romance genres with a hint of political drama." - PORTLAND BOOK REVIEW "The constant time jumps through the first half of the book kept me on my toes... I look forward to reading from Mr. Chan in the future." - SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW




The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds


Book Description

Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya-- and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother. Chye Hoon begins to appreciate the richness of her traditions, eventually marrying Wong Peng Choon, a Chinese man. Together, they have ten children. But by the 1930s the cultural shift towards the West has begun, and Chye Hoon is in danger of losing the heritage she so prizes as her children move more and more into the modern Western world.




Homo Imitans


Book Description

Understanding how social, behavioural infection works is the basis for the orchestration of any social 'epidemic of success'. This book will appeal to anybody interested in social change, with particular emphasis on how viral change works inside and organisation.




Journey Between Two Worlds


Book Description

"He had to rub it in that now I was considered a stateless person and no longer had any rights. Wow, did he hate those war brides, those whores." Journey Between Two Worlds is a compelling firsthand account of growing up in Germany during the poverty and despair of the Great Depression and the fear and oppression of Hitler's Nazi regime, surviving the ravages and rubble of World War II, and ultimately gaining freedom and a resurrected life in America. Karola Schuette describes in lyrical detail how her destiny is transformed forever when she meets a German-born US Army intelligence officer. Forging a life of new horizons and experiences in the United States, Karola opens our eyes to the liberties and opportunities that we may assume to be our birthright, and subtly and insightfully conveys that a democracy requires constant cultivation to sustain it.




In Two Worlds


Book Description

Seven-year-old Anthony has autism. He flaps his hands. He makes strange noises. He can't speak or otherwise communicate his thoughts. Treatments, therapies, and theories about his condition define his daily existence. Yet Anthony isn't improving much. Year after year his remedial lessons drone on. Anthony gets older and taller, but his speech remains elusive and his school lessons never advance. Life seems to be passing him by. Until one day, everything changes. In Two Worlds is a compelling tale, rich with unforgettable characters who are navigating their way through the multitude of theories about autism that for decades have dictated the lives of thousands of children and their families. This debut work of fiction sheds light on the inner and outer lives of children with nonspeaking autism, and on their two worlds. As one of the only works of fiction written by a person with non-speaking autism, it offers readers an unprecedented insider's point-of-view into autism and life in silence, and it does so with warmth, humor and a wickedly sharp intellect.




Kandahar Cockney


Book Description

The remarkable and touching story of a singular friendship between the author (an affluent Western correspondent) and his Pashtun interpreter who meet in an Afghan war-zone and resume their friendship when Mir becomes an asylum seeker in London's East End. In the spring of 1997, James Fergusson, a young freelance British correspondent, encounters a local Pashtun interpreter named Mir in rebel-controlled Afghanistan. They soon become firm friends, with Mir an invaluable guide not only to the battle zone, but to the country's complex politics, culture and traditions. Not long after James's return home, Mir and his family are forced to flee Afghanistan, fearing for their lives. When Mir arrives in London seeking asylum, it is to James that he turns for help. Now their roles reverse: the guided becomes the guide as James introduces Mir to the bewildering customs of the infidel West. Yet in many ways it is Mir who remains the guide -- this time to a side of his own homeland that James had never noticed or engaged with before. He discovers whole communities of Afghans scattered throughout London, and the shadow economy in which asylum seekers are forced to work. He accompanies Mir throug