The Trinidad of her stories is utterly contemporary but also a place defined by its folk mythologies and its cultural creations, its traditions of masking and disguises. Her stories confront the increasing economic and cultural divisions between rich and poor, the alarming rise in crime, murders and an alternative economy based on drug trafficking. Their daring is that they both look within the human psyche and back in time to make sense of this reality. The figure of the loup-garou, the hyperbolically violent rhetoric of the Midnight Robber of the carnival parade – or even cannibalism taking place far off the beaten track – have become almost comic tropes of a dusty folklore. In Mc Ivor’s stories they become real and terrifying day-light presences, monsters who pass among us.Her great gift as a writer is to take us to unexpected places, both to seduce us into a kind of sympathy for her monsters of greater and lesser kinds, and sometimes to reveal a capacity for redemption amongst characters we are tempted to dismiss as shallow, unlikable human beings. The problem, in a world of masks and disguises, is how to tell the difference.

    Her journey takes us from Parliament to the long grassed fields of the Outer Hebrides, from a hospital in Wales to the wings of the Royal Opera House, introducing us to the different worlds of work and the people who inhabit them. Full of human detail and street level observation, Joanna Biggs' writing combines genuine empathy with social, cultural and political awareness. Like Studs Terkel's classic book Working did several decades ago in America, her book paints a portrait of the UK right now, showing us who we are through what we do.

    It is a perfect window into the cross-currents of today's world, with all its joys and its sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide-ranging work of reportage, Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between. How Soccer Explains the World is an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.

    For most, losing your virginity is one of life's most significant moments, always to be remembered. Of course, experiences vary, but Laura Carpenter asks: Is there an ideal way to lose it? What would constitute a "positive" experience? What often compels the big step? And, further, what does "going all the way" really mean for young gays and lesbians?In this first comprehensive study of virginity loss, Carpenter teases out the complexities of all things virgin by drawing on interviews with both young men and women who are straight, gay or bisexual. Virginity Lost offers a rare window into one of life's most intimate and significant sexual moments. The stories here are frank, poignant and fascinating as Carpenter presents an array of experiences that run the gamut from triumphant to devastating.Importantly, Carpenter argues that one's experience of virginity loss can have a powerful impact on one's later sexual experiences. Especially at a time of increased debate about sexual abstinence versus safe sex education in public schools, this important volume will provide essential information about the sex lives of young people.

    But if Ericka can help it, her stepmother won't have control for very long.

    The Bells, a crime family in New York, have the cocaine market on lock. The Simmons, hailing from the South, reign supreme in heroin. Talks of joining forces are suddenly stalled when family patriarch Guy Simmons is gunned down. Suspicions fly. Jealousy breeds. The body count rises. Guy Simmons has created a legacy he wants to pass on to his two sons, Kevin and Tyquan. However, his womanizing ways have spilled over and jeopardizes all he's worked for. The mothers of his sons hate each other. Like mother, like son. Guy s shooting has ignited a new brotherly beef; a beef that could have deadly repercussions, especially when you have a family where the enemy may lie within.

    Brian Latell, the CIA analyst who has followed Castro since the sixties, gives an unprecedented view into Fidel and Raul's remarkable relationship, revealing how they have collaborated in policy making, divided responsibilities, and resolved disagreements for more than forty years--a challenge to the notion that Fidel always acts alone. Latell has had more access to the brothers than anyone else in this country, and his briefs to the CIA informed much of U.S. policy. Based on his knowledge of Raul Castro, Latell makes projections on what kind of leader Raul would be and how the shift in power might influence U.S.-Cuban relations.

    Amaryllis Price, once a relationship destroyer and professional husband stealer has turned her life around. Now that she's made a vow to live right and walk the straight and narrow, Amaryllis finds herself at a crossroads when her past catches up with her. Charles Walker, a man Amaryllis could never resist, appears, and he's even sexier than Amaryllis remembered. Will she remain celibate and resist the wiles of the devil?Bridgette Nelson, Amaryllis's best friend and roommate, is next in line for a promotion. But when she unleashes a harsh tongue against her boss's nephew, Bridgette is forced to change her vocabulary or lose the very thing that she worked so hard to get.

    Two feuding cities. One woman. One was born in our nations capital, Washington DC. The other is a native of Murder City, Baltimore. Despising the other's city made them rivalries before even meeting. It didn't matter that they both grew up on violent streets surrounded by drugs and poverty. Soon, need arises and they're forced to cross each other's paths. But when they do, hate from generations before them rises and their meeting becomes intense.Many years later... an opportunity presents itself for them to put their dislikes aside to make millions. They agree, and quickly become the richest men on the east coast. One has a quick temper... the other has quick wit and this combination makes them unstoppable. There alliance unites soldiers from both DC and Baltimore as they solidify their empire.Defying all enemies, their bond tightens and they become the best of friends. But what happens when a woman becomes involved whose beauty is so intoxicating, that to get another woman like her would be impossible? War. The Face That Launched a Thousand Bullets is a classic love story. The love of money. The love of power. The love of a woman.

     While children and adults alike know Shel Silverstein for his classic books The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, and Where the Sidewalk Ends, they may be less aware that Silverstein also created a dazzling series of illustrated comic travelogues published by Hugh M. Hefner in Playboy. Playboy's Silverstein Around the World not only reproduces these fascinating articles in facsimile form, it also provides an introduction with never-before-seen photos and drawings and rare, illuminating biographical detail. Beginning in May 1957 with "Return to Tokyo," the pieces reproduced in this book took Silverstein from Scandinavia to Africa and the Middle East, from Paris and London to Moscow, ending in the summer of 1968 with the two-part epic "Silverstein Among the Hippies." This unique collection is a legacy of the close relationship between Silverstein and Hefner, who saw the great potential of this particular combination of artist and assignment, and the social revolution led by Playboy in the 1950s and 1960s. With its wry, ribald humor and beautifully produced color illustrations, this tableau of the mid-twentieth-century world is sure to please and fascinate Silverstein's millions of fans.

    From the best-known and most popular historian of modern Europe (The Independent) comes a keenly perceptive and incisive look at empire and war as they have been transformed in the age of globalization.

    and calling for its recovery. Through careful historical and contemporary analysis, the authors address such issues as: how much Christian action is required to make a whole society Christian; Puritan New England as case study; Christian principles vs. baptised ideology in the Revolutionary period; the stumbling block of incorrect views of America's history for effective Christian involvement in critical public issues; the relationship of Christian convictions to political or social agendas; learning to think historically as a guard against shortsighted or simplistic approaches. Ample footnotes and a bibliographical essay make this volume a helpful reference tool for further study of the Christian nation debate and related issues. Mark A. Noll is Professor of History at Wheaton College. George M. Marsden is Professor of the History at University of Notre Dame. Nathan O. Hatch is President of Wake Forest University.

    But many procrastinators pay a significant price, from poor job performance to stress, financial problems, and relationship conflicts. Fortunately, just as anyone can endlessly delay, anyone can learn how to stop! Cognitive-behavioral therapy expert Monica Ramirez Basco shows exactly how in this motivating guide. Dr. Basco peppers the book with easy-to-relate-to examples from "recovering procrastinators"--including herself. Inviting quizzes, exercises, and practical suggestions help you:*Understand why you procrastinate.*Start with small changes that lead to big improvements.*Outsmart your own delaying tactics.*Counteract self-doubt and perfectionism.*Build crucial skills for getting things done today.

    If trouble comes calling, Carlton isn't afraid to let his fists do the talking and woe betide anyone who crosses him, or those close to him. At last Carlton gives the full account of his life including how his story has been made into a hugely successful film. Born and raised in East London, Carlton was a key member of the notorious Essex Boys gang and the West Ham InterCity Firm, one of the most violent hooligan gangs to trouble the football terraces during the 1980s. He's been shot at, stabbed, glassed—he's even had an axe in his head. Yet the event that really brought turmoil into his life was the murder of his best friend in the infamous Range Rover murders. Carlton vowed that he would find those responsible and make them pay. There isn't much that Carlton hasn't seen or experienced in his life and his tales of violence, gang wars and close calls with death will have you on the edge of your seat. He knows how close he has come to dying and has therefore shut the door on a gangland life. He may have changed but, as he himself says, "I'll always need to exercise the Carlton Leach brand of justice. It's in me."

    My Man Jeeves 1919Right Ho, Jeeves 1922Death At The Excelsior, Others 1914