Lesley, Craig
Signed by the author on the title page. A memoir of startling emotion and grace, Burning Fence is the story of the men in Craig Lesley's family: absent father, Rudell, tough stepfather, Vern, adopted son, Wade, and Craig Lesley himself. Their story is one of hardship, violence, and cautious, heartbreaking attempts toward compassion. Lesley's fearless journey through his family history provides a remarkable portrait of hard living in the Western states, and confirms his place as one of the region's very best storytellers. Craig Lesley, three-time winner of the Pacific Northwest Bookseller Award, and was twice a nominee for a Pulitzer Prize, as well as winning a Silver Spur Award, A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket
Lesley, Craig
Signed by the author on the title page. This novel, the author's first, was nominate for a Pulitzer Prize. Laced with the solace of the great outdoors and infused with the spirituality of Indians on the local reservation in a small town in Oregon where the interwoven currents of love, death, and a boy's coming of age flow swiftly below a surface life of hard work and confrontation with the forces of nature. The lives of young Culver, his twice-married mother, and his charismatic uncle Jake have been always overshadowed by the death of Culver's father in a fishing accident. When a suspicious fire destroys the town mill and three murders occur, Culver is engulfed by the dangers he finds lurking in the place he'd come to call home. Love, death, coming of age, and Native American spiritual beliefs flow together with the forces of nature in this novel. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket
Pearce, Joseph
This copy is signed by the author on the title page. Father Richard Ho Lung, M.O.P. - poet, teacher, musician - is the founder of the Missionaries of the Poor, one of the fastest growing religious orders in the world. Known as the "reggae priest," Fr. Ho Lung had a hit single and critically acclaimed musical. He and his band - Father Ho Lung and Friends - toured the world. In his spare time he taught literature at the University of the West Indies. In 1980, he left behind the fame and academic life, and founded the Missionaries of the Poor to serve the poor and downtrodden in his island home through service and song. Now, marked by a joyful sense of sacrifice and love, Fr. Ho Lung and his more than 550 brothers and his army of volunteers minister to thousands in eight countries around the globe.Here, in the first and only authorized biography of Father Ho Lung and his order, Joseph Pearce - the pre-eminent Catholic biographer of our time - gives a full and vibrant account of a man who, along with his brothers, is truly changing the world. Candles in the Darkis not simply the fascinating story of a man and his order, it is a powerful reminder that God still works in our world today. 260 pages with index. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket
Signed by both authors, one on the half-title page and one on the title page. Basis for the big screen film directed by Peter Berg that starred Mark Wahlberg and was released in January 2014. On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers. A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow by blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich, moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare â" and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 390 pages illustrated from photographs. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket
During his momentous time as Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan played a decisive role in launching the Millennium Development Goals, establishing the International Criminal Court, and articulating the Responsibility to Protect as a guiding principle for international action. In 2001 - just after 9/11 - he and the UN jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize, 'for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.' These and other crucial events - including the crises over Kosovo and East Timor, and the war in Iraq - are encapsulated in this book of Kofi Annan's key speeches from throughout his term of office. The selection gives a broad view of Annan's most pressing concerns, and the eloquence with which he addressed them. Covering subjects from development, health, and climate change to the prevention of genocide and the ideal of diversity, these statements show how deeply involved the UN was in the most important issues of the era. We the Peoples is a timely and much-needed reminder of Annan's ideas and priorities; his words on war, peace, humanity, and 'man's inhumanity to man' still resonate today. This book will offer many pointers for maintaining and developing the UN as a vital instrument for humanity in the coming decades. 63 pages illustrated from photographs. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket
In 1989 Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery that normal genes under certain conditions can cause cancer. In this book, Bishop tells us how he and Varmus made their momentous discovery. More than a lively account of the making of a brilliant scientist, How to Win the Nobel Prize is also a broader narrative combining two major and intertwined strands of medical history: the long and ongoing struggles to control infectious diseases and to find and attack the causes of cancer. Alongside his own story, that of a youthful humanist evolving into an ambivalent medical student, an accidental microbiologist, and finally a world-class researcher, Bishop gives us a fast-paced and engrossing tale of the microbe hunters. It is a narrative enlivened by vivid anecdotes about our deadliest microbial enemies--the Black Death, cholera, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, smallpox, HIV--and by biographical sketches of the scientists who led the fight against these scourges. Bishop then provides an introduction for nonscientists to the molecular underpinnings of cancer and concludes with an analysis of many of today's most important science-related controversies--ranging from stem cell research to the attack on evolution to scientific misconduct. How to Win the Nobel Prize affords us the pleasure of hearing about science from a brilliant practitioner who is a humanist at heart. Bishop's perspective will be valued by anyone interested in biomedical research and in the past, present, and future of the battle against cancer. 271 pages with index. Illustrated. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket
Signed by the editor Caroline Walsh. A collection of short stories by writers who have come to prominence during the turbulent time. Set in Dublin, America, the Irish Midlands, London, and Middle Europe. Stories by Tom Humphries, Claire Keegan, John MacKenna, Aidan Mathews, Molly McClosky, Blanaid McKinney, Mary Morrissy, Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, Joseph O'Neill, Sean O'Reilly and Keith Ridgway.The stories here journey away from conventional 'Irishness'. They create a new order as they move through worlds sometimes familiar, sometimes alien, sordid, even violent. Bound in black cloth with silver lettering. A near fine book (nudge to front bottom corner) in a near fine dust jacket
Signed by William Wharton on the page opposite the copyright page. Author's third novel. Set in the Ardennes Forest on Christmas Eve 1944, Sergeant Will Knott and five other GIs are ordered close to the German lines to establish an observation post in an abandoned chateau. Here they play at being soldiers in what seems to be complete isolation. That is, until the Germans begin revealing their whereabouts and leaving signs of their presence: a scarecrow, equipment the squad had dropped on a retreat from a reconnaissance mission and, strangest of all, a small fir tree hung with fruit, candles, and cardboard stars. Suddenly, Knott and the others must unravel these mysteries, learning as they do about themselves, about one another, and about the "enemy," until A Midnight Clear reaches its unexpected climax, one of the most shattering in the literature of war. Basis for the big screen film directed by Keith Gordon that starred Ethan Hawke, Gary Sisine, and Peter Berg. A near fine copy in a near fine jacket
Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmuller (1928-2021), known as Lina Wertmuller was an Italian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her 1970s art house films 'Seven Beauties', 'The Seduction of Mimi", 'Love and Anarchy', and 'Swept Away'. She was the first female director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. Her other awards include; Academy Honorary Award, a David di Donatello Career Achievement Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Academy Awards, and two Palme d'Or awards. This book is her literary debut. A work that concerns itself with fundamental themes, hate confronting love, evil confronting good, death confronting life, but above all Lina is a superb storyteller. 255 pages. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket
Signed by the editor on the title page. No one listens to America better than National Public Radio, and for a quarter of a century NPR has broadcast an ongoing conversation about the boisterous life of our nation. Now Linda Wertheimer has collected the best parts of that conversation; the result is a wonderfully engaging book that recalls and reveals our recent history as never before. The year 1995 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of NPR's founding. Wertheimer was present at the creation, so she is ideally qualified to cull the best interviews and commentaries from each year. Her selections allow us to revisit the major news stories of our time - Watergate, the fall of Saigon, the Iranian hostage crisis, the rise of Ronald Reagan, the AIDS epidemic. Here too are vivid illuminations of America's rich cultural life, such as when Goodman Ace celebrates Groucho Marx, Vertamae Grosvenor reflects on the murder of John Lennon, and Red Barber meditates on the expression "suck-egg mule." 438 pages with index, illustrated from photographs. A near fine copy in a very good plus dust jacket