Type designer Ed Austin is on a losing streak. Divorced, and with his daughter studying abroad, he has only an old dog for a companion. His world has contracted into something simple, solitary—and safe. But after acquiring a dozen handwritten letters forgotten in the barn of an old Maine farmhouse, Ed finds himself haunted by thoughts of a nineteenth-century woman named Lydia Starbird. At first he’s enchanted by her penmanship, and then the life she describes in her letters—each addressed...

The Egúngún society is one of the least-studied and written-about aspects of African diasporic spiritual traditions. It is the society of the ancestors, the society of the dead. Its primary function is to facilitate all aspects of ancestor veneration. Though it is fundamental to Yorùbá culture and the Ifá/Òrìṣà tradition of the Yorùbá, it did not survive intact in Cuba or the US during the forced migration of the Yorùbá in the Middle Passage. Taking hold only in Brazil, the Egúngún cult h...

Successful professional musicians—instrumentalists and vocalists alike—are always busy. Performing, teaching, family, and professional responsibilities keep them on the go around the clock, yet they still find time to practice so that they can maintain technique, prepare for upcoming performances, and thrive as a musician. In this eye-opening essay collection, these world-renowned artists share their insights on practice, from practical tips you can use today to the intangible lessons of l...

Viet Nam veteran S. Brian Willson was so shocked by the diabolical nature of the US war against Viet Nam -- irreversible knowledge, as he describes it -- and his own appalling ignorance from his cultural conditioning, that it sparked a lifetime of anti-war activism. This toxic jolt awakened him to the extent to which he and generations of American citizens had thoughtlessly succumbed to the relentless barrage of lies and propaganda that infest US American culture—from the military and poli...

“We are not worth more, they are not worth less.” This is the mantra of S. Brian Willson and the theme that runs throughout his compelling psycho-historical memoir. Willson’s story begins in small-town, rural America, where he grew up as a “Commie-hating, baseball-loving Baptist,” moves through life-changing experiences in Viet Nam, Nicaragua and elsewhere, and culminates with his commitment to a localized, sustainable lifestyle.In telling his story, Willson provides numerous examp...

An international incident may fracture the Ryan family in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.Luanda, AngolaAn American intelligence team on a routine mission is wiped out. The sole survivor: Kyle Ryan, youngest son of President Jack Ryan.But the massacre of his colleagues is just the prelude to an even more devastating conflict—a deadly military coup in the central African nation. The next step is a shocking escala...

Pre-order the pulse-racing new Jack Ryan thriller, TOM CLANCY THE COLDEST WAR, now!__________An international incident may fracture the Ryan family in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.Luanda, AngolaAn American intelligence team on a routine mission is wiped out. The sole survivor: Kyle Ryan, youngest son of President Jack Ryan.But the massacre of his colleagues is just the prelude to ...

From New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling authors Andrews & Wilson“Want a look into the shadowy world of US special operations? Sons of Valor puts you on the front lines. Nobody does action like Andrews & Wilson!”—Jack Carr, Navy SEAL sniper and New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s HandA new generation of elite American warriors faces off against an enemy unlike any other

Four Minutes is the latest brilliant techno-thriller from the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling duo behind the Sons of Valor series.It is said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but what if you remove the one thing no one can control: uncertainty about the future?Special Operations Chief Tyler Brooks might not know quantum mechanics or have an eidetic memory, but he is the very best in the ...

From New York Times bestselling authors Andrews & WilsonAfter surviving the most dangerous mission of his career, John Dempsey is back at Ember. But Ember has changed—and so has he. Meanwhile, a new adversary sees an opportunity to rise. As Dempsey and Vice President Jarvis soon discover, the world stage is about to get deadlier than ever …To survive the notorious prison IK-2 and assassinate Russian President Vladimir Petrov, John ...

Boldly combining the highly personal with the brilliantly scholarly, In the Dark Room explores the question of how memory works emotionally and culturally. It is narrated through the prism of the author's experience of losing both his parents, his mother when he was sixteen, his father when he was on the cusp of adulthood and of trying, after a breakdown some years later, to piece things together. Drawing on the lessons of centuries of literature, philosophy and visual art, Dillon...

THE EXTRAORDINARY, HEARTFELT MEMOIR OF THE LATE MUSICAL GENIUS'My life has been written about over and over again, and that's mostly okay with me. Other people can talk about my life. Sometimes they'll get it right and sometimes they'll get it wrong. For me, when I think back across my own life, there are so many things that are painful. Sometimes I don't like discussing them. Sometimes I don't even like remembering them. But as I get older, the shape of that pain ...