Wrought by a childhood replete with trying circumstances and telling experiences (conveyed in Frances Smith's earlier book), and in tandem with resultant beliefs and attitudes she held toward herself and the world she was about to enter, the commencement of legal adulthood also removed any buttressing protection minority provided. Too many confused and self-critical assessments would ill-serve this demoiselle. In time, those same assessments would transform into extremely harmful and life-...

As the author’s childhood tumbles from her memory onto the pages of print, the reader is privy to all sorts of surprising revelations. Be prepared to chuckle with glee, feel your mouth gape reading about situations too weird to be untrue, wince as your heart breaks in sadness and anger over sordid situations, and shake your head both in disbelief and even perfect understanding of unusual childhood tales.Between the covers of the book, the author’s very direct style in sharing the g...

Few films in the twenty-first century have represented coming-of-age with the beauty and brutality of Bande de Filles (or Girlhood). This book provides an in-depth examination of Céline Sciamma’s film, focusing on its portrayal of female adolescence in contemporary Paris.Motivated by the absence of black female characters in French cinema, Sciamma represents the lives of figures that have passed largely unnoticed on the big screen. While observing the girls’ tough...

Frances Smith is a pseudonym for a woman who lived in fear of her life for 22 years. Married at 16 to a Dublin criminal, she endured years of relentless mental and physical torture until she found the strength to fight back. This is her courageous story told with brutal honesty and at times humour. It chronicles her descent to the brink of suicide and consequent rebuilding of her life.

The Frances Smith was not only the first steamboat to be built in Owen Sound, but also the largest vessel on Georgian Bay at that time. By far the most luxurious vessel to sail the Upper Great Lakes from a Canadian port, she was known as a "palace steamer." In the mid-to-late-19th century, the Frances Smith set the standard for speed, spacious accommodation and quality service on Georgian Bay and Lake Superior.The story of the Frances Smith, full of adventure and courageous actions...

"After Dinner Conversation" Magazine - June 2021Cost Of Human Life: AI software designed to more efficiently run the railroad system runs into a programming issue.Step Back: A husband and wife decide to have a natural childbirth and find it's more than they bargained.The Cave Of Adventure: A scientist that studies fish memory wanders into a cave that gives her the chance to share ...

Conventional wisdom tells us that marriage was illegal for African Americans during the antebellum era, and that if people married at all, their vows were tenuous ones: "until death or distance do us part." It is an impression that imbues beliefs about black families to this day. But it's a perception primarily based on documents produced by abolitionists, the state, or other partisans. It doesn't tell the whole story. Drawing on a trove of less well-known sources including family historie...

The Journey Continues -- is the third part of the trilogy about two serial killers. The book begins as one of the serial killers at long last finds his intended victim. Because of the pressure caused by a true crime book about two serial killers in Southern California specifically the High Desert he is determined to find the second serial killer. The book continues as he leaves messages for the authorities that hes back and he makes his own search simply because he needs a place to hide. H...

'Confident and very readable . . . one of Frances Spalding's achievements in this book is to display Stevie Smith's frailties without destroying her dignity' – Victoria Glendinning, Literary Review'A careful, informative and worthwhile book' – Hermione Lee, The Observer'It is a biography of inner life. It is also a hymn to tenebrous suburbia, a book full of English oddness, and a lovely loamis...

To mark the publication of Stop What You're Doing and Read This!, a collection of essays celebrating reading, Vintage Classics are releasing 12 limited edition themed ebook 'bundles', to tempt readers to discover and rediscover great books.I CAPTURE THE CASTLE'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in...

Wander the lavender fields of Provence, bite into a perfect croissant, and climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves France you'll find:Fully updated, comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip to FranceRick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favoritesTop sights and h...