Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Gambler is one of the most profound literary works to treat the phenomenon of gambling with a remarkable depth of psychological analysis and a wide-ranging cultural and philosophical exploration of obsessive behavior, from addictive gambling to erotic passion. This novel delves into the cultural, psychological, and philosophical issues surrounding games of chance such as temporality, freedom, rebellion, choice, uncertainty, determinism, and creativity...

The work of this institution has only begun. . . . I want to see this faculty continue to develop in not only teaching ability, but heart power—the ability to lead and inspire. . . . I want to see the fullest opportunities furnished to students. . . . I want to see young men and women who will become effective leaders. . . . I want to see all of these things and more.—John W. Carr, first president of Murray State University, April 1, 1926When Murray State University was fo...

poems is about how we change and adapt according to the trials of life, just as the landscape evolves with the weather and other geological forces.

Let the words take you on a journey that crosses the real and surreal. Shedding Layers of Oceans examines man’s attachment to, and disenchantment of the world. It is a place where joy is achievable, but sorrow is the easiest path, and to gain happiness all you have to do is open your mind. This is the type of work that additional layers of depth will be revealed with every reading. And so, the ocean awaits you. Will the message reach across the random oceans? Glass is not weightless, and m...

Here in one big book is all the trivia and facts about Canada anyone needs to know. The Big Book is jam-packed with facts and stories. There are stories of important Canadian artifacts and history including what became of Canada's World War II spy camp. All regions and provinces are covered, as well as important Canadian figures like John Molson, Elizabeth Arden and Russ Jackson. If that isn't enough there will also be pieces explaining whatever happened to such Canadian icons as ...

NAACP Image Award Finalist: "Boyd's riveting new history…turns an oft-caricatured community into a world of actual, struggling human beings."—Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and MeA Michigan Notable Books HonoreeIn this book, the author of Baldwin's Harlem looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit—in "a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores...

Basketball, the only major world sport undeniably invented by a Canadian, has ironically failed to win Canadians’ hearts more than a century after its creation. James Naismith’s brainchild is a popular recreational pastime in his homeland, but players with bigger dreams had better take their talents south of the border. Canadian hoops has languished in the seemingly eternal shadow of hockey, with its cannibalization of air time, advertising dollars, and corporate capital.Faced with...

The 68 year existence of Indianapolis Washington High School is described in a decade-by-decade history with an emphasis on people and athletics as well as focusing on individuals from the World War II and Vietnam eras. The varied lists of both a factual and subjective nature will be of interest to many in central Indiana.

The latest book by Canada's Trivia Guys is an entertaining where-are-they-now look at the fate of some 100 celebrities, newsmakers, and significant artifacts from this country's past. Lake Ontario swimmer Marilyn Bell, CFL legend Russ Jackson, Canada’s first automobile, and Roger Woodward, a boy who survived the waters of Niagara Falls more than 40 years ago, are among those tracked down. Long after making headlines or burrowing their way into our collective consciousness, these Canadian i...

For marginalized athletes past and present, achievement can bring celebrity without equality and recognition without opportunity.In many ways, Ontario’s Chatham-Kent region is a microcosm of Canadian multiculturalism. As a terminus of the Underground Railroad, it has long been home to a large Black community Walpole Island and Delaware First Nations are nearby and many interned Japanese Canadians worked on local farms during World War II. The history of sport in the region...

Since the city�s founding in 1871, African American citizens of Birmingham have organized for equal access to justice and public accommodations. However, when thousands of young people took to the streets of Birmingham in the spring of 1963, their protest finally broke the back of segregation, bringing local leadership to its knees. While their parents could not risk loss of jobs or life, local youth agreed to bear the brunt of resistance by law enforcement and vigilantes to their acts of ...

A searing exposé of how the multibillion dollar college sports empire fails universities, students, and athletes.With little public debate or introspection, our institutions of higher learning have become hostages to the rapacious, smash-mouth entertainment conglomerate known, quaintly, as intercollegiate athletics. In Champions Way, New York Times investigative reporter Mike McIntire chronicles the rise of this growing scandal through the experie...