MY WORLD OF TRUTH

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

TEN BOOKS TO READ IN SEPTEMBER

Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing (Credit: Credit: Scribner)
Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing
JoJo, 13, is at a crossroads – his growing awareness of mortality and injustice are mixed with love for his grandparents Pop and Mam and his three-year-old sister Kayla. Pop teaches JoJo to live with dignity, and shares haunted memories of Parchman, the notorious Mississippi prison farm. JoJo’s mother Leonie prepares for JoJo’s white father Michael to get out of Parchman after three years. She takes time off from her job in a backwoods bar and, with her friend Misty, packs up the kids and takes off on a bizarre road trip to pick him up. And the ghost of a boy named Richie who died at Parchman 60 years before tells his tale. Ward unearths layers of history in gorgeous textured language, ending with an unearthly chord. (Credit: Scribner)
John Le Carré, A Legacy of Spies (Credit: Credit: Viking)
John Le Carré, A Legacy of Spies
George Smiley is back, but it’s his MI6 assistant, Peter Guillam, who is the key figure in this internal investigation launched by the British Secret Service in the 21st Century. Guillam is retired, living on a remote farm in Brittany, when the letter from the Circus summons him back to London. Bunny, a self-described “lethal lawyer”, begins his interrogation by making it clear his job is to protect the Service, not Guillam. At issue: the deaths of agent Alec Leamus, killed at the Berlin Wall, as was his friend Elizabeth Gold, during Operation Windfall, conducted against the East German intelligence service, the Stasi, in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. Their heirs are now suing. Le Carré’s welcome new novel unspools two air-tight narratives half-a-century apart while capturing contemporary attitudes toward Cold War tradecraft. (Credit: Viking)
Gaute Heivoll, Across the China Sea (Credit: Credit: Graywolf Press)
Gaute Heivoll, Across the China Sea
When a couple trained as caregivers marry, they build a house in the rural south of Norway large enough to encompass a group of patients. As he is clearing out the house in 1994, their son, tells the story of their unconventional household – his sister Tone, who died young, plus three adult men (including his Uncle Josef) and a group of five mentally disabled siblings who were removed from their home when their parents were declared unfit. These “almost siblings” live together for 28 years, from the German occupation of Norway during World War Two until after the moon landing in 1969. Heivoll moves seamlessly through scenes and memories, creating a powerful sense of the compassion and routine that made this community feel like family. An elegiac, heartbreaking novel. (Credit: Graywolf Press)
Jenny Erpenbeck, Go, Went, Gone (Credit: Credit: New Directions)
Jenny Erpenbeck, Go, Went, Gone
A newly retired, widowed, Berlin classics professor begins to track a group of African refugees who are sitting in protest in Alexanderplatz. As he comes to know a group of the men, he learns how they have been shattered by civil war, slavery, forced evacuation, and arbitrary colonial borders. Most have witnessed the murder of fathers, mothers, wives, and/or children. And still they connect, and strive to find work in a Europe with laws that make their lives a living hell. Throughout, he recalls moments after the Berlin Wall went up, making him an exile in his own city, and how disorientated he was when it came down. This transformative novel, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky and winner of Italy’s Premio Strega Europeo, explores the human side of the crisis asylum seekers face. (Credit: New Directions)
Lily Tuck, Sisters (Credit: Credit: Atlantic Monthly Press)
Lily Tuck, Sisters
National Book Award winning novelist Lily Tuck takes a sly slant on divorce in this marvelous elliptical novel about a weird sort of sibling rivalry, between wife number one and wife number two. The narrator, who married her husband in her 40s, feels the steady presence of her shadow, who married him in her 20s. She reconstructs their relationship through photos of the first wife pushing a baby carriage in Paris, anecdotes (she was a promising concert pianist when she married), through interactions with her teenage son and daughter. She catches uncomfortable glimpses of her predecessor at the daughter’s marriage (the husband dances with the first wife, but not the second, who feels abandoned) and the son’s graduation. An obsessive question – “Who do you love best? Me or her?” – may be her downfall. (Credit: Atlantic Monthly Press)
James McBride, Five-Carat Soul (Credit: Credit: Riverhead)
James McBride, Five-Carat Soul
This first story collection from National Book Award winning novelist McBride is filled with fine-tuned, rambunctious, sometimes unruly characters, including a lion in a zoo who fiercely protects his memories of freedom and lets us know that animals communicate in “thought speak” and humans “speak with their tongues going one way and their heart going another”. A coming-of-age story follows five youngsters in the Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bond Band and their friends. Two veterans of the 92nd Division, black soldiers who fought in World War Two, share precious memories with a graduate student over meals at Sylvia’s in Harlem. A young orphan who believes his father is Abe Lincoln changes the path of a sergeant in a black regiment in the Union Army by asking, “When freedom comes. How’ll you know it?” (Credit: Riverhead)
Daniel Mendelsohn, An Odyssey (Credit: Credit: Knopf)
Daniel Mendelsohn, An Odyssey
In January 2011, Mendelsohn’s 81-year-old father, a retired research scientist, sits in on his son’s class at Bard College on The Odyssey, “an epic about long journeys and long marriages and what it means to yearn for home”. From the start, Jay Mendelsohn argues that Odysseus is not a “real hero”: “he’s a liar and he cheated on his wife.” Still, Mendelsohn and class learn from his father’s interpretations “that small things between people can be the foundation of the most profound intimacy.” In June, father and son share secrets during a 10-day “retracing the Odyssey” cruise from Troy to Ithaki. Mendelsohn, a National Book Critics Circle award winner, writes eloquently of his family, of Odysseus, “the poet of his own life,” and of the lasting pull of mystery between father and son. (Credit: Knopf)
Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere (Credit: Credit: Penguin Press)
Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere
The Richardsons of suburban Shaker Heights, Ohio, seem to be an ideal family. Dad is a defence attorney, mom works for the local paper, and three of the four high-school-age children seem content to follow the rules. Izzy, the youngest, is the only rebel among them. Then Mia, an accomplished but itinerant artist whose past is mysterious even to her teenage daughter Pearl, rents a house Mrs Richardson owns, and disrupts the equilibrium. Pearl heads to the Richardsons’ after school, growing ever more intimate with Lexie and her brothers, Moody and Trip. Izzy starts hanging around Mia’s house, to her mother’s dismay. And so begins the build-up to the devastating conclusion – “little fires everywhere.” Ng’s uncanny ability to embody multiple viewpoints makes for a powerful, revelatory novel. (Credit: Penguin Press)
Tales of Two Americas (John Freeman, editor) (Credit: Credit: Penguin)
Tales of Two Americas (John Freeman, editor)
In his introduction, Freeman sets the theme for this fresh and provocative collection of 36 stories, essays, and poems by award-winning writers like Julia Alvarez, Edwidge Danticat, Anthony Doerr, Roxane Gay, Juan Felipe Herrera, Joyce Carol Oates, and Ann Patchett. These are tales of a US blighted by “overloaded schools, police forces on edge, clusters and sometimes whole tent cities of homeless people.” Rebecca Solnit describes how a 28-year-old Mexican-American security guard is gunned down by four policemen while eating a burrito in the hilltop park in the neighbourhood where he grew up, targeted by newcomers who saw him as a menacing intruder. Karen Russell discovers the emergency state of homelessness in Portland, Oregon, and the value of “the homespun web of neighbours helping neighbours.” Illuminating glimpses of a ‘broken’ America. (Credit: Penguin)
Salman Rushdie, The Golden House (Credit: Credit: Random House)
Salman Rushdie, The Golden House
Nero Golden and his three sons leave Mumbai after his wife is killed in a terrorist bombing. They settle in The Gardens, a Macdougal Street compound in Manhattan. Petya, his eldest, stays mostly in his room, playing video games. Apu becomes an artist and Occupy Wall Street activist. D explores complex gender issues. Vasilisa, a Russian opportunist, swiftly becomes the new Mrs Golden. Roiling beneath the surface is a corruption scandal back in India. Rene, the narrator, sees the Golden family as key characters in a film he’s making about the Gardens. As Rushdie’s profound and timely new novel moves from the Obama inauguration to the election of a green-haired clown named the Joker, he strikes innumerable tragic chords, echoing “all the discontent of a furiously divided country.” (Credit: Random House)
posted by Davidblogger50 at 15:05 0 comments

In pictures: The life of Diana, Princess of Wales

On the 20th anniversary of her death, here is a look back at Princess Diana's life as seen through the camera lens.
Diana at Park House, Sandringham, on her first birthday.Image copyrightPA
Image captionDiana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 at Park House near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the youngest daughter of the then Viscount and Viscountess Althorp.
Lady Diana Spencer wearing a winter coat in London, aged 7.Image copyrightPA
Image captionAfter her parents' divorce, she often had to travel between their homes in Northamptonshire and Scotland.
Diana holds two children as the sun shines through her skirt.Image copyrightREX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Image captionAfter school, she worked in London, first as a nanny, occasionally a cook, and then as an assistant at the Young England Kindergarten in Knightsbridge.
Lady Diana Spencer, surrounded by the media, leaving her Earl's Court flat to get into her carImage copyrightPA
Image captionRumours spread that her friendship with the Prince of Wales was blossoming into something more serious. Press and television surrounded her at every turn and her days at work were numbered. The Palace tried in vain to play down the speculation.
Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at Buckingham Palace after the announcement of their engagement.Image copyrightPA
Image captionOn 24 February 1981 the engagement became official. The ring cost almost £30,000 and contained a sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds.
The Prince and Princess of Wales at Buckingham Palace after their wedding at St Paul's Cathedral, 29 July 1981.Image copyrightPA
Image captionLady Diana walked down the aisle with her father, Earl Spencer, at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981. Her dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, had a 25ft (10m) train and was made of ivory taffeta and antique lace.
The newly married Prince and Princess of Wales kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony at St. Paul's cathedral.Image copyrightPA
Image captionDiana was just 20. Under the watchful eyes of her mother and on the arm of her father, Diana prepared to take her wedding vows. She showed nerves only once, when she struggled to recall her husband's names in the right order.
The newly married Prince and Princess of Wale wave to the London crowds from their open-top carriage as they make their way to Waterloo Station to depart for their honeymoon.Image copyrightPA
Image captionMillions of television viewers around the world were dazzled by the event, with a further 600,000 lining the route from Buckingham Palace to the Cathedral.
Charles and Diana sit together by the banks of a riverImage copyrightPA
Image captionCharles and Diana spent their honeymoon on the Royal Yacht Britannia for a 12-day cruise through the Mediterranean to Egypt - and then stayed at Balmoral Castle.
Prince and Princess of Wales showing off their son, Prince William, to the media for the first timeImage copyrightTIM OCKENDEN/ PA
Image captionDiana had always longed for a big family. Within a year of her marriage, on 21 June 1982, she gave birth to a son, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.
A baby Prince William with his mother, The Princess of Wales, at home in Kensington Palace, LondonImage copyrightPA
Image captionShe believed in giving her children as normal an upbringing as royal circumstances would allow. William became the first male heir to go to nursery. The boys were not educated by private teachers, but went to school with other children.
The Prince and Princess of Wales following the birth of their second son, Prince Harry in 1984Image copyrightPA
Image captionIn 1984, on 15 September, William had a brother. He was christened Henry, though he is known as Prince Harry.
British Princess Diana drives in a tank on the occasion of her visit of British troops in West Berlin on the 18th of October in 1985.Image copyrightPA
Image captionThe princess quickly became involved in the official duties of the Royal Family. Soon, she was on a constant round of visits to nurseries, schools and hospitals. She showed a spontaneity and ability to connect with people which endeared her to the public.
Princess Diana dances with John Travolta at the White House on 9 November 1985.Image copyrightPA
Image captionOn her first official visit to the United States, the princess shared a dance with John Travolta at the White House. From the time of her appearance on her first public engagement with her then husband-to-be, Diana's wardrobe became a focus of attention.
Princess Diana Shakes Hands With An Aids Patients Resident At The London Lighthouse Aids Centre, 5 October 1989.Image copyrightREX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Image captionThe princess's charity work strengthened her popularity with the public. She played an important role in publicising the plight of people with Aids. Her speeches on the subject were forthright and she did away with many prejudices. Simple gestures like shaking hands with Aids patients proved to the public that social contact was risk-free.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Harry and William on bikesImage copyrightPA
Image captionThe Prince and Princess of Wales carried out many engagements together and went on overseas tours. However, by the late 1980s their separate lives had become public knowledge.
The Princess of Wales sits in front of the Taj Mahal alone, during a Royal tour of India on 11 Feb 1992Image copyrightMARTIN KEENE/ PA
Image captionOn an official visit to India in 1992, Diana sat alone outside the Taj Mahal, the great monument to love. It was a graphic public declaration that although the couple were formally together, they were in fact apart.
Diana, Princess of Wales, with sons Prince William and Prince Harry during a visit to Thorpe Park amusement park in 1993Image copyrightDUNCAN RABAN/ PA
Image captionDiana remained a doting mother to her two sons. Prince Harry has said that Diana was "one of the naughtiest parents", before adding: "She smothered us with love, that's for sure."
Diana, Princess of Wales meeting Mother Teresa during a visit to a convent in Rome in 1992Image copyrightPA
Image captionDiana retained a close friendship with Mother Teresa throughout her life, as seen on this visit to a convent in Rome. The pair died within six days of each other.
Diana during her interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC.Image copyrightPA / BBC
Image captionDiana gave a remarkably open interview to Martin Bashir and the BBC on 20 November 1995. Watched by millions, she described her post-natal depression, the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles and her tense relationship with the Royal Family as a whole.
Diana, Princess of Wales wears a traditional shalwar khameez as she sits with Jemima Khan during a visit to Imran Khan's cancer hospital in Lahore, Pakistan in April 1996Image copyrightANWAR HUSSEIN/GETTY IMAGES
Image captionThroughout these troubles, the princess continued her charitable work. She visited Jemima Khan in Lahore, Pakistan, to support the cancer hospital run by Imran Khan, Jemima's then husband.
Diana, Princess of Wales wearing a black pleated chiffon dress, with floating side panel, by Christina Stamboulian, during a party given at the Serpentine Gallery in London.Image copyrightPA
Image captionDiana and Charles's divorce was finalised on 28 August 1996 and she officially became known as Diana, Princess of Wales. In June of the next year she auctioned off 79 dresses that had appeared on front covers of magazines around the world. The auction raised £3.5m ($4.5m) for charity and also seemed to symbolise a break with the past.
Diana, Princess Of Wales, In Leicester To Open The Richard Attenborough Centre For Disability And The Arts 27 May 1997Image copyrightPA
Image captionOn 31 August 1997, after dining at the Ritz Paris with Dodi Al Fayed, the son of millionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the pair left the restaurant in a limousine. They were pursued by photographers on motorbikes who wanted more snapshots of the princess's new friend. The chase led to tragedy in an underpass.
Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Earl Spencer, Prince William and the Duke of Edinburgh follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales, as it is being carried into Westminster Abbey for a funeral service 06 September.Image copyrightJEFF J MITCHELL/ GETTY IMAGES
Image captionMore than one million people lined the route of the funeral cortege to Westminster Abbey and along her final journey to the Spencer family home in Northamptonshire. Her sons, William and Harry, were joined by Prince Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh and her brother Earl Spencer.
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