Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood

Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood

Author: Kevin Hart

Publisher: Paul Dry Books

Published: 2024-06-11

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1589881893

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"Put this beautiful book on your shelf between Frank Conroy's Stop-Time and Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life."—William Giraldi, author of The Hero's Body This powerful memoir from poet Kevin Hart traces his difficult childhood as a "backward boy" in a poor part of London, a disorienting move to tropical Australia, and the secrets he and his family kept from one another. Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood is Kevin Hart’s searing, yet at times hilarious, narrative of his first thirteen years. It is a story of survival and transformation, of deception and recovery, and it passes from a frightening childhood in the East-End of London to a new and bewildering life in sub-tropical Australia. Throughout, Hart draws on John Bunyan’s evocation of “Dark-Land” in Pilgrim’s Progress, the place Valiant-for-Truth leaves in order to seek the Celestial City. But Dark-Land is no allegory. We see Hart’s hidden inner life, his family’s penchant for keeping secrets, and their illusions about the nature of their shared past. We see Hart grow from being the despair of his teachers in a rough primary school to experiencing a “conversion” in a math class in Brisbane, Australia, which turned him into a Christian, a poet, and an academic. Written in elegant, lucid prose, without a trace of sentimentality, Dark-Land is a memoir of a working-class childhood, a narrative of a migrant, and the story of a convert to Christianity.


Book Synopsis Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood by : Kevin Hart

Download or read book Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood written by Kevin Hart and published by Paul Dry Books. This book was released on 2024-06-11 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Put this beautiful book on your shelf between Frank Conroy's Stop-Time and Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life."—William Giraldi, author of The Hero's Body This powerful memoir from poet Kevin Hart traces his difficult childhood as a "backward boy" in a poor part of London, a disorienting move to tropical Australia, and the secrets he and his family kept from one another. Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood is Kevin Hart’s searing, yet at times hilarious, narrative of his first thirteen years. It is a story of survival and transformation, of deception and recovery, and it passes from a frightening childhood in the East-End of London to a new and bewildering life in sub-tropical Australia. Throughout, Hart draws on John Bunyan’s evocation of “Dark-Land” in Pilgrim’s Progress, the place Valiant-for-Truth leaves in order to seek the Celestial City. But Dark-Land is no allegory. We see Hart’s hidden inner life, his family’s penchant for keeping secrets, and their illusions about the nature of their shared past. We see Hart grow from being the despair of his teachers in a rough primary school to experiencing a “conversion” in a math class in Brisbane, Australia, which turned him into a Christian, a poet, and an academic. Written in elegant, lucid prose, without a trace of sentimentality, Dark-Land is a memoir of a working-class childhood, a narrative of a migrant, and the story of a convert to Christianity.


In a Dark Land

In a Dark Land

Author: Christina Soontornvat

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2017-10-03

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1492634220

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What is a Fairy without her magic? Life hasn't been the same since Izzy found out she was a Changeling during a trip to the magical land of Faerie. Sure, she's glad to be back on Earth with her human family, but she can't stop thinking about the amazing friends she left behind. Even worse, Izzy can't seem to change anymore. She can't stand the thought of losing all ties to the one place she felt like she truly belonged. So when Izzy gets a chance to return to Faerie, she's quick to say yes. But when a new evil threatens not only Faerie, but Earth itself, will Izzy get her magic back in time to help save everyone she loves? Praise for The Changelings: "A richly drawn fairy world that will have readers staying way up past their bedtime to read what their plucky herione, Izzy, does next." —Jen Calonita, author of the Fairy Tale Reform School series "Fresh and imaginative—new inventions on every page. I loved every ingenious twist and turn right up to the wonderfully satisfying ending." —Katherine Catmull, author of The Radiant Road and Summer and Bird "The Changelings is charming! Perfect for readers who love stories full of magic, adventure, mystery and fairies, topped off with a satisfying and very happy ending. Soontornvat's debut sparkles and delights!" —Nikki Loftin, author of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy


Book Synopsis In a Dark Land by : Christina Soontornvat

Download or read book In a Dark Land written by Christina Soontornvat and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is a Fairy without her magic? Life hasn't been the same since Izzy found out she was a Changeling during a trip to the magical land of Faerie. Sure, she's glad to be back on Earth with her human family, but she can't stop thinking about the amazing friends she left behind. Even worse, Izzy can't seem to change anymore. She can't stand the thought of losing all ties to the one place she felt like she truly belonged. So when Izzy gets a chance to return to Faerie, she's quick to say yes. But when a new evil threatens not only Faerie, but Earth itself, will Izzy get her magic back in time to help save everyone she loves? Praise for The Changelings: "A richly drawn fairy world that will have readers staying way up past their bedtime to read what their plucky herione, Izzy, does next." —Jen Calonita, author of the Fairy Tale Reform School series "Fresh and imaginative—new inventions on every page. I loved every ingenious twist and turn right up to the wonderfully satisfying ending." —Katherine Catmull, author of The Radiant Road and Summer and Bird "The Changelings is charming! Perfect for readers who love stories full of magic, adventure, mystery and fairies, topped off with a satisfying and very happy ending. Soontornvat's debut sparkles and delights!" —Nikki Loftin, author of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy


The Changelings

The Changelings

Author: Christina Soontornvat

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2016-09-06

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1492632619

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All Izzy wants is for something interesting to happen in her sleepy little town. But her wish becomes all too real when a mysterious song floats through the woods and lures her little sister Hen into the forest...where she vanishes. A frantic search leads to a strange hole in the ground that Izzy enters. But on the other side, she discovers that the hole was not a hole, this place is not Earth, and Hen is not lost. She's been stolen away to the land of Faerie, and it's up to Izzy to bring her home. But inside Faerie, trouble is brewing-and Izzy is in way over her head. A ragtag group of outlaw Changelings offer to help, but she must decide whether a boulder that comes to life, a girl who looks like a ghost, and a boy who is also a stag can help her save Hen before it's too late. Praise for The Changelings: "Fresh and imaginative—new inventions on every page. I loved every ingenious twist and turn right up to the wonderfully satisfying ending." —Katherine Catmull, author of The Radiant Road and Summer and Bird. "The Changelings is charming! Perfect for readers who love stories full of magic, adventure, mystery and fairies, topped off with a satisfying and very happy ending. Soontornvat's debut sparkles and delights!" —Nikki Loftin, author of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy


Book Synopsis The Changelings by : Christina Soontornvat

Download or read book The Changelings written by Christina Soontornvat and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All Izzy wants is for something interesting to happen in her sleepy little town. But her wish becomes all too real when a mysterious song floats through the woods and lures her little sister Hen into the forest...where she vanishes. A frantic search leads to a strange hole in the ground that Izzy enters. But on the other side, she discovers that the hole was not a hole, this place is not Earth, and Hen is not lost. She's been stolen away to the land of Faerie, and it's up to Izzy to bring her home. But inside Faerie, trouble is brewing-and Izzy is in way over her head. A ragtag group of outlaw Changelings offer to help, but she must decide whether a boulder that comes to life, a girl who looks like a ghost, and a boy who is also a stag can help her save Hen before it's too late. Praise for The Changelings: "Fresh and imaginative—new inventions on every page. I loved every ingenious twist and turn right up to the wonderfully satisfying ending." —Katherine Catmull, author of The Radiant Road and Summer and Bird. "The Changelings is charming! Perfect for readers who love stories full of magic, adventure, mystery and fairies, topped off with a satisfying and very happy ending. Soontornvat's debut sparkles and delights!" —Nikki Loftin, author of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy


If I Ran the Zoo

If I Ran the Zoo

Author: Dr. Seuss

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Published: 1950

Total Pages: 63

ISBN-13: 0394800818

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Gerald tells of the very unusual animals he would add to the zoo, if he were in charge.


Book Synopsis If I Ran the Zoo by : Dr. Seuss

Download or read book If I Ran the Zoo written by Dr. Seuss and published by Random House Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 1950 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gerald tells of the very unusual animals he would add to the zoo, if he were in charge.


Chasing Redbird

Chasing Redbird

Author: Sharon Creech

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2012-04-24

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 0061961310

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“Intriguing, delightful, and touching.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “Creech’s best yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family’s house, she realized that things were about to change. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie’s death, and herself, was to find out where it went. From Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes a story of love, loss, and understanding, an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world—and discovers it in her own backyard. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults


Book Synopsis Chasing Redbird by : Sharon Creech

Download or read book Chasing Redbird written by Sharon Creech and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2012-04-24 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Intriguing, delightful, and touching.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “Creech’s best yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family’s house, she realized that things were about to change. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie’s death, and herself, was to find out where it went. From Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes a story of love, loss, and understanding, an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world—and discovers it in her own backyard. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults


Clap When You Land

Clap When You Land

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 0062882783

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In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people… In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. Great for summer reading or anytime! Clap When You Land is a Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!" Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and With the Fire on High!


Book Synopsis Clap When You Land by : Elizabeth Acevedo

Download or read book Clap When You Land written by Elizabeth Acevedo and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people… In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. Great for summer reading or anytime! Clap When You Land is a Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!" Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and With the Fire on High!


The Little Virtues

The Little Virtues

Author: Natalia Ginzburg

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1628729023

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In this collection of her finest and best-known short essays, Natalia Ginzburg explores both the mundane details and inescapable catastrophes of personal life with the grace and wit that have assured her rightful place in the pantheon of classic mid-century authors. Whether she writes of the loss of a friend, Cesare Pavese; or what is inexpugnable of World War II; or the Abruzzi, where she and her first husband lived in forced residence under Fascist rule; or the importance of silence in our society; or her vocation as a writer; or even a pair of worn-out shoes, Ginzburg brings to her reflections the wisdom of a survivor and the spare, wry, and poetically resonant style her readers have come to recognize. "A glowing light of modern Italian literature . . . Ginzburg's magic is the utter simplicity of her prose, suddenly illuminated by one word that makes a lightning streak of a plain phrase. . . . As direct and clean as if it were carved in stone, it yet speaks thoughts of the heart.' — The New York Times Book Review


Book Synopsis The Little Virtues by : Natalia Ginzburg

Download or read book The Little Virtues written by Natalia Ginzburg and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-09-12 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection of her finest and best-known short essays, Natalia Ginzburg explores both the mundane details and inescapable catastrophes of personal life with the grace and wit that have assured her rightful place in the pantheon of classic mid-century authors. Whether she writes of the loss of a friend, Cesare Pavese; or what is inexpugnable of World War II; or the Abruzzi, where she and her first husband lived in forced residence under Fascist rule; or the importance of silence in our society; or her vocation as a writer; or even a pair of worn-out shoes, Ginzburg brings to her reflections the wisdom of a survivor and the spare, wry, and poetically resonant style her readers have come to recognize. "A glowing light of modern Italian literature . . . Ginzburg's magic is the utter simplicity of her prose, suddenly illuminated by one word that makes a lightning streak of a plain phrase. . . . As direct and clean as if it were carved in stone, it yet speaks thoughts of the heart.' — The New York Times Book Review


A Dinner of Herbs

A Dinner of Herbs

Author: John Verney

Publisher: Paul Dry Books

Published: 2019-04-03

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 158988132X

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In 1943, after parachuting into Sardinia to raid a German airfield, John Verney and several of his comrades from the British irregular forces were captured and sent to a POW camp in Italy’s Abruzzo region. As the Allies attempted to retake the country, Verney and two others made their escape. For months, they survived on the generosity and bravery of the local Italians who fed them and kept them hidden in haylofts and mountain caves―despite the scarcity of resources and the dangers they themselves faced by harboring English soldiers. Twenty years after the war, Verney revisited the scenes of his imprisonment and escape, and the result is both an enchanting evocation of Southern Italy and an exhilarating story of wartime daring. He recounts the ironic upsides of being a prisoner of war (“for the first time in four long years, I was free to do entirely what I wanted, which was to read as much as possible and try to learn to draw and write”) as well as the anxiety aroused by the possibility of attempting an escape. He describes the extremes of boredom, hunger, discomfort, and mutual irritation that he and his companions faced after their escape, and the immense capacity for tolerance and goodness that they discovered in each other―and especially in the desperately poor Italian families who helped them. Verney writes with a deceptive ease and wit, which reveals a subtlety and a candor that make this book as penetrating as it is delightful. “Delightful reading.”―Economist on Going to the Wars “This short, witty book is a triumph.”―Observer on Going to the Wars "One of the best memoirs of the Second World War."―The Independent on Going to the Wars “This book is unclassifiable: commentary, autobiography, satire by turns: but it is wholly readable, wholly successful. The author stands spokesman for a whole generation.”―Daily Telegraph on Going to the Wars


Book Synopsis A Dinner of Herbs by : John Verney

Download or read book A Dinner of Herbs written by John Verney and published by Paul Dry Books. This book was released on 2019-04-03 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1943, after parachuting into Sardinia to raid a German airfield, John Verney and several of his comrades from the British irregular forces were captured and sent to a POW camp in Italy’s Abruzzo region. As the Allies attempted to retake the country, Verney and two others made their escape. For months, they survived on the generosity and bravery of the local Italians who fed them and kept them hidden in haylofts and mountain caves―despite the scarcity of resources and the dangers they themselves faced by harboring English soldiers. Twenty years after the war, Verney revisited the scenes of his imprisonment and escape, and the result is both an enchanting evocation of Southern Italy and an exhilarating story of wartime daring. He recounts the ironic upsides of being a prisoner of war (“for the first time in four long years, I was free to do entirely what I wanted, which was to read as much as possible and try to learn to draw and write”) as well as the anxiety aroused by the possibility of attempting an escape. He describes the extremes of boredom, hunger, discomfort, and mutual irritation that he and his companions faced after their escape, and the immense capacity for tolerance and goodness that they discovered in each other―and especially in the desperately poor Italian families who helped them. Verney writes with a deceptive ease and wit, which reveals a subtlety and a candor that make this book as penetrating as it is delightful. “Delightful reading.”―Economist on Going to the Wars “This short, witty book is a triumph.”―Observer on Going to the Wars "One of the best memoirs of the Second World War."―The Independent on Going to the Wars “This book is unclassifiable: commentary, autobiography, satire by turns: but it is wholly readable, wholly successful. The author stands spokesman for a whole generation.”―Daily Telegraph on Going to the Wars


Finding Cover

Finding Cover

Author: Becca Bredholt

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9781645433712

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Having met only days before, the young, doe-eyed Crystal Vargas elopes with a dashing Brit named Duncan Douglas who appears to be everything she's ever wanted. Without realizing it, her desperation to be loved plays well into the hands of her new husband, a cunning sociopath in need of an American bride to help him maintain appearances. When Crystal's sister, Lyssa, notices suspicious changes in her sibling's behavior and her application for her security clearance is denied, Lyssa hires a private investigator to look into her mysterious brother-in-law. While the truth might prove her right, it might also cost Crystal her life.


Book Synopsis Finding Cover by : Becca Bredholt

Download or read book Finding Cover written by Becca Bredholt and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having met only days before, the young, doe-eyed Crystal Vargas elopes with a dashing Brit named Duncan Douglas who appears to be everything she's ever wanted. Without realizing it, her desperation to be loved plays well into the hands of her new husband, a cunning sociopath in need of an American bride to help him maintain appearances. When Crystal's sister, Lyssa, notices suspicious changes in her sibling's behavior and her application for her security clearance is denied, Lyssa hires a private investigator to look into her mysterious brother-in-law. While the truth might prove her right, it might also cost Crystal her life.


An Invisible Country

An Invisible Country

Author: Stephan Wackwitz

Publisher: Paul Dry Books

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1589880226

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Stephan Wackwitz's family "never spoke about the fact that the scene of their childhood and the site of the century's greatest crime were separated by nothing more than a longish walk and barely a decade." With insight and wit, Wackwitz breaks this silence in 'An Invisible Country', a learned meditation on twentieth-century German history as viewed through the prism of one family's story. Writing of his grandfather (born in 1893), his father (1922), and himself (1952), Wackwitz places himself in the historical and emotional landscape of the 'invisible country' surrounding Anhalt in Upper Silesia, a town ten kilometres from Auschwitz, and the site of his grandfather's Lutheran pastorate from 1921 to 1933.


Book Synopsis An Invisible Country by : Stephan Wackwitz

Download or read book An Invisible Country written by Stephan Wackwitz and published by Paul Dry Books. This book was released on 2005 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stephan Wackwitz's family "never spoke about the fact that the scene of their childhood and the site of the century's greatest crime were separated by nothing more than a longish walk and barely a decade." With insight and wit, Wackwitz breaks this silence in 'An Invisible Country', a learned meditation on twentieth-century German history as viewed through the prism of one family's story. Writing of his grandfather (born in 1893), his father (1922), and himself (1952), Wackwitz places himself in the historical and emotional landscape of the 'invisible country' surrounding Anhalt in Upper Silesia, a town ten kilometres from Auschwitz, and the site of his grandfather's Lutheran pastorate from 1921 to 1933.