Showing titles in Cultural & Regional

Part memoir, part travelogue, this is the story of one woman's six years as an outsider in a reindeer-herding village in the Arctic Tundra, forging a life on her own in one of the most unknowable cultures on earth. An ancestry test suggesting she shared some DNA with the Sámi people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic tundra, tapped into Laura Galloway's wanderlust; an affair with a Sámi reindeer herder ultimately led her to leave New York for the tiny town of Kautokeino, Norway. 

The culmination of a unique achievement in modern American literature: the six volumes of autobiography that began more than thirty years ago with the appearance of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. A Song Flung Up to Heaven opens as Maya Angelou returns from Africa to the United States to work...

A true story of a man who took it upon himself to live alone on a deserted island in the South Pacific, in fact he loved it so much he decided to return and stay a while longer!

“A testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and to the idea that people can endure great hardship without being hardened by it.” —The Progressive “What’s most moving about this extraordinary book isn’t Gary Tyler’s innocence, but his resilience and steadfast commitment to...

A feminist biography of the only woman to become prime minister of Israel In this authoritative and empathetic biography, Pnina Lahav reexamines the life of Golda Meir (1898-1978) through a feminist lens, focusing on her recurring role as a woman standing alone among men. The Only Woman in the Room is the first book to contend with Meir’s full identity as a woman, Jew, Zionist leader, and one of the founders of Israel, providing a richer portrait of her persona and legacy.  

"You will be a son, my daughter." With these stunning words Ukmina learned that she was to spend her childhood as a boy. In Afghanistan there is a widespread practice of girls dressing as boys to play the role of a son. These children are called bacha posh: literally "girls dressed as boys." This practice offers families the freedom to allow their child to shop and work - and in some cases, it saves them from the disgrace of not having a male heir. But in adolescence, religion restores the natural law.

In Character Building are 37 addresses that Booker T. Washington gave before students, faculty, and guests at the Tuskegee Institute. These addresses take the form of timeless advice on a number of subjects. These talks are delivered - in the motivational and uplifting manner one would expect from this American icon - on education, ethics, morals, deportment, spirituality, and the dignity of labor.

As he works his way through his medical training, Ike Anya's grandmother reassures him: Everything worthwhile is achieved small by small. Ike's story charts the triumphs and failures of his student days through to his first demanding year as a house officer. A medical memoir unlike any from the West, this is filled with the colour and vibrancy of tempestuous 1990s Nigeria, where political unrest, social change and a worsening economy make a doctor's life particularly challenging.

The second and concluding volume of Noël Coward's legendary autobiography includes Future Indefinite and the unfinished Past Unconditional. With his trademark wit, Coward delivers anecdotes about his travels in South America, Hollywood encounters with an array of contemporary stars and directors, and his later theatrical successes, including the Broadway triumph of Design For Living.

Marty Cullen’s song and story-filled odyssey around Ulster Ireland’s northernmost province has a rich history of music and storytelling. From the towering mountains of the borderlands, to the barren hills of Donegal; tales of things human and mythical are told through poetry, recitation and...

“A biography that crackles with as much energy as the great bluesman’s songs.” —Ted Drozdowski, Boston Phoenix The epic, rollicking, up-and-down life of Muddy Waters—who went from Mississippi farmhand to musical legend, invented electric blues, and created the template for the...

'Captivating and deeply moving.' Richard Coles 'Evocative, beautifully written . . . conjures locations and feelings almost magically.' Jeremy Vine 'My brain has made the decision . . . I am going to love this book.' Richard Hawley There was a time when he felt like the undisputed King of...

Recién casada, una joven danesa, aristócrata y refinada, hija y hermana de militares, viaja a Kenia, donde permanece durante diecisiete años. Esta experiencia da lugar a una novela que es una encendida declaración de amor a unos paisajes, a unas gentes y a unas culturas situadas en el polo opuesto de lo que había sido su pasado familiar y social. Poseída por la misma pulsión de Sherezade, Isak Dinesen nos sumerge en un relato que se prolonga a lo largo de páginas encantadas: el de su vida en África y el de la vida de los que la rodeaban, europeos o somalíes, kikuyus o masais.

Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed...

When it comes to Skinheads, I see a lot of people these days re-writing history, whitewashing the youth cult or bending the truth to suit their political narrative. I spent over ten years of my young life as a London Bootboy and became one of the most famous Skinheads in the world. Being a Skinhead had a profound effect on me. Even though I walked away from that life, and left it in the last century, I still feel the shockwaves of my experience and still find people with nefarious agendas trying to tell their version of my story.

In his most personal and powerful release to date, Edward A. Julian, Sr., shares a gripping account of his journey from incarceration to transformation. With unflinching honesty, he exposes the raw realities of prison life, challenges the myths surrounding reentry, and unveils the mindset required to break destructive cycles and step boldly into purpose.

In 1654, 23 Jewish families arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York) aboard a French privateer. They were the Sephardim, members of a proud orthodox sect that had served as royal advisors and honored professionals under Moorish rule in Spain and Portugal but were then exiled by intolerant monarchs. A small, closed, and intensely private community, the Sephardim soon established themselves as businessmen and financiers. They became powerful forces in society, with some, like banker Haym Salomon, even providing financial support to George Washington's army during the American Revolution.

One of the most important figures in the Scots revival of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is Billy Kay. Through radio, television, plays, creative writing and especially his hugely influential book Scots The Mither Tongue, Kay’s work helped change people’s negative perception of Scots and paved the way for its acceptance as a key element in Scottish cultural identity.

The story of Garabed Kiremidjian whose parents escaped the Armenian Genocide only to be caught up in further conflict in Cyprus. His story is a glimpse into the life of an Armenian family working their way out of the poverty of 1920’s Cyprus, living through the fight for independence from the British and suffering further during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

In almost 60 years of professional life, John Tusa has fought for and sometimes against the major arts and political institutions in the country. A distinguished journalist, broadcaster and leader of arts organisations, he has stood up publicly for the independence of the BBC, the need for public funding of the arts and for the integrity of universities. He has made enemies in the process.