Emphasizing personal style, Joan Barzilay Freund’s Defining Style is a freeing, inspiring and extremely innovative look at interior design.
Emphasizing personal style, Joan Barzilay Freund’s Defining Style is a freeing, inspiring and extremely innovative look at interior design.
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How did humanity develop? Why have some societies thrived for long periods and others disappeared quickly? What decisions or unexpected turns of events made the difference between survival or extinction? Is past experience a reliable guide to the future? Boston University historian David Fromkin explores the above and many other questions in The Way of the World, his superbly crafted historical analysis of the story of humanity and civilization. Fromkin focuses on change, from the beginning of the universe, as scientists presently understand it, to a look at how it could affect our future. He concentrates primarily on the way human beings have organized and governed themselves and dealt with the crucial issues of war, peace, and survival. But he also acknowledges the central influence of religion and art. The influence on history by the founders of the major religions, he notes, endured over the ages and eventually far exceeded that of even the most successful generals and politicians . . . 4 billion of the 5.5 billion people alive today remain adherents of one or another of the religions they founded. Art is viewed by Fromkin as a magical gift. We have a tendency to regard the arts as products of civilization rather than an innate impulse. The evidence instead seems to show that they are basic to our nature, for they flourished prior to civilization. They are among the first unique manifestations of humanity. In graceful prose Fromkin traces events from the development of the first city-state in Sumer to today’s world which, while it is the world America wanted, it is not a world that America made. He examines the works of Herodotus and Thucydides, the latter’s history of what we call the Peloponnesian Wars, the first book to provide moral criticism of history and politics. He discusses the rise and fall of Rome, particularly as interpreted by Edward Gibbon. Taking a long view, Fromkin writes: The wonder of ancient history was not that one civilization, that of Rome and the classical Mediterranean, failed, but that so many others succeeded, many of them brilliantly. Fromkin does not agree with those who say that Europe’s takeover of the rest of the world was deliberate or intended. Only afterwards could it be seen that Europe had conquered the world; and even then we might disagree as to why it happened. Fromkin has the rare ability to convey a lot of information, often on difficult or sophisticated subjects, with a few beautifully constructed sentences. He also helps us to understand some things differently. Fromkin asserts that the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation are all misleading designations. He suggests that the Goths were looking for pastureland in Roman territory where they could settle, safe from the Huns. ( So far as historians can judge, it was not their original intention to put the empire or its cities to the torch. ) Fromkin also posits that the similar experimental approaches of Prince Henry the Navigator and Thomas Edison, in quite different areas, centuries apart, exemplified the rationalist frame of mind that took Europe out of medieval religion and into modern times. Fromkin demonstrates that irony is a major theme in history. He writes, Many if not most of the major happenings of the twentieth century took the world by surprise. Today, Science is said to be the faith of the modern world, it is the basis of our hopes for the future . . . As for the future, however, Fromkin is not optimistic about predictions, . . . yet many of us probably most of us either do not understand [science] or do not accept as true that which it tells us. Roger Bishop is a regular contributor to BookPage.

How did humanity develop? Why have some societies thrived for long periods and others disappeared quickly? What decisions or unexpected turns of events made the difference between survival or extinction? Is past experience a reliable guide to the future? Boston University historian David Fromkin explores…

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I once read that a marriage is maintained by combining equal measures of dewy-eyed romanticism with clear-eyed realism. Well, the adoption of a child is much the same. You have to believe in the child’s unique value. At the same time, you’ve got to acknowledge the challenges that come with the territory.

Parents at Last contributes greatly to the romanticism involved in adoption and other ways of achieving parenthood: surrogate, in-vitro, and other technological innovations. The variety of stories (each written by the parents) are accompanied by delightful photographs by Helen Kolikow Garber.

Robert and Evelyne McNamara of California decided to adopt a Chinese infant after the death of their youngest child from a brain tumor. Paul Montz of Arizona also adopted two children from China as a single gay dad. Susan Hollander, who founded the Alliance for Donor Insemination Families in 1995, achieved parenthood in this fashion. Congresswoman Connie Morella of Maryland became an adoptive parent after the tragic death of her sister, adopting all six of her beloved sister’s sons and daughters. Then come the awe-inspiring parents like Peg Marengo and Alison Smith of Worcester, Massachusetts, who created a second family after their biological families had grown up by adopting the throwaway kids in our society. They began with Luci, a two-year-old with AIDS. Finally, comes the note of realism from Torin Scott of Scottsdale, Arizona, who counsels parents of special needs adoptions and is one herself: Abuse and neglect before and after birth exact a huge toll. It is important to grieve over who the child might have been, and then let it go. Love unconditionally. Love fiercely. Love enough for both of you, and realize that love alone is not enough. It takes commitment, endurance and acceptance. This book is a lovely paean to the couples and single men and women who persevere in their efforts to become and remain parents.

Rosemary Zibart is a writer in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

I once read that a marriage is maintained by combining equal measures of dewy-eyed romanticism with clear-eyed realism. Well, the adoption of a child is much the same. You have to believe in the child's unique value. At the same time, you've got to acknowledge…

In this rich cultural and natural history, Jack E. Davis’ dazzling writing evokes the bald eagle’s majesty as he explores its place in American history.
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One Year Off is the charming narrative of a couple’s wild idea to sell their house and possessions, close their business, take their three small children out of school, and embark on a year of round-the-world travel. The reader is left with a combined adventure, memoir, history, and travel narrative, all wrapped into a tender account of a family meeting life head-on.

The author does not sugar-coat the trials of spending a year in cramped quarters with his entire family. Tales of finicky eaters and uncooperative toilets are interwoven with the wonders of the world and the adventure of a lifetime. Why does a man do this? In his own words, to gain a fresh perspective on life, to develop an equanimity, a balance. Is it surprising that thoughts formulating this trip began to surface close to the author’s 40th birthday? The book is presented as a series of lengthy emails from the far-flung outposts of the globe. Just how far-flung? Visa stamps accumulate from Costa Rica, Sardinia, Turkey, South Africa, India, Bangkok, and Cambodia. Cohen is the author and co-producer of the popular series of photographic essay coffee-table books of the 1980s known as the Day in the Life series. As he began to reach middle age, he felt the desire to purify [his] life and reclaim [his] old spirit. Cohen is blessed with an adventuresome wife already accustomed to world travel.

The Cohens barge through French wine country, sample cappuccino and pastries in Tuscany, roam the streets of Istanbul, tour wild game preserves in Zimbabwe, sleep with nomadic desert tribes in India, pick through the ruins at Angkor Wat, swim with dolphins in western Australia, float up the Mekong River into Laos, and watch the giant fireworks display during the British divestiture of Hong Kong. Throughout it all, regardless of discomfort or expense, the family thrives. The author paints a portrait of the beauty of travel and the excitement of the wide, wide world.

One Year Off is the charming narrative of a couple's wild idea to sell their house and possessions, close their business, take their three small children out of school, and embark on a year of round-the-world travel. The reader is left with a combined adventure,…

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We tend to think of flower growers and collectors as timid, gentle souls who spend their days wistfully tending to their colorful collections and praying for a little rain. But in these true-life dispatches by New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, we're introduced to one particular strain of botanist that's chock full of characters, crazies, and con men—the orchid lover. With a skillful blending of keen journalism, historical background, and first-person narrative, Orlean takes us behind the scenes in the highly competitive (and often combative) world of Florida's orchid scene.

Inspired by a newspaper account of three Seminole Indians and a white man (John Laroche, the thief of the title) facing trial for stealing some prize specimens out of a protected swamp area, Orlean introduces us to a cast of real-life plant smugglers, obsessed collectors, dealers who encourage breeding with their "stud" flowers, and even a country-singing flamboyant Seminole chief. All of their lives somehow intertwine with Laroche, who is, according to Orlean, the "most moral amoral man" she's ever met. Oddly handsome (though he's missing all his teeth), Laroche is equal parts slimy con man and moralizing do-gooder. He's also an unforgettable literary presence.

Orlean also writes thoroughly on the politics and business of Florida real estate, the history of orchid growing and hunting, and Native American relations. And though these pages sometimes read like a dry biology textbook, they are populated with peculiar information, like the true tales of the Victorian orchid hunters who often risked life and limb to claim rare flowers for their rich patrons — sort of like a horticultural Indiana Jones.

The Orchid Thief is being compared to the spirit of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. But while the author of that monster-selling tome took a backseat to his cast of southern eccentrics and the area's unique sociology, Orlean offers a more compartmentalized book readable in segments. As readers of the novels of Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard will tell you, the steamy state of Florida is full of tropical schemers, hidden secrets, and dirty dealings on or by the water. And all of them are present here—except in this case, they're real. In the end, The Orchid Thief will make you look twice at that nice little old lady in the greenhouse with the glint in her eye.

We tend to think of flower growers and collectors as timid, gentle souls who spend their days wistfully tending to their colorful collections and praying for a little rain. But in these true-life dispatches by New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, we're introduced to one particular…

The tale of a British ship called the Bounty and the subsequent mutiny of some of its sailors has been endlessly scrutinized, romanticized and depicted ever since the event occurred in the late 1700s. With so many memoirs, historical accounts and fictional tales based on the Bounty’s story, it’s easy to assume that nothing new could be unearthed or written about it. But in his debut book, The Far Land: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific, travel journalist Brandon Presser does exactly that, and brilliantly. By sifting through many of these prior texts, as well as other resources such as captain’s logs and interviews, Presser has managed to create a fact-based book that reads as grippingly as any thriller.

As a travel writer, Presser has crisscrossed the world to report on memorable locales and adventures. When he was offered the chance to do a story on Pitcairn, the tiny, isolated isle in the South Pacific that became the home of the Bounty’s mutineers, and where 48 of their descendants still live, he knew he had to take it, driven by his need “to know what happened when you fell off the map.” Visiting Pitcairn, a full month’s journey from his home in New York, certainly falls into that category.

Presser spent three years researching and writing this thorough account of the mutiny on the Bounty and its aftermath. In the process, Presser spent time on both Pitcairn Island and Norfolk Island in Australia, where some of the mutineers’ descendants later migrated. His narrative toggles between past and present, fleshing out the timeline of events—epic in nature and sprawling in scope—and cast of characters, particularly the Tahitians who accompanied the mutineers to Pitcairn and whose roles have previously been underrepresented.

Although some facts remain a mystery (such as the breaking point that made Fletcher Christian snap and take over the ship from Captain William Bligh), Presser’s detailed interpretation allows many of the formerly fuzzy pieces to fall into place. His personal experience on the islands combined with fastidious research make The Far Land such an incredible, unforgettable tale that Presser had to stress in an author’s note that it is “indeed a work of nonfiction.”

Brandon Presser's brilliant book about the infamous 1700s mutiny aboard the Bounty is as gripping as any thriller.
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Amy Bloom is known for examining the dynamics of intimate relationships in her fiction (White Houses, Lucky Us), yet never has she gotten closer to the flame than in this memoir of her marriage. In Love begins, as Blooms puts it, with a “not quite normal” trip to Zurich. She traveled there with her husband, Brian, in January 2020, but the plan was for her to return without him. This is because her husband was pursuing a medically assisted suicide following his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

In the compressed, gripping pages that follow, scenes alternate between the couple’s grim journey and the strenuous months that led up to it. “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees,” Brian commented within days of his diagnosis. Because he was already experiencing mild dementia, it fell to Bloom, who had always been strong and resourceful, to figure out the logistics of what came next. The window of opportunity was small: A key criterion of an accompanied suicide is that the patient should be capable of making an independent and firm decision. With pressure mounting, Bloom explored options on the dark web, wept with friends and therapists, and received deep, unshakable support from the people she loves, including her sister, who gave her $30,000 to cover the next few months’ costs. (Medically assisted suicide is not inexpensive.)

Bloom, in turn, was steadfastly present to Brian, though the couple’s emotional connection, she makes clear, flickered unevenly. The mundane was still inescapable. Words spoken hastily were regretted for months afterward. Suffering simply hurts, but Bloom shares the details without flinching. “Please write about this,” Brian exhorted her.

Just as Bloom found comfort in watching videos made by families navigating this impossible situation, In Love now offers comfort to those who follow in her footsteps. People who are disturbed by the way death in the United States seems increasingly impersonal, or passionate about giving the people they love agency to do what they want to do, will strongly connect to this book—but so will anyone interested in deep stories of human connection.

Amy Bloom is known for examining the dynamics of intimacy in her fiction, but she has never gotten closer to the flame than in this memoir of her marriage.

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