A Florida State of Mind

A Florida State of Mind PDF Author: James D. Wright
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 1250185653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
A witty history of the state that's always in the news, for everything from alligator attacks to zany crimes. There's an old clip of Bugs Bunny sawing the entire state of Florida off the continent—and every single time a news story springs up about some shenanigans in Florida, someone on the internet posts it in response. Why are we so ready to wave goodbye to the Sunshine State? In A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State, James D. Wright makes the case that there are plenty of reasons to be scandalized by the land and its sometimes-kooky, sometimes-terrifying denizens, but there's also plenty of room for hilarity. Florida didn't just become weird; it's built that way. Uncharted swampland doesn't easily give way to sprawling suburbia. It took violent colonization, land scams to trick non-Floridians into buying undeveloped property, and the development of railroads to benefit one man's hotel empire. Even the most natural parts of Florida are unnatural. Florida citrus? Not from here, but from China. Gators? Oh, they're from Florida all right, but that doesn't make having 1 per every 20 humans normal. Animals...in the form of roadkill? Only Florida allows you to keep anything you kill on the road (and anything you find). Yet everyone loves Florida: tourists come in droves, and people relocate to Florida constantly (only 36% of residents were born there). Crammed with unforgettable stories and facts, Florida will show readers exactly why.

A Florida State of Mind

A Florida State of Mind PDF Author: James D. Wright
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 1250185653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
A witty history of the state that's always in the news, for everything from alligator attacks to zany crimes. There's an old clip of Bugs Bunny sawing the entire state of Florida off the continent—and every single time a news story springs up about some shenanigans in Florida, someone on the internet posts it in response. Why are we so ready to wave goodbye to the Sunshine State? In A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State, James D. Wright makes the case that there are plenty of reasons to be scandalized by the land and its sometimes-kooky, sometimes-terrifying denizens, but there's also plenty of room for hilarity. Florida didn't just become weird; it's built that way. Uncharted swampland doesn't easily give way to sprawling suburbia. It took violent colonization, land scams to trick non-Floridians into buying undeveloped property, and the development of railroads to benefit one man's hotel empire. Even the most natural parts of Florida are unnatural. Florida citrus? Not from here, but from China. Gators? Oh, they're from Florida all right, but that doesn't make having 1 per every 20 humans normal. Animals...in the form of roadkill? Only Florida allows you to keep anything you kill on the road (and anything you find). Yet everyone loves Florida: tourists come in droves, and people relocate to Florida constantly (only 36% of residents were born there). Crammed with unforgettable stories and facts, Florida will show readers exactly why.

Out of Mind Out of Sight

Out of Mind Out of Sight PDF Author: Sally J. Ling
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781480101517
Category : Asylums
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
KINDLE BOOK REVIEW, 2014 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS SEMIFINALISTOut of Mind, Out of Sight is a revealing history of the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee from construction of its original buildings in 1834 as part of the Chattahoochee Federal Arsenal during the Second Seminole War, to its current role-treating individuals who have been civilly and forensically committed.To put the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee in perspective, the story is set against a backdrop of the evolution of institutionalized mental health care both in the U.S. and Florida where new emerging treatments-insulin, Metrozol and electroconvulsive (ECT) shock therapies, as well as lobotomies-became part of patient treatment plans. For years, the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee had quite a reputation-most of it bad; but, the institution was not alone. For decades throughout the country, state facilities earned shocking reputations for their inadequate care and mistreatment of the mentally ill. Even more chilling was the incarceration of thousands of men and women who were not mentally ill at all, but due to ignorance and prejudice on the part of the public, medical profession, and court system, were confined for epilepsy, sunbathing nude, smoking, menopause or other "egregious" offenses.Some may wonder why an account of the obscure facility at Chattahoochee is important. The answer lies in its dual role as historic physical facility and evolving mental institution that, when combined, paint a poignant portrait of Florida-its history, its laws and its people; and it is incumbent upon historians to preserve this picture-the good, the bad, and the ugly-for generations to come.

Florida

Florida PDF Author: Lauren Groff
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473558492
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Magnificent . . . Lauren Groff is a virtuoso' Emily St John Mandel 'A blistering collection . . . lyrical and oblique' Guardian 'Not to be missed . . . deep and dark and resonant' Ann Patchett 'It's beautiful. It's giving me rich, grand nightmares' Observer In these vigorous stories, Lauren Groff brings her electric storytelling to a world in which storms, snakes and sinkholes lurk at the edge of everyday life, but the greater threats are of a human, emotional and psychological nature. Among those navigating it all are a resourceful pair of abandoned sisters; a lonely boy, grown up; a restless, childless couple; a searching, homeless woman; and an unforgettable conflicted wife and mother. Florida is an exploration of the connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and despair, love and fury. 'Innovative and terrifyingly relevant. Any one of these stories is a bracing read; together they form a masterpiece' Stylist 'Lushly evocative . . . mesmerising . . . a writer whose turn of phrase can stop you on your tracks' Financial Times

Sunshine State

Sunshine State PDF Author: Sarah Gerard
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062434888
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book Here

Book Description
Longlisted for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay • Finalist for the Southern Book Prize A New York Times Critics’ Best Books of the Year • An NPR Best Book of the Year • A NYLON Best Nonfiction Book of the Year • A Buzzfeed Best Nonfiction Book of the Year • An Entrophy Magazine Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year • A Brooklyn Rail Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year • A Baltimore Beat Best Book of the Year A Paris Review Staff Pick • A Chicago Tribune Exciting Book for 2017 • A Rolling Stone Culture Index Reccomendation • A Buzzfeed Most Exciting Book for 2017 • A The Millions Great 2017 Book Preview Pick • A Huffington Post 2017 Preview Pick • A NYLON Best 10 Books of the Month • A Lit Hub 15 Books to Read This Month A Poets & Writers New and Noteworth Selection • A PW Top 10 Spring Pick in Essays & Literary Criticism • An Emma Straub Reccomendation on PBS “One of the themes of ‘Sunshine State,’ Sarah Gerard’s striking book of essays, is how Florida can unmoor you and make you reach for shoddy, off-the-shelf solutions to your psychic unease…. The first essay is a knockout, a lurid red heart wrapped in barbed wire.... This essay draws blood.” — Dwight Garner, New York Times "Unflinchingly candid memoir bolstered by thoughtfully researched history…. A nuanced and subtly intimate mosaic… her writing, lucid yet atmospheric, takes on a timeless ebb and flow.” — Jason Heller, NPR.org "Stunning." — Rolling Stone “These large-hearted, meticulous essays offer an uncanny x-ray of our national psyche... showing us both the grand beauty of our American dreams and the heartbreaking devastation they wreak.” — Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You Sarah Gerard follows her breakout novel, Binary Star, with the dynamic essay collection Sunshine State, which explores Florida as a microcosm of the most pressing economic and environmental perils haunting our society. In the collection’s title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar’s Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he “rescues” never quite add up. Gerard’s personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard’s first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class. With the personal insight of The Empathy Exams, the societal exposal of Nickel and Dimed, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel Binary Star, Sarah Gerard’s Sunshine State uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.

Best. State. Ever.

Best. State. Ever. PDF Author: Dave Barry
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101982616
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book Here

Book Description
A New York Times bestseller—a brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry. We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state's acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ. Join him as he goes in hunt of the legendary Skunk Ape; hobnobs with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs; and visits Cassadaga, the psychic capital of the world, to have his dog's aura read (apparently, she's "very spiritual"). Hitch a ride for the non-stop thrills of alligator-wrestling ("the gators display the same fighting spirit as a Barcalounger"), the hair-raising spectacle of a clothing-optional bar in Key West, and the manly manliness of the Machine Gun Experience in Miami. It's the most hilarious book yet from “the funniest damn writer in the whole country” (Carl Hiaasen, and he should know). By the end, you'll have to admit that whatever else you might think about Florida—you can never say it's boring.

Finding Florida

Finding Florida PDF Author: T. D. Allman
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802120768
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 578

Get Book Here

Book Description
Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.

A Land Remembered

A Land Remembered PDF Author: Patrick D Smith
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561645826
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Get Book Here

Book Description
A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

The History of Florida

The History of Florida PDF Author: Michael Gannon
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813063787
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 608

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the heralded “definitive history” of Florida. No other book so fully or accurately captures the highs and lows, the grandeur and the craziness, the horrors and the glories of the past 500 years in the Land of Sunshine. Twenty-three leading historians, assembled by renowned scholar Michael Gannon, offer a wealth of perspectives and expertise to create a comprehensive, balanced view of Florida’s sweeping story. The chapters cover such diverse topics as the maritime heritage of Florida, the exploits of the state’s first developers, the astounding population boom of the twentieth century, and the environmental changes that threaten the future of Florida’s beautiful wetlands. Celebrating Florida’s role at the center of important historical movements, from the earliest colonial interactions in North America to the nation’s social and political climate today, The History of Florida is an invaluable resource on the complex past of this dynamic state. Contributors: Charles W. Arnade | Canter Brown Jr. | Amy Turner Bushnell | David R. Colburn | William S. Coker | Amy Mitchell-Cook | Jack E. Davis | Robin F. A. Fabel | Michael Gannon | Thomas Graham | John H. Hann | Dr Della Scott-Ireton | Maxine D. Jones | Jane Landers | Eugene Lyon | John K. Mahon | Jerald T. Milanich | Raymond A. Mohl | Gary R. Mormino | Susan Richbourg Parker | George E. Pozzetta | Samuel Proctor | William W. Rogers | Daniel L. Schafer | Jerrell H. Shofner | Dr. Robert A. Taylor | Brent R. Weisman

Up for Grabs

Up for Grabs PDF Author: John Rothchild
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813018294
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Grand reading. Rothchild's scenario deliciously underscores the bizarre quality of Florida."--Publishers Weekly "A story of rapacity and gall told with bemused admiration for the waves of visionaries and scamps who have left their mark on the Sunshine State . . . a tale of the wild, wild South in which motives, loyalties, and identities are lost in a tangle of crime and counterinsurgency."--Time A wandering Floridian who made his way home in the early 1970s, John Rothchild writes about the state with the savvy of a native and the perspective of an outsider. His personal and historical travelogue reads alternately like a litany of 20th-century ills and a Monty Python rendering of the Great American Dream. In Florida, both versions are true. Settled through the chicanery of a few enterprising brokers and real estate wizards, Rothchild's Florida is a civilization built from scratch, out of the most unusual ingredients. While much of the state seems younger than many of its inhabitants, he observes, it hosts all the modern demographic, economic, and social problems. Still, those ills don't dispel the magic of its sunshine, beaches, and exotic fauna or undermine its status as a great American myth. Told within the framework of Rothchild's travels from Miami to the Everglades, around the state and back again, Up for Grabs is part history, part travelogue, part journalism, part autobiography--a humorous and appreciative tour of a society fabricated from a state of mind and erected on land that was "ninety percent underwater ninety percent of the time." John Rothchild , a former editor of Washington Monthly, columnist for Time and Fortune, and contributor to Esquire, Rolling Stone, Harper's Magazine, and the New York Times Magazine, is author or coauthor of nine books, including A Fool and His Money and Voice of the River, the autobiography of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. He lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

Dead Is a State of Mind

Dead Is a State of Mind PDF Author: Marlene Perez
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0152062106
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
When a gorgeous new student's prediction that a teacher will be murdered comes true, seventeen-year-old Daisy is determined to solve the crime, but when all signs point to the killer being a werewolf, she fears she is in over her head.