Author: Brando Skyhorse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439170843
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours. With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife. The Esperanzas’ shifting lives connect with those of various members of their neighborhood. A day laborer trolls the streets for work with men half his age and witnesses a murder that pits his morality against his illegal status; a religious hypocrite gets her comeuppance when she meets the Virgin Mary at a bus stop on Sunset Boulevard; a typical bus route turns violent when cultures and egos collide in the night, with devastating results; and Aurora goes on a journey through her gentrified childhood neighborhood in a quest to discover her own history and her place in the land that all Mexican Americans dream of, "the land that belongs to us again." Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie, Brando Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.
The Madonnas of Echo Park
Author: Brando Skyhorse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439170843
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours. With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife. The Esperanzas’ shifting lives connect with those of various members of their neighborhood. A day laborer trolls the streets for work with men half his age and witnesses a murder that pits his morality against his illegal status; a religious hypocrite gets her comeuppance when she meets the Virgin Mary at a bus stop on Sunset Boulevard; a typical bus route turns violent when cultures and egos collide in the night, with devastating results; and Aurora goes on a journey through her gentrified childhood neighborhood in a quest to discover her own history and her place in the land that all Mexican Americans dream of, "the land that belongs to us again." Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie, Brando Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439170843
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours. With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife. The Esperanzas’ shifting lives connect with those of various members of their neighborhood. A day laborer trolls the streets for work with men half his age and witnesses a murder that pits his morality against his illegal status; a religious hypocrite gets her comeuppance when she meets the Virgin Mary at a bus stop on Sunset Boulevard; a typical bus route turns violent when cultures and egos collide in the night, with devastating results; and Aurora goes on a journey through her gentrified childhood neighborhood in a quest to discover her own history and her place in the land that all Mexican Americans dream of, "the land that belongs to us again." Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie, Brando Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.
My Name Is Iris
Author: Brando Skyhorse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 198217787X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
“Brilliant.” —The Washington Post * “Nuanced and compelling.” —The New York Times From the PEN/Hemingway Award–winning author of The Madonnas of Echo Park, an engrossing dystopian novel set in a near-future America where mandatory identification wristbands turn second-generation immigrants into second-class citizens—“a well-imagined allegory of divisive racial politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Iris Prince is starting over. After years of drifting apart, she and her husband are going through a surprisingly drama-free divorce. She’s moved to a new house in a new neighborhood, and has plans for gardening, coffee clubs, and spending more time with her nine-year-old daughter Melanie. It feels like her life is finally exactly what she wants it to be. Then, one beautiful morning, she looks outside her kitchen window—and sees that a wall has appeared in her front yard overnight. Where did it come from? What does it mean? And why does it seem to keep growing? Meanwhile, a Silicon Valley startup has launched a high-tech wrist wearable called “the Band.” Pitched as a convenient, eco-friendly tool to help track local utilities and replace driver’s licenses and IDs, the Band is available only to those who can prove parental citizenship. Suddenly, Iris, a proud second-generation Mexican American, is now of “unverifiable origin,” unable to prove who she is, or where she, and her undocumented loved ones, belong. Amid a climate of fear and hate-fueled violence, Iris must confront how far she'll go to protect what matters to her most. “Part social commentary and part thoughtful consideration of themes that include family, identity, transitions, perspectives, and hope” (Shelf Awareness), My Name Is Iris is an all-too-possible story that offers a brilliant and timely look at one woman’s journey to discover who she can’t—and can—be.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 198217787X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
“Brilliant.” —The Washington Post * “Nuanced and compelling.” —The New York Times From the PEN/Hemingway Award–winning author of The Madonnas of Echo Park, an engrossing dystopian novel set in a near-future America where mandatory identification wristbands turn second-generation immigrants into second-class citizens—“a well-imagined allegory of divisive racial politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Iris Prince is starting over. After years of drifting apart, she and her husband are going through a surprisingly drama-free divorce. She’s moved to a new house in a new neighborhood, and has plans for gardening, coffee clubs, and spending more time with her nine-year-old daughter Melanie. It feels like her life is finally exactly what she wants it to be. Then, one beautiful morning, she looks outside her kitchen window—and sees that a wall has appeared in her front yard overnight. Where did it come from? What does it mean? And why does it seem to keep growing? Meanwhile, a Silicon Valley startup has launched a high-tech wrist wearable called “the Band.” Pitched as a convenient, eco-friendly tool to help track local utilities and replace driver’s licenses and IDs, the Band is available only to those who can prove parental citizenship. Suddenly, Iris, a proud second-generation Mexican American, is now of “unverifiable origin,” unable to prove who she is, or where she, and her undocumented loved ones, belong. Amid a climate of fear and hate-fueled violence, Iris must confront how far she'll go to protect what matters to her most. “Part social commentary and part thoughtful consideration of themes that include family, identity, transitions, perspectives, and hope” (Shelf Awareness), My Name Is Iris is an all-too-possible story that offers a brilliant and timely look at one woman’s journey to discover who she can’t—and can—be.
Try to Remember
Author: Iris Gomez
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446569100
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 252
Book Description
An award-winning poet and expert in US immigration and asylum law delivers a powerful novel about a daughter's attempt to sustain her family as her father struggles with his mental health. "Lyrical, poignant, and smart, as compassionate and hopeful as it is heartbreaking...a novel you will never forget." -- Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us If she tries, Gabriela can almost remember when her father went off to work . . . when her mother wasn't struggling to undo the damage he caused . . . when a short temper didn't lead to physical violence. But Gabi cannot live in the past, not when one more outburst could jeopardize her family's future. So she trades the life of a normal Miami teenager for a career of carefully managing her father's delusions and guarding her mother's secrets. As Gabi navigates her family's twisting path of lies and revelations, relationships and loss, she finds moments of happiness in unexpected places. Ultimately Gabi must discover the strength she needs to choose what's right for her: serving her parents or a future of her own.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446569100
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 252
Book Description
An award-winning poet and expert in US immigration and asylum law delivers a powerful novel about a daughter's attempt to sustain her family as her father struggles with his mental health. "Lyrical, poignant, and smart, as compassionate and hopeful as it is heartbreaking...a novel you will never forget." -- Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us If she tries, Gabriela can almost remember when her father went off to work . . . when her mother wasn't struggling to undo the damage he caused . . . when a short temper didn't lead to physical violence. But Gabi cannot live in the past, not when one more outburst could jeopardize her family's future. So she trades the life of a normal Miami teenager for a career of carefully managing her father's delusions and guarding her mother's secrets. As Gabi navigates her family's twisting path of lies and revelations, relationships and loss, she finds moments of happiness in unexpected places. Ultimately Gabi must discover the strength she needs to choose what's right for her: serving her parents or a future of her own.
Iris and the Tiger
Author: Leanne Hall
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 1922253456
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Twelve-year-old Iris has been sent to Spain on a mission: to make sure her elderly and unusual aunt, Ursula, leaves her fortune–and her sprawling estate–to Iris’s scheming parents. But from the moment Iris arrives at Bosque de Nubes, she realises something isn’t quite right. There is an odd feeling around the house, where time moves slowly and Iris’s eyes play tricks on her. While outside, in the wild and untamed forest, a mysterious animal moves through the shadows. Just what is Aunt Ursula hiding? But when Iris discovers a painting named Iris and the Tiger, she sets out to uncover the animal’s real identity–putting her life in terrible danger. Leanne Hall is an author of novels for young adults including the Text Prize-winning This Is Shyness and its sequel Queen of the Night. Iris and the Tiger is her first work for younger readers. Leanne has had shorter pieces published in Meanjin, Age, Best Australian Stories and the anthology Growing Up Asian In Australia. Her work plays with the borders of reality and fantasy. Leanne has worked in the arts, educational publishing and as a bookseller, but her enduring passion is for youth literature. ‘The surrealist magic is the most refreshing element of the book: it’s a kind of magical realism that is unusual in children’s and YA fantasy...Iris and the Tiger will appeal to older primary and younger high-school readers who like magic and are, like Iris, bored by teen romances.’ Books+Publishing ‘Iris and the Tiger is its own piece of surrealist art. It’s inexplicably wondrous and confusing...It’s confusing if you try to explain it too much. But it resonates, and it offers you a glimpse into a new world. And it defies labels, and challenges preconceptions.’ CBCA Reading Time ‘This is a very special book...I love that younger readers get to experience the writing of Leanne Hall, and I especially love that Iris and the Tiger will also surprise and delight older readers alike.’ Alpha Reader ‘Iris and the Tiger has all the hallmarks of a classic children’s novel...A great adventure novel.’Readings ‘Full of surprises and unexpected turnings.’ Magpies ‘I absolutely loved Iris and the Tiger! Leanne Hall enchanted me with her tale of magic and mystery.’ My Best Friends Are Books ‘Leanne Hall’s charming adventure story for younger readers takes classic tropes of children’s literature and gives them a surprising twist.’ Age/Sydney Morning Herald ‘A quirky, cleareyed enchantment. More like this, please!’ Kirkus ‘Enchanting...Bound to appeal to tweens glimpsing the excitement of growing up.’ Daily Telegraph ‘The writing flows so naturally that you are easily taken along on this journey with Iris...This is a book that just keeps giving.’ New Zealand Book Council ‘This is a wonderful story of finding your true self (and true friends) in a foreign land.’ Best Middle Fiction Books of 2016, Readings ‘Inspired by surrealist art, Leanne Hall’s book is full of wondrous details...This is magic realism translated for a middle primary audience.’ Best Books of 2016, Sydney Morning Herald ‘A stunning, surreal tale for younger readers.’ Favourite Feminist Reads of 2016, Feminist Writers Festival ‘Fantasy fans will delight in the wackiness, the surprising plot, and the family secrets revealed. Best of all is Iris’ growing confidence amid the chaos.’ Booklist ‘There are lots of twists in this book and I never knew what was going to happen next...Recommended to anyone who likes magical adventure stories.’ Kookie Magazine
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 1922253456
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Twelve-year-old Iris has been sent to Spain on a mission: to make sure her elderly and unusual aunt, Ursula, leaves her fortune–and her sprawling estate–to Iris’s scheming parents. But from the moment Iris arrives at Bosque de Nubes, she realises something isn’t quite right. There is an odd feeling around the house, where time moves slowly and Iris’s eyes play tricks on her. While outside, in the wild and untamed forest, a mysterious animal moves through the shadows. Just what is Aunt Ursula hiding? But when Iris discovers a painting named Iris and the Tiger, she sets out to uncover the animal’s real identity–putting her life in terrible danger. Leanne Hall is an author of novels for young adults including the Text Prize-winning This Is Shyness and its sequel Queen of the Night. Iris and the Tiger is her first work for younger readers. Leanne has had shorter pieces published in Meanjin, Age, Best Australian Stories and the anthology Growing Up Asian In Australia. Her work plays with the borders of reality and fantasy. Leanne has worked in the arts, educational publishing and as a bookseller, but her enduring passion is for youth literature. ‘The surrealist magic is the most refreshing element of the book: it’s a kind of magical realism that is unusual in children’s and YA fantasy...Iris and the Tiger will appeal to older primary and younger high-school readers who like magic and are, like Iris, bored by teen romances.’ Books+Publishing ‘Iris and the Tiger is its own piece of surrealist art. It’s inexplicably wondrous and confusing...It’s confusing if you try to explain it too much. But it resonates, and it offers you a glimpse into a new world. And it defies labels, and challenges preconceptions.’ CBCA Reading Time ‘This is a very special book...I love that younger readers get to experience the writing of Leanne Hall, and I especially love that Iris and the Tiger will also surprise and delight older readers alike.’ Alpha Reader ‘Iris and the Tiger has all the hallmarks of a classic children’s novel...A great adventure novel.’Readings ‘Full of surprises and unexpected turnings.’ Magpies ‘I absolutely loved Iris and the Tiger! Leanne Hall enchanted me with her tale of magic and mystery.’ My Best Friends Are Books ‘Leanne Hall’s charming adventure story for younger readers takes classic tropes of children’s literature and gives them a surprising twist.’ Age/Sydney Morning Herald ‘A quirky, cleareyed enchantment. More like this, please!’ Kirkus ‘Enchanting...Bound to appeal to tweens glimpsing the excitement of growing up.’ Daily Telegraph ‘The writing flows so naturally that you are easily taken along on this journey with Iris...This is a book that just keeps giving.’ New Zealand Book Council ‘This is a wonderful story of finding your true self (and true friends) in a foreign land.’ Best Middle Fiction Books of 2016, Readings ‘Inspired by surrealist art, Leanne Hall’s book is full of wondrous details...This is magic realism translated for a middle primary audience.’ Best Books of 2016, Sydney Morning Herald ‘A stunning, surreal tale for younger readers.’ Favourite Feminist Reads of 2016, Feminist Writers Festival ‘Fantasy fans will delight in the wackiness, the surprising plot, and the family secrets revealed. Best of all is Iris’ growing confidence amid the chaos.’ Booklist ‘There are lots of twists in this book and I never knew what was going to happen next...Recommended to anyone who likes magical adventure stories.’ Kookie Magazine
Black Iris
Author: Elliot Wake
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476786429
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating's world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush.. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for. If Laney could erase that whole yeas, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476786429
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating's world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush.. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for. If Laney could erase that whole yeas, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.
Dark Rider
Author: Iris Johansen
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307815714
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
Iris Johansen is “a master among master storytellers” (Affaire de Coeur) and her bestselling novels have won every major romance award, including the coveted Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Now discover the spellbinding world of Iris Johansen in her most tantalizing regency novel yet. From the moment she heard of the arrival of the English ship, Cassandra Deville sensed danger. But she never expected the sensuous invader who stepped out of the shadows of the palms and onto the moonlit beach. Bold, passionate, electrifyingly masculine, Jared Danemount made it clear he had every intention of destroying her father. But the Duke of Morland hardly knew what to make of the exquisite pagan creature who offered herself to him, defiantly declaring that she would use his desire to her own advantage. Still, he could no more resist her challenge than he could ignore the temptation to risk everything for the heat of a woman sworn to betray him. “[Iris Johansen] is one of the romance genre's finest treasures.”—Romantic Times
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307815714
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
Iris Johansen is “a master among master storytellers” (Affaire de Coeur) and her bestselling novels have won every major romance award, including the coveted Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Now discover the spellbinding world of Iris Johansen in her most tantalizing regency novel yet. From the moment she heard of the arrival of the English ship, Cassandra Deville sensed danger. But she never expected the sensuous invader who stepped out of the shadows of the palms and onto the moonlit beach. Bold, passionate, electrifyingly masculine, Jared Danemount made it clear he had every intention of destroying her father. But the Duke of Morland hardly knew what to make of the exquisite pagan creature who offered herself to him, defiantly declaring that she would use his desire to her own advantage. Still, he could no more resist her challenge than he could ignore the temptation to risk everything for the heat of a woman sworn to betray him. “[Iris Johansen] is one of the romance genre's finest treasures.”—Romantic Times
Elegy for Iris
Author: John Bayley
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466854243
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
"I was living in a fairy story--the kind with sinister overtones and not always a happy ending--in which a young man loves a beautiful maiden who returns his love but is always disappearing into some unknown and mysterious world, about which she will reveal nothing." So John Bayley describes his life with his wife, Iris Murdoch, one of the greatest contemporary writers in the English-speaking world, revered for her works of philosophy and beloved for her incandescent novels. In Elegy for Iris, Bayley attempts to uncover the real Iris, whose mysterious world took on darker shades as she descended into Alzheimer's disease. Elegy for Iris is a luminous memoir about the beauty of youth and aging, and a celebration of a brilliant life and an undying love.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466854243
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
"I was living in a fairy story--the kind with sinister overtones and not always a happy ending--in which a young man loves a beautiful maiden who returns his love but is always disappearing into some unknown and mysterious world, about which she will reveal nothing." So John Bayley describes his life with his wife, Iris Murdoch, one of the greatest contemporary writers in the English-speaking world, revered for her works of philosophy and beloved for her incandescent novels. In Elegy for Iris, Bayley attempts to uncover the real Iris, whose mysterious world took on darker shades as she descended into Alzheimer's disease. Elegy for Iris is a luminous memoir about the beauty of youth and aging, and a celebration of a brilliant life and an undying love.
Never Alone
Author: Iris Fisher Smith
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
ISBN: 1646106350
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 449
Book Description
Never Alone By: Iris Fisher Smith Iris Fisher Smith's stories of family, friends and health will show the importance of sticking together with those you love. She had an Italian Grandmother who in her teens idolized Bonnie and Clyde; a father who was friends with Leonard Nimoy; a mother who attended school with the Boston Strangler and more. This family provides a rich history that shaped the author's life and personality. When Life becomes challenging, this is the time we need each other the most. It is important to laugh and play together and enjoy each other’s company.
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
ISBN: 1646106350
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 449
Book Description
Never Alone By: Iris Fisher Smith Iris Fisher Smith's stories of family, friends and health will show the importance of sticking together with those you love. She had an Italian Grandmother who in her teens idolized Bonnie and Clyde; a father who was friends with Leonard Nimoy; a mother who attended school with the Boston Strangler and more. This family provides a rich history that shaped the author's life and personality. When Life becomes challenging, this is the time we need each other the most. It is important to laugh and play together and enjoy each other’s company.
The Book And The Brotherhood
Author: Iris Murdoch
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407019317
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 624
Book Description
It's the midsummer ball at Oxford, and a group of men and women - friends since university days - have gathered under the stars. Included in this group is David Crimond, a genius and fervent Marxist. Years earlier the friends had persuaded David to write a philosophical and political book on their behalf. But opinions and loyalties have changed, and on this summer evening the long-resting ghosts of the past come careering back into the present.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407019317
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 624
Book Description
It's the midsummer ball at Oxford, and a group of men and women - friends since university days - have gathered under the stars. Included in this group is David Crimond, a genius and fervent Marxist. Years earlier the friends had persuaded David to write a philosophical and political book on their behalf. But opinions and loyalties have changed, and on this summer evening the long-resting ghosts of the past come careering back into the present.
Iris Grace
Author: Arabella Carter-Johnson
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 1510719806
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 494
Book Description
Iris Grace is a beautiful little girl who, from a very young age, barely communicated, avoided social interaction with other people, and rarely smiled. From both before her diagnosis of autism and after, she seemed trapped in her own world, unable to connect with those around her. One day, her mother brought home a Maine Coon kitten for Iris, even though cats aren’t typically thought of as therapy pets. Thula, named after one of Iris’s favorite African lullabies and meaning “peace” in Zulu, immediately bonded with Iris. Thula knew right away how to assuage Iris when she became overstimulated; when to intervene when Iris became overwhelmed; and how to provide distraction when Iris started heading toward a meltdown. Whether exploring, playing, sleeping, or taking a bath with Iris or accompanying the family on a bike ride, Thula became so much more than a therapy cat. With Thula’s safe companionship, Iris began to talk and interact with her family. This heartwarming story is illustrated with sixty of Iris’s gorgeous impressionistic paintings, works of art that have allowed her to express herself since the age of three. A gifted artist, Iris sees the natural world in a profoundly vivid and visceral way. With Thula by her side, she’ll sit and paint for hours, and the results are stunning. Inspiring and touching, Iris Grace follows the struggles and triumphs of a family—and a miracle cat—as they learn to connect with an amazing child.
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 1510719806
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 494
Book Description
Iris Grace is a beautiful little girl who, from a very young age, barely communicated, avoided social interaction with other people, and rarely smiled. From both before her diagnosis of autism and after, she seemed trapped in her own world, unable to connect with those around her. One day, her mother brought home a Maine Coon kitten for Iris, even though cats aren’t typically thought of as therapy pets. Thula, named after one of Iris’s favorite African lullabies and meaning “peace” in Zulu, immediately bonded with Iris. Thula knew right away how to assuage Iris when she became overstimulated; when to intervene when Iris became overwhelmed; and how to provide distraction when Iris started heading toward a meltdown. Whether exploring, playing, sleeping, or taking a bath with Iris or accompanying the family on a bike ride, Thula became so much more than a therapy cat. With Thula’s safe companionship, Iris began to talk and interact with her family. This heartwarming story is illustrated with sixty of Iris’s gorgeous impressionistic paintings, works of art that have allowed her to express herself since the age of three. A gifted artist, Iris sees the natural world in a profoundly vivid and visceral way. With Thula by her side, she’ll sit and paint for hours, and the results are stunning. Inspiring and touching, Iris Grace follows the struggles and triumphs of a family—and a miracle cat—as they learn to connect with an amazing child.