Author: Meryl Meisler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578831824
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272
Book Description
"The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." John Milton, Paradise LostNew York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is an intimate photographic journey to the pandemonium and paradise of New York City during the 1970s through the early 1990s. Carrying her camera everywhere, Meryl documented a tumultuous time in the city's history; epidemics of arson, AIDS, crack, and crime intensified by a paralyzing blackout, political and fiscal crisis. Nevertheless, Meryl's effervescent images are a personal memoir - love letters filled with compassion and humor mixed with angst, kept secret for decades. The viewer explores a serpentine-like adventure. Split seconds of a flash expose hedonistic hangouts filled with overtly sexual and drug activity, celebrities, and people out to have a good time. Daylight reveals the beauty of those who loved and thrived in the destruction of Bushwick. Unique to New York PARADISE LOST, Meryl reveals an insider's point of view of Bushwick's school life - students, staff, and families working together to create a safer space to learn and grow despite societal ills of poverty and prejudice. Meryl's photos show the beginnings of the local community and government working together to rebuild Bushwick. From one small neighborhood and a larger city on the brink- new music, art, fashion, literature, creative thinking, and culture emerge and remain influential today. Flash forward four decades - many bemoan the gentrification of cities like New York City, the renaissance of small towns and neighborhoods like Bushwick. There is nostalgia for a "realness" and a sense of community lost in the process of change. New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is a story of discovery, tenacity, and the resilient human spirit that can inspire us today. Then and now, individuals and communities must work together locally and globally to recover from a crisis. From our losses, may we learn, preserve, create and appreciate with renewed strength.
New York PARADISE LOST
Author: Meryl Meisler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578831824
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272
Book Description
"The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." John Milton, Paradise LostNew York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is an intimate photographic journey to the pandemonium and paradise of New York City during the 1970s through the early 1990s. Carrying her camera everywhere, Meryl documented a tumultuous time in the city's history; epidemics of arson, AIDS, crack, and crime intensified by a paralyzing blackout, political and fiscal crisis. Nevertheless, Meryl's effervescent images are a personal memoir - love letters filled with compassion and humor mixed with angst, kept secret for decades. The viewer explores a serpentine-like adventure. Split seconds of a flash expose hedonistic hangouts filled with overtly sexual and drug activity, celebrities, and people out to have a good time. Daylight reveals the beauty of those who loved and thrived in the destruction of Bushwick. Unique to New York PARADISE LOST, Meryl reveals an insider's point of view of Bushwick's school life - students, staff, and families working together to create a safer space to learn and grow despite societal ills of poverty and prejudice. Meryl's photos show the beginnings of the local community and government working together to rebuild Bushwick. From one small neighborhood and a larger city on the brink- new music, art, fashion, literature, creative thinking, and culture emerge and remain influential today. Flash forward four decades - many bemoan the gentrification of cities like New York City, the renaissance of small towns and neighborhoods like Bushwick. There is nostalgia for a "realness" and a sense of community lost in the process of change. New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is a story of discovery, tenacity, and the resilient human spirit that can inspire us today. Then and now, individuals and communities must work together locally and globally to recover from a crisis. From our losses, may we learn, preserve, create and appreciate with renewed strength.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578831824
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272
Book Description
"The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." John Milton, Paradise LostNew York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is an intimate photographic journey to the pandemonium and paradise of New York City during the 1970s through the early 1990s. Carrying her camera everywhere, Meryl documented a tumultuous time in the city's history; epidemics of arson, AIDS, crack, and crime intensified by a paralyzing blackout, political and fiscal crisis. Nevertheless, Meryl's effervescent images are a personal memoir - love letters filled with compassion and humor mixed with angst, kept secret for decades. The viewer explores a serpentine-like adventure. Split seconds of a flash expose hedonistic hangouts filled with overtly sexual and drug activity, celebrities, and people out to have a good time. Daylight reveals the beauty of those who loved and thrived in the destruction of Bushwick. Unique to New York PARADISE LOST, Meryl reveals an insider's point of view of Bushwick's school life - students, staff, and families working together to create a safer space to learn and grow despite societal ills of poverty and prejudice. Meryl's photos show the beginnings of the local community and government working together to rebuild Bushwick. From one small neighborhood and a larger city on the brink- new music, art, fashion, literature, creative thinking, and culture emerge and remain influential today. Flash forward four decades - many bemoan the gentrification of cities like New York City, the renaissance of small towns and neighborhoods like Bushwick. There is nostalgia for a "realness" and a sense of community lost in the process of change. New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco is a story of discovery, tenacity, and the resilient human spirit that can inspire us today. Then and now, individuals and communities must work together locally and globally to recover from a crisis. From our losses, may we learn, preserve, create and appreciate with renewed strength.
Strangers in the Land of Paradise
Author: Lillian Serece Williams
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253214089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
Now in paperback! Strangers in the Land of Paradise The Creation of an African American Community, Buffalo, NY, 1900–1940 Lillian Serece Williams Examines the settlement of African Americans in Buffalo during the Great Migration. "A splendid contribution to the fields of African-American and American urban, social and family history. . . . expanding the tradition that is now well underway of refuting the pathological emphasis of the prevailing ghetto studies of the 1960s and '70s." —Joe W. Trotter Strangers in the Land of Paradise discusses the creation of an African American community as a distinct cultural entity. It describes values and institutions that Black migrants from the South brought with them, as well as those that evolved as a result of their interaction with Blacks native to the city and the city itself. Through an examination of work, family, community organizations, and political actions, Lillian Williams explores the process by which the migrants adapted to their new environment. The lives of African Americans in Buffalo from 1900 to 1940 reveal much about race, class, and gender in the development of urban communities. Black migrant workers transformed the landscape by their mere presence, but for the most part they could not rise beyond the lowest entry-level positions. For African American women, the occupational structure was even more restricted; eventually, however, both men and women increased their earning power, and that—over time—improved life for both them and their loved ones. Lillian Serece Williams is Associate Professor of History in the Women's Studies Department and Director of the Institute for Research on Women at Albany, the State University of New York. She is editor of Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1895–1992, associate editor of Black Women in United States History, and author of A Bridge to the Future: The History of Diversity in Girl Scouting. 352 pages, 14 b&w illus., 15 maps, notes, bibl., index, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 Blacks in the Diaspora—Darlene Clark Hine, John McCluskey, Jr., and David Barry Gaspar, general editors
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253214089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
Now in paperback! Strangers in the Land of Paradise The Creation of an African American Community, Buffalo, NY, 1900–1940 Lillian Serece Williams Examines the settlement of African Americans in Buffalo during the Great Migration. "A splendid contribution to the fields of African-American and American urban, social and family history. . . . expanding the tradition that is now well underway of refuting the pathological emphasis of the prevailing ghetto studies of the 1960s and '70s." —Joe W. Trotter Strangers in the Land of Paradise discusses the creation of an African American community as a distinct cultural entity. It describes values and institutions that Black migrants from the South brought with them, as well as those that evolved as a result of their interaction with Blacks native to the city and the city itself. Through an examination of work, family, community organizations, and political actions, Lillian Williams explores the process by which the migrants adapted to their new environment. The lives of African Americans in Buffalo from 1900 to 1940 reveal much about race, class, and gender in the development of urban communities. Black migrant workers transformed the landscape by their mere presence, but for the most part they could not rise beyond the lowest entry-level positions. For African American women, the occupational structure was even more restricted; eventually, however, both men and women increased their earning power, and that—over time—improved life for both them and their loved ones. Lillian Serece Williams is Associate Professor of History in the Women's Studies Department and Director of the Institute for Research on Women at Albany, the State University of New York. She is editor of Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1895–1992, associate editor of Black Women in United States History, and author of A Bridge to the Future: The History of Diversity in Girl Scouting. 352 pages, 14 b&w illus., 15 maps, notes, bibl., index, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 Blacks in the Diaspora—Darlene Clark Hine, John McCluskey, Jr., and David Barry Gaspar, general editors
Paradise Alley
Author: Kevin Baker
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061748986
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 708
Book Description
They came by boat from a starving land—and by the Underground Railroad from Southern chains—seeking refuge in a crowded, filthy corner of hell at the bottom of a great metropolis. But in the terrible July of 1863, the poor and desperate of Paradise Alley would face a new catastrophe—as flames from the war that was tearing America in two reached out to set their city on fire.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061748986
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 708
Book Description
They came by boat from a starving land—and by the Underground Railroad from Southern chains—seeking refuge in a crowded, filthy corner of hell at the bottom of a great metropolis. But in the terrible July of 1863, the poor and desperate of Paradise Alley would face a new catastrophe—as flames from the war that was tearing America in two reached out to set their city on fire.
Peach Blossom Paradise
Author: Ge Fei
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 1681374706
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 393
Book Description
An enthralling story of revolution, idealism, and a savage struggle for utopia by one of China's greatest living novelists. In 1898 reformist intellectuals in China persuaded the young emperor that it was time to transform his sclerotic empire into a prosperous modern state. The Hundred Days’ Reform that followed was a moment of unprecedented change and extraordinary hope—brought to an abrupt end by a bloody military coup. Dashed expectations would contribute to the revolutionary turn that Chinese history would soon take, leading in time to the deaths of millions. Peach Blossom Paradise, set at the time of the reform, is the story of Xiumi, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and former government official who falls prey to insanity and disappears. Days later, a man with a gold cicada in his pocket turns up at his estate and is inexplicably welcomed as a relative. This mysterious man has a great vision of reforging China as an egalitarian utopia, and he will stop at nothing to make it real. It is his own plans, however, which come to nothing, and his “little sister” Xiumi is left to take up arms against a Confucian world in which women are chattel. Her campaign for change and her struggle to seize control over her own body are continually threatened by the violent whims of men who claim to be building paradise.
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 1681374706
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 393
Book Description
An enthralling story of revolution, idealism, and a savage struggle for utopia by one of China's greatest living novelists. In 1898 reformist intellectuals in China persuaded the young emperor that it was time to transform his sclerotic empire into a prosperous modern state. The Hundred Days’ Reform that followed was a moment of unprecedented change and extraordinary hope—brought to an abrupt end by a bloody military coup. Dashed expectations would contribute to the revolutionary turn that Chinese history would soon take, leading in time to the deaths of millions. Peach Blossom Paradise, set at the time of the reform, is the story of Xiumi, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and former government official who falls prey to insanity and disappears. Days later, a man with a gold cicada in his pocket turns up at his estate and is inexplicably welcomed as a relative. This mysterious man has a great vision of reforging China as an egalitarian utopia, and he will stop at nothing to make it real. It is his own plans, however, which come to nothing, and his “little sister” Xiumi is left to take up arms against a Confucian world in which women are chattel. Her campaign for change and her struggle to seize control over her own body are continually threatened by the violent whims of men who claim to be building paradise.
Bobos in Paradise
Author: David Brooks
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416561730
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 361
Book Description
In his bestselling work of “comic sociology,” David Brooks coins a new word, Bobo, to describe today’s upper class—those who have wed the bourgeois world of capitalist enterprise to the hippie values of the bohemian counterculture. Their hybrid lifestyle is the atmosphere we breathe, and in this witty and serious look at the cultural consequences of the information age, Brooks has defined a new generation. Do you believe that spending $15,000 on a media center is vulgar, but that spending $15,000 on a slate shower stall is a sign that you are at one with the Zenlike rhythms of nature? Do you work for one of those visionary software companies where people come to work wearing hiking boots and glacier glasses, as if a wall of ice were about to come sliding through the parking lot? If so, you might be a Bobo.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416561730
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 361
Book Description
In his bestselling work of “comic sociology,” David Brooks coins a new word, Bobo, to describe today’s upper class—those who have wed the bourgeois world of capitalist enterprise to the hippie values of the bohemian counterculture. Their hybrid lifestyle is the atmosphere we breathe, and in this witty and serious look at the cultural consequences of the information age, Brooks has defined a new generation. Do you believe that spending $15,000 on a media center is vulgar, but that spending $15,000 on a slate shower stall is a sign that you are at one with the Zenlike rhythms of nature? Do you work for one of those visionary software companies where people come to work wearing hiking boots and glacier glasses, as if a wall of ice were about to come sliding through the parking lot? If so, you might be a Bobo.
Paradise, Nevada
Author: Dario Diofebi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1635576210
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
“Diofebi is an irreverent and audacious new voice.”- Susan Choi, National Book Award-Winning author of TRUST EXERCISE "Vegas has been right there forever, waiting for a great novelist, and Dario Diofebi has come dealing nothing but aces."--Darin Strauss, NBCC Award-Winning author of HALF A LIFE From an exhilarating new literary voice--the story of four transplants braving the explosive political tensions behind the deceptive, spectacular, endlessly self-reinventing city of Las Vegas. On Friday, May 1st, 2015 a bomb detonates in the infamous Positano Luxury Resort and Casino, a mammoth hotel (and exact replica of the Amalfi coast) on the Las Vegas Strip. Six months prior, a crop of strivers converge on the desert city, attempting to make a home amidst the dizzying lights: Ray, a mathematically-minded high stakes professional poker player; Mary Ann, a clinically depressed cocktail waitress; Tom, a tourist from the working class suburbs of Rome, Italy; and Lindsay, a Mormon journalist for the Las Vegas Sun who dreams of a literary career. By chance and by design, they find themselves caught up in backroom schemes for personal and political power, and are thrown into the deep end of an even bigger fight for the soul of the paradoxical town. A furiously rowdy and ricocheting saga about poker, happiness, class, and selflessness, Paradise, Nevada is a panoramic tour of America in miniature, a vertiginously beautiful systems novel where the bloody battles of neo-liberalism, immigration, labor, and family rage underneath Las Vegas' beguiling and strangely benevolent light. This exuberant debut marks the beginning of a significant career.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1635576210
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
“Diofebi is an irreverent and audacious new voice.”- Susan Choi, National Book Award-Winning author of TRUST EXERCISE "Vegas has been right there forever, waiting for a great novelist, and Dario Diofebi has come dealing nothing but aces."--Darin Strauss, NBCC Award-Winning author of HALF A LIFE From an exhilarating new literary voice--the story of four transplants braving the explosive political tensions behind the deceptive, spectacular, endlessly self-reinventing city of Las Vegas. On Friday, May 1st, 2015 a bomb detonates in the infamous Positano Luxury Resort and Casino, a mammoth hotel (and exact replica of the Amalfi coast) on the Las Vegas Strip. Six months prior, a crop of strivers converge on the desert city, attempting to make a home amidst the dizzying lights: Ray, a mathematically-minded high stakes professional poker player; Mary Ann, a clinically depressed cocktail waitress; Tom, a tourist from the working class suburbs of Rome, Italy; and Lindsay, a Mormon journalist for the Las Vegas Sun who dreams of a literary career. By chance and by design, they find themselves caught up in backroom schemes for personal and political power, and are thrown into the deep end of an even bigger fight for the soul of the paradoxical town. A furiously rowdy and ricocheting saga about poker, happiness, class, and selflessness, Paradise, Nevada is a panoramic tour of America in miniature, a vertiginously beautiful systems novel where the bloody battles of neo-liberalism, immigration, labor, and family rage underneath Las Vegas' beguiling and strangely benevolent light. This exuberant debut marks the beginning of a significant career.
What Strange Paradise
Author: Omar El Akkad
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525657916
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American War—a beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. "Told from the point of view of two children, on the ground and at sea, the story so astutely unpacks the us-versus-them dynamics of our divided world that it deserves to be an instant classic." —The New York Times Book Review More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another overfilled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight of its too many passengers: Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all of them desperate to escape untenable lives back in their homelands. But miraculously, someone has survived the passage: nine-year-old Amir, a Syrian boy who is soon rescued by Vänna. Vänna is a teenage girl, who, despite being native to the island, experiences her own sense of homelessness in a place and among people she has come to disdain. And though Vänna and Amir are complete strangers, though they don’t speak a common language, Vänna is determined to do whatever it takes to save the boy. In alternating chapters, we learn about Amir’s life and how he came to be on the boat, and we follow him and the girl as they make their way toward safety. What Strange Paradise is the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world. But it is also a story of empathy and indifference, of hope and despair—and about the way each of those things can blind us to reality.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525657916
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American War—a beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. "Told from the point of view of two children, on the ground and at sea, the story so astutely unpacks the us-versus-them dynamics of our divided world that it deserves to be an instant classic." —The New York Times Book Review More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another overfilled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight of its too many passengers: Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all of them desperate to escape untenable lives back in their homelands. But miraculously, someone has survived the passage: nine-year-old Amir, a Syrian boy who is soon rescued by Vänna. Vänna is a teenage girl, who, despite being native to the island, experiences her own sense of homelessness in a place and among people she has come to disdain. And though Vänna and Amir are complete strangers, though they don’t speak a common language, Vänna is determined to do whatever it takes to save the boy. In alternating chapters, we learn about Amir’s life and how he came to be on the boat, and we follow him and the girl as they make their way toward safety. What Strange Paradise is the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world. But it is also a story of empathy and indifference, of hope and despair—and about the way each of those things can blind us to reality.
Paradise
Author: Lizzie Johnson
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ISBN: 0593136381
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
"The definitive firsthand account of California's Camp Fire-the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century-and a riveting examination of what went wrong and how to avert future tragedies as the climate crisis unfolds ... A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires, Paradise is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again"--
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ISBN: 0593136381
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
"The definitive firsthand account of California's Camp Fire-the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century-and a riveting examination of what went wrong and how to avert future tragedies as the climate crisis unfolds ... A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires, Paradise is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again"--
Paradise Planned
Author: Robert A.M. Stern
Publisher: The Monacelli Press, LLC
ISBN: 1580933262
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 1073
Book Description
Paradise Planned is the definitive history of the development of the garden suburb, a phenomenon that originated in England in the late eighteenth century, was quickly adopted in the United State and northern Europe, and gradually proliferated throughout the world. These bucolic settings offered an ideal lifestyle typically outside the city but accessible by streetcar, train, and automobile. Today, the principles of the garden city movement are once again in play, as retrofitting the suburbs has become a central issue in planning. Strategies are emerging that reflect the goals of garden suburbs in creating metropolitan communities that embrace both the intensity of the city and the tranquility of nature. Paradise Planned is the comprehensive, encyclopedic record of this movement, a vital contribution to architectural and planning history and an essential recourse for guiding the repair of the American townscape.
Publisher: The Monacelli Press, LLC
ISBN: 1580933262
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 1073
Book Description
Paradise Planned is the definitive history of the development of the garden suburb, a phenomenon that originated in England in the late eighteenth century, was quickly adopted in the United State and northern Europe, and gradually proliferated throughout the world. These bucolic settings offered an ideal lifestyle typically outside the city but accessible by streetcar, train, and automobile. Today, the principles of the garden city movement are once again in play, as retrofitting the suburbs has become a central issue in planning. Strategies are emerging that reflect the goals of garden suburbs in creating metropolitan communities that embrace both the intensity of the city and the tranquility of nature. Paradise Planned is the comprehensive, encyclopedic record of this movement, a vital contribution to architectural and planning history and an essential recourse for guiding the repair of the American townscape.
Island Whimsy
Author: Celerie Kemble
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 0847862194
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
A house by the sea should be a house of dreams. Where windows and doors are thrown open to the ocean, and gusts of cool, salty air turn us all into kids again--buoyant and joyful. Spending childhood days on the beach and in the magical, romantic chaos of her family's rambling house internationally renowned interior designer Celerie Kemble has a deep-rooted connection to the sun and surf. However, in the summer of 2004, Kemble laid eyes on a wild swath of jungle in the Dominican Republic next to minty-blue water and an endless stretch of golden sand, she fell madly in love. Over many years, she designed a home away from home there, an island retreat--a clubhouse and a grouping of family homes and guesthouses--suffused with light and air, full of indoor and outdoor rooms for relaxation. In her latest book, Island Whimsy, Kemble recounts the deeply personal and creative journey of designing Playa Grande and bringing this labor of love to life. The chapters of this book are organized around the different ways Kemble sought to braid her family's story into the larger landscape of Playa Grande and to provide inspiration, joy, and respite to all who come. "Fantasy" looks at the way she used whimsical, dreamlike elements--from the latticework cabanas by the pool to the lamb statues on the property who "mow" the lawns--throughout the property to create a sense of play and possibility. "Light, Salt, Air" describes how she went about bringing the most precious elements of the beach into the homes themselves, creating a feeling of flow and permeability, and reminding visitors constantly of where they are. "In the Jungle" looks at the design cues she took from the flora and fauna of the tropical rainforest surrounding Playa Grande to create an alluring tension between chaos and refinement. "Sweet & Dark" examines the surprising color combinations that tango into life in the tropics--whether in the form of tribal prints in hot Gauguin colors mixed with Jordan-almond pastels or handmade objects like a papier-mâché lobster mask that brings a shout of spirit to a room. Finally, "Texture" focuses on the powerful impact that thoughtfully layered materials--from rough, local coquina stone and painted antique wicker to the smooth polished cotton of Dutch wax prints--have on a space. Throughout this lovingly crafted book, ideas abound for anyone decorating a sunny home or fantasizing about spending time in one. Kemble shares inspiration for creating a sense of openness to the sea, sand, and sky; offering places to wash sandy feet or perfect viewing spots for a sunset-saturated drink; and infusing spaces with invitation, welcome, and magic.
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 0847862194
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
A house by the sea should be a house of dreams. Where windows and doors are thrown open to the ocean, and gusts of cool, salty air turn us all into kids again--buoyant and joyful. Spending childhood days on the beach and in the magical, romantic chaos of her family's rambling house internationally renowned interior designer Celerie Kemble has a deep-rooted connection to the sun and surf. However, in the summer of 2004, Kemble laid eyes on a wild swath of jungle in the Dominican Republic next to minty-blue water and an endless stretch of golden sand, she fell madly in love. Over many years, she designed a home away from home there, an island retreat--a clubhouse and a grouping of family homes and guesthouses--suffused with light and air, full of indoor and outdoor rooms for relaxation. In her latest book, Island Whimsy, Kemble recounts the deeply personal and creative journey of designing Playa Grande and bringing this labor of love to life. The chapters of this book are organized around the different ways Kemble sought to braid her family's story into the larger landscape of Playa Grande and to provide inspiration, joy, and respite to all who come. "Fantasy" looks at the way she used whimsical, dreamlike elements--from the latticework cabanas by the pool to the lamb statues on the property who "mow" the lawns--throughout the property to create a sense of play and possibility. "Light, Salt, Air" describes how she went about bringing the most precious elements of the beach into the homes themselves, creating a feeling of flow and permeability, and reminding visitors constantly of where they are. "In the Jungle" looks at the design cues she took from the flora and fauna of the tropical rainforest surrounding Playa Grande to create an alluring tension between chaos and refinement. "Sweet & Dark" examines the surprising color combinations that tango into life in the tropics--whether in the form of tribal prints in hot Gauguin colors mixed with Jordan-almond pastels or handmade objects like a papier-mâché lobster mask that brings a shout of spirit to a room. Finally, "Texture" focuses on the powerful impact that thoughtfully layered materials--from rough, local coquina stone and painted antique wicker to the smooth polished cotton of Dutch wax prints--have on a space. Throughout this lovingly crafted book, ideas abound for anyone decorating a sunny home or fantasizing about spending time in one. Kemble shares inspiration for creating a sense of openness to the sea, sand, and sky; offering places to wash sandy feet or perfect viewing spots for a sunset-saturated drink; and infusing spaces with invitation, welcome, and magic.