Turning Back the Clock

Turning Back the Clock PDF Author: Umberto Eco
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780151013517
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Get Book

Book Description
The time: 2000 to 2005, the years of neoconservatism, terrorism, the twenty-four-hour news cycle, the ascension of Bush, Blair, and Berlusconi, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Umberto Eco's response is a provocative, passionate, and witty series of essays--which originally appeared in the Italian newspapers La Repubblica and L'Espresso--that leaves no slogan unexamined, no innovation unexposed. What led us into this age of hot wars and media populism, and how was it sold to us as progress? Eco discusses such topics as racism, mythology, the European Union, rhetoric, the Middle East, technology, September 11, medieval Latin, television ads, globalization, Harry Potter, anti-Semitism, logic, the Tower of Babel, intelligent design, Italian street demonstrations, fundamentalism, The Da Vinci Code, and magic and magical thinking.The famous author and respected scholar shows his practical, engaged side: an intellectual involved in events both local and global, a man concerned about taste, politics, education, ethics, and where our troubled world is headed.

Turning Back the Clock

Turning Back the Clock PDF Author: Umberto Eco
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780151013517
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Get Book

Book Description
The time: 2000 to 2005, the years of neoconservatism, terrorism, the twenty-four-hour news cycle, the ascension of Bush, Blair, and Berlusconi, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Umberto Eco's response is a provocative, passionate, and witty series of essays--which originally appeared in the Italian newspapers La Repubblica and L'Espresso--that leaves no slogan unexamined, no innovation unexposed. What led us into this age of hot wars and media populism, and how was it sold to us as progress? Eco discusses such topics as racism, mythology, the European Union, rhetoric, the Middle East, technology, September 11, medieval Latin, television ads, globalization, Harry Potter, anti-Semitism, logic, the Tower of Babel, intelligent design, Italian street demonstrations, fundamentalism, The Da Vinci Code, and magic and magical thinking.The famous author and respected scholar shows his practical, engaged side: an intellectual involved in events both local and global, a man concerned about taste, politics, education, ethics, and where our troubled world is headed.

The Man who Turned Back the Clock, and Other Short Stories

The Man who Turned Back the Clock, and Other Short Stories PDF Author: Steve Allen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book

Book Description
Actor, comedian, song writer, and author, the versatile Steve Allen has shared his very special brand of entertainment with audiences the world over. His penetrating wit and widsom allows us to laugh at ourselves while thinking about some of the serious issues of our time. Drawn from life's raw materials and his own fertile imagination, The Man Who Turned Back the Clock is a delightful yet provocative collection of short stories as only Steve Allen could write them. This wide-ranging assemblage includes 31 tantalizing tales. In addition to the title story, readers will find "The Humor Strike"; "It's Nice to See You Again"; "The Day the Jews Disappeared," addressing anti-Semitism; "The Sunday Morning Shift," focusing on the scandals of money-grubbing evangelists; "The Jensen Theory," which takes a look at racism; "The Girls on the Tenth Floor;" Allen's whimsical "Point of View"; and many more. Readers will find in some the surprising twists and turns of an "O.Henry" yarn. This collection is funny, it's thoughtful, it's vintage Steve Allen!

Short Story Index

Short Story Index PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Short stories
Languages : en
Pages : 1080

Get Book

Book Description


The Clock Man

The Clock Man PDF Author: Eric Lahti
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692604090
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book

Book Description
Enter worlds of magic and dragons, martial arts and mayhem A woman waits in a plain white room, wondering why she's there and what's about to happen. A man and his talking gun hunt the bogeyman. A family finds its house is haunted and sets out to trap the ghosts, but what if the ghosts aren't the real problem? Far underneath a city, the figure of a man rests. For decades he's remained perfectly motionless. Last night he moved. In a world of magic, martial arts, and dragons, one man controls the flow of magic. Now his daughter wants him dead. Zapp Blander always dreamed of being a hero. When a man named Jack shows up, Zapp might just get his chance. She was designed to choose which slain warriors got to go to Valhalla, but Kara has developed her own ideas. The bogeyman of New Mexico is beaten and fed what should be a simple task: Kill the boy. But others have their eyes on the boy, too.

Man from the South (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Man from the South (A Roald Dahl Short Story) PDF Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 1405911042
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 20

Get Book

Book Description
Man from the South is a short, sharp, chilling story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale. In Man from the South, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a man takes part in a very unusual bet, one with appalling consequences . . . Man from the South is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others. 'The absolute master of the twist in the tale.' (Observer ) This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Stephen Mangan. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Vulgarians at the Gate

Vulgarians at the Gate PDF Author: Steve Allen
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615927514
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 419

Get Book

Book Description
In an effort to raise the standards of popular culture, the late Steve Allen speaks out against trash TV and raunch radio in "Vulgarians at the Gate". The honorary chairman of "The Parents Television Council" describes what the group is doing to raise a chorus of protest and shows what all concerned citizens can do to help.

Dumbth

Dumbth PDF Author: Steve Allen
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615922687
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 447

Get Book

Book Description
Critics have raved about this delightful book Allen addresses the muddleheadedness (or "dumbth") that pervades all segments of American life and work, and offers 81 "rules" for good thinking.

These Precious Days

These Precious Days PDF Author: Ann Patchett
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063092808
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Musicmakers of Network Radio

Musicmakers of Network Radio PDF Author: Jim Cox
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786489626
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 381

Get Book

Book Description
Before television, radio was the sole source of simultaneous mass entertainment in America. The medium served as launching pad for the careers of countless future stars of stage and screen. Singers and conductors became legends by offering musical entertainment directly to Americans in their homes, vehicles, and places of work and play. This volume presents biographies of 24 renowned performers who spent a significant portion of their careers in front of a radio microphone. Profiles of individuals like Steve Allen, Rosemary Clooney, Bob Crosby, Johnny Desmond, Jo Stafford, and Percy Faith, along with groups such as the Ink Spots and the King's Men, reveal the private lives behind the public personas and bring to life the icons and ambiance of a bygone era.

But Seriously...

But Seriously... PDF Author: Steve Allen
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616140011
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Get Book

Book Description
Versatile entertainer Steve Allen is the creator of The Tonight Show and PBS's award-winning Meeting of the Minds. In But Seriously . . . he explores such topics as nuclear war, interracial justice, and Frank Sinatra. One article titled "How to Attack a Liberal" advises conservatives how to best ethically confront his beliefs. His reflections tackle weighty topics sure to be thought-provoking.