No Good Men Among the Living
Anand Gopal
Challenging the simplistic narratives of the War on Terror, this book plunges into the heart of Afghanistan to reveal the complex realities and human cost of the conflict. Through the intimate stories of an insurgent Taliban commander, a powerful US-backed government ally, and a resilient village housewife, it uncovers how American intervention and the rise of the Taliban reshaped lives and a nation, offering a profound and nuanced look at the motivations and experiences of those caught in a protracted war.
Output
Lillian-Yvonne Bertram
Dive into the fascinating history of computer-generated text, from its nascent beginnings in 1953 to the cutting-edge developments of 2023. This anthology showcases a diverse array of outputs, including early love letter generators, pioneering conversational systems like ELIZA, and the complex creations of modern large language models. Edited by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram and Nick Montfort, this collection explores the artistic, literary, and scientific evolution of text generation, challenging our perceptions of authorship, creativity, and the very nature of language in the digital age.
Cane River
Lalita Tademy
Spanning four generations, this powerful novel traces the lives of Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene, and Emily, women of a single family line, from the brutal realities of slavery on a Louisiana plantation through the tumultuous years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Based on the author's own family history, the narrative vividly portrays their struggles for dignity, freedom, and identity amidst a society defined by race and ownership. It is a story of resilience, love, and the enduring bonds of family, as these remarkable women navigate a world that constantly challenges their spirit and their very right to exist.
Voices from the Warsaw Ghetto
David G. Roskies
This powerful collection brings together the raw, immediate voices of those who lived and died in the Warsaw Ghetto, primarily through the invaluable Oyneg Shabes archive. Edited by David G. Roskies with a foreword by Samuel D. Kassow, the book presents diaries, poems, folklore, and testimonies from individuals like Emanuel Ringelblum, Władysław Szlengel, and Chaim A. Kaplan. It serves as a testament to their struggle to document their own history and experiences, offering an unflinching look at daily life, suffering, and resistance amidst unimaginable horror, ensuring that their stories are not forgotten.
Fight Like Hell
Kim Kelly
Unearthing the forgotten struggles and triumphs of American labor, 'Fight Like Hell' rewrites history by centering the voices of marginalized workers—women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled people, and sex workers. From the textile mills of New England to the coal mines of Appalachia and the fields of California, Kim Kelly reveals how these unsung heroes fought for dignity, fair wages, and safe conditions, shaping the very fabric of the nation. This powerful narrative illuminates the enduring legacy of their collective action, offering a vital, inspiring blueprint for contemporary social justice movements and a testament to the unwavering spirit of those who dared to demand a better world.
To Say Nothing Of The Dog
Connie Willis
Ned Henry, a time-traveling historian from 2057 Oxford, is sent to Victorian England for a much-needed rest cure from the chaos of Lady Schrapnell's demanding Coventry Cathedral reconstruction project. His simple mission to return a mysterious object to its proper time quickly spirals into a delightful and intricate adventure involving eccentric academics, a lovesick undergraduate, a determined cat, and a series of increasingly improbable coincidences. As Ned navigates the strict social conventions of 1888 and the looming threat of altering history, he must unravel a baffling mystery that spans centuries, all while trying to avoid further temporal paradoxes and the formidable Lady Schrapnell.
The Madonnas of Leningrad
Debra Dean
An elderly woman, Marina, grapples with the onset of dementia, her present-day memories slipping away while her past, particularly her experiences as a young guide at the Hermitage Museum during the brutal Siege of Leningrad, remains startlingly vivid. As her granddaughter prepares for a wedding, Marina's mind drifts between the mundane struggles of aging and the harrowing, yet beautiful, recollections of protecting priceless art from the ravages of war. This poignant novel explores the power of memory, art, and human resilience in the face of unimaginable loss.
White Mughals
William Dalrymple
Set in 18th-century Hyderabad, 'White Mughals' unearths the forgotten love story between James Achilles Kirkpatrick, the British Resident, and Khair un-Nissa, a Hyderabadi noblewoman. William Dalrymple meticulously reconstructs their romance and semi-secret marriage, revealing a surprising extent of cultural exchange and integration between East and West before the rigidities of empire set in. This compelling narrative challenges conventional views of British India, offering a vivid panorama of a time when love and appreciation transcended cultural divides.