Exploring the evolving perceptions of death in modern society, this book takes readers on a captivating journey across America. It delves into various cultural practices, rituals, and personal stories that highlight how people confront mortality. Through interviews and observations, the author reveals the diverse ways communities and individuals navigate grief and celebrate life, offering profound insights into the human experience and our relationship with death.
Iris Webber is frustrated with the intrusive presence of her orphaned cousin, Abraham, but when he is found unconscious on a bike path near a mysterious woodland forest, Iris opens her heart to reconciling her behavior. Follow Iris through her adventure for redemption as she courageously advocates against the suspicions of her parents to decode a mysterious notebook written in an ancient script that could hold the secrets to Abraham's accident and more. Join forces with Iris, her clever friend, Rebecca, and the eccentric school teacher, Mr. Klein, as they crusade to shine light in the darkest hours of uncertainty. Nemeton is the first in a planned series that boldly melds contemporary storylines with intellectual intrigue, sure to delight young readers with its exploration of fantastical woodland entities previously unexplored by any other series in modern literature.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the world reacted with shock on seeing residents of this distinctive city left abandoned to the floodwaters. After the last rescue was completed, a new worry arose—that New Orleans’s unique historic fabric sat in ruins, and we had lost one of the most charming old cities of the New World. In Patina, anthropologist Shannon Lee Dawdy examines what was lost and found through the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Tracking the rich history and unique physicality of New Orleans, she explains how it came to adopt the nickname “the antique city.” With innovative applications of thing theory, Patina studies the influence of specific items—such as souvenirs, heirlooms, and Hurricane Katrina ruins—to explore how the city’s residents use material objects to comprehend time, history, and their connection to one another. A leading figure in archaeology of the contemporary, Dawdy draws on material evidence, archival and literary texts, and dozens of post-Katrina interviews to explore how the patina aesthetic informs a trenchant political critique. An intriguing study of the power of everyday objects, Patina demonstrates how sharing in the care of a historic landscape can unite a city’s population—despite extreme divisions of class and race—and inspire civil camaraderie based on a nostalgia that offers not a return to the past but an alternative future.
"Bruce Lee's daughter illuminates her father's most powerful life philosophies--demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth, and how we can practice those teachings every day. "Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless like water." Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, renowned the world over for his martial arts and film legacy. But Lee was also a deeply philosophical thinker, learning at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline--they are an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life. Now, in Be Water, My Friend, Lee's daughter Shannon shares the concepts at the core of his philosophies, showing how they can serve as tools of personal growth and self-actualization. Each chapter brings a lesson from Bruce Lee's teachings, expanding on the foundation of his iconic "be water" philosophy. Over the course of the book, we discover how being like water allows us to embody fluidity and naturalness in life, bringing us closer to our essential flowing nature and our ability to be powerful, self-expressed, and free. Through previously untold stories from her father's life and from her own journey in embodying these lessons, Shannon presents these philosophies in tangible, accessible ways. With Bruce Lee's words as a guide, she encourages readers to pursue their essential selves and apply these ideas and practices to their everyday lives--whether in learning new things, overcoming obstacles, or ultimately finding their true path. Be Water, My Friend is an inspirational invitation to us all, a gentle call to action to consider our lives with new eyes. It is also a testament to how one man's exploration and determination transcended time and place to ignite our imaginations--and to inspire many around the world to transform their lives"-- Provided by publisher
"Here is the book summary: What do you think happens to you when you die? And what do you want done with your body? For three years Shannon Lee Dawdy travelled the U.S., from Vermont to California, Illinois to Alabama, posing such questions to a wide range of people from all walks of life. Many of her interlocutors recently lost loved ones. She also spoke to people who have made death their business: funeral directors, death care entrepreneurs, designers, cemetery owners, and death doulas about the changes they were seeing, and in many cases promoting, in how the bodies of recently-deceased persons are being treated, and how the memory of the deceased are being memorialized, in the U.S. Her ethnographic research resulted in this book, a wide-ranging investigation into rapidly-changing death practices in the twenty-first century United States. The author is also working on a documentary film project on this topic with cinematographer Daniel Zox. Still photos from the film work will appear in this book"--
Córka Bruce'a Lee tchnęła życie w nieprzemijającą filozofię swojego ojca. Jak powiedziałby on sam: «Oczyść swój umysł» i pozwól, by jego słowa całkowicie cię przeniknęły. - „Newsweek” Bruce Lee to postać ikoniczna, zasłynął na całym świecie z mistrzowskiego opanowania kung-fu i innych sztuk walki i pozostawił po sobie niezapomniane filmowe dziedzictwo. Ale był również filozofem, wielkim myślicielem, który już w bardzo młodym wieku zrozumiał, że sztuka walki to coś więcej niż tylko ćwiczenie technik i dyscyplina – to głęboka metafora spełnionego życia. Stworzył własną, kultową filozofię „bądź jak woda”. Uważał, że naśladując naturę wody, jej delikatność i siłę, możemy osiągnąć własny naturalny stan przepływu. A dzięki temu zyskamy w życiu spokój, pewność siebie i wolność. W książce tej córka Bruce'a Lee przybliża myśli i nauki swojego ojca. Ukazuje, że sztuki walki są doskonałą metaforą rozwoju osobistego, i wyjaśnia, jak można je praktykować w codziennym życiu. Każdy rozdział to lekcja nauk Bruce'a Lee oparta na jego wyjątkowej filozofii „bądź jak woda”. W Bądź jak woda, przyjacielu Shannon Lee ukazuje geniusz swojego ojca, który kryje się za wszystkimi jego wyczynami na ekranie. Przywołując fragmenty jego prywatnych pism i intymnych historii z osobistego życia, odkrywa jego filozofię uważności. Autorka pisze w sposób, w jaki poruszał się jej ojciec – bezpośredni, poetycki i charyzmatyczny. Wspaniały przewodnik po ponadczasowej filozofii Bruce'a Lee”. - Jeff Chang, autor Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Tematycznie uporządkowane życiowe lekcje, wypełnione mądrymi instrukcjami dotyczącymi różnych spraw… To inspirująca pamiątka dla wielbicieli Bruce’a Lee oraz tych, którzy pragną pogłębić wraz z nim osobisty rozwój.- „Kirkus Reviews” Ta porywająca książka przypomni każdemu czytelnikowi, że choć nie można kontrolować zewnętrznych okoliczności, każdy z nas ma wybór, jak na nie reagować. - „Publishers Weekly”