Inspired by the fresco cycles that depict the life of St.Francis of Assisi, acclaimed author Valerie Martin tells the lifeof Francesco di Pietro Bernardone in a series of vividly realized“panels” of moments both crucial and ordinary. Drawing from myriadsources and moving in reverse chronological order, she begins inthe dark, final days, with a suffering Francesco on the verge ofdeath, then shows us the unwashed and innocent revolutionary,unafraid to lecture a pope on Christ’s message. We see his mysticalfriendship with Chiara di Offreducci, a nobleman’s daughter whoturns her back on the world to join him, and finally, the frivolousyoung Francesco on the deserted road where his encounter with aleper leads him to an ecstatic embrace of God. Salvation is at oncean illuminating glimpse into the medieval world and an original andintimate portrait of the man whose legend has resonated through thecenturies.
Christopher (Kit) Lukas’s mother committed suicide when hewas a boy. He and his brother, Tony, were not told how she died. Noone spoke of the family’s history of depression and bipolardisorder. The brothers grew up to achieve remarkable success; Tonyas a gifted journalist (and author of the classic book, CommonGround ), Kit as an accomplished television producer anddirector. After suffering bouts of depression, Kit was able toconfront his family’s troubled past, but Tony never seemed to findthe contentment Kit had attained–he killed himself in 1997. Writtenwith heartrending honesty, Blue Genes captures thedevastation of this family legacy of depression and details thestrength and hope that can provide a way of escaping itsgrasp.
Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple andJonestown survivor, Seductive Poison is the "trulyunforgettable" ( Kirkus Review ) story of how one woman wasseduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and howshe found her way back to sanity. From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the past decade has seen its share ofcult tragedies. But none has been quite so dramatic or compellingas the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jonesand 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a memberof the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed forJonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the SouthAmerican jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw thatsomething was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of arevolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that hehad enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents tocarry it out. But her pleas for help--and her sworn affidavit tothe U.S. government--fell on skeptical ears. I
"Lost Boy" John Bul Dau’s harrowing experience surviving thebrutal horrors of Sudanese civil war and his adjustment to life inmodern America is chronicled in this inspiring memoir and featuredin an award-winning documentary film of the same name. Movinglywritten, the book traces Dau’s journey through hunger, exhaustion,terror, and violence as he fled his homeland, dodging ambushes,massacres and attacks by wild animals. His tortuous, 14-yearjourney began in 1987, when he was just 13, and took him on a1,000-mile walk, barefoot, to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, then to arefugee camp in Kenya, where he lived with thousands of other LostBoys. In 2001, at the age of 27, he immigrated to the UnitedStates. With touching humor, Dau recounts the shock of his tribalculture colliding with life in America. He shares the joy ofreuniting with his family and the challenges of making a new lifefor himself while never forgetting the other Lost Boys he leftbehind.
