Criticism and Theory


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Buy Now	The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story (more) »rank: 279 by: Diane Ackerman : :the New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.When Germany invaded poland, stuka bombers devastated warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen 'guests' hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual ...	Buy Now	Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon (more) »rank: 199 by: Melissa Anelli : :The Harry Potter Books Were Just The Beginning of the Story...During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What it was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the potential death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time.And ...
Buy Now	The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (Vintage) (more) »rank: 43 by: Lewis Hyde : :By now a modern classic, The Gift is a brilliantly orchestrated defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities. Widely available again after twenty-five years, this book is even more necessary today than when it first appeared. An illuminating and transformative book, and completely original in its view of the world, The Gift is cherished by artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers. It is in itself a gift to all who discover the classic wisdom found in its pages.	Buy Now	John Adams (Barnes and Noble Reader's Companion) (Barnes & Noble Reader's Companion) (more) »rank: 1794910 by: David McCullough : :In 2001, David McCullough's Pulitzer prizewinning and bestselling biography John Adams rediscovered our second president and revealed fascinating aspects of his life that few had known before. Here is additional background and historical context that can help you better understand McCullough's brilliantly written and illuminating portrait:Why do some consider Adams to be the first 'real' U.S. president?How might Adams fare if he were a candidate today?What are Adams's greatest political legacies? Review:Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events ...
Buy Now	The Catcher in the Rye (more) »rank: 3744 by: J.D. Salinger : :Holden, knowing he is to be expelled from school, decides to leave early. He spends three days in New York City and tells the story of what he did and suffered there. Review:Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with 'cynical adolescent.' Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins, 'If you really want to hear about it, the ...	Buy Now	Fahrenheit 451 (Cliffs Notes) (more) »rank: 67640 by: Kristi Hiner : :The original CliffsNotes study guides offer a look into key elements and ideas within classic works of literature. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the familiar format. CliffsNotes on Fahrenheit 451 explores a twenty-fourth century world in which books are considered evil because they inspire people to think and to question. Following the story of a 30-year-old fireman who’s spent the last decade destroying books for a living, this study guide features a graphical map to show how the novel’s characters relate to one another. In addition, CliffsNotes provides character analyses ...
Buy Now	F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald) (more) »rank: 544436 by: F. Scott Fitzgerald : :Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's account of the American dream gone awry, has established itself as one of the most popular and widely read novels in the English language. Until now, however, no edition has printed the novel exactly as Fitzgerald intended. The first edition was marred by errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive rewriting in proof and the conditions under which the book was produced; moreover, the subsequent transmission of the text introduced proliferating departures from the author's words. This critical edition draws on the manuscript and surviving proofs of the novel, together with ...	Buy Now	The Red Tent (Barnes and Noble Reader's Companion) (Barnes & Noble Reader's Companion) (more) »rank: 835673 by: Anita Diamant : :Anita Diamant's bestseller The Red Tent boldly reimagines the biblical story of Dinah, a woman who makes only a brief, tragic appearance in the book of Genesis. Diamant's controversial novel has fascinated countless readers and enraged others, who believe it takes too many liberties with Hebrew scripture. Learn more, and see what you think about this: How much of The Red Tent is really based on known biblical history?Why did Diamant make the changes she made to the original biblical story?Why is the story of Dinah so different when told from a woman's perspective? Review:The red tent is the ...
Buy Now	Adventure of Huckleberry Finn (A+ Audio) (more) »rank: 1792077 by: Mark Twain : :An abridged audio version of Twain's classic novel of life on the Mississippi and of Huck Finn's attempt to help an escaped slave is accompanied by a guidebook containing a glossary, character list, scene-by-scene synopsis, and study references. Narrated by John O'Connell. Review:Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious. ...	Buy Now	The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen: Volume II: Pride and Prejudice (Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen) (more) »rank: 387489 by: Jane Austen : :This is the first of the novels published in 'The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen' series, illustrated with early nineteenth-century plates. From its famous opening sentence, the story of the Bennet family and of the novel's two protagonists, Elizabeth and Darcy, told with a wit that its author feared might prove 'rather too light and bright, and sparkling, ' delights its most familiar readers as thoroughly as it does those who encounter it for the first time. And while she entertains us, Jane Austen teaches us the wisdom of balance, the folly of 'pride' and 'prejudice.' Review:'It is a truth ...