Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99 today!
Native Son (Perennial Classics), by Richard Wright.
Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.
Bigger Thomas is doomed, trapped in a downward spiral that will lead to arrest, prison, or death, driven by despair, frustration, poverty, and incomprehension. As a young black man in the Chicago of the '30s, he has no way out of the walls of poverty and racism that surround him, and after he murders a young white woman in a moment of panic, these walls begin to close in. There is no help for him--not from his hapless family; not from liberal do-gooders or from his well-meaning yet naive friend Jan; certainly not from the police, prosecutors, or judges. Bigger is debased, aggressive, dangerous, and a violent criminal. As such, he has no claim upon our compassion or sympathy. And yet...
A more compelling story than Native Son has not been written in the 20th century by an American writer. That is not to say that Richard Wright created a novel free of flaws, but that he wrote the first novel that successfully told the most painful and unvarnished truth about American social and class relations. As Irving Howe asserted in 1963, "The day Native Son appeared, American culture was changed forever. It made impossible a repetition of the old lies [and] brought out into the open, as no one ever had before, the hatred, fear and violence that have crippled and may yet destroy our culture."
Other books had focused on the experience of growing up black in America--including Wright's own highly successful Uncle Tom's Children, a collection of five stories that focused on the victimization of blacks who transgressed the code of racial segregation. But they suffered from what he saw as a kind of lyrical idealism, setting up sympathetic black characters in oppressive situations and evoking the reader's pity. In Native Son, Wright was aiming at something more. In Bigger, he created a character so damaged by racism and poverty, with dreams so perverted, and with human sensibilities so eroded, that he has no claim on the reader's compassion:
Bigger Thomas is doomed, trapped in a downward spiral that will lead to arrest, prison, or death, driven by despair, frustration, poverty, and incomprehension. As a young black man in the Chicago of the '30s, he has no way out of the walls of poverty and racism that surround him, and after he murders a young white woman in a moment of panic, these walls begin to close in. There is no help for him--not from his hapless family; not from liberal do-gooders or from his well-meaning yet naive friend Jan; certainly not from the police, prosecutors, or judges. Bigger is debased, aggressive, dangerous, and a violent criminal. As such, he has no claim upon our compassion or sympathy. And yet...
A more compelling story than Native Son has not been written in the 20th century by an American writer. That is not to say that Richard Wright created a novel free of flaws, but that he wrote the first novel that successfully told the most painful and unvarnished truth about American social and class relations. As Irving Howe asserted in 1963, "The day Native Son appeared, American culture was changed forever. It made impossible a repetition of the old lies [and] brought out into the open, as no one ever had before, the hatred, fear and violence that have crippled and may yet destroy our culture."
Other books had focused on the experience of growing up black in America--including Wright's own highly successful Uncle Tom's Children, a collection of five stories that focused on the victimization of blacks who transgressed the code of racial segregation. But they suffered from what he saw as a kind of lyrical idealism, setting up sympathetic black characters in oppressive situations and evoking the reader's pity. In Native Son, Wright was aiming at something more. In Bigger, he created a character so damaged by racism and poverty, with dreams so perverted, and with human sensibilities so eroded, that he has no claim on the reader's compassion:
"I didn't want to kill," Bigger shouted. "But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill! I must have felt it awful hard to murder.... What I killed for must've been good!" Bigger's voice was full of frenzied anguish. "It must have been good! When a man kills, it's for something... I didn't know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for 'em. It's the truth..."Wright's genius was that, in preventing us from feeling pity for Bigger, he forced us to confront the hopelessness, misery, and injustice of the society that gave birth to him. --Andrew Himes
544 pages, with a 4.3-star rating from 237 reviews. Text to Speech, enabled.
Here's today's Daily Romance Deal, available for $1.99 today!
Nadia Knows Best, by Jill Mansell.
The bigger the mistake, the more tempting it is ...
When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she's tempted. Of course she is. Stranded together while a snowstorm rages outside ... who would ever know?
But Nadia's already been together with Laurie for years—they're practically childhood sweethearts. Okay, so maybe she doesn't get to see much of him these days , but she can' t betray him.
Besides , when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas—glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop—at—nothing sister Clare—well, someone has to exercise a bit of self—control , don't they? I mean , you wouldn' t want to do something that you might later regret...
Praise for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Mansell:
"Each and every facet of this wonderful story comes together to offer readers a tremendous look at friendship, hope, romance, and second chances. An unforgettable, entertaining novel!"—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
"Bestselling Brit Mansell delivers a romantic and lighthearted story about a woman's struggle to overcome grief—and the quirky people who help her along the way."—Publishers Weekly
When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she's tempted. Of course she is. Stranded together while a snowstorm rages outside ... who would ever know?
But Nadia's already been together with Laurie for years—they're practically childhood sweethearts. Okay, so maybe she doesn't get to see much of him these days , but she can' t betray him.
Besides , when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas—glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop—at—nothing sister Clare—well, someone has to exercise a bit of self—control , don't they? I mean , you wouldn' t want to do something that you might later regret...
Praise for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Mansell:
"Each and every facet of this wonderful story comes together to offer readers a tremendous look at friendship, hope, romance, and second chances. An unforgettable, entertaining novel!"—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
"Bestselling Brit Mansell delivers a romantic and lighthearted story about a woman's struggle to overcome grief—and the quirky people who help her along the way."—Publishers Weekly
478 pages, with a 4.0-star rating from 43 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, enabled.
Here's today's Daily Science Fiction/Fantasy Deal, available for $2.99 today!
Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations), by KB's own Michael J. Sullivan.
***#1 AMAZON BEST SELLER: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, & Men's Adventure***
They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.
There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are running for their lives when they're framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery before it's too late.
When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.
BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS
They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.
There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are running for their lives when they're framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery before it's too late.
When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.
BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS
- Theft of Swords (contains: The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha)
- Rise of Empire (contains: Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm)
- Heir of Novron (contains: Wintertide & Percepliquis)
BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA CHRONICLES
- The Crown Tower (coming Aug 2013)
- The Rose and the Thorn (coming Sep 2013)
694 pages, with a 4.5-star rating from 297 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, enabled. Whispersync for Voice audiobook available for $3.99 if you purchase this book.
Here's today's Kindle Daily Deal, available for $1.99 today!
When Thunder Comes, by J. Patrick Lewis.
In moving verse, Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis gives new voice to seventeen heroes of civil rights.
Exquisitely illustrated by five extraordinary artists, this commanding collection of poems invites the reader to hear in each verse the thunder that lies in every voice, no matter how small. Featuring civil rights luminaries Coretta Scott King, Harvey Milk, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Sylvia Mendez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mamie Carthan Till, Helen Zia, Josh Gibson, Dennis James Banks, Mitsuye Endo, Ellison Onizuka, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Yunus, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.
Exquisitely illustrated by five extraordinary artists, this commanding collection of poems invites the reader to hear in each verse the thunder that lies in every voice, no matter how small. Featuring civil rights luminaries Coretta Scott King, Harvey Milk, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Sylvia Mendez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mamie Carthan Till, Helen Zia, Josh Gibson, Dennis James Banks, Mitsuye Endo, Ellison Onizuka, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Yunus, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.
44 pages, with a 5.0-star rating from 3 reviews. Text to Speech, X-Ray, Lending enabled.
Happy Reading!
Betsy
