Download or read book The Premonition A Pandemic Story written by Michael Lewis and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller For those who could read between the lines, the censored news out of China was terrifying. But the president insisted there was nothing to worry about. Fortunately, we are still a nation of skeptics. Fortunately, there are those among us who study pandemics and are willing to look unflinchingly at worst-case scenarios. Michael Lewis’s taut and brilliant nonfiction thriller pits a band of medical visionaries against the wall of ignorance that was the official response of the Trump administration to the outbreak of COVID-19. The characters you will meet in these pages are as fascinating as they are unexpected. A thirteen-year-old girl’s science project on transmission of an airborne pathogen develops into a very grown-up model of disease control. A local public-health officer uses her worm’s-eye view to see what the CDC misses, and reveals great truths about American society. A secret team of dissenting doctors, nicknamed the Wolverines, has everything necessary to fight the pandemic: brilliant backgrounds, world-class labs, prior experience with the pandemic scares of bird flu and swine flu…everything, that is, except official permission to implement their work. Michael Lewis is not shy about calling these people heroes for their refusal to follow directives that they know to be based on misinformation and bad science. Even the internet, as crucial as it is to their exchange of ideas, poses a risk to them. They never know for sure who else might be listening in.

Download or read book The Pull of the Stars written by Emma Donoghue and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Dublin, 1918, a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work, risk, death, and unlooked-for love, in "Donoghue's best novel since Room" (Kirkus Reviews). In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders—Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumoured Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney. In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work. In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue once again finds the light in the darkness in this new classic of hope and survival against all odds.

Download or read book An Unexpected Journey a Covid 19 Tale written by Naomi Barton and published by Blue Eye Books. This book was released on 2021-05-19 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Haven't you heard about the virus?" When her BFF asks this question at the bus stop, there was no way ten year old Emilia could know that the global pandemic of Covid-19 was about to turn her life upside down. Based on true events, this story follows the journey of Emilia, a 'TCK' or Third Culture Kid, who lives in South Korea with her teacher mother, where they both enjoy their international school community. Emilia is from New Zealand, but she's lived outside of her native country for longer than she's lived in it. She loves her life in Korea and travelling the world with her family. Life is wonderful until the rapidly spreading global pandemic of Covid-19 prompts her mother to take Emilia from her home in Korea to her home in New Zealand, after the Lunar New Year holiday of 2020. Emilia's life changes without warning and the range of heart wrenching feelings she experiences is overwhelming. Back in New Zealand, and missing her friends, school and apartment in Korea, Emilia has to face the unplanned reality that she may not be able to go back and instead has to start a new life and school in New Zealand. Despite feeling safe in New Zealand, she wonders how long it will be before the pandemic follows her there too? An Unexpected Journey - a Covid tale is closely based on the real experiences of the author and her daughter, who like many families around the world faced upheaval and anxiety in the wave of the global pandemic in early 2020. This story deals tenderly with real emotions of fear, confusion and grief and the inspiring resilience of a child who has to adapt overnight to a new reality. The transformational story of Emilia honestly expresses the pain and confusion of sudden transition from a child's point of view and celebrates the comfort that family and community can provide. It honors the story of an everyday girl hero who could be your neighbour, classmate or relative! An Unexpected Journey - a Covid tale is a story for anyone who has been affected by change, and specifically addresses themes to do with belonging, identity, and relocation. Ideal readers of this story are: Third Culture kids and their parents Covid-19 refugees Expatriates/Global Nomads Educators International schools An Unexpected Journey - a Covid-19 tale, written by Naomi Barton (B.A.Hons, Dip. Teaching) is a story which demonstrates the healing and empowering nature of storytelling. With extensive experience in theatre, high school drama and philosophy education as well as childbirth education, Naomi combines her skills and experience with her passion for authentic voices to tell a touching story of being a hero in your own life. Having spent years working in international schools in the Middle East and South Korea, Naomi knows the value of stories to embolden self-identity and transform upsetting experiences into tools of empowerment for young children, teenagers and adults.

Download or read book These Precious Days written by Ann Patchett and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-11-23 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Download or read book Before and After written by Judy Christie and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal—some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. She offered up more than 5,000 orphans tailored to the wish lists of eager parents—hiding the fact that many weren’t orphans at all, but stolen sons and daughters of poor families, desperate single mothers, and women told in maternity wards that their babies had died. The publication of Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours brought new awareness of Tann’s lucrative career in child trafficking. Adoptees who knew little about their pasts gained insight into the startling facts behind their family histories. Encouraged by their contact with Wingate and award-winning journalist Judy Christie, who documented the stories of fifteen adoptees in this book, many determined Tann survivors set out to trace their roots and find their birth families. Before and After includes moving and sometimes shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. Christie and Wingate tell of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace better-late-than-never brothers, sisters, and cousins. In a poignant culmination of art meeting life, many of the long-silent victims of the tragically corrupt system return to Memphis with the authors to reclaim their stories at a Tennessee Children’s Home Society reunion . . . with extraordinary results. Advance praise for Before and After “In Before and After, authors Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate tackle the true stories behind Wingate’s blockbuster Before We Were Yours, of the orphans who survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. With a journalist’s keen eye and a novelist’s elegant prose, Christie and Wingate weave together the stories that inspired Before We Were Yours with the lives that were changed as a result of reading the novel. Readers will be educated, enlightened, and enraptured by this important and flawlessly executed book.”—Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris

Download or read book Coffee with Him written by Ann Mainse and published by . This book was released on 2020-05-08 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You trust God's promise to direct your path, but what about when that path takes a sharp left turn, taking you on an unexpected journey fraught with pain and fear? That's where Ann Mainse found herself after she received a devastating diagnosis. During her journey, Ann took the time to journal her morning times with God, often with a cup of coffee and her Bible. In this book she shares her thoughts, fears and victories. No matter where you find yourself today, whether on a breath-stealing, terrifying journey, or simply navigating the twists and turns of everyday life, these readings will provide you with a sense of peace and comfort from God's Word... something for you to percolate on throughout each day. "...for the next 31 days, grab a mug, find a comfy spot, and join me as we receive hope and healing from the One Who loves us most... and share a 'Coffee with Him.' - Ann Mainse

Download or read book Buy Yourself the F cking Lilies written by Tara Schuster and published by Dial Press. This book was released on 2020-02-18 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brutally honest, often hilarious, hard-won lessons in learning to love and care for yourself from a former vice president at Comedy Central who was called “ahead of her time” by Jordan Peele “You’re going to want Tara Schuster to become your new best friend.”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed “Compelling, persuasive, and useful no matter where you are in your life.”—Chelsea Handler, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Life Will Be the Death of Me By the time she was in her late twenties, Tara Schuster was a rising TV executive who had worked for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and helped launch Key & Peele to viral superstardom. By all appearances, she had mastered being a grown-up. But beneath that veneer of success, she was a chronically anxious, self-medicating mess. No one knew that her road to adulthood had been paved with depression, anxiety, and shame, owing in large part to her minimally parented upbringing. She realized she’d hit rock bottom when she drunk-dialed her therapist pleading for help. Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies is the story of Tara’s path to re-parenting herself and becoming a “ninja of self-love.” Through simple, daily rituals, Tara transformed her mind, body, and relationships, and shows how to • fake gratitude until you actually feel gratitude • excavate your emotional wounds and heal them with kindness • identify your self-limiting beliefs, kick them to the curb, and start living a life you choose • silence your inner frenemy and shield yourself from self-criticism • carve out time each morning to start your day empowered, inspired, and ready to rule • create a life you truly, totally f*cking LOVE This is the book Tara wished someone had given her and it is the book many of us desperately need: a candid, hysterical, addictively readable, practical guide to growing up (no matter where you are in life) and learning to love yourself in a non-throw-up-in-your-mouth-it’s-so-cheesy way.

Download or read book The Unexpected Journey written by Camille Hart and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2021-05-13 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you’re going through any traumatic, life-changing experience (mental or physical illness, joblessness, homelessness, incarceration, stress from a family member incarcerated, loss of a loved one, depression caused by anything from systemic racism, sexism, ageism to uncertainty about tomorrow), believe you can overcome it, and know you’re not alone. Trust, you have what it takes to press forward. Remember, the hard times you overcame before, and yet “somehow” you’re still here. Believe if you did it before, you can do it again. Take a journey with me as I discover strategies, including changing past behaviors, developing faith, and self care tips, to get through even in the most challenging times with a peace that transcends understanding.

Download or read book As You Wish written by Cary Elwes and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-10-14 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

Download or read book The Coronavirus Pandemic written by Judith von Halle and published by Temple Lodge Publishing. This book was released on 2020-12-16 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What lies at the root of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the worldwide pandemic it has caused, affecting the health and livelihoods of untold millions of people? What are the deeper, spiritual realities behind COVID-19 and the global turmoil it has left in its trail? In an effort to answer these queries and many others put to her at the start of the pandemic, Judith von Halle composed two letters in March 2020, based on her own spiritual-scientific research. Published in this book together with an additional essay, she addresses questions such as: Which entities stand behind the virus? How and why does it affect human beings? What measures can be taken for prevention and therapy? What does the crisis mean to individuals and what possibilities does it offer for personal development? The author suggests that, apart from the material havoc triggered by coronavirus, the spiritual causes behind it are extremely serious and – if the present pandemic is not to be the first in a series of catastrophes – humanity is called upon to respond in a radically transformative way. In an additional article von Halle tackles the controversial issues relating to government lockdowns and the protest movements that have sprung up in opposition to them. How do these events point to real questions of individual freedom and, most importantly, how do they relate to the central event of our time – an event that, tragically, remains largely unknown? Revealing unexpected perspectives to the COVID-19 pandemic, Judith von Halle asks urgent and difficult questions and offers shattering insights for humanity’s further development.

Download or read book An Accidental Odyssey written by kc dyer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unexpected phone call derails a young woman's wedding plans and sparks an epic adventure around the modern-day Mediterranean in this “mouth-watering voyage” (Kirkus Reviews) of a novel by kc dyer. Gianna Kostas is on the cusp of a fairy-tale life. Sure, she's just lost her job, but she's about to marry one of New York's most eligible bachelors. On her way to taste wedding cakes, though, things go sideways. Shocking news sends Gia off on a wild journey halfway around the world in pursuit of her ailing—and nearly estranged—father. In Athens, she learns Dr. Kostas, a classics professor, is determined to retrace Odysseus's famous voyage. This is a journey her father is in no condition to take alone, so Gia faces a tough decision. When an unexpected job offer helps seal the deal and quash the guilt Gia feels from her disapproving groom-to-be, the journey is on. But as Gia adventures—and eats—her way around the Mediterranean, she discovers that confronting epic storms and ripped surfer dudes might be the easy part. Along the way, as she uncovers family secrets, finds heartbreak, and learns more about a certain archaeologist with a mysterious past of his own, Gia discovers that fairy-tale endings might be messy and complicated, but they can happen anywhere.

Download or read book The Girl in the White Van written by April Henry and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A teen is snatched outside her kung fu class and must figure out how to escape—and rescue another kidnapped victim—in The Girl in the White Van, a chilling YA mystery by New York Times bestselling author April Henry. When Savannah disappears soon after arguing with her mom’s boyfriend, everyone assumes she's run away. The truth is much worse. She’s been kidnapped by a man in a white van who locks her in an old trailer home, far from prying eyes. And worse yet, Savannah’s not alone: ten months earlier, Jenny met the same fate and nearly died trying to escape. Now as the two girls wonder if he will hold them captive forever or kill them, they must join forces to break out—even if it means they die trying. Christy Ottaviano Books

Download or read book The Library of Legends written by Janie Chang and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Library of Legends is a gorgeous, poetic journey threaded with mist and magic about a group from a Chinese university who take to the road to escape the Japanese invasion of 1937 – only to discover that danger stalks them from within. Janie Chang pens pure enchantment!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress From the author of Three Souls and Dragon Springs Road comes a captivating historical novel—the third in a loosely-connected trilogy—in which a young woman travels across China with a convoy of student refugees, fleeing the hostilities of a brutal war with Japan. “Myths are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are…” China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. Her family’s past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother. On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow’s true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country’s fate forever. Based on true events, rich in Chinese history and lore, The Library of Legends is both an illuminating exploration of China’s recent past and an evocative tale of love, sacrifice, and the extraordinary power of storytelling.

Download or read book A Journal of the Plague Year written by Daniel Defoe and published by . This book was released on 1722 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book And the People Stayed Home Family Book Coronavirus Kids Book Nature Book written by Kitty O'Meara and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Kitty O’Meara…offers us wisdom that can help during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. She is challenging us to grow."—Deepak Chopra, MD, author, Metahuman “Kitty O'Meara is the poet laureate of the pandemic"—O, The Oprah Magazine "An eloquent, heartwarming reflection that will resonate with generations to come… encouragement for a brighter tomorrow."—Kate Winslet "And the People Stayed Home is an uplifting perspective on the resilience of the human spirit and the healing potential we have to change our world for the better." ––Shelf Awareness “Images of nature healing show the author’s vision of hope for the future…The accessible prose and beautiful images make this a natural selection for young readers, but older ones may appreciate the work’s deeper meaning.”— Kirkus Reviews “This is a perfectly illustrated version of a poem that continues to be relevant.”—School Library Journal “A stunning and peaceful offering of introspection and hope.”—The Children’s Book Review Ten Best Children’s Books of 2020: "A calming, optimistic read, and a salve for children trying their best to navigate this time." —Smithsonian Magazine “It captured the kind of optimism people need right now.”—Esquire (UK) “Thank you, Kitty O'Meara…for pointing out that at this very moment, this very day, we can seize the opportunity to restore wholeness to our world."—Sy Montgomery, bestselling author of The Good Good Pig and The Soul of an Octopus “A poem by American writer Kitty O’Meara has deservedly gone viral.”—Edinburgh Evening News And the People Stayed Home is a beautifully produced picture book featuring Kitty O’Meara’s popular, globally viral prose poem about the coronavirus pandemic, which has a hopeful and timeless message. Kitty O’Meara, author of And the People Stayed Home, has been called the “poet laureate of the pandemic.” This illustrated children’s book (ages 4-8) will also appeal to readers of all ages. O’Meara’s thoughtful poem about the pandemic, quarantine, and the future suggests there is meaning to be found in our shared experience of the coronavirus and conveys an optimistic message about the possibility of profound healing for people and the planet. Her words encourage us to look within, listen deeply, and connect with ourselves and the earth in order to heal. O’Meara, a former teacher and chaplain and a spiritual director, clearly captures important aspects of the pandemic experience. Her words, written in March 2020 and shared on Facebook, immediately resonated nationally and internationally and were widely circulated on social media, covered in mainstream news media, and inspired an outpouring of creativity from musicians, dancers, artists, filmmakers, and more. The many highlights include an original composition by John Corigliano that was premiered by Renée Fleming.

Download or read book Fauci Expect the Unexpected written by National Geographic and published by Disney Electronic Content. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compiled from hours of interviews drawn from the eponymous National Geographic documentary, this inspiring book from world-renowned infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci shares the lessons that have shaped the celebrated doctor's life philosophy, offering an intimate view of one of the world's greatest medical minds as well as universal advice to live by. Before becoming the face of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and America's most trusted doctor, Dr. Anthony Fauci had already devoted three decades to public service. Those looking to live a more compassionate and purposeful life will find inspiration in his unique perspective on leadership, expecting the unexpected, and finding joy in difficult times. With more than three decades spent combating some of the most dangerous diseases to strike humankind-- AIDS, Ebola, COVID-19--Dr. Fauci has worked in daunting professional conditions and shouldered great responsibility. The earnest reflections in these pages offer a universal message on how to lead in times of crisis and find resilience in the face of disappointments and obstacles. Filled with inspiring words of wisdom, this profound book will offer readers a concrete path to a bright and hopeful future. Editor's Note: Dr. Anthony Fauci had no creative control over this book or the film on which it is based. He was not paid for his participation, nor does he have any financial interest in the film or book release.

Download or read book Top To Bottom written by Finlay Games and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2021-04-21 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Radical, honest and timely' FOX FISHER 'Fascinating' ASH PALMISCIANO 'A cracking read' MEG-JOHN BARKER "This book is about my penis. This is my story of going through lower surgery, specifically phalloplasty, and the adventures I have with my changing genitals along the way. Welcome to my journey." After coming out as trans, Finlay Games was adamant lower surgery would not be a part of his transition, but as the years went by, and his gender dysphoria increased, he decided to explore surgical options. Detailing the emotional and physical journey of phalloplasty, this book takes the reader through Finlay's experiences, from the initial decision-making through each stage of the surgery to its completion, recovery and after-care. Describing how he had to relearn his body, sexuality and his relationships, Finlay shares his wealth of advice and tips on donor site options, different types of surgery, the referral process, essential items and resources, and looking after your mental health. Part memoir, part self-help guide, this insightful, witty and deeply honest book highlights the life-changing impact surgery can have for trans people and provides hope to those on a similar journey.