Download or read book Nine Florida Stories by Marjory Stoneman Douglas written by Marjory Stoneman Douglas and published by . This book was released on 1990-03-01 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A collection of tales boiling with real estate dealers, egret poachers, rumrunners, mango growers, sportsmen, land grubbers, murderers, and mosquitoes. First printed in The Saturday Evening Post during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, these stories constitute a rip-snorting glimpse back to a South Florida that now exists only in memory."--Miami Herald"Reflects the same concerns found in her better-known non-fiction work--a fascination with the beauty of Florida and a warning against its imminent destruction."--Tallahassee DemocratThe subjects that would fire Marjory Stoneman Douglas’s enthusiasm for the rest of her life first appeared in her short fiction published in the 1920s. Florida’s most celebrated environmentalist, the author of The Everglades: River of Grass, wrote even then about protecting South Florida’s fragile ecosystem and the state’s endangered species, about the dangers of short-sighted land development, and about Florida history. The nine stories in this first collection take place in a scattering of South Florida settings--Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, the Tamiami Trail, the Keys, the Everglades—and reveal the drama of hurricanes and plane crashes, of kidnappers, escaped convicts, and smugglers. Editor Kevin McCarthy relates each story to Douglas’s life and points out the autobiographical touches which surface frequently in her stories.

Download or read book In the Land of Good Living written by Kent Russell and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wickedly smart, funny, and irresistibly off-kilter account of an improbable thousand-mile journey on foot into the heart of modern Florida, the state that Russell calls "America Concentrate." In the summer of 2016, Kent Russell--broke, at loose ends, hungry for adventure--set off to walk across Florida. Mythic, superficial, soaked in contradictions, maligned by cultural elites, segregated from the South, and literally vanishing into the sea, Florida (or, as he calls it: "America Concentrate") seemed to Russell to embody America's divided soul. The journey, with two friends intent on filming the ensuing mayhem, quickly reduces the trio to filthy drifters pushing a shopping cart of camera equipment. They get waylaid by a concerned citizen bearing a rifle; buy cocaine from an ex-wrestler; visit a spiritual medium. The narrative overflows with historical detail about how modern Florida came into being after World War II, and how it came to be a petri dish for life in a suddenly, increasingly diverse new land of minority-majority cities and of unrivaled ethnic and religious variety. Russell has taken it all in with his incomparably focused lens and delivered a book that is both an inspired travelogue and a profound rumination on the nation's soul--and his own. It is a book that is wildly vivid, encyclopedic, erudite, and ferociously irreverent--a deeply ambivalent love letter to his sprawling, brazenly varied home state.

Download or read book Florida written by Lauren Groff and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Magnificent . . . Lauren Groff is a virtuoso' Emily St John Mandel 'A blistering collection . . . lyrical and oblique' Guardian 'Not to be missed . . . deep and dark and resonant' Ann Patchett 'It's beautiful. It's giving me rich, grand nightmares' Observer In these vigorous stories, Lauren Groff brings her electric storytelling to a world in which storms, snakes and sinkholes lurk at the edge of everyday life, but the greater threats are of a human, emotional and psychological nature. Among those navigating it all are a resourceful pair of abandoned sisters; a lonely boy, grown up; a restless, childless couple; a searching, homeless woman; and an unforgettable conflicted wife and mother. Florida is an exploration of the connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and despair, love and fury. 'Innovative and terrifyingly relevant. Any one of these stories is a bracing read; together they form a masterpiece' Stylist 'Lushly evocative . . . mesmerising . . . a writer whose turn of phrase can stop you on your tracks' Financial Times

Download or read book Best State Ever written by Dave Barry and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller—a brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry. We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state's acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ. Join him as he goes in hunt of the legendary Skunk Ape; hobnobs with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs; and visits Cassadaga, the psychic capital of the world, to have his dog's aura read (apparently, she's "very spiritual"). Hitch a ride for the non-stop thrills of alligator-wrestling ("the gators display the same fighting spirit as a Barcalounger"), the hair-raising spectacle of a clothing-optional bar in Key West, and the manly manliness of the Machine Gun Experience in Miami. It's the most hilarious book yet from “the funniest damn writer in the whole country” (Carl Hiaasen, and he should know). By the end, you'll have to admit that whatever else you might think about Florida—you can never say it's boring.

Download or read book More Florida Stories written by Kevin McCarthy and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This companion volume to the popular Florida Stories offers readers another sampling from the rich heritage of Florida short fiction. The collection ranges across a gallery of original characters and 150 years of the state's history and culture. Selections in this volume highlight distinctively Floridian settings and experiences, from W. B. Thompson's report of the Indian assault on the Cape Florida Lighthouse during the Second Seminole War to Padgett Powell's tale of the backroads personalities and attractions of present-day Florida.

Download or read book A River in Flood and Other Florida Stories written by Marjory Stoneman Douglas and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About Nine Florida Stories by Marjory Stoneman Douglas: "Written as entertainment for a mass market . . . crammed with colorful characters, vivid incidents and palpable atmosphere. . . . A reminder of a Florida gone by or fast disappearing."--Orlando Sentinel "Reflects the same concerns found in her better-known non-fiction work--a fascination with the beauty of Florida and a warning against its imminent destruction."--Tallahassee Democrat In the pantheon of Florida writers, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) is cherished as the grande dame. Famous as the author of The Everglades: River of Grass, prolific as a writer, and passionate as an environmental crusader for almost a century, she became the nation's best link to a remarkable era in Florida history. The timeless themes of her stories in this new collection resonate with interest for readers today. Whether the subject is hurricanes, cockfighting, real estate deals, struggling immigrants, or corruption in the Everglades, Douglas wrote about it with distinction--and usually first. Originally published in the Saturday Evening Post during the 1920s and 1930s, the golden age of the short story, these nine works have never before been collected or available in one place. Kevin M. McCarthy, who edited the companion volume, Nine Florida Stories by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, offers an introduction to each story, explaining its significance, setting, unusual references, place in Douglas's works, and significance to the history of South Florida. Kevin M. McCarthy, professor of English and Florida studies at the University of Florida, is the author or editor of nineteen other books, including Florida Lighthouses, Florida Stories, and More Florida Stories (published by the University Press of Florida). The stories: "At Home on the Marcel Waves" "Solid Mahogany" "Goodness Gracious, Agnes" "A River in Flood" "The Mayor of Flamingo" "Stepmother" "You Got to Go, But You Don't Have to Come Back" "High-Goal Man" "Wind Before Morning"

Download or read book Oh Florida written by Craig Pittman and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fun- and fact-filled investigation into why the Sunshine State is the weirdest but also the most influential state in the Union.

Download or read book Florida written by Charlie Carlson and published by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to visiting the odd and less known tourist attractions in the state of Florida.

Download or read book The State You re In written by Craig Pittman and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2021-08-09 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jump into the wacky, wild world of Florida For more than 30 years, investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author Craig Pittman has chronicled the wildest stories Florida has to offer. Featuring a selection of columns that have appeared in the Tampa Bay Times and other outlets throughout Pittman’s career, this book highlights just how strange and wonderful Florida can be. With a folksy style, an eye for the absurd, and a passion for the history and environment of his home state, Pittman describes some of Florida’s oddest wildlife as well as its quirkiest people. The State You’re In includes a love story involving the most tattooed woman in the world, a deep dive into the state’s professional mermaid industry, and an investigation of a battle between residents of a nudist resort and the U.S. Postal Service. Pittman introduces readers to a who’s who of Florida crime fiction, a what’s what of exotic animals, and an array of beloved places he’s seen change rapidly in his lifetime. Many of these stories are funny, some are serious, and several offer rare insights into the heart of the Sunshine State. For Pittman, Florida is both inspiring and dangerous—an “evolutionary test” for those who live in it. Together these pieces paint a complex picture of a fascinating state longing for an identity beyond palm trees and punchlines.

Download or read book Finding Florida written by T. D. Allman and published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.

Download or read book Ivory Shoals written by John Brandon and published by McSweeney's. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Ivory Shoals, twelve-year-old Gussie Dwyer--audacious, resilient, determined to adhere to the morals his mother instilled in him--undertakes to trek across the sumptuous yet perilous peninsula of post-Civil War Florida in search of his father, a man who has no idea of his son's existence. Gussie's journey sees him cross paths with hardened Floridians of every stripe, from the brave and noble to a bevy of cutthroat villains, none worse than his amoral shark of a stepbrother. Rich in visceral details and told with a pulse-quickening pace, Ivory Shoals is a distinctly American story, in the tradition of Mark Twain and Cormac McCarthy. The novel is also a timeless epic, tracking Gussie's odyssey from childhood toward adulthood. Will he survive his quest, and at what cost?

Download or read book Florida Man written by Tom Cooper and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2022-02-08 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A riotous journey into the heart of insanity also known as the State of Florida. Bravo!”—Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success Florida, circa 1980. Reed Crowe, the eponymous Florida Man, is a middle-aged beach bum, beleaguered and disenfranchised, living on ill-gotten gains deep in the jungly heart of Florida. When sinkholes start opening on Emerald Island, not only are Reed Crowe's seedy businesses—a moribund motel and a shabby amusement park—endangered, but so are his secrets. Crowe, amateur spelunker, begins uncovering artifacts that change his understanding of the island’s history, as well as his understanding of his family’s birthright as pioneering homesteaders. Meanwhile, there are other Florida men with whom Crowe must contend. Hector “Catface” Morales, a Cuban refugee, trained assassin, and crack-addicted Marielito, is seeking revenge on Reed for stealing his stash of drugs and leaving him for dead (unbeknownst to Reed) in the wreckage of a plane crash in the Everglades decades ago. Loner and misanthrope Henry Yahchilane, a Seminole native, has something to hide on the island. So does irascible and pervy Wayne Wade, Reed Crowe’s childhood friend turned bad penny. Then there are the Florida women, including Heidi Karavas, Reed Crowe’s ex-wife, now a globe-trekking art curator, and Nina Arango, a Cuban refugee and fiercely protective woman with whom Reed Crowe falls in love. There are curses. There are sea monsters. There are biblical storms. There’s something called the Jupiter Effect. Ultimately, Florida Man is a generation-spanning story about how a man decides to live his life, and how despite staying landlocked and stubbornly in one place, the world nevertheless comes to him.

Download or read book Florida Gothic Stories written by Vicki Hendricks and published by . This book was released on 2014-06-20 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gothic, in the sense of Southern Gothic, these eleven stories emphasize the "grotesque" and take place in various Florida environments. Some involve crime and violence, most involve sex; and animals are often central to the plot. "Stormy, Mon Amour" is about a woman who has given birth to a mermaid and seeks to reunite with her dolphin lover. "ReBecca" is the story of conjoined twins and their first sexual experience. "Boozanne, Lemme Be," from the viewpoint of a petty thief, focuses on his secret life in a couple's home when they are at work. "Must Bite " is a grizzly tale of greed, murder, and ape behavior. Eight other stories contain similarly original plots and off-kilter characters. Megan Abbott provides the Introduction and Michael Connelly the Afterword.

Download or read book We Can t Help It If We re from Florida written by Shane Hinton and published by . This book was released on 2017-11-07 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'As hot and wild and dangerous as our beloved (or is it bedeviled?) state, itself.'' -- Lauren Groff, author of ''Fates & Furies''

Download or read book God Bless Florida written by Zondervan, and published by Zonderkidz. This book was released on 2016-06-07 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a tour of the most amazing landmarks and cities in Florida! God Bless Florida will show readers how special their state is and how God made such a wonderful place for us to live.

Download or read book Florida Made written by George S. LeMieux and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-09 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once considered just an insect-ridden swampland, Florida is now a top destination for tourism, business, agriculture and innovation thanks to these 25 individuals. Florida is in many ways both the oldest and newest of the megastates. The ideas and actions of a colorful cast of characters - from beloved cultural icons to political heroes and even a socialist dictator - transformed the peninsula. A Barbados native rescued Florida's orange industry after the catastrophic 1835 freeze. Known as the "Grande Dame of the Everglades," Marjory Stoneman Douglas worked tirelessly to save the state's vast, incomparable wetlands from annihilation in the early twentieth century. In the mid-1800s, a Florida doctor developed a precursor to modern air conditioning. Join former U.S. senator George LeMieux and journalist Laura Mize as they profile and rank, according to impact, the 25 trailblazers who have changed the Sunshine State forever.

Download or read book A Land Remembered written by Patrick D. Smith and published by Pineapple PressInc. This book was released on 2001 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the story of the MacIvey family of Florida from 1858 to 1968.