The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
Mitch Alboom
Sphere (hardcover), 2015
PRs 1295
Mitch Albom creates his most unforgettable fictional character—Frankie Presto, the greatest guitarist to ever walk the earth—in this magical novel about the bands we join in life and the power of talent to change our lives.
In his most stunning novel yet, the voice of Music narrates the tale of its most beloved disciple, young Frankie Presto, a war orphan raised by a blind music teacher in a small Spanish town. At nine years old, Frankie is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings.
But Frankie’s talent is touched by the gods, and his amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 20th century, from classical to jazz to rock and roll, with his stunning talent affecting numerous stars along the way, including Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Wynton Marsalis and even KISS.
Frankie becomes a pop star himself. He makes records. He is adored. But his gift is also his burden, as he realizes, through his music, he can actually affect people’s futures—with one string turning blue whenever a life is altered.
At the height of his popularity, Frankie Presto vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, does he reappear—just before his spectacular death—to change one last life.
With its Forest Gump-like romp through the music world, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is a classic in the making. A lifelong musician himself, Mitch Albom delivers a remarkable novel, infused with the message that “everyone joins a band in this life” and those connections change us all.
Politics and Cosmopolitanism in a Global Age
Edited by Sonika Gupta and Sudarsan Padmanabhan
Routledge (hardcover), 2015
PRs 1479
This book offers a unique reconceptualization of cosmopolitanism. It examines several themes that inform politics in a globalized era, including global governance, international law, citizenship, constitutionalism, community, domesticity, territory, sovereignty, and nationalism. The volume explores the specific philosophical and institutional challenges in constructing a cosmopolitan political community beyond the nation state. It reorients and decolonizes the boundaries of ‘cosmopolitanism’ and questions the contemporary discourse to posit inclusive alternatives. Presenting rich and diverse perspectives from across the world, the volume will interest scholars and students of politics and international relations, political theory, public policy, ethics, and philosophy.
Reviews
‘This unusual volume brings together contributions by some of the most well-known intellectuals writing on the theme of cosmopolitanism into a tension-ridden conversation with perspectives that foreground different experiences from the global south.’ ? Aditya Nigam, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, India
‘Re-inducting structure and agency into the debate on the nature and course of globalization, the authors highlight the hiatus between slogans of global justice and global realities and examine ways to bridge this gap through appropriate and urgent action. This elegantly written book should be a constant companion of all students of public policy and democracy in the global age.’ ? Subrata K. Mitra, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, Germany
Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies
Zaki Chehab
IB Tauras (hardcover), 2007
PRs 1495
The radical Islamist movement Hamas shocked the world when it won a landslide election victory in January 2006 in the Palestinian-occupied territories. One of the few journalists not to be surprised by this outcome was Zaki Chehab who has developed an international reputation as a fearless reporter and was one of the first to interview members the Iraqi resistance in May 2003. Fluent in Arabic, he is a Palestinian refugee who grew up in UN refugee camps and has unique access to and understanding of Hamas. Like Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, Chehab shows how Hamas built a formidable social base in Palestine through its welfare programs. He also explains why, in the face of the endless complexities, disappointments and delays brought about by the signing of the Oslo Peace Accord, Hamas’s strategy of armed struggle and terrorism offers the Palestinian people a seductive, simple and deadly alternative.
Fifty Great Political Thinkers
Ian Adams and RW Dyson
Routledge (paperback), 2004
PRs 590
Fifty Major Political Thinkers introduces the lives and ideas of some of the most influential figures in Western political thought, from ancient Greece to the present day. The entries provide a fascinating introduction to the major figures and schools of thought that have shaped contemporary politics, including:
l Aristotle
l Simone de Beauvoir
l Michel Foucault
l Mohandas Gandhi
l Jurgen Habermas
l Machiavelli
l Karl Marx
l Thomas Paine
l Jean-Jacques Rousseau
l Mary Wollstonecraft.
Fully cross-referenced and including a glossary of theoretical terms, this wide-ranging and accessible book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the evolution and history of contemporary political thought.
River of Ink
Paul MM Cooper
Bloomsbury Circus (paperback), 2016
PRs 995
In thirteenth-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life and a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka’s role as court poet dramatically alters. Magha is a cruel and calculating king?and yet, a lover of poetry?and he commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch?a symbol of unity between the two cultures.
But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery. First inadvertently, then deliberately and dangerously, Asanka’s version of the epic, centered on the killing of an unjust ruler, inspires and arouses the oppressed people of the land. Asanka must juggle the capricious demands of a king with the growing demands of his own political consciousness?and his heart?if he wishes to survive and imagine a future with the woman he loves.
The first novel from a remarkable young writer, River of Ink is a powerful historical tale set in the shadow of oppression?one with deep allegorical resonances in any time?celebrating the triumph of literature and love.