DescriptionIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens' only historical novel, sets personal happiness against the terrors of the French Revolution where the search for social justice sacrifices individual rights. Dr. Manette has emerged from eighteen years of unjust imprisonment in the Bastille. By an ironic twist of fate, his daughter Lucie's marriage draws the family into a terrifying web of circumstance which, it seems, can only end in death by the guillotine. For more informative lectures about this work, don't miss A Study Guide to a Tale of Two Cities.
DescriptionIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times... So begins this classic, one of the most beloved novels of all time. Charles Dickens brings the French Revolution to life through such vivid characters as Charles Darnay, the Old Doctor, Sydney Carton and Lucy Manette. The action peaks with the storming of the Bastille, the dreaded symbol of government authority. And the blade of La Guillotine falls again... For more informative lectures about this work, don't miss A Study Guide to a Tale of Two Cities.
DescriptionIf a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it looks so ugly you can hardly bear to look at it. How do you outwit a Twit? Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything, except playing mean jokes on each other, catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. They don't just want out, they want revenge.
DescriptionHow could a man who is devoid of character and who offers us unending doses of symbolism instead of substance be elected to our country's highest office? Daniel Boorstin saw it coming 30 years ago. First published in 1962, this wonderfully provocative book introduced the notion of "pseudo events" - events such as press conferences and presidential debates, which are manufactured solely in order to be reported and the contemporary definition of celebrity as "a person who is known for his well-knownness." Since then Daniel J. Boorstin's prophetic vision of an America inundated by its own illusions has become an essential resource for any reader who wants to distinguish the manifold deceptions of our culture from its few enduring truths.
DescriptionIn Tom Wolfe's hands, the strange saga of American architecture in the 20th century makes for both high comedy and intellectual excitement. This is his sequel to The Painted Word, the book that caused such a furor in the art world five years before. Once again Wolfe shows how social and intellectual fashions have determined aesthetic form in our time and how willingly the creators have abandoned personal vision and originality in order to work a la mode. Listen to a conversation with Tom Wolfe.
DescriptionEveryone has their own vision of Jesus - an all-powerful defender of the faith, a wise rabbi, a stained-glass cathedral image, or a soft and fluffy Sunday school flannelboard likeness. But the question of who Jesus really was and what his life was like has fascinated generations of Christians. Best selling author and respected journalist Philip Yancey takes a deeper look at the Christ of the Gospels. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey reveals a complex character, a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who aims to transform your life and faith radically. The Jesus I Never Knew is a piercingly honest interpretation of the life and character of Jesus of Nazareth by a writer unafraid to tackle Christianity's most difficult issues in order to enhance our perspective and understanding.
