From one of the most important writers of the twentieth century, the acclaimed author of Revolutionary Road, comes the story of a mother who struggles with her own demons while her son goes to fight in Europe, hoping to become his own man. "Like Breakfast At Tiffany's spliced with All Quiet On The Western Front. Impossible to paraphrase, wonderful to read." —Zadie Smith, bestselling author of White Teeth Robert Prentice has spent all his life attempting to escape his mother's stifling presence. His mother, Alice, for her part, is attempting to realize her dreams of prosperity and success as a sculptor. As Robert goes off to fight in Europe, Richard Yates portrays a soldier in the depths of war striving to live up to his heroic ideals. With haunting clarity, Yates crafts an unforgettable portrait of two people who cannot help but hope for more even as life challenges them both.

Most books that study professional sports concentrate on teams and leagues. In contrast, Home Team studies the connections between professional team sports in North America and the places where teams play. It examines the relationships between the four major professional team sports--baseball, basketball, football, and hockey--and the cities that attach their names, their hearts, and their increasing amount of tax dollars to big league teams. From the names on their uniforms to the loyalties of their fans, teams are tied to the places in which they play. Nonetheless, teams, like other urban businesses, are affected by changes in their environments--like the flight of their customers to suburbs and changes in local political climates. In Home Team, professional sports are scrutinized in the larger context of the metropolitan areas that surround and support them. Michael Danielson is particularly interested in the political aspects of the connections between professional sports teams and cities. He points out that local and state governments are now major players in the competition for franchises, providing increasingly lavish publicly funded facilities for what are, in fact, private business ventures. As a result, professional sports enterprises, which have insisted that private leagues rather than public laws be the proper means of regulating games, have become powerful political players, seeking additional benefits from government, often playing off one city against another. The wide variety of governmental responses reflects the enormous diversity of urban and state politics in the United States and in the Canadian cities and provinces that host professional teams. Home Team collects a vast amount of data, much of it difficult to find elsewhere, including information on the relocation of franchises, expansion teams, new leagues, stadium development, and the political influence of the rich cast of characters involved in the ongoing contests over where teams will play and who will pay. Everyone who is interested in the present condition and future prospects of professional sports will be captivated by this informative and provocative new book.

Joe Lee lives in Lone Pine, Kentucky, with his grandmother and his little sister Verilee. When the new pastor, Parson Reeves, comes to town, he is met with disapproval from some members of Lone Pine Community Church. Miss Lytle, the school marm, returns to Lone Pine in September. Among Joe Lee's schoolmates is Coralee Jones, a thorn in Joe Lee's side, and her sister Delia, who is jealous of Joe Lee. Additional conflict is provided by local troublemakers Deak and Sloan Pettit. Disgruntled because Parson Reeves foils their attempts to disturb meetings, they set fire to the church. While trying to rescue Verilee during a storm, Joe Lee is struck by lightning. After lying near death for a week, he finally regains consciousness. While Parson Reeves helps Joe Lee regain his strength, Miss Lytle comes after school to give him his lessons. Then Miss Lytle suddenly leaves town amid rumors that she is with child, and folks are quick to point the finger at Parson Reeves. During a meeting to get the truth, Joe Lee delivers a scathing rebuke to the people of Lone Pine.

Inside, discover these Texas towns brimming with fascinating history. Read the stories of the "best of the best" in unique shopping and lodging, fabulous dining and luxurious services, exciting attractions and entertainment, as well the Texas entrepreneurs who make them great.

Cloyce Box was an American original. He was handsome, athletic, intelligent, and ambitious, and his life was the stuff of which dreams and miniseries are made. Starting out as a dirt-poor farm boy from the Texas backcountry, he used his great talents to become a star in the National Football League, a corporate CEO, and a very wealthy man. He was fearless, flamboyant, and controversial. His story is an epic Texas tale of football, cattle, horses, oil, money, power, incredible success, and spectacular failure. The ranch he owned near Frisco, Texas, became famous as the fictional Southfork Ranch on the hit television show Dallas. Financial over-reaching eventually cost him his fortune, just before his death in 1993. With access to Cloyce Box’s personal files and photographs as well as the assistance of his subject’s family and friends, Michael Barr has crafted a biography that is at once clear-eyed and sensitive, allowing the complex character of Cloyce Box to engage and challenge the reader.

B & T S/A 02-04-2002 $21.95.