Through a series of real life stories, Lucy inspires you to expedite your personal development journey and live your best life by design. From China to America, from failed acting audition frustrations to alignment, from loneliness and stress to a life of fulfillment, from high school drop out to becoming a podcaster, coach, and author, this is a book of optimism, joy and motivation. “Lucy Liu’s book is a great guide to building true confidence as she shares these decision making tips to help you move forward in your journey. As someone who talks about confidence, this is another great resource to have by your side when building your confidence in business and life.” Sheena Yap Chan — Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author and Podcast Host of “The Tao Of Self Confidence,” Keynote Speaker, and Consultant on Self-confidence and Leadership “Real. Raw. Relatable. Lucy fearlessly lays bare her own struggles and vulnerabilities, inviting readers on an emotionally charged journey of self-discovery and growth. Through her candid and relatable anecdotes, Lucy inspires readers to confront their own inner shadows with newfound courage and compassion. This book is a powerful guide to embracing our imperfections, fears, and doubts which lead to profound personal transformation and genuine connections with others.” Lauren Smith — Business Strategist, Author, Mentor, Podcast Host of “Master Your Mind, Business and Life” and “Awaken Your Soul.” “I read a lot of self-help, inspirational pieces, but this one really stuck with me. It felt deeply personal and honest, while also offering helpful insights and actionable ways to make improvements in life!” Sydney Owens — Founder and Owner of Chicken Scratch, LLC “Life is but a series of decisions. Lucy Liu eloquently shares stories and perspectives to help you navigate the art of decision making by transforming your mindset and living your purpose. Step into your own transformative power and make better decisions, large and small, and begin living the life you are called to live by following Lucy’s journey of overcoming fear to transform and step into her life purpose - to help you discover what you can do to live the life you’ve dreamed of.” Robyn Graham — Marketing and Lead Generation Strategist, Host of “The Robyn Graham Show,” Author of “You, Me, and Anxiety”

The many adventures of the "epic" in modern times are fascinating topics in themselves. The Romantics claimed that every self-respecting nation should, at some time, have had one and they set out to reconstruct these epics for political as well as cultural reasons. Such epics represented earlier stages in the development of nation-states and in this modern world they were, for a long time, hard to appreciate. The introduction of tape recorders, however, brought the epic back in the limelight. It became fashionable for scholars to record long oral narratives, and to present them as long written poems that reflected deeply ingrained ideas. Because of this technology, the idea of the epic was revitalized. This volume presents critical analyses of epics in Sub-Saharan Africa, the former Soviet Union, South-East Asia, Medieval Europe, and America and discusses the process of revitalization, sometimes even invention, of epics in particular historical, political, and academic contexts. Jan Jansen is a member of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Leiden, Netherlands. Henk M.J. Maier is professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania of the University of Leiden, Netherlands.

Looking at eight specific novels and at exile narratives as a group, Tziovas (modern Greek studies, U. of Birmingham) traces the transformation of Greek culture from community-based to individual- based, and the impact that change has had on recent Greek fiction. Being postmodern, his readings emphasize relativity and subjectivity, and reject rigid totalities and grand narratives. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This collective volume provides a fresh perspective on Homeric reception through a methodologically focused, interdisciplinary investigation of the transformations of Homeric epic within varying generic and cultural contexts. It explores how various aspects of Homeric poetics appeal and can be mapped on to a diversity of contexts under different socio-historical, intellectual, literary and artistic conditions. The volume brings together internationally acclaimed scholars and acute young researchers in the fields of classics and reception studies, yielding insight into the varied strategies and ideological forces that define Homeric reception in literature, scholarship and the performing arts (theatre, film and music) and shape the ‘horizon of expectations’ of readers and audience. This collection also showcases that the wide-ranging ‘migration’ of Homeric material through time and across place holds significant cultural power, being instrumental in the construction of new cultural identities. The volume is of particular interest to scholars in the fields of classics, reception and cultural studies and the performing arts, as well as to readers fascinated by ancient literature and its cultural transformations.

Didactic Epic was enormously popular in the ancient world. It was used to teach Greeks and Romans technical and scientific subjects, but in verse. Epic Lessons shows how this scientific poetry was intended not just to instruct but also to entertain. Praise for its predecessor, Reading Epic 'Toohey's erudition makes the complexities and the strangeness of these ancient poems appear as clear as daylight and his enthusiasm renders them as attractive as the latest blockbuster.' - JACT Review

Understanding instead of lamenting the popularity of self-help books Based on a reading of more than three hundred self-help books, Sandra K. Dolby examines this remarkably popular genre to define "self-help" in a way that's compelling to academics and lay readers alike. Self-Help Books also offers an interpretation of why these books are so popular, arguing that they continue the well-established American penchant for self-education, they articulate problems of daily life and their supposed solutions, and that they present their content in a form and style that is accessible rather than arcane. Using tools associated with folklore studies, Dolby then examines how the genre makes use of stories, aphorisms, and a worldview that is at once traditional and contemporary. The overarching premise of the study is that self-help books, much like fairy tales, take traditional materials, especially stories and ideas, and recast them into extended essays that people happily read, think about, try to apply, and then set aside when a new embodiment of the genre comes along.