Hanging by a String is an unforgettable, illuminating memoir which describes an unheard-of victory over the dialysis machine, a near-death-experience and three other triumphant returns from the dead. Hoping to realize her dream of becoming a violinist, Marilyn Gibson was told that she had lupus, a disease which her mother, a pianist, had struggled with for years. Fearing that her mother’s fate would become a mirror for her own, Marilyn found it necessary to search for solutions which the medical professionals could not provide. With force and precision, Marilyn describes how her beliefs and commitment to healing brought her closer to the answers she sought. Yet what is really transcendent, in the sense that the story speaks movingly to the human condition in all of its forms, is the battle as it is portrayed from the inside. The sessions in the hospital are compellingly vivid in disclosing how a person struggles for consciousness and for self-acceptance as she is going through the radical treatments being administered. Finally, she receives a kidney from her father that enables her to utilize her discoveries for vibrant health. Today she enjoys a career as a violinist in New York City.

This book may be regarded as an introduction to the study of String Figures—games which are widespread among primitive peoples, and played by weaving on the hands a single loop of string in order to produce intricate patterns supposed to represent certain familiar objects. I have gathered together the facts already known concerning these games, and, adding my own studies and the unpublished records of other observers, I have here described and illustrated the methods whereby about one hundred string figures are made. My purpose has been twofold: to interest other students in the subject, in order that additional figures and their methods may be collected among various tribes and races; and to reach a still larger public, that more people may share in the fascinations of the games themselves. The games are certainly fascinating, appealing as they do to young and to old, and to those debarred from all pastimes demanding physical exertion. Moreover, they are not unduly difficult; and, capable as they are of infinite variations, their charm ought to be inexhaustible.

This isn't your summer camp string art! String art is making a comeback with seemingly endless new designs, and author Jesse Drebach's modern, more flexible approach lets you methodically string away to your heart's content. This book is full of patterns--simple to more intricate designs--that help you quickly get to the fun part of the craft--the stringing! Jesse walks you through his tool room, and even includes tips on cutting and preparing the right size boards. He shares how to structure the nails using paper patterns and details several stringing techniques. DIY String Art includes simple geometrics, nature-inspired motifs worked on tree slices, zodiac signs, and even patterns for negative space string art where you fill in the entire board everywhere but inside the chosen motif. These are cool, urban designs, some with random string work, some with faceted sections and still others with specific string paths to achieve more uniform results, and they look amazing no matter where you hang them. Jesse's double-wrap technique lets you add pronounced details and even create a string frame--he's thought of, basically, everything you need to know to string a gallery of modern art!

Contains instructions for making and information about string figures of Nauru Island. Is a "definitive work on Nauruan ekadawa as well as commentary on Nauru's history and society."