In this starkly humorous novel, set in post World-War 2 England, we experience the realities of life on the sprawling, sooty streets of Yorkshire. Martin Rooney is a young man, scarred by a childhood of bombings, black-outs and bad news followed by three years of traumatic service in R.A.F. Bomber Command, only to find equally bleak prospects for post-war employment. He signs on as an officer of the Crown and enters a world that he had never imagined, a world which quickly alters his view of policemen as angels of justice. Through Martin's eyes, we experience drunkenness, corruption, crime and death, viewed with gentle empathy and rare understanding. We ride with him through the bustle of life, seeing facets of the criminal world not usually considered; the imperfections of a deeply flawed criminal justice system and the day to day distortion of truth and honesty which results. A rich narrative by an author with intimate knowledge of the era, Never Pure and Seldom Simple offers a glimpse into the reality of life, bereft of glamour but still full of honesty, warmth, humor and affection.

In this elegant and affectionate biography of one of the most controversial personalities of the nineteenth century, Barbara Belford breaks new ground in the evocation of Oscar Wilde's personal life and in our understanding of the choices he made for his art. Published for the centenary of Wilde's death, here is a fresh, full-scale examination of the author of The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray, a figure not only full of himself but enjoying life to the fullest. Based on extensive study of original sources and animated throughout by historical detail, anecdote, and insight, the narrative traces Wilde's progression from his childhood in an intellectual Irish household to his maturity as a London author to the years of his European exile. Here is Wilde the Oxford Aesthete becoming the talk of London, going off to tour America, lecturing on the craftsmanship of Cellini to the silver miners of Colorado, condemning the ugliness of cast-iron stoves to the ladies of Boston. Here is the domestic Wilde, building sandcastles with his sons, and the generous Wilde, underwriting the publication of poets, lending and spending with no thought of tomorrow. And here is the romantic Wilde, enthralled with Lord Alfred Douglas in an affair that thrived on laughter, smitten with Florence Balcombe, flirting with Violet Hunt, obsessed with Lillie Langtry, loving Constance, his wife. Vividly evoked are the theatres, clubs, restaurants, and haunts that Wilde made famous. More than previous accounts, Belford's biography evaluates Wilde's homosexuality as not just a private matter but one connected to the politics and culture of the 1890s. Wilde's timeless observations, which make him the most quoted playwright after Shakespeare, are seamlessly woven into the life, revealing a man of remarkable intellect, energy, and warmth. Too often portrayed as a tragic figure--persecuted, imprisoned, sent into exile, and shunned--Wilde emerges from this intuitive portrait as fully human and fallible, a man who, realizing that his creative years were behind him, committed himself to a life of sexual freedom, which he insisted was the privilege of every artist. Even now, we have yet to catch up with the man who exhibited some of the more distinguishing characteristics of the twentieth century's preoccupation with fame and zeal for self-advertisement. Wilde's personality shaped an era, and his popularity as a wit and a dramatist has never ebbed. NOTE: This edition does not include a photo insert.

This latest collection of Chicken Soup honors all that is good in the world of sports. From major leaguers to little leaguers, from hockey stars to figure skaters, and from horseracing to mushing, the stories in this book highlight the positive and transformative nature of sports.

If you are bothered by greenwashing, baffled by eco-denialism, and bewildered by our seemingly inexorable march toward global environmental catastrophe, this book is for you. In a not-so-distant future, in a world ravaged by climate change and invasive pests, humanity still chooses self-deception over sacrifice. Even the ubiquitous green flies buzzing around our heads don't concentrate our minds on what humanity's survival requires. When a sly US Senator and a jaded propagandist concoct a longshot and cynically opportunistic "environmentalist" campaign for the Presidency, it looks like just more of the old, phony politics. But then things start to get real. And hilarious. And hopeful. Because the politician and the propagandist start to care about the planet. As they begin telling voters the truth, they also stop lying to themselves. If you remain hopeful that maybe it's not too late, that against the odds humanity might still get it together and face reality – and especially if you haven't lost your sense of humor -- you will love The Environmental Alarmist.

"The Rooster Cries..."is a compelling literary work that bespeaks the hope that is unearthed after the torrent of calamity strikes. It challenges the reader to wakeup and be conscious and mindful of self and community. The author illustrates the trine reality of being a Gay Negro Latino male, a third class citizen, raised in the United States, part of the 13th generation of this nation, the famed Generation X (1961-1981) the ignored generation. The artist brings to life, his 40 years of being raised during times of civil unrest (1969), to the times of pandemic paranoia of Aids (1980's), to times of national tragedy (9-11-01), to times of global recession (2009), bringing to bear what thirsting after the American dream means to him. Feroz uses his art of Astrology to further comprehend his jihad of life, helping him navigate through the transgressions of personal loss and broken dreams. Outlining the existential woe felt, when one can't seem to fit into society at large. He's expressed in a fashion of honesty that would do Baldwin, Williams and Huxley proud. Feroz explains his "Audacity of Hope", comically interjecting musical pop culture, to involve the reader in the essence of the times of which we live. In order to fully explain his faith in the American dream in these times both trying and full of history's hope. In this new Aquarian age, of this new millennium, in a time when government and governing is "Black like me". The Native (NYer), casts aside all doubt of the future and waves his cape at the start of a Bull Market. Donning the hat of entrepreneurship, a testament to his faith in the American dream. Telling / Crying of this fabulous future that we must all invest in ... Fabutron. This is more than just a fairy's tale. This is L.I.F.E. [Living In Faith Eternally]. "To a Taurus it's always a Bull Market" Feroz