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Charles iii: New king. new court. the inside story
Par Robert Hardman. 2024
Read by the author, Robert Hardman. 'A superb, fascinating account of the new King, his court and the first year…
of his reign. Elegantly written by the most authoritative of royal historians writing today, it is deeply researched, impeccably sourced and filled with scoops and new details. This is the definitive book' – Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs By acclaimed royal biographer and author of Queen of Our Times, Robert Hardman, Charles III is a brilliant account of a tumultuous period in British history, full of intriguing insider detail and the real stories behind the sadness, the dazzling pomp, the challenges and the triumphs as Charles III sets out to make his mark. How would – or could – he fill the shoes of the record-breaking Elizabeth II? With fresh debates about the monarchy, political upheavals and a steady flow of damning headlines unleashed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Charles could not afford to put a foot wrong. Hardman draws on unrivalled access to the Royal Family, friends of the King and Queen, key officials and courtiers, plus unpublished royal papers, to chart the transition from those emotionally charged days following the death of the late Queen all through that make or break first year on the throne. This book also reveals how Charles III is determined to move ahead at speed, the vital role played by Queen Camilla, the King's relationships with his sons and the rest of his family, his plans for reforming the monarchy and how he is taking his place on the world stage. Charles III is a fascinating portrait of a hard-working, modern monarch, determined to remain true to himself and to his Queen, to make a difference, to weather the storms – and, what's more, to enjoy it. 'Hardman is the unsurpassed grand master when it comes to the inside story of the modern monarchy. Full of surprises and glorious detail' – Andrew Roberts, author of George III: The Life and Reign of Britain's Most Misunderstood MonarchA history of younger sons in Regency England and how these "spares" supported themselves: "Illuminates the hard facts with vignettes…
of actual lives lived." -The Spectator In Regency England the eldest son usually inherited almost everything-while his younger brothers, left with little inheritance, had to make a crucial decision: What should they do to make an independent living? Historian Rory Muir weaves together the stories of many obscure and well-known young men of good family but small fortune, shedding light on an overlooked aspect of Regency society. This is the first scholarly yet accessible exploration of the lifestyle and prospects of these younger sonsGoodbye christopher robin: A. a. milne and the making of winnie-the-pooh
Par Ann Thwaite. 2023
Goodbye Christopher Robin: A.A. Milne and the Making of Winnie-the-Pooh is drawn from Ann Thwaite's Whitbread Award-winning biography of A.…
A. Milne, one of England's most successful writers. After serving in the First World War, Milne wrote a number of well-received plays, but his greatest triumph came when he created Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and, of course, Christopher Robin, the adventurous little boy based on his own son. Goodbye Christopher Robin inspired the film directed by Simon Curtis and starring Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, and Kelly Macdonald. It offers the listener a glimpse into the relationship between Milne and the real-life Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of the Hundred Acre Wood. Goodbye Christopher Robin is a story of celebrity, a story of both the joys and pains of success, and, ultimately, the story of how one man created a series of enchanting tales that brought hope and comfort to an England ravaged by the First World WarIt. goes. so. fast: The year of no do-overs
Par Mary Louise Kelly. 2023
This program is read by the author. Operating Instructions meets Glennon Doyle in this new book by famed NPR reporter…
Mary Louise Kelly that is destined to become a classic—about the year before her son goes to college—and the joys, losses and surprises that happen along the way. The time for do-overs is over. Ever since she became a parent, Mary Louise Kelly has said "next year." Next year will be the year she makes it to her son James's soccer games (which are on weekdays at 4 p.m., right when she is on the air on NPR's All Things Considered , talking to millions of listeners). Drive carpool for her son Alexander? Not if she wants to do that story about Ukraine and interview the secretary of state. Like millions of parents who wrestle with raising children while pursuing a career, she has never been cavalier about these decisions. The bargain she has always made with herself is this: this time I'll get on the plane, and next year I'll find a way to be there for the mom stuff. Well, James and Alexander are now seventeen and fifteen, and a realization has overtaken Mary Louise: her older son will be leaving soon for college. There used to be years to make good on her promises; now, there are months, weeks, minutes. And with the devastating death of her beloved father, Mary Louise is facing act three of her life head-on. Mary Louise is coming to grips with the reality every parent faces. Childhood has a definite expiration date. You have only so many years with your kids before they leave your house to build their own lives. It's what every parent is supposed to want, what they raise their children to do. But it is bittersweet. Mary Louise is also dealing with the realities of having aging parents. This pivotal time brings with it the enormous questions of what you did right and what you did wrong. This chronicle of her eldest child's final year at home, of losing her father, as well as other curve balls thrown at her, is not a definitive answer?not for herself and certainly not for any other parent. But her questions, her issues, will resonate with every parent. And, yes, especially with mothers, who are judged more harshly by society and, more important, judge themselves more harshly. What would she do if she had to decide all over again? Mary Louise's thoughts as she faces the coming year will speak to anyone who has ever cared about a child or a parent. It. Goes. So. Fast. is honest, funny, poignant, revelatory, and immensely relatable. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & CompanyPour Laïka: La chienne qui a rencontré les étoiles
Par Kai Cheng Thom. 2022
Connaissez-vous la chienne Laïka, la première de tous les êtres vivants à avoir voyagé dans l’espace? Ce livre vous raconte…
son histoire et les raisons qui l’ont poussée à quitter sa meute pour aller à la rencontre des étoiles. Quelque part entre le conte et la leçon d’histoire, Pour Laïka est un hommage aux liens qui unissent toutes les créatures de la Terre - et de l’Univers.The graves are walking: The great famine and the saga of the irish people
Par John Kelly. 2012
It started in 1845 and lasted six years. Before it was over, more than one million men, women, and children…
starved to death and another million fled the country. Measured in terms of mortality, the Great Irish Potato Famine was one of the worst disasters in the nineteenth century-it claimed twice as many lives as the American Civil War. A perfect storm of bacterial infection, political greed, and religious intolerance sparked this catastrophe. But even more extraordinary than its scope were its political underpinnings, and The Graves Are Walking provides fresh material and analysis on the role that nineteenth-century evangelical Protestantism played in shaping British policies and on Britain's attempt to use the famine to reshape Irish society and character.Perhaps most important, this is ultimately a story of triumph over perceived destiny: for fifty million Americans of Irish heritage, the saga of a broken people fleeing crushing starvation and remaking themselves in a new land is an inspiring story of exoneration.Based on extensive research and written with novelistic flair, The Graves Are Walking draws a portrait that is both intimate and panoramic, that captures the drama of individual lives caught up in an unimaginable tragedy, while imparting a new understanding of the famine's causes and consequencesNormal women: Nine hundred years of making history
Par Philippa Gregory. 2024
"Lively, timely and gloriously energetic. Each page bursts with life, and every chapter swirls with personalities left out of traditional…
narratives of Britain's past. Philippa Gregory has produced something rare and wonderful: a genuinely new history of [Britain], with women at its beating heart." —Dan Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Plantagenets "Stunning. . . . Full of surprises. . . . A brilliant, essential read." —The Independent (UK) The #1 New York Times bestselling historical novelist delivers her magnum opus—a landmark work of feminist nonfiction that radically redefines our understanding of the extraordinary roles ordinary women played throughout British history and "should be included in every history lesson" (Glamour UK) Did you know that there are more penises than women in the Bayeux Tapestry? That the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was started and propelled by women who were protesting a tax on women? Or that celebrated naturalist Charles Darwin believed not just that women were naturally inferior to men, but that they'd evolve to become ever more inferior? These are just a few of the startling findings you will learn from reading Philippa Gregory's Normal Women. In this ambitious and groundbreaking book, she tells the story of England over 900 years, for the very first time placing women—some fifty per cent of the population—center stage. Using research skills honed in her work as one of our foremost historical novelists, Gregory trawled through court records, newspapers, and journals to find highwaywomen and beggars, murderers and brides, housewives and pirates, female husbands and hermits. The "normal women" you will meet in these pages went to war, ploughed the fields, campaigned, wrote, and loved. They rode in jousts, flew Spitfires, issued their own currency, and built ships, corn mills and houses. They committed crimes or treason, worshipped many gods, cooked and nursed, invented things, and rioted. A lot. A landmark work of scholarship and storytelling, Normal Women chronicles centuries of social and cultural change—from 1066 to modern times—powered by the determination, persistence, and effectiveness of womenConflicted scars: An average player's journey to the nhl
Par Justin Davis. 2022
An indispensable guide to parents of hockey hopefuls At a time of great change in hockey, Justin Davis exposes the…
dark underbelly of the journey from the minors to the big leagues Hockey culture: it's a commonly used phrase inside the game, glorifying sacrifice, toughness, loyalty, and a sense of identity. Justin Davis viewed this culture as something he was lucky enough to experience. After all, he'd won a Memorial Cup after leading the tournament in scoring, and he'd been drafted by the Washington Capitals. "In my mind," he says, "I was the normal one." Unfortunately, after stepping outside the game, he began to recognize the racism, sexual abuse and bullying that was so deeply ingrained in the sport. And then, as his own children grew into teenagers, the curtain was pulled back, the memories came rushing forward, and he was horrified: "Why was I naked in a bus bathroom for four hours with seven teammates? What happened to my brain, and why can't I remember the simplest things? How did I end up living in a basement where the strangers upstairs were clearly engaged in domestic abuse?" As it navigates the sport's darkest corridors, Conflicted Scars shares the story of the common Canadian player and offers a guide for parents who need to know how and why a typical teenager with NHL dreams, from a small town, now lives anxiously, introvertedly, and battling emotional detachmentBring them closer: For parents and educators (Bring Them Closer #01)
Par Connie Jakab. 2024
Our kids are not okay. The children and youth mental health crisis is at an all-time high. Anxiety and depression…
are skyrocketing. In Bring Them Closer, author Connie Jakab shares from her experience working with parents and educators with for 25 years in homes and schools, but also what she learned in her own home with a mental health crisis her family faced. She digs deeper into questions like: What does the idea "you never send the hurting away; you bring them closer" really look like? How do we create a connection with our children, so they live healed and whole? How do we see our children free of anxiety, depression, and behavioural issues? How do you support a child or student who is depressed? How do you get through to an oppositional child or student? How do you parent or teach a student with ADHD or ASD? How do you help a child or student drowning in anxiety? ?Releasing the Mother Load: How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More
Par Erica Djossa. 2024
"If you've ever felt like you're the only one struggling with motherhood, this book is for you."—Eve Rodsky, New York…
Times bestselling author of Fair Play An empowering guide that helps you unburden the load of impossible expectations and reshapes your internalized ideals, expectations, and beliefs around motherhood.Every mom wants to be a good parent—but if you’ve found yourself burned out and overwhelmed trying to be "the perfect mom," you’re not alone. "We get handed a rulebook of motherhood without realizing it," says Canada's maternal mental health specialist and the founder and CEO of Momwell Erica Djossa. "That rulebook comes with an invisible load—a world of mental and physical tasks that keep us pushing toward perfection while barely being able to breathe." Here she shares a guide to help you break free from the crushing burden of unrealistic expectations and reclaim the joy of motherhood while staying true to your own values. Join her to explore:Where the Mother Load comes from, and why it doesn’t serve us or our childrenThe true emotional and physical cost of the many jobs, habits, and beliefs we carryTools to establish strong boundaries, express your needs, and build a support systemPractical guidance to help you create a healthy, balanced, and enriching approach to motherhood"You can chart your own journey in a way that is freeing, feels right to you, and reignites passions and dreams that you thought had died when you began to put everyone else’s needs first," says Erica Djossa. Discover a new vision of motherhood that empowers you to parent more freely and with greater fulfillment—so you can finally release the Mother Load.A map of future ruins: On borders and belonging
Par Lauren Markham. 2024
&“This stunning meditation on nostalgia, heritage, and compassion asks us to dismantle the stories we&’ve been told—and told ourselves—in order…
to naturalize the forms of injustice we&’ve come to understand as order.&” —Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams When and how did migration become a crime? Why does ancient Greece remain so important to the West&’s idea of itself? How does nostalgia fuel the exclusion and demonization of migrants today? In 2021, Lauren Markham went to Greece, in search of her own Greek heritage and to cover the aftermath of a fire that burned down the largest refugee camp in Europe. Almost no one had wanted the camp—not activists, not the country&’s growing neo-fascist movement, not even the government. But almost immediately, on scant evidence, six young Afghan refugees were arrested for the crime. Markham soon saw that she was tracing a broader narrative, rooted not only in centuries of global history but also in myth. A mesmerizing, trailblazing synthesis of reporting, history, memoir, and essay, A Map of Future Ruins helps us see that the stories we tell about migration don&’t just explain what happened. They are oracles: they predict the futureNoncompliant Mom Mamá desobediente: Una mirada feminista a la maternidad
Par Esther Vivas. 2024
¿Es posible ser mamá y feminista al mismo tiempo? ¿Hay alguna salida al dilema «carrera vs. familia»? Si hemos elegido…
se madres, ¿hasta que punto podemos decidir sobre nuestra maternidad?En Mamá desobediente, la periodista, socióloga y madre feminista, Esther Vivas aborda éstas y otras interrogantes cuando explora la maternidad con emancipación y sin imposiciones. Con un tono fresco pero riguroso, respaldado en una investigación rigurosa y en la experiencia personal de la autora, este libro trata los asuntos menos frecuentados sobre la maternidad, como la infertilidad, el embarazo, el parto, la violencia obstétrica y la lactancia. Ofrece también una guía y herramientas factibles para quienes deseen emprender este recorrido desde una postura diferente.El enfoque de Vivas es fresco y refleja la necesidad que hay, entre las generaciones jóvenes, de opiniones disruptivas, realistas y políticas sobre la maternidad y la paternidad, alejadas de la excesiva idealización que ignora sus obstáculos y retos, y los limita a ser tratados exclusivamente como un asunto privado. En los últimos años, éste se ha convertido en un tema recurrente en la literatura en lengua española, sobre todo en la nueva ola de escritoras latinoamericanas, pero sigue siendo un terreno inexplorado en los géneros de no ficción.———Is it possible to be a mother and a feminist at the same time? Is there a way out of the "career vs. family" dilemma? If we have chosen to be mothers, to what extent can we decide about our motherhood?In Mamá desobediente, the Spanish journalist, sociologist, and feminist mom Esther Vivas tackles these and other interrogations, exploring maternity in an emancipating way and without impositions. With a fresh but rigorous note, underpinned in deep research and author’s personal experience, this book addresses commonly neglected issues surrounding maternity, such as infertility, pregnancy, childbirth, obstetric violence, and breastfeeding, and offers guidance and actionable tools for those who desire to embark in this journey from a different standpoint. Vivas’ approach feels fresh and reflects the appetite amongst younger generations for disruptive, realistic, and political takes on maternity and parenting, removed from the idealization and over-romanticization that put aside its hitches and challenges, and confine them as exclusively private matters. In the last years, this has become a recurrent topic in Spanish-language literature, especially at the new wave of Latin American women writers, but remains a largely unexplored path in non-fiction.Sarajevo: A Bosnian Kaleidoscope (Interp Culture New Millennium)
Par Fran Markowitz. 2010
This fascinating urban anthropological analysis of Sarajevo and its cultural complexities examines contemporary issues of social divisiveness, pluralism, and intergroup…
dynamics in the context of national identity and state formation. Rather than seeing Bosnia-Herzegovina as a volatile postsocialist society, the book presents its capital city as a vibrant yet wounded center of multicultural diversity, where citizens live in mutual recognition of difference while asserting a lifestyle that transcends boundaries of ethnicity and religion. It further illuminates how Sarajevans negotiate group identity in the tumultuous context of history, authoritarian rule, and interactions with the built environment and one another. As she navigates the city, Fran Markowitz shares narratives of local citizenry played out against the larger dramas of nation and state building. She shows how Sarajevans' national identities have been forged in the crucible of power, culture, language, and politics. Sarajevo: A Bosnian Kaleidoscope acknowledges this Central European city's dramatic survival from the ravages of civil war as it advances into the present-day global arena.A Nasty Little War: The Western Intervention into the Russian Civil War
Par Anna Reid. 2023
The first comprehensive history of the failed Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War, a decisive turning point in the…
relationship between Russia and the West Overlapping with and overshadowed by the First World War, the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War was one of the most ambitious military ventures of the twentieth century. Launched in the summer of 1918, it drew in 180,000 troops from fifteen different countries in theaters ranging from the Caspian Sea to the Arctic, and from Poland to the Pacific. Though little remembered today, its consequences stoked global political turmoil for decades to come. In A Nasty Little War, top Russia historian Anna Reid offers a sweeping and deeply researched account of the conflict. Initially launched to prevent Germany from exploiting the power vacuum in Eastern Europe left by the Russian Revolution, the Intervention morphed into a bid to destroy the Bolsheviks on the battlefield. But Allied armaments, supplies, and loans could not prevent Russia&’s anti-Bolshevik armies from collapsing, and the Allies were forced to retreat in defeat. The humiliation sapped British imperial swagger, chastened American idealism, and stoked militarism and nationalism in France and Germany. Combining immersive storytelling with deep research, A Nasty Little War reveals how the Allied Intervention reshaped the West&’s relations with Russia, and set a pattern for other interventions to come.A History of Britain: 1945 through Brexit
Par Jeremy Black. 2024
The British vote to leave the European Union stunned everyone 2016, but was it really a surprise? In this revised…
and updated edition of A History of Britain: 1945 Through Brexit, award-winning historian Jeremy Black expands his reexamination of modern British history to include the Brexit process, the tumultuous administrations of Theresa May and Boris Johnson, the spectacular failure of Liz Truss, and the early days of Rishi Sunak's premiership.This sweeping and engaging book traces Britain's path through the destruction left behind by World War II, Thatcherism, the threats of the IRA, the Scottish referendum, and on to the impact of waves of immigration from the European Union. A History of Britain: 1945 Through Brexit overturns many conventional interpretations of significant historical events, provides context for current developments, and encourages the reader to question why we think the way we do about Britain's past.The Mediatrician's Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World
Par Michael Rich, MD, MPH. 2024
Gain the confidence you need to raise a child well in the digital age.In this positive, science-based approach, Dr. Michael…
Rich addresses your questions and concerns about your childrens&’ screen time and media use. The Mediatrician&’s Guide empowers you to guide your family toward smart and healthy digital choices.Known as the &“Mediatrician&” due to his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher, and children&’s media specialist, Dr. Rich presents a compassionate and encouraging look at the reality of growing up in a screen-saturated world. You won&’t find fearmongering here—just accessible explanations, case studies, and practical tips to help your kids thrive in a technology-rich environment and emerge as happy, well-informed, empathetic adults.Features include:Ask the Mediatrician: Questions and answers based on Dr. Rich&’s long-running advice column and podcastMedia Rx: Prescriptive content based on insights from the Digital Wellness Lab and the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet DisordersYou Can: Straightforward instructions for what you can do to guide your child in the digital landscapeDigital Wellness Primer: A one-stop resource for actionable advice that you can customize for your family&’s specific needsBacked by evidence as well as decades of professional and personal practice, The Mediatrican's Guide will give you peace of mind and your kids much-needed tools to navigate the digital environment in a way that reduces the risks to their physical and mental health and their emotional and social development..&“A caring, wise, and joyful guide to the possibilities and the perils of our increasingly more digital existence.&”—Marlo Thomas, activist, actor, and author&“This book is a must-have and will soon become your best friend, full of daily tips and long-lasting wisdom.&”—Sanjay Gupta, MD,associate professor of neurosurgery, Emory, and chief medical correspondent, CNNCross and Scepter: The Rise of the Scandinavian Kingdoms from the Vikings to the Reformation
Par Sverre Bagge. 2014
A concise history of medieval ScandinaviaChristianity and European-style monarchy—the cross and the scepter—were introduced to Scandinavia in the tenth century,…
a development that was to have profound implications for all of Europe. Cross and Scepter is a concise history of the Scandinavian kingdoms from the age of the Vikings to the Reformation, written by Scandinavia's leading medieval historian. Sverre Bagge shows how the rise of the three kingdoms not only changed the face of Scandinavia, but also helped make the territorial state the standard political unit in Western Europe. He describes Scandinavia’s momentous conversion to Christianity and the creation of church and monarchy there, and traces how these events transformed Scandinavian law and justice, military and administrative organization, social structure, political culture, and the division of power among the king, aristocracy, and common people. Bagge sheds important new light on the reception of Christianity and European learning in Scandinavia, and on Scandinavian history writing, philosophy, political thought, and courtly culture. He looks at the reception of European impulses and their adaptation to Scandinavian conditions, and examines the relationship of the three kingdoms to each other and the rest of Europe, paying special attention to the inter-Scandinavian unions and their consequences for the concept of government and the division of power.Cross and Scepter provides an essential introduction to Scandinavian medieval history for scholars and general readers alike, offering vital new insights into state formation and cultural change in Europe.Spain's development from a premodern society into a modern unified nation-state with an integrated economy was painfully slow and varied…
widely by region. Economic historians have long argued that high internal transportation costs limited domestic market integration, while at the same time the Castilian capital city of Madrid drew resources from surrounding Spanish regions as it pursued its quest for centralization. According to this view, powerful Madrid thwarted trade over large geographic distances by destroying an integrated network of manufacturing towns in the Spanish interior. Challenging this long-held view, Regina Grafe argues that decentralization, not a strong and powerful Madrid, is to blame for Spain's slow march to modernity. Through a groundbreaking analysis of the market for bacalao--dried and salted codfish that was a transatlantic commodity and staple food during this period--Grafe shows how peripheral historic territories and powerful interior towns obstructed Spain's economic development through jurisdictional obstacles to trade, which exacerbated already high transport costs. She reveals how the early phases of globalization made these regions much more externally focused, and how coastal elites that were engaged in trade outside Spain sought to sustain their positions of power in relation to Madrid. Distant Tyranny offers a needed reassessment of the haphazard and regionally diverse process of state formation and market integration in early modern Spain, showing how local and regional agency paradoxically led to legitimate governance but economic backwardness.Life Exposed: Biological Citizens after Chernobyl (In-formation Ser.)
Par Adriana Petryna. 2013
On April 26, 1986, Unit Four of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in then Soviet Ukraine. More than 3.5 million…
people in Ukraine alone, not to mention many citizens of surrounding countries, are still suffering the effects. Life Exposed is the first book to comprehensively examine the vexed political, scientific, and social circumstances that followed the disaster. Tracing the story from an initial lack of disclosure to post-Soviet democratizing attempts to compensate sufferers, Adriana Petryna uses anthropological tools to take us into a world whose social realities are far more immediate and stark than those described by policymakers and scientists. She asks: What happens to politics when state officials fail to inform their fellow citizens of real threats to life? What are the moral and political consequences of remedies available in the wake of technological disasters? Through extensive research in state institutions, clinics, laboratories, and with affected families and workers of the so-called Zone, Petryna illustrates how the event and its aftermath have not only shaped the course of an independent nation but have made health a negotiated realm of entitlement. She tracks the emergence of a "biological citizenship" in which assaults on health become the coinage through which sufferers stake claims for biomedical resources, social equity, and human rights. Life Exposed provides an anthropological framework for understanding the politics of emergent democracies, the nature of citizenship claims, and everyday forms of survival as they are interwoven with the profound changes that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union.Slavery and the Culture of Taste
Par Simon Gikandi. 2011
It would be easy to assume that, in the eighteenth century, slavery and the culture of taste--the world of politeness,…
manners, and aesthetics--existed as separate and unequal domains, unrelated in the spheres of social life. But to the contrary, Slavery and the Culture of Taste demonstrates that these two areas of modernity were surprisingly entwined. Ranging across Britain, the antebellum South, and the West Indies, and examining vast archives, including portraits, period paintings, personal narratives, and diaries, Simon Gikandi illustrates how the violence and ugliness of enslavement actually shaped theories of taste, notions of beauty, and practices of high culture, and how slavery's impurity informed and haunted the rarified customs of the time. Gikandi focuses on the ways that the enslavement of Africans and the profits derived from this exploitation enabled the moment of taste in European--mainly British--life, leading to a transformation of bourgeois ideas regarding freedom and selfhood. He explores how these connections played out in the immense fortunes made in the West Indies sugar colonies, supporting the lavish lives of English barons and altering the ideals that defined middle-class subjects. Discussing how the ownership of slaves turned the American planter class into a new aristocracy, Gikandi engages with the slaves' own response to the strange interplay of modern notions of freedom and the realities of bondage, and he emphasizes the aesthetic and cultural processes developed by slaves to create spaces of freedom outside the regimen of enforced labor and truncated leisure. Through a close look at the eighteenth century's many remarkable documents and artworks, Slavery and the Culture of Taste sets forth the tensions and contradictions entangling a brutal practice and the distinctions of civility.