Margaret Atwood

Michael O'Brien

The Blind Assassin

Maybe you're Sad Boy. Maybe you're not. Eat acorns to kill your soul. Catch moths. Break horses. Live with a heart the size of Danny Devito.Your father has died. There is nothing in the bag of carrots. Blending poignant and strange haiku-like imagery with a minimal, laconic style, Sad Sad Boy is a calm, bleak, weird, and inventive collection of short fiction by internationally renown poet Michael O'Brien.

Sad Sad Boy

a journey in the last days of Napoleon

Mrs. Adams in winter

"Sills" assembles poems from four books and combines them with new work. O'Brien writes, "The poems dance their dance of stillness and motion. The issue is a quiet, patterned music, animated, disciplined, ecstatic; not closure, but recognition." "No other poet now writing registers the world with O'Brien's oblique precision. "Sills" is our first comprehensive look at an American master."- August Kleinzahler Michael O'Brien is the author of five previous books of poetry, including "Veil" and "The Floor and the Breath," He lives in New York City. Selected Poems Sunday The wind pressed against the glass. The light upon the page was morning.carried the river back where it came from. Across the island, another shore. The shards are broken. They will not join. Meeting of rivers troubles the water. It does not know which way to turn. Here the river has two currents, one the tide's share, one that waits. Evening resolves them. They flow south. The moon touches the river's mouth. Another Sunday a durable blanket covers the city the dogs speak French we know the same number of words Moira's toys are a doll & a school-satchel in the caf a disease of mirrors he plays pinball & talks to his girl is it winter coming, or spring the elegant cop salutes methe bus goes to the Pantheon the deaf speak French with their hands Postcard Somewhere in the Hudson Valley a gull is looking at a cow. A sullen wetness smoulders. The silo would like to lie down. Out of its kitchen, ethical as dough & simmering like The Original Amateur Hour spring'sone-man-band lurches across the sodden, lion-colored turf. Quarry So much eyelid in a girl's downcast gaze Washington Square powdery with dusk cicada-song of the nervous system crossing the day's vacant places 37 floors of parallel lives little bell of the coffee-cart Landowska's harpsichord, a clatter of wings dune grass another part of the dark the speck of perception that ignites in all that weather heron, march-lord breath

Selected Poems of Michael O'Brien

Sills

Bringing together Michael O’Brien’s pathbreaking essays on the American South, this book examines the persistence and vitality of southern intellectual history from the early nineteenth century to the present day. At once a broad survey of southern thought and a meditation on the subject as an academic discipline, Rethinking the South deftly integrates social history, literary criticism, and historiography as it positions the South within the wider traditions of European and American culture. In his thoughtful introduction and throughout the ten essays that follow, O'Brien stresses the tradition of Romanticism as a central theme, binding togethere figures as disparate as critic Hugh Legare, literary scholar Edwin Mims, poets Richard Henry Wilde and Allen Tate, and historians W. J. Cash and C. Vann Woodward. First published as a collection in 1988, these essays confirm O’Brien’s position as a pioneer in establishing and defining the enterprise of southern intellectual history.

Essays in Intellectual History

Rethinking the South

Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen

James T. Kloppenberg

Joel Isaac

The Worlds of American Intellectual History follows American thinkers and their ideas as they have crossed national, institutional, and intellectual boundaries. The volume explores ways in which American ideas have circulated in different cultures. It also examines the multiple sites--from social movements, museums, and courtrooms to popular and scholarly books and periodicals--in which people have articulated and deployed ideas within and beyond the bordersof the United States.

The Worlds of American Intellectual History

The Idea of the American South moves the debate over Southern identity from speculative essays about the "central themeof Southern history and, by implication, past the restricted perception that race relations are a sufficient key to understanding the history of Southern identity.

The Idea of the American South, 1920-1941

This instructional guide has one aim: to teach inexperienced astrophotographers how to take high quality images. Often, basic information about astrophotography is lacking, or is dealt with too briefly in books on the subject. This book is a distillation of the author’s own experiences, bringing together everything you will need to make the fastest possible progress in deep-sky imaging. The book will teach you how to set up and use your astrophotography equipment in a systematic, easy-to-follow manner, helping you get started while avoiding common mistakes. With a step-by-step walk-through course and a unique observational guide to each object, the book contains a plethora of valuable, beginner-friendly information. Particularly useful is the chapter on troubleshooting, which will help newcomers avoid further frustration when things just don’t seem to go right! The book also contains a number of easy to advanced DIY projects for imagers working on a budget.

Creating Stunning Images Is Easier Than You Think!

A Deep Sky Astrophotography Primer

Gussalen, a young woman condemned to death in medieval England, is ripped away from all she knows, first by injustice, then by time travelers. This so-called rescue thrusts her into a new, unimaginable universe—one she cannot distinguish from Hell. Her saviors, Terry and Les—recruited by future scientists to gather lost historical data and DNA samples—must also transport the precious crystelix, a navigation device crucial to the Angeléka, the spacecraft that will carry them all away from the Earth to a new future settlement of humanity. The crystelix is not only precious in getting the Angeléka back to her home era and planet, however. As they carry its valuable components through multiple realities, the three must learn and adapt to new timelines that hold both wonder and horror, staying clear of danger, would-be thieves, and even a possible traitor. Through it all, they must also come to terms with personal demons. Gussalen, chased by specters of damnation, endures a future shock that is completely lost on Terry. A happy-go-lucky runaway born in the 1970s, Terry is not always in sync with Les, a disciplined Desert Storm veteran battling his own traumatic memories. All three have secret feelings of indifference to their destination, but they know that if the crystelix is lost, they, along with the entire crew, will be stranded in the limbo of forgotten history.

Salvation's Edge

Imagined by one of the world's foremost JFK scholars, this fictionalised conversation presents the essential biography of America's most glamorous and mythologised president. For many, the presidency of John F. Kennedy was a magic interlude in American history. His admirers saw him as a leader of intelligence and imagination, who wielded power with grace, courage and verve - although detractors have questioned the depth of his convictions and drawn attention to his serial philandering. Kennedy's rise also marked the beginning of modern "celebrity" politics - a politician with film star charisma who proved ideally suited to the new age of television. Meet the man himself and he'll tell you how it felt to have his finger on the red button when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war. The book is divided into two parts: a biographical essay that provides a concise overview of JFK's life, achievements, scandals and controversies; and a Q&A dialogue based on rigorous research and incorporating JFK's actual spoken or written words whenever possible, along with rigorously researched biographical interpretations of his various views and positions. Here you will find all the key moments in JFK's life and career: his early days at Harvard and the US Navy; his family background and the importance of his Catholic faith; running for office against Richard Nixon; his clashes with communist power in Berlin and Cuba; the Civil Rights movement; Vietnam; and the president's often scandalous personal life that was carefully concealed from an adoring public. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 marked the beginning of a tumultuous and bitterly divided decade, and birthed countless conspiracy theories that thrive to this day. These legacies of polarisation and suspicion of established authority have assumed particular salience in the 21st century.

A Fictional Dialogue Based on Biographical Facts

Conversations with JFK

The Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

For more than 80 years this unique short atlas has been the go-to guide to the examination of patients with lesions of the peripheral nerves and nerve roots - appreciated by generations of students and experienced practitioners alike. First published in its original form in 1943 and updated in its sixth edition by highly respected author Michael O'Brien, this book is the perfect companion for all those involved or caring for patients with peripheral nerve injuries and other neuromuscular disorders. It covers mononeuropathies, peripheral nerve lesions, examination techniques and anatomy of the peripheral nervous system, all illustrated with excellent diagrams and high-quality photographs. Aids to the Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System now comes with the complete electronic version for the first time, for easy anytime, anywhere access. Illustrated with exceptionally clear photographs, accompanied by simple anatomical diagrams to aid comprehension Useful tables of the innervation of muscles and the muscle and cutaneous distribution of peripheral nerves Updated to reflect latest changes in nomenclature New diagrams and illustrations, including of the spine and spinal nerve roots, male inguinal region and female perineum Summary table of the common compression and entrapment mononeuropathies, with sites now indicated on the nerve diagrams Access to the complete, enhanced eBook version - makes quick reference easier than ever for busy students and practitioners

Aids to the Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System

***ALL the profits from Shift will go to World Bicycle Relief.*** This is a must-read book for anyone looking to change their perspective and live a more purposeful life. Michael O'Brien (OB to his friends) shows that the secret to becoming our best starts with our mindset. Drawing on his personal story from his ''last bad day'', Michael shares the emotional and physical recovery that starts with his near-death accident on the morning of July 11th , 2001. A keen cyclist out on a training ride in New Mexico, Michael was hit head-on by an SUV that crossed into his lane traveling 40 miles per hour. He takes readers into the early darkness of his recovery and the perspective shift that gave him the awareness that he could be defined by how he responded to his tragedy - not by the tragedy itself. Michael uses his newfound perspective to fuel his recovery and help him create a better a better tomorrow. In Shift, Michael introduces ''ways of being'' that can help anyone build a stronger peloton (the team that transcends the individual) and get closer to the best version of themselves. Michael's story is life changing, inspirational, and insightful. Shift is a book about the power of mindset, perspective, and grit to enable each of us to ride the ups and downs of our life's journey.

Winning at Work and in Life

Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows

The Dossier investigates fifteen cases of proven or alleged miscarriages of justice in south Wales between 1982 and 2016. In the first part of The Dossier Michael O’Brien presents new evidence concerning his own case, which further calls into question the actions of the police which led to his conviction. The second part of the book considers another fourteen cases for a variety of crimes including murder. These cases concern the convictions of twenty-three people, who between them have spent eighty years in prison. The earliest is Anthony Yellen, convicted of murder on a manufactured confession in 1983. The book includes the Welsh conspiracy trial, the case of the Darvell brothers in Swansea, the Cardiff Three, Jonathan Jones, the Merthyr arson case, and the Clydach murders. O’Brien calls into question methods of policing and a judicial system in which too little has changed over the past thirty years, and calls for a judicial inquiry to investigate the culture which has resulted in so many dubious and plainly wrongful convictions. No police officer has been brought to book for their part in these cases, despite the evidence produced for the convictions to be ruled unsafe. Some officers have been involved in more than one of the cases considered, and some have been promoted to senior levels in the force. Many are now retired and are no longer subject to police disciplinary procedures. How, asks O’Brien, could so many important cases have resulted in unsafe conviction, and what can be done to improve procedures in future?

Miscarriages of Justice in South Wales 1982-2016

The Dossier

Intellectual Life in Antebellum Charleston

Set in present day Manhattan, The Fool of New York City is the tale of two souls who are considered to be "fools" and "idiots" in the eyes of most people they encounter. One is a literal giant, the other an amnesiac who believes he is the seventeenth-century Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, hundreds of years old, aging more slowly than the rest of the human race. Billy the giant briefly suffered from amnesia years ago, and he understands the anguish of those who have lost their identity. He is an apparently simple person, a failed basketball player with an enormous good heart, who takes Francisco under his wing after they meet through a seeming coincidence. Together they undertake the search to discover Francisco's true past. The quest leads them on numerous adventures and into the shrouded realm of hidden memories and the mysterious dimensions of the mind. It is a journey into the ironies and the complexities of human character and destiny.

A Novel

The Fool of New York City

A portrait of the thirty-fifth president draws on newly released government archive material and the JFK library to offer insights into both his strengths and character flaws.

Michael O'Brien

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