Book type: non-fiction (1983)
1481.
The Dancer from Khiva : One Muslim Woman's Quest for Freedom by Bibish EN
Country: Asia / 
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Description:
"Winner of the National Bestseller and Book of the Year prizes in Russia, The Dancer from Khiva, is the unflinchingly honest, deceptively plainspoken memoir of Bibish, a Central Asian woman who came of age in a rigidly Islamic village in Uzbekistan. In a narrative that flows like a late-night confession, Bibish recounts her story. Born into an impoverished family, she was named 'Hadjarbibi' in honor of her grandfather's pilgrimage to Mecca. The holy name, however, did not protect her from unspeakable abuse at the hands of the men in her village. She knew instinctively to keep her experience a ... continue
1482.
The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy by Camara Laye EN
GuineaDescription:
The Dark Child is a distinct and graceful memoir of Camara Laye's youth in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea. Long regarded Africa's preeminent Francophone novelist, Laye (1928-80) herein marvels over his mother's supernatural powers, his father's distinction as the village goldsmith, and his own passage into manhood, which is marked by animistic beliefs and bloody rituals of primeval origin. Eventually, he must choose between this unique place and the academic success that lures him to distant cities. More than autobiography of one boy, this is the universal story of sacred traditions st... continue
1483.
The Dark Interval: Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation by Rainer Maria Rilke EN
Country: Europe / 
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Description:
From the writer of the classic Letters to a Young Poet, reflections on grief and loss, collected and published here in one volume for the first time. “A great poet’s reflections on our greatest mystery.”—Billy Collins “A treasure . . . The solace Rilke offers is uncommon, uplifting and necessary.”—The Guardian Gleaned from Rainer Maria Rilke’s voluminous, never-before-translated letters to bereaved friends and acquaintances, The Dark Interval is a profound vision of the mourning process and a meditation on death’s place in our lives. Following the format of Letters to a Young Poet, this book a... continue
1484.
The Darkening Age : The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey EN
WalesDescription:
The Darkening Age is the largely unknown story of how a militant religion comprehensively and deliberately extinguished the teachings of the Classical world, ushering in centuries of unquestioning adherence to 'one true faith'. Despite the long-held notion that the early Christians were meek and mild, going to their martyr's deaths singing hymns of love and praise, the truth, as Catherine Nixey reveals, is very different. Far from being meek and mild, they were violent, ruthless and fundamentally intolerant. Unlike the polytheistic world, in which the addition of one new religion made no funda... continue
1485.
The Dead Lake by Hamid Ismailov, Andrew Bromfield EN
Country: Asia / 
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Description:
Yerzhan grows up in a remote part of Kazakhstan where the Soviets test atomic weapons. As a young boy he falls in love with the neighbour's daughter and one evening, to impress her, he dives into a forbidden lake. The radio-active water changes Yerzhan. He will never grow into a man. While the girl he loves becomes a beautiful woman.
1486.
The Description of the World by Marco Polo EN
ItalyDescription:
Composed in a prison cell in 1298 by Venetian merchant Marco Polo and Arthurian romance writer Rustichello of Pisa, The Description of the World relates Polo's experiences in Asia and at the court of Qubilai, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. In addition to a new translation based on the Franco-Italian "F" manuscript of Polo's text, this edition includes genealogies of the Mongol rulers and nine maps of Polo's journey, as well as thorough annotation and an extensive bibliography.
1487.
The Destruction of Black Civilization - Greatest Issues of Race From 4500 B.C. To 2000 A.D by Chancellor Williams EN
Country: North America / 
United States of America
United States of America
Description:
The Destruction of Black Civilization took Chancellor Williams sixteen years of research and field study to compile. The book, which was to serve as a reinterpretation of the history of the African race, was intended to be ""a general rebellion against the subtle message from even the most 'liberal' white authors (and their Negro disciples): 'You belong to a race of nobodies. You have no worthwhile history to point to with pride.'"" The book was written at a time when many black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way their history was t... continue
1488.
The Devil That Danced on the Water by Aminatta Forna EN
ScotlandDescription:
Aminatta Forna's intensely personal history is a passionate and vivid account of an idyllic childhood that became the stuff of nightmare. As a child she witnessed the upheavals of post-colonial Africa, danger, flight, the bitterness of exile in Britain, and the terrible consequences of her dissident father's stand against tyranny." -- cover
1489.
The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee by Stewart Lee Allen EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
"Absolutely riveting . . . Essential reading for foodies, java-junkies, anthropologists, and anyone else interested in funny, sardonically told adventure stories." —Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential Full of humor and historical insights, The Devil’s Cup is not only ahistory of coffee, but a travelogue of a risk-taking brew-seeker. In this captivating book, Stewart Lee Allen treks three-quarters of the way around the world on a caffeinated quest to answer these profound questions: Did the advent of coffee give birth to an enlightened western civilization? Is coffee the substance ... continue
1490.
The Diary of “Helena Morley” by Helena Morley EN
Country: South America / 
Brazil
Brazil
Description:
Originally published in 1942 under the title Minha Vida de Menina—Portuguese meaning “My Life as a Little Girl or “Young Girl”—this book is a diary that was kept by the author, Helena Morley (pseudonym of Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant), when she was between the ages of twelve and fifteen (1893-1895), and living in Diamantina, a small diamond mining town in southeastern Brazil. The little girl describes her homework, her love of parades and dresses, her father who could scarcely make a living in the mines, and her most beloved grandmother. The diary was admired by French Novelist Georges Bernano... continue