A classic look at Hollywood and the American film industry by The New Yorker's Lillian Ross, and named one of the "Top 100 Works of U.S. Journalism of the Twentieth Century." Lillian Ross worked at The New Yorker for more than half a century, and might be described not only as an outstanding practitioner of modern long-form journalism but also as one of its inventors. Picture, originally published in 1952, is her most celebrated piece of reportage, a closely observed and completely absorbing story of how studio politics and misguided commercialism turn a promising movie into an all-around disaster. The charismatic and hard-bitten director and actor John Huston is at the center of the book, determined to make Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage—one of the great and defining works of American literature, the first modern war novel, a book whose vivid imagistic style invites the description of cinematic—into a movie that is worthy of it. At first all goes well, as Huston shoots and puts together a two-hour film that is, he feels, the best he’s ever made. Then the studio bosses step in and the audience previews begin, conferences are held, and the movie is taken out of Huston’s hands, cut down by a third, and finally released—with results that please no one and certainly not the public: It was an expensive flop. In Picture, which Charlie Chaplin aptly described as “brilliant and sagacious,” Ross is a gadfly on the wall taking note of the operations of a system designed to crank out mediocrity.
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Two men, one a fur trader, refugee from the Scottish highland clearances, and one a sixteen-year-old ship-board stow-away from France, travel to western Canada to a cultural collision.
Donald and Sadie MacIntosh emigrated west from Prince Edward Island in Eastern Canada, spending nearly four years on the Alberta prairies, where they gambled everything on raising their wheat crop. Between dust storms, hail, prairie fires, blizzards, and a difficult landlady, Donald and Sadie were beaten into submission. Loading their few possessions, they moved north in a railroad boxcar to the bushland to face new challenges. Meanwhile their family is burgeoning. By the time they reach the northern bush country, they have eight children. This story comes from the memoirs of these children as they grew up. The people they met and the conditions they endured made living in the North memorable, heartbreaking, and sometimes frightening, but there are tender and even laughable moments. This is the second book in the trilogy following The Gentle Gamblers.
The real story of Frank (Cougar) Wright tells of a loud, brash, irreverent, pioneer to the Canadian Northwest from Wisconsin and the forests of Washington. Cougar swore like a trooper, and didn't believe in a higher power than his own strength, but he loved his family and wanted them to join him in his struggle to tame the wilderness in Canada. The book is filled with romance, adventure, even a ghost story, and there is a thread of mystery winding through its pages. Tempers run high in a drama of wounded love and jealousy in this rugged era. Cougar's family's dance with destiny would shake his world and theirs.
Synopsis: Donald and Sadie MacIntosh who emigrated West from PEI in Eastern Canada, spent nearly four years on the Alberta prairies where they gambled everything they had investing in two quarters of land to raise their precious wheat crop. Between dust storms, hailstorms, prairie fires, Black Blizzards the dreadful May 19 blizzard, and a difficult landlady, Donald and Sadie were beaten into submission. Loading their few possessions they moved north in a railroad boxcar to the bushland to face new challenges. Meanwhile their family is burgeoning. By the time they reach the Northern bush country they have eight children. The story comes from the memoirs of these children as they grew. The people they met and the conditions they lived with made living in the North memorable, heartbreaking, and sometimes frightening but there are tender moments and sometimes laughable moments. This is the second book in the trilogy following "The Gentle Gamblers." About the Author: Lillian (MacIntosh) Ross was the fourteenth child of a family of fifteen born to Donald and Sadie MacIntosh. She graduated from Sangudo High School and went on to get her Bachelor of Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Literature courses taken there inspired her to become an author. However, it was not until she retired from teaching, married Reg Ross from the oilfields, and raised two sons, Lonnie and Erin, that she finally made her trilogy of historical novels of pioneer adventure a reality. As well as writing, she enjoyed playing the guitar and singing in a band with her husband who has since passed away.
The fur trade that rode the Canadian river highway from York factory to the West was dwindling, and the settlers, following the missionaries, are moving in to claim the new land. John and Adolphe, among these early pioneers, emigrated from Scotland and France to travel west, where they meet Father Lacombe, Louis Riel, and the women who will teach them how to straddle two cultures. Métis women, fairer than the men, and uncommonly pretty, open the eyes of these voyagers, their minds, and their hearts. “Once again, Lillian Ross has demonstrated her knowledge of and compassion for Canadian history. Mewassin: The Good Land is a clever portrayal of history through the eyes of the people who made it.” — Eric J. Brown, Magnolia Press, author of Ginny & Anna “Mewassin: The Good Land is filled with great characters, stirring events, and much history. It is a great read, and possibly her best yet!” — Charles O. Goulet, historical novelist
Ten personal narratives reveal the shared and distinct struggles of being Black in the Church, facing historic and modern racism. It’s uncertain that Howard Thurman made the remark often attributed to him, “I have been writing this book all my life,” but there is little doubt that he was deeply immersed in reflection on the times that bear an uncanny resemblance to the present day, which give voice to the Black Lives Matter movement. Our “life’s book” is filled with sentence upon sentence of marginalization, pages of apartheid, chapters of separate and unequal. Now this season reveals volumes of violence against Blacks in America. Ten Black women and men explore life through the lens of compelling personal religious narratives. They are people and leaders whose lives are tangible demonstrations of the power of a divine purpose and evidence of what grace really means in face of hardship, disappointment, and determination. Each of the journeys intersect because of three central elements that are the focus of this book. We’re Black. We’re Christians. We’re Methodists. Each starts with the fact, “I'm Black,” but to resolve the conflict of being Christian and Methodist means confronting aspects of White theology, White supremacy, and White racism in order to ground an oppositional experience toward domination over four centuries in America. “The confluence of the everyday indignities of being Black in America; the outrageous, egregious, legalized lynching of George Floyd; and the unforgivable disparities exposed once again by COVID–19 have conspired together to create a seminal moment in America and in The United Methodist Church—in which we must find the courage to say unambiguously ‘Black Lives Matter.’ To stumble or choke on those words is beneath the gospel,” says Bishop Gregory Palmer, who wrote the foreword to the collection. Praise for I'm Black. I'm Christian. I'm Methodist. “This book made me shout, dance, rage and hope—all at once! As a "cradle Methodist," I have deep love for my church and bless it for nurturing my walk with Christ and my passion for social justice. At the same time, I lament that my church is also the place where I have witnessed and been most wounded by virulent racism, sexism, heterosexism, and ageism. Yet, I stay and struggle for the soul of the church because I am a Black Christian woman fired by the love of God-in-Christ-Jesus. I stay because this is MY church and the church of my ancestors. Although I regularly question my decision to remain United Methodist, it is stories like these—from other exuberant love warriors—that remind me that I am called by God to stay, pray, fight, and flourish!” —M. Garlinda Burton, deaconess and interim general secretary, General Commission of Religion and Race, Washington DC “Racism continues to be the unacceptable scandal of American society and the American churches. In spite of some gains such as the diversity of supporters for “Black Lives Matter,” even the best intentioned among us remain largely ignorant of the actual life experience of those who are other than ourselves. This collection of testimonies, edited by Rudy Rasmus, helps remedy that by simply recounting personal stories of being Black, Christian, and Methodist in the United States. White Methodist Christians in particular need to read these stories and take them to heart so that racism and its divisiveness is countered by shared experience and recognition of common humanity across difference. More White Methodists need not only reject racism in our society and church but become active anti-racists willing to do the hard work to create the beloved community, dreamed about by Martin Luther King in the 1960s civil rights movement. —Bruce C. Birch, Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington DC “This book is a powerful collection interweaving personal stories, denominational and intercultural practices, and Black lives bearing hopeful witness. Readers will have their consciousness raised, and they will think more deeply about the meaning of beloved community and the embodiment of the justice of God.” —Harold J. Recinos, Professor of Church and Society, Perkins School of Theology/SMU, Dallas, Texas “For hundreds of years, we have not listened. This book is our chance to hear the words of the Black leaders in our church. They will change us, remake us, and reform us. Get ready to be transformed by painful truth and deep love. —Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Lead Pastor, Catalina United Methodist Church, Tucson, Arizona "I’m Black gives readers a clear picture of the diversity and value of Black culture in church and society. After reading the dynamic stories told by these faithful, transformative church leaders, Black lives will be cherished, and systemic change for the better will take place.” —Joseph W. Daniels, Jr. , Lead Pastor, Emory United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. "Dr. Rudy Rasmus and others give an insightful look into what it means to be black, Christian and Methodist in America. Their perspectives on the status and plight of being black in America are both engaging and riveting. If you are looking for ways to better understand the nuances and many faces of African American Methodist evangelical life in America, this book is a must-read!" —The Reverend J. Elvin Sadler, D.Min., General Secretary-Auditor, The A.M.E. Zion Church Assistant Dean for Doctoral Studies, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio "I endorse this powerful book of Essays conceived and edited by my friend Pastor Rudy Rasmus. It is a book for our current and future realities facing the Black Church a must read." —Deborah Bass , Vice-Chairperson, National BMCR
They braved the dark lean days of the Western Canadian Prairies to carve out a new life for themselves. The pot-o-gold for their labors was a stretch of black fertile soil alive with a sea of golden wheat. But would the tragedy of some unfulfilled dreams cause them to return to their Eastern roots?Brief Synopsis: This is a story about real people living through real events in Canadian history with often uncommon bravery.
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