Five short stories in which young people gain a sense of self.

Collects twelve humorous stories featuring the teeny weenies.

A young girl's love of the coquíes' nightly song helps her survive a destructive hurricane with her family. Includes author's note and a glossary of terms.

A cat whose kitten days are far behind her says goodbye to her human family, and the animals and places that have made her life special, before leaving this life behind.

A mother in Chicago tells her daughter how Grandma used to make a special surprise on the freezing cold winter mornings in Belarus--so special that it seemed to bring spring with it. Includes a recipe for cheese blintzes.

Floridius, freelance soothsayer, is afraid that he has lost his talent for seeing the future. Threptus wants to find some titbits of information that his mentor can use to convince people he still has the gift, but will a poisoned honey cake lead to disaster along the way? (Back cover).

Tom Richards has fallen off a crane while directing his latest movie, The Hamburger Girl, fracturing some ribs and a hip. A comic procession of doctors, nurses, and relatives files through his hospital room. Another director replaces him at the studio, and everything in his cinematic dream is being changed - the screenplay, the title, the plot. Tom is baffled and furious. His children's marriages are coming apart, and who can be certain of his own? People everywhere are losing their jobs. His real life and his creative life become ever more displaced while he gradually recovers his health, his balance, and his natural imbalance. Tom's shrewd wife, Claire; their daughter Marigold, for whom Tom has ambivalent feelings; his beautiful daughter Cora, by his first marriage; and his lovers, family, friends, and colleagues all find themselves revolving in a sexual and economic maelstrom that gradually results in violence. "What we are doing", Tom tells his film crew at last, "is real and not real. We are living in a world where dreams are reality and reality is dreams. In our world everything starts from a dream".

"A dissolute member of the British aristocracy, 'Lucky' Lucan has been missing since he accidentally murdered his children's nanny in an abortive attempt on his wife's life. His puzzling disappearance in the mid-seventies created a sensation in Britain and a tantalizing mystery as yet unsolved. In Muriel Spark's daring and sophisticated fictional version of Lucan's flight, his adversary is Beate Pappenheim, a fake Bavarian stigmatic who embezzled millions from devout followers before assuming a new identity as a celebrated psychiatrist."--Jacket

After the shocking murder of her husband, 19-year-old Ros and her one-year-old son relocate to her childhood home to live with her parents. Palm Springs--full of sunlight, small and safe--should be the perfect place to bring up a child. But things aren't always as they appear. When the father of one of Ros's friends is shot in front of her house--an incident that also lands Ros in the hospital--it marks the beginning of a terrible string of events. Someone is out to get her, and they seem determined not to stop until her friends and family are also drawn in. As she struggles to uncover the identity of her mysterious enemy, Ros finds herself looking for answers in the most unusual places. Could the attacks have something to do with her increasingly disturbing dreams? And if so, how can she make them stop? In Past Crimes, bestselling author Carol Matas once again asks her readers to question their assumptions about the world around them. Are we capable of fully understanding the lives we lead, or do the things we fail to understand far outnumber those that we do? Growing out of her work in books like The Freak, Past Crimes offers an innovative twist on the mystery/thriller genre, and is a must-read for fans of Matas's work. Veteran novelist Carol Matas knows that a fast-paced plot is mandatory for youth raised on television. In Ros [the protagonist], Matas has created a heroin who will appeal to teenage girls Canadian Review of Materials Ive read Past Crimes and its interesting that shes tackled something typically new. Shes gone from one genre to another and not many writers can. Shes willing to challenge different kinds of writing, and shes incredibly productive. Helen Norrie, Childrens reviewer from the Winnipeg Free Press as quoted in the Jewish Tribune

Clarinetist Ike Morphy, his dog Herbie Mann, and a pair of pigeons who roost on his air conditioner are about to be evicted from their apartment on West 106th Street, also known as Duke Ellington Boulevard. Ike has never had a lease, just a handshake agreement with the recently deceased landlord; and now that landlord’s son stands to make a killing on apartment 2B. Centering on the fate of one apartment before, during, and after the height of New York’s real estate boom, Ellington Boulevard ’s characters include the Tenant and His Dog; the Landlord, a recovered alcoholic and womanizer who has newly found Judaism and a wife half his age; the Broker, an out-of-work actor whose new profession finally allows him to afford theater tickets he has no time to use; the Broker’s New Boyfriend, a second-rate actor who composes a musical about the sale of 2B ( “Is there no one I can lien on if this boom goes bust?” ). There’s also the Buyer, a trusting young editor at a dying cultural magazine, who falls in love with the Tenant; the Buyer’s Husband, a disaffected graduate student taken to writing bawdy faux-academic papers; and the Buyer’s Husband’s Girlfriend, a children’s book writer with a tragic past. With the humor and poignancy that made Langer’s first novel, Crossing California, a favorite book of the year among critics across the country, Ellington Boulevard is an ode to New York. It’s the story of why people come to a city they can’t afford, take jobs they despise, sacrifice love, find love, and eventually become the people they never thought they’d be—for better and for worse.

A light-hearted salute to the body's midsection in simple rhymes and colorful drawings.

The second volume of Adler's New York stories in which all the heartache, joy, pain and anguish of the big apple zeitgeist comes to life. These unforgettable stories will make you laugh and cry as a remarkable parade of characters pursue their busy lives in the greatest city on earth. Acclaimed author Warren Adler focuses his laser eye on New York City in these 21 vividly rendered short stories revealing New York as the heartbeat of America, where creativity resides in every nook and cranny, and energy pulsates through its pavements and infuses its denizens, inveterate New Yorkers. In a continuation of "New York Echoes 1", Adler's themes in "New York Echoes 2" deal primarily with intimate human relationships-the mysterious nature of love and attraction, the fragile bonds between husbands and wives, and parents and children; the divide between generations; the obsessive pursuit of the creative artist and the emotional toll it exacts. In these stories, past memories collide with present realities and chance encounters have unexpected consequences. All of the hallmarks of Adler's fiction are at play in "New York Echoes 2", and delivered through these powerful stories that reflect a special understanding of the human condition as seen through the eyes of one of America's most prolific authors. Above all, these radiant tales are a celebration of the short story and of an author's return to his much-loved, dearly missed native city.

Twenty-two short stories that will lift your spirits or break your heart, written to celebrate the author's return to New York City after 40 years away from it. Acclaimed author Warren Adler focuses his laser eye on New York City in these 22 deftly crafted and compelling short stories. New York, the frenetic, tough-minded, generous-hearted city, magnet for people's hopes and aspirations, is as vividly and lovingly portrayed here as any of the characters. As in his celebrated novels, Adler's themes in "New York Echoes 1" deal primarily with intimate human relationships-the mysterious nature of love and attraction, the fragile bonds between husbands and wives, and parents and children; the divide between generations; the obsessive pursuit of the creative artist and the emotional toll it exacts. In these stories, past memories collide with present realities; with first love comes first betrayal; chance encounters have unexpected consequences; and the devastating impact of 9/11 refuses to fade, wreaking havoc years after the tragedy. All of the hallmarks of Warren Adler's fiction are everywhere in evidence in "New York Echoes", in powerful stories that reflect a special understanding of the human condition as seen through the eyes of one of America's most prolific authors. Above all, these radiant tales are a celebration of the short story and of an author's return to his much-loved, dearly missed native city.

Mrs. Ted's life has always been defined by her family... her husband, her kids, her "gang" of friends in Chicago. Now a widow, living on her own in a Miami condominium complex, she begins to step out of her strictly defined lifestyle. Three men in particular are paying her a great deal of attention, and her children begin to worry about her adventures with her new "friends". But it's only when Mrs. Ted runs into her husband's former business partner, Milton "Junior" Yellin, that the blush comes back into her cheeks.

"With a triangulation of lovers and spouses, young children and careers struggling to get off the ground, in Celia and Paul we encounter two people in that pocket of life when the fight to figure out who we are and what we want burns brightest. A meditation on the limits of what we can and cannot have, set in a city--New York--that would have us think that we can have it all"--

The Young family seems to be living the American dream. Willard "Pepper" Young is a successful sales executive who provides amply for his wife, Lily, and children, Gwen and Bud. Bud Young excels both academically and as the quarterback of his high school football team. Tragically, their lives are shattered when Pepper crashes the family station wagon, hurtling Bud into a coma. Equally devastating is the fact that it was Pepper's alcoholism that precipitated the accident. While Lily devotes herself fully to Bud's recovery, younger sister Gwen is bewildered at the course of her family's fate. Bud has overcome athletic and academic obstacles in the past, but he now must face the greatest challenge of his life - recovering from a severe brain injury. Bud's fate depends upon Marcy Ethridge, a tough but caring physical therapist whose strength and knowledge push Bud to the limits of his capabilities over long months of painful recovery. While Marcy achieves small daily victories with Bud, Pepper and Lily grapple with the terrifying prospect that their son will never be the same. This loss is compounded by the months, even years, it will take to gauge the extent of his recuperation. Through it all, Bud leans on Marcy as his therapist. Though at times he calls her his worst enemy, ultimately, she's his greatest friend.

Ten-year-old Zack gets a chance to meet the old horror film star Count Bugosi, who may or may not be a real vampire.

Anzia Yezierska's "Children of Loneliness" explores the complex experiences of Jewish immigrants in New York City. This literary work delves into the challenges of social alienation and the struggles inherent in cultural assimilation. Through compelling prose, Yezierska examines the conflicts that arise between generations as they navigate new identities in a rapidly changing world. A poignant portrayal of the immigrant experience, "Children of Loneliness" offers a powerful glimpse into the lives of those seeking a new home while grappling with the loss of their traditions. The novel masterfully portrays the universal themes of identity, belonging, and the search for connection in an unfamiliar land, ensuring its enduring relevance. This carefully prepared print republication makes this important historical fiction accessible to all. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Children of the Rainbow tackles a subject rarely mentioned, the plight of Central and East European Gypsies in the shadow of the Holocaust. Through an absorbing combination of fact, fiction and mythology, Farhi tells the story of Branko, a Roma Gypsy baby born in the Auschwitz concentration camp, who receives the prophecy that he will be his people's saviour. Named Branko, after an inmate who has been compiling the Gypsy Bible, he is smuggled out of the compound and entrusted to a Red Cross official. Some thirty years later, on the death of his adoptive father, Branko sets out to remould his identity: he witnesses first-hand the relentless persecution of the Roma and comes to hear of the Gypsy Bible that his namesake had miraculously reclaimed from the collective memory of the Roma in Auschwitz. Hidden and awaiting discovery, the powerful book prophesies Branco's leadership, under which the gypsies will be reunited and led to Romanestan, their mysterious homeland.

"It's 1970's Chicago. Eleven-year-old Matasha Wax is in the sixth grade and just starting to feel the pressures of growing up. Her best friend Jean has been blowing her off, while her parents are in a standoff over her mother's desire to adopt a refugee from Vietnam. And while the bullies in school have started to grow breasts and inches, Matasha remains a puny four-foot-four--which means she will need growth hormone shots, and she is terrified of needles. Apart from her daily reading of the advice columns in the newspaper, keeping up with the Patty Hearst and Watergate scandals, and tracking her parents' deteriorating marriage, Matasha is fixated by the story of Martin Kimmel, a nine-year-old boy who disappeared a few months ago, and whose body has yet to be found. But none of these ongoing problems could have prepared Matasha for her mother's sudden disappearance. When the letters start coming from Switzerland, she knows something is very, very wrong--but no one will tell her what's going on, so Matasha has to figure it all out for herself."--Page 4 of cover