A Crooked Line

A first-hand account of the genealogy of the discipline, and of the rise of a new era of social history, by one of the leading historians of a generation

A young Indian woman searches for her own identity as her country fights for independence in this novel from the award-winning Urdu Indian author. The Crooked Line is the story of Shamman, a spirited young woman who rebels against the traditional Indian life of purdah, or female seclusion, that she and her sisters are raised in. Shipped off to boarding school by her family, Shamman grows into a woman of education and independence just as India itself is fighting to throw off the shackles of colonialism. Shamman’s search for her own path leads her into the fray of political unrest, where her passion for her country’s independence becomes entangled with her passion for an Irish journalist. In this semi-autobiographical novel, Ismat Chughtai explores the complex relationships between women caught in a changing culture, and exposes the intellectual and emotional conflicts at the heart of India’s battle for an uncertain future of independence from the British Raj and ultimately Partition.

This magisterial work of scholarly reconstruction restores the entirety of William Everson's early poetry in a single volume.

Drawing Straight With Crooked Lines is a novel about how God uses flawed and imperfect people to carry out his perfect plan. The main character, Rocky Gates, is a disbarred, drug addicted lawyer who has lost all hope and tries to end his life. However, God personally intervenes and informs Rocky that he has been chosen to deliver a special to all the inhabitants of Earth. The message is imparted to Rocky over the course of one week, while he walks through a series of self-imposed crisis and tribulations. The book illustrates how the power of God can transform a human life, no matter how far down the ladder we may have fallen. It also demonstrates the unique love the Heavenly Father has for all His children and the lengths He will go to show us this love. This cleverly written book mixes humor and wit to carry its timeless message of hope.

Deputy Sheriff Jim Finne and an FBI informant are gunned down. A sinister, interstate drug cartel that stretches from southeast Indiana to the eastern Kentucky hollers is paying off local cops. Ruthless dope dealers and crooked cops become reckless murderers. Cops can't trust cops. Criminals can't trust criminals. Bodies stack up like fat cattle in a slaughter house. Garfield County has become a haven for the lawless-where justice is doled out to the highest bidder. Enter rookie FBI Special Agent Charles Simmons, recent Yale law school graduate and hometown boy. In Garfield County, Indiana, Charles finds a town he'd never known-a good-for-nothing underclass, drug pushers and junkies, cops on-the-take, and a community mired in mediocrity. Still, Charles rekindles friendships and repairs family bonds. But, a little good fortune brings the revelation of a dark Simmons' family secret. And, in the middle is Caroline Mattell, the alluring young fianc'e of a deputy, who leads Charles to the threshold of death. The Crooked Blue Line is the story of a man-son, brother, friend, lover, federal agent-desperate to define himself in a world of unfulfilled romantic expectations and inconceivable harsh realties.

My mother made a snap decision.How could we know it would change us forever?THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Brimming with curiosity and wonder.' Irish Times'Lushly atmospheric.' Daily Mail'Thoroughly gripping.' Lucy Caldwell'Brilliant.' Sara BaumeRage. That's the feeling engulfing the car as Ellen's mother swerves over to the hard-shoulder and orders her daughter out onto the roadside. Ignoring the protests of her other children, she accelerates away, leaving Ellen standing on the gravel verge in her school pinafore and knee socks as the light fades.What would you do as you watch your little sister getting smaller in the rear view window? How far would you be willing to go to help her? The Gallagher children are going to find out. This moment is the beginning of a summer that will change everything.**Una Mannion's latest novel, TELL ME WHAT I AM, is available to pre-order now**