After The Dance

A riveting cautionary tale about the ecstasy and dangers of loving Marvin Gaye, a performer passionately pursued by all—and a searing memoir of drugs, sex, and old school R&B from the wife of legendary soul icon Marvin Gaye. After her seventeenth birthday in 1973, Janis Hunter met Marvin Gaye—the soulful prince of Motown with the seductive liquid voice whose chart-topping, socially conscious album What’s Going On made him a superstar two years earlier. Despite a seventeen-year-age difference and Marvin’s marriage to the sister of Berry Gordy, Motown’s founder, the enchanted teenager and the emotionally volatile singer began a scorching relationship. One moment Jan was a high school student; the next she was accompanying Marvin to parties, navigating the intriguing world of 1970s-‘80s celebrity; hanging with Don Cornelius on the set of Soul Train, and helping to discover new talent like Frankie Beverly. But the burdens of fame, the chaos of dysfunctional families, and the irresistible temptations of drugs complicated their love. Primarily silent since Marvin’s tragic death in 1984, Jan at last opens up, sharing the moving, fervently charged story of one of music history’s most fabled marriages. Unsparing in its honesty and insight, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photos, After the Dance reveals what it’s like to be in love with a creative genius who transformed popular culture and whose artistry continues to be celebrated today.

Here is the fifteenth magical installment of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series of fractured fairy tales for fearless kids! Put on your dancing shoes! Believe it or not, there's a fairy named Maryrose LIVING in my house. And she's sending me and my brother, Jonah, through the magic mirror and into the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. There, we meet the twelve sisters who sneak out every night to go dancing. But Jonah and I have our own mission. It's up to us to find the enchanted object that will give Maryrose her fairy powers back. So now we need to: -Get our hands on an invisibility cloak -Follow the twelve princesses to their secret hideout. -Learn some VERY complicated dance steps. -And avoid being thrown in the dungeon. We better wiggle our way out of this magical mess or we'll never help our fairy friend in time!

The critically acclaimed drama by one of England's most successful mid-century playwrights.

Dee Williams' saga, both warm and nostalgic, will transport you back to the lost era of Swingtime. It's late 1935 and Sue Carver is living happily with her parents in Rotherhithe, working in the office of a local car dealer. She constantly has to resist the advances of her boss, the wealthy Fred Hunt, and her best friend Jane warns her to be careful. Fred's not the only one to have taken a liking to Sue: Jane's brother Ron also shows his admiration for her. But Sue's main love is dancing. She and Jane are always to be found at the local dance hall and when one memorable night the band brings in a new singer, Cy Noble, Sue can't help falling for him. Cy fails to tell her he is married, taking advantage of her naivety, and they spend a wild night together. But reality hits hard after the dance. Cy moves on and Sue is devastated to find out she is pregnant. Her parents are horrified when they find out, and just when she thinks things couldn't be worse, tragedy strikes. Will Sue ever find the love and happiness she craves?

In After the Dance, one of Haiti’s most renowned daughters returns to her homeland, taking readers on a stunning, exquisitely rendered journey beyond the hedonistic surface of Carnival and into its deep heart. Edwidge Danticat had long been scared off from Carnival by a loved one, who spun tales of people dislocating hips from gyrating with too much abandon, losing their voices from singing too loudly, going deaf from the clamor of immense speakers, and being punched, stabbed, pummeled, or fondled by other lustful revelers. Now an adult, she resolves to return and exorcise her Carnival demons. She spends the week before Carnival in the area around Jacmel, exploring the rolling hills and lush forests and meeting the people who live and die in them. During her journeys she traces the heroic and tragic history of the island, from French colonists and Haitian revolutionaries to American invaders and home-grown dictators. Danticat also introduces us to many of the performers, artists, and organizers who re-create the myths and legends that bring the Carnival festivities to life. When Carnival arrives, we watch as she goes from observer to participant and finally loses herself in the overwhelming embrace of the crowd. Part travelogue, part memoir, this is a lyrical narrative of a writer rediscovering her country along with a part of herself. It’s also a wonderful introduction to Haiti’s southern coast and to the true beauty of Carnival.

Shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award Nominated for The Rocky Mountain Book Award (An Alberta Children's Choice Book Award) Nominated for the 2003 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction An elegant, expressive dancer, Chan Hon Goh is one of the ballet world’s great stars. She is a brilliant technician possessing a delicate beauty and radiant stage presence. Born in Beijing to dancer parents, she tells the story of their flight to Canada from an oppressive regime that thwarted her father’s career, her rigorous training, and her battle to achieve acceptance as the only Chinese-born prima ballerina in the history of the National Ballet. This fascinating look at the life of a dancer will appeal not only to the legions of Chan Hon Goh’s admirers and to students of ballet, but also to young readers who understand what it is to pursue a dream.

In a tropical paradise where the greatest prize is land and the ultimate law is voodoo, Marina, daughter of a native Trinidadian and an English planter, is the sole source of hope for thwarting a malicious crime.

Melanie Verwoerd is one of the most fascinating public figures in Ireland. Ever since Nelson Mandela encouraged her to use her voice to bring about change, she has done precisely that, becoming one of the few white members of the ANC and one of the youngest MPs in the new South African parliament. In When We Dance, Melanie writes of her upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, her political conversion and her groundbreaking work as South African ambassador and CEO of UNICEF Ireland. For the first time, she also writes about her relationship with the late, much-missed broadcaster Gerry Ryan, including the difficult days and weeks leading up to his untimely death. She writes tenderly and passionately about her relationship with the man who has been the great love of her life. When We Dance is both the tale of a life well-lived and a moving love story. It will bring a tear to your eye - and joy to your heart.