Aloft

The New York Times–bestselling novel by the critically acclaimed author of Native Speaker, A Gesture Life and My Year Abroad. At 59, Jerry Battle is coasting through life. His favorite pastime is flying his small plane high above Long Island. Aloft, he can escape from the troubles that plague his family, neighbors, and loved ones on the ground. But he can't stay in the air forever. Only months before his 60th birthday, a culmination of family crises finally pull Jerry down from his emotionally distant course. Jerry learns that his family's stability is in jeopardy. His father, Hank, is growing increasingly unhappy in his assisted living facility. His son, Jack, has taken over the family landscaping business but is running it into bankruptcy. His daughter, Theresa, has become pregnant and has been diagnosed with cancer. His longtime girlfriend, Rita, who helped raise his children, has now moved in with another man. And Jerry still has unanswered questions that he must face regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of his late wife. Since the day his wife died, Jerry has turned avoiding conflict into an art form-the perfect expression being his solitary flights from which he can look down on a world that appears serene and unscathed. From his comfortable distance, he can't see the messy details, let alone begin to confront them. But Jerry is learning that in avoiding conflict, he is also avoiding contact with the people he loves most.

Now available in paperback, this astounding collection of photographs captures some of the most stunning mountain landscapes in North America. There is a reason why the Canadian Rockies are some of the most photographed mountains in the world. Rugged peaks encircle glacier-fed lakes, rise up like protective walls around tree-filled valleys, and offer a stunning backdrop to open alpine meadows. They have been photographed from the valley bottoms, from the shores of famous lakes, and from the summits of prominent peaks. They are accessible by vehicle, boat, gondola, skis, and hiking boots. But a lucky few have photographed the Rockies from the air. In the most comprehensive collection of aerial photos to date, Aloft: Canadian Rockies Aerial Photography by Paul Zizka gives the reader a unique bird's-eye view of this prized mountain range. From vast glaciers to winding rivers, animal overpasses to lakes that look like brilliant spills of turquoise paint on the landscape, these images provide a rare look at mountains that are as grandiose from the skies as they are from their better-known vantage points.

The Borrowers, a family of tiny people, are kidnapped from their home in Little Fordham and held captive in an attic.

As soon as they stepped off the boat in New York, Irish immigrants Jim Leary and his brother Billy were conscripted into the Union Aero Corps, forced to fight in a civil war they had no interest in. Ten years later, with the war finally over and America divided into two nations, each brother believes the other died in combat. Jim Leary, now calling himself "Captain Gallagher," has taken to the air over the southwestern American territories in a stolen airship, leading the life of a pirate, raiding trains, stage coaches, and even other airships, the ane of both the Union and the fledgling Confederate States of America. A consortium of businessmen, tired of losing money and goods to Gallagher and his pirate cohorts, has hired a former Confederate air admiral to hunt them down. Now Gallagher finds himself pursued by an overwhelming force led by the infamous Garrett "Butcher" Prescott, the man he blames for his brother's death, and the beautiful and accomplished Justine Arthurs, an airship pilot, former Pinkerton agent and Union spy. Gallagher thinks he's got a plan that will bring down the Valkyrie, Prescott's massive dreadnaught. What he doesn't know is that the chief engineer on the Valkyrie is his longlost brother.

Marcus Garvey, Claude McKay, Claudia Jones, C.L.R. James, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farakhan-the roster of immigrants from the Caribbean who have made a profound impact on the development of radical politics in the United States is extensive. In this magisterial and lavishly illustrated work, Winston James focuses on the twentieth century's first waves of immigrants from the Caribbean and their contribution to political dissidence in America. This diligently researched, wide-ranging and sophisticated book will be welcomed by all those interested in the Caribbean and its migrs, the Afro-American current within America's radical tradition, and the history, politics, and culture of the African diaspora.