Are Books Still Different

The famous 1962 precedent at the Restrictive Practices Court of the United Kingdom, 'Books are different,' is still the reasoning behind many cultural policies around the world, building on longstanding assumptions surrounding 'the book'. As this suggests, the 'difference' of the book as a unique form of cultural (rather than economic) production has acquired a powerful status. But are books still different? In (somewhat provocatively) asking this question from a network-oriented and interdisciplinary perspective (book studies/literary studies), this Element inquires into the notion of 'difference' in relation to books. Challenging common notions of 'bibliodiversity,' it reconsiders the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. It also engages with the diversifying potentials of the digital literary sphere, offering a case study of Bernardine Evaristo's industry activities and activism, the Element concludes with thoughts on bookishness, affect and networked practice. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times

DESPITE THE BUZZ is a cautionary tale concerning tech's toll, an artfully designed human interest story about learning, relationships, and wellbeing. A motivated new teacher raises awareness about screen use inside her Reflective Writing class, but she doesn't realize there's danger lurking. Contemporary communication dramatically impacts the learning environment, identity formation, and charged emotions of high school students in the story. When an intimate act is shared over social media, an inciting incident demonstrates that the potential in our pockets could be lethal. Can Miss Gabby Oliver protect her students? Who survives the traumatic turn of events? Wait for the twist! Get to know the characters. Consider the possibilities. From Chicago and new to California, Gabby considers her life's timing unique-on the cusp of technology's cutting edge, yet reminiscent of a time before the Internet dominated. She dares to date a coworker, their schoolyard romance tested by today's cyber world. Meanwhile, Gabby manages to stay connected with her deceased mother by way of hopeful handwritten letters. Inside Miss Oliver's room, a research assignment looks at language, modes of persuasion, and topical issues from distinct teenage perspectives. Inspired by historic figures, students detail their pressing concerns to the president. This colorful novel, set pre-pandemic, depicts demands upon teachers due to class size, special needs, language barriers, gender sensitivity, gun threats, cell phones, and the challenge of holding students' attention. By providing understanding to those who grew up before and after current trends, this insightful book could build rapport among members from different schools of thought. A variety of people will relate to feelings of digital distraction and modern-day accountability. The story is suited for mature readers ages sixteen and up. Despite the Buzz is educational, existential, and exciting! A mix of narrative elements makes it an engaging read!

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

In the summer of 1964, the Beatles took America by storm and changed rock 'n' roll forever. In this first-ever chronicling of that revolutionary tour from the inside, author Ivor Davis serves up the stories behind the stories as only an insider can.

A Dominican-born academic tells the story of how the Great Books transformed his life—and why they have the power to speak to people of all backgrounds What is the value of a liberal education? Traditionally characterized by a rigorous engagement with the classics of Western thought and literature, this approach to education is all but extinct in American universities, replaced by flexible distribution requirements and ever-narrower academic specialization. Many academics attack the very idea of a Western canon as chauvinistic, while the general public increasingly doubts the value of the humanities. In Rescuing Socrates, Dominican-born American academic Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how a liberal education transformed his life, and offers an intimate account of the relevance of the Great Books today, especially to members of historically marginalized communities. Montás emigrated from the Dominican Republic to Queens, New York, when he was twelve and encountered the Western classics as an undergraduate in Columbia University’s renowned Core Curriculum, one of America’s last remaining Great Books programs. The experience changed his life and determined his career—he went on to earn a PhD in English and comparative literature, serve as director of Columbia’s Center for the Core Curriculum, and start a Great Books program for low-income high school students who aspire to be the first in their families to attend college. Weaving together memoir and literary reflection, Rescuing Socrates describes how four authors—Plato, Augustine, Freud, and Gandhi—had a profound impact on Montás’s life. In doing so, the book drives home what it’s like to experience a liberal education—and why it can still remake lives.

This definitive guide examines how to take advantage of the new Agile methodologies offered when using Ruby on Rails (RoR). You’ll quickly grasp the RoR methodology by focusing on the RoR development from the point of view of the beginner- to intermediate-level Microsoft developer. Plus, you’ll get a reliable roadmap for migrating your applications, skill set, and development processes to the newer, more agile programming platform that RoR offers.