In Search Of New Babylon

This post Cormac McCarthy western imagines intrigue among people seeking the American dream in a lawless town in the 1860s.

Follow the Young Trib Force as they struggle to escape the tightening GC grip.

A FINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 – Boston Globe, BuzzFeed, LitHub, Electric Literature, LGBTQ Reads, Latinx in Publishing *Recommended by The New York Times* In this contemporary debut novel—an intimate portrait of queer, racial, and class identity —Andrés, a gay Latinx professor, returns to his suburban hometown in the wake of his husband’s infidelity. There he finds himself with no excuse not to attend his twenty-year high school reunion, and hesitantly begins to reconnect with people he used to call friends. Over the next few weeks, while caring for his aging parents and navigating the neighborhood where he grew up, Andrés falls into old habits with friends he thought he’d left behind. Before long, he unexpectedly becomes entangled with his first love and is forced to tend to past wounds. Captivating and poignant; a modern coming-of-age story about the essential nature of community, The Town of Babylon is a page-turning novel about young love and a close examination of our social systems and the toll they take when they fail us.

Available again in a single volume, New Babylon, New Nineveh explores the past struggles of everyday people on the Witwatersrand, South Africa, 1886-1914. This was a period of extraordinary social, political and economic change. Charles van Onselen examines a host of practices, processes and problems which, in many ways, make for startling comparisons with modern-day South Africa. Van Onselen investigates the pervasive, but highly problematic use of alcohol and prostitution, which were used to control both black and white mine workers, by the state and the mine owners. This exploitation of the lifestyle of the single miners later gave way to the official encouragement of working-class family life. This gave rise to the advent of domestic servants and the introduction of a systematic programme of suburbanisation and cheap public transportation. We see how not even these developments were able to protect the poorest and weakest South Africans of the time. Van Onselen explains how Afrikaner unemployment and an affinity for trade unionism were paralleled by further marginalisation, black unemployment and the resultant formation of prison gangs, which flourish even to the present day.

Contents: Preface I. Introduction: In Search of the Church II. Mark: An Alternative Community III. Matthew: Households of Justice IV. Luke: Signs of the Kingdom V. Paul: Communities of Reconciliation VI. 1 Peter: Homes for the Homeless VII. The Apocalypse of John: Communities of Resistance VIII. In Search of the Church: An Invitation

“Ancient history and alchemy combine to terrorize us in this stunning historical thriller. A terrific read.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award John Madison was raised by his older brother Samuel, a famed Mesopotamian scholar. John’s world changes forever when Samuel’s relentless obsession with the recovery of a priceless relic looted from Iraq’s National Museum collides with a deadly game of revenge staged by a childhood friend. Aided by Tomas, an archaeologist, and Ari, an Iraqi photojournalist—men who have secrets of their own—his quest brings him to Iraq in search of a treasure trove of unparalleled value. To find it, John must discover the link between an ancient witch and a modern-day one, and tread a path fraught with life-threatening danger. First in the thrilling Mesopotamian trilogy, The Witch of Babylon is perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Raymond Khoury, and Scott Mariani. “Rich in characters, puzzles, and historical significance, this shivery thriller is so good I wish I had written it.” —Eric Van Lustbader, New York Times–bestselling author “More erudite than Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, McIntosh’s complex thriller incorporates notes about Babylonian and Mesopotamian cultures plus a bibliography.” —Kirkus Reviews “Should keep readers glued to their seats . . . Highly recommendable to fans of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Clive Cussler’s Fargo Adventures, and Raymond Khoury.” —Booklist