Monkey Wrench

A motley crew of saboteurs wreaks havoc on the corporations destroying America’s Western wilderness in this “wildly funny, infinitely wise” classic (The Houston Chronicle). When George Washington Hayduke III returns home from war in the jungles of Southeast Asia, he finds the unspoiled West he once knew has been transformed. The pristine lands and waterways are being strip mined, dammed up, and paved over by greedy government hacks and their corrupt corporate coconspirators. And the manic, beer-guzzling, rabidly antisocial ex-Green Beret isn’t just getting mad. Hayduke plans to get even. Together with a radical feminist from the Bronx; a wealthy, billboard-torching libertarian MD; and a disgraced Mormon polygamist, Hayduke’s ready to stick it to the Man in the most creative ways imaginable. By the time they’re done, there won’t be a bridge left standing, a dam unblown, or a bulldozer unmolested from Arizona to Utah. Edward Abbey’s most popular novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang is an outrageous romp with ultra-serious undertones that is as relevant today as it was in the early days of the environmental movement. The author who Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) once dubbed “The Thoreau of the American West” has written a true comedic classic with brains, heart, and soul that more than justifies the call from the Los Angeles Times Book Review that we should all “praise the earth for Edward Abbey!” “Mixes comedy and chaos with enough chase sequences to leave you hungering for more.”—The San Francisco Chronicle

“Abbey’s latter-day Luddites, introduced in his novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, are back—and not a moment too soon” (The New York Times). George Washington Hayduke, ex-Green Beret, was last seen clinging to a rock face in the wilds of Utah as an armed posse hunted him down for his eco-radical crimes. Now he’s back, with a fiery need for vengeance . . . This sequel to Edward Abbey’s cult classic brings back the old gang of environmental warriors, as they battle a fundamentalist preacher intent on turning the Grand Canyon into a uranium mine—in “a fine novel, combative and comic, anarchistic and ultimately redemptive” (Albuquerque Journal). “I laughed out loud reading this book.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

A chemist-turned-writer and a construction rigger in a remote factory pass the time swapping tales of their lives and voyages. Primo Levi’s most light-hearted novel, The Monkey’s Wrench is a tribute to storytelling, human ingenuity, and the importance of finding meaningful work in life. “A lot of stories have happened to me,” says Faussone, the mysterious construction rigger at the center of this comic novel by Primo Levi. Far from home on a work assignment, Libertino Faussone befriends the book’s narrator, a chemist based loosely off of Levi himself. Although he can’t quite explain it, the chemist is immediately entranced by the wandering laborer who has traveled to every corner of the world. The two embark on an unlikely friendship, trading tales filled with curses and spies, scandal and heartbreak. With its easy-going and even whimsical tone, The Monkey’s Wrench is a change from Primo Levi’s other works. Yet its message is just as vital. The novel reminds us about the importance of connection between strangers, our endless capacity to solve even the most challenging of problems, and finding fulfillment in work. Along with Elie Wiesel and Hannah Arendt, Primo Levi is remembered as one of the most powerful and perceptive writers on the Holocaust and the Jewish experience during World War II. This is an essential book both for students and literary readers. Reading Primo Levi is a lesson in the resiliency of the human spirit.

Carter Years ago, Naomi was the girl who'd saved my life without knowing it. All it took was a handful of innocent words from her to change the decision I was about to make. Ending up in the same town hundreds of miles away from our hometown wasn't exactly a fluke. I knew what loss was. I'd felt the pain and knew how easy it was to suffocate under it, but what if I was the wrench that fit all the pieces of her life and held them in place, so she could put it back together again for her and her niece. What if I was her monkey wrench, and what if she was mine? Naomi Raising my niece by myself wasn't easy but moving to Piersville from Fernandina Beach was the best decision I could have made for us. I just didn't count on Carter Lane being here, too. He'd always been quiet, but around me, that changed. I just don't know what anything the guy does means, though. Carter's helpful, he's great with Shanti, makes me laugh, and it blew my mind when he gave me the Blow Pop I'd given him all those years ago in a frame. Changing life paths isn't easy, but it's a damn sight simpler than trying to figure out a man's mind. Especially his.

Dewey Pellicano's quilt shop has earned a spot in the annual Quilter's Crawl, and twenty-something employee Vangie has organized a trendy Twitter promotion to boost sales at the struggling store. But when Vangie's boyfriend dies from an overdose, it's up to Dewey to get her young staffer off the hook for homicide. Meanwhile, the store's quilting teacher Pearl takes in a college-age "GrandSon," who turns out to be a real pill. As if Dewey didn't have enough on her plate, she's blamed when a customer is killed during a Twitter-induced stampede. Putting together the pieces to save her skin—and her store— is a real monkey wrench in Dewey's murderously busy shop-hop weekend. Praise: "Thayer's pleasant fourth offers its curious heroine a touch of romance and several puzzles to solve, and adds quilting tips for the like-minded."—Kirkus Reviews "A smoothly written blend of cast, plot, and craft."—Booklist

Selections from the author's uncompleted second novel and stories about a lonely warrant officer, a crafty sailor, and a proud engineer are accompanied by essays about historical research and naval life and reform.

This fun and funny celebration of hardware from Vince Staten answers the burning questions like have plagued humankind from time immemorial. Staten reveals the mysterious origins of all the things that hold your house together and all the tools you’ve ever dreamed of having. Drawing on his years behind the counter of his father’s hardware store, Did Monkeys Invent the Monkey Wrench? reminds readers that there was once a place where like-minded souls could discuss the important things in life, like baseball, bad movies, and box-end wrenches.

This book takes a snapshot of a moving target: the ever-shifting conversation about today's poetry. The ten essays in this collection offer reflections and insights, practical advice for craft matters, and provocative points of departure for those who read and write poetry.--[book cover].