Off With Their Heads

I. Children's literature? -- 1. Sex and violence : the hard core of fairy tales -- 2. Fact and fantasy : the art of reading fairy tales -- 3. Victims and seekers : the family romance of fairy tales -- II. Heroes -- 4. Born yesterday : The spear side -- 5. Spinning tales : the distaff side -- III. Villains -- 6. From nags to witches : stepmothers and other ogres -- 7. Taming the beast : Bluebeard and other monsters -- Epilogue : getting even -- Appendixes -- A. Six fairy tales from the Nursery and household tales, with commentary -- B. Selected tales from the first edition of the Nursery and household tales -- C. Prefaces to the first and second editions of the Nursery and household tales -- D. English titles, tale numbers, and German titles of stories cited -- E. Bibliographical note.

When Hansel and Gretel try to eat the witch's gingerbread house in the woods, are they indulging their "uncontrolled cravings" and "destructive desires" or are they simply responding normally to the hunger pangs they feel after being abandoned by their parents? Challenging Bruno Bettelheim and other critics who read fairy tales as enactments of children's untamed urges, Maria Tatar argues that it is time to stop casting the children as villians. In this provocative book she explores how adults mistreat children, focusing on adults not only as hostile characters in fairy tales themselves but also as real people who use frightening stories to discipline young listeners.

Queen Victoria took being a queen to the head literally. Anyone she did not like would be sent to the chopping block where she became famous for “Off with their heads,” and off they went, but one day that would all change when she yelled out “Off with his head.” When the guillotine rope was being released and the blade came down it stopped within inches of the man’s neck. Then there was silence from the queen and spectators. Everyone’s jaw dropped because the queen was always successful at every execution. The queen immediately got up from her chair and raced over to ask her henchmen why they failed. The queen yelled out in anger “Do it again!” So, the henchmen examined the guillotine and got it ready again. The queen sat back down in her chair and said “No one leaves my execution with their heads still attached to their body.” The queen again yelled out “Off with his head!” Again the blade came down inches from his neck and stopped. This infuriated the queen and she would stop at nothing to get this man back on the chopping block. The queen had to release the man because of the botched execution and scheduled the execution the next morning. The queen was laughed at by the spectators for failing at what she was famous for. Jokes were said around town about the queen’s botched execution, but the queen refused to let one botched execution break her spirit. The queen loved to look at her castle from a distance and see all the severed heads hanging over the castle walls from her executions this made her feel inferior to anyone.

What happened to the unity that so blessed America after 9/11? Where did our sense of determination go? Our political, journalistic, and cultural leaders have mounted a campaign to oppose and impede the war on terror that seemed so vital in that rare moment of clarity. This book is my personal cri du coeur about deception in politics, journalism, and business—especially when it stops us from following through on the work 9/11 has left for us all to do. This book takes on some pretty sacred cows, but it's about time they became fair game. —from the Introduction Are you appalled by the antiwar tone the news media has taken since the war on terror began—especially "objective" news outlets like the New York Times and the network news? Are you wondering when liberal celebrities like Barbara Streisand, Sean Penn, and Susan Sarandon suddenly became geopolitical oracles whose advice we're supposed to value above the wisdom of tenured experts? Are you at a loss to decide who has betrayed us more outrageously: the French who abandoned us in our time of need, or our own elected officials, who tapped our 401(k) savings and the tobacco-settlement windfall with equal abandon? In Off with Their Heads, syndicated columnist and Fox News Cannel political analyst Dick Morris points an accusing finger at the many ways the public has been lied to and misled, pickpocketed and endangered. Whether it's Bill Clinton, who ignored mounting evidence of impending terrorist catastrophe throughout the 1990s, or the members of Congress, who quietly sold our democracy down the river in exchange for lifetime incumbency, Morris rips the cover off the cowardly and duplicitous figures who have sacrificed America's interests for their own. From private corruption to public treachery, even longtime political buffs will marvel at the astonishing behavior Morris reveals at every level of society—and at how it threatens to compromise the American way of life.

Named one of Us Weekly’s Best Celebrity Memoirs of 2022 The New York Times bestselling author of Next Level Basic and fan-favorite alumna of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules returns with the definitive Basic Bitch handbook for surviving your rock-bottom moments. The year 2020 was going to be the best year of Stassi’s life. Besides getting engaged and feeling like she was on top of the world career-wise, she bought her first house and was planning her dream Italian wedding. The future showed so much freaking promise—until it all went to hell. Stassi may not be perfect—she may have made some (major) mistakes—but she does feel like she has some insight (and plenty of hilarious tales) about getting knocked up, called out, and learning from what went wrong. Through stories, confessions, illustrations, and plenty of self-reflection and self-deprecation, this new book goes behind the scenes and addresses the experience of getting cancelled, getting that positive pregnancy test, and saying “I do” in the backyard instead of in Italy. Stassi won’t hold back about her transformation from proud basic bitch to... proud basic bitch who has a deeper appreciation for what’s really important in life: love, relationships, mutual respect, and, okay fine, an Aperol spritz and some showtunes when you need them most. Stassi hopes her story will help others see the light at the end of the tunnel in their own lives and make them laugh along the way. She writes about the importance of having a good cry (at work, in the shower, in your closet), ways to navigate social media responsibly (sometimes that means logging the eff off when crowds are chanting, “OFF WITH HER HEAD”), how to practice self-care when wine is not an option, and how not to become a Bridezilla—plus she’ll offer tips on marrying your f*ckboy, embracing pregnancy sweats (both cashmere sweats and night sweats), and styling baby OOTDs. So roll up your bedazzled sleeves…or the sleeves of the tattered robe you’ve been wearing nonstop because you’re at rock bottom; grab a cocktail; and let your favorite (more evolved) basic bitch take you on a wild ride inside the bumpiest year of her life.

Fans of Chloe Gong and Judy I. Lin will devour this Korean-inspired Alice in Wonderland retelling about two very wicked girls, forever bonded by blood and betrayal . . . In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they lurk, it’s been five years since young witches and lovers Caro Rabbit and Iccadora Alice Sickle were both sentenced to that forest for a crime they didn’t commit—and four years since they shattered one another’s hearts, each willing to sacrifice the other for a chance at freedom. Now, Caro is a successful royal Saint-harvester, living the high life in the glittering capital and pretending not to know of the twisted monster experiments that her beloved Red Queen hides deep in the bowels of the palace. But for Icca, the memory of Caro’s betrayal has hardened her from timid girl to ruthless hunter. A hunter who will stop at nothing to exact her vengeance: On Caro. On the queen. On the throne itself. But there’s a secret about the Saints the Queen’s been guarding, and a volatile magic at play even more dangerous to Icca and Caro than they are to each other... Lush, terrifying, and uncanny, Zoe Hana Mikuta—author of Gearbreakers and Godslayers—takes a delicate knife straight through the heart of this beloved surrealist fairytale.

Is a murder-free vacation too much to ask for? It’s the third anniversary of the Ahedrian murders, and Emery Luple is back in Manhattan facing his most daunting task yet: meeting Caden’s moms. All six of them. And right on cue, the decapitations start… again. It might be where he met the love of his life, but Emery is ready to be done with New York. Too bad New York isn’t done with him. Headless bodies show up wherever Emery goes, and he sees the ghost of a former enemy everywhere he looks. All signs point to an impossibility: the Ahedrian incarnate. As they race to uncover the truth, the murders keep coming—and with every head that rolls, death gets that much closer to Emery… and Caden.

Off With Their Heads! is the exciting history of Britain in easy to digest, bite-sized chunks, which is sure to inspire a love of history that will last a lifetime. A perfect learning companion to help all school children get to grips with British history. Contents include: 'Rules to remember the rulers of Britain', 'Become an expert on the inventions of the Industrial Revolution', 'Be wise to the bloody battles of the Hundred Years War', 'Get to grips with the gunpowder plot' and 'Learn a poem to understand the events leading up to WW1'