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In 2005, Father Julián Carrón became the leader of the global ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation, following the death of the movement's founder, Father Luigi Giussani. Disarming Beauty is the English translation of an engaging and thought-provoking collection of essays by one of the principal Catholic leaders and intellectuals in the world today. Adapted from talks given by Fr. Carrón, these essays have been thoroughly reworked by the author to offer an organic presentation of a decade-long journey. They present the content of his elaboration of the gospel message in light of the tradition of Fr. Giussani, the teachings of the popes, and the urgent needs of contemporary people. Carrón offers a broad diagnosis of challenges in society and then introduces their implications in contexts such as families, schools, workplaces, and political communities. In a dialogue with his listeners, he inspires and encourages them to lay out a new path for the Catholic church and the world. Throughout his essays, Carrón addresses the most pressing questions facing theologians today and provides insights that will interest everyone, from the most devout to the firm nonbeliever. Grappling with the interaction of Christian faith and modern culture, Carrón treats in very real and concrete ways what is essential to maintaining and developing Christian faith, and he invites an ongoing conversation about the meaning of faith, truth, and freedom.
In the spring of 1820, on the Aegean island of Melos, an unsuspecting farmer was digging for marble building blocks when he unearthed the statue that would come to be known as the Venus de Milo. From the moment of its discovery a battle for possession ensued and was won, eventually, by the French. Touted by her keepers in the Louvre as the great classical find of the era, the sculpture gained instant celebrity–and yet its origins had yet to be documented or verified. From the flurry of excitement surrounding her discovery, to the raging disputes over her authenticity, to the politics and personalities that have given rise to her mystique, Gregory Curtis has given us a riveting look at the embattled legacy of a beloved icon and a remarkable tribute to one of the world’s great works of art.
A vibrant performer, film director and mum, life for Veronica Neave was always a little crazy and unpredictable. When she tested positive for the BRCA2 'breast cancer gene' the turmoil in her life reached a new high. The genetic test, combined with her family's history, increased the probability of Veronica one day battling breast cancer to more than 85%. Veronica had watched her mother's ongoing struggle and knew well the history of other relatives dying young at the hands of this persistent disease. When Veronica's two sisters also tested positive for the gene, it seemed the deadly pattern was destined to continue. Veronica's options - on paper - seemed simple: prevention through high maintenance testing, medication, or the more intrusive step of removing her healthy breasts, and possibly her ovaries too, in the hope of prevention. With her breasts now centre stage, the decision was extremely personal and introspective and yet also seemed to be everybody's business. As she unravelled the information of experts from across the medical spectrum and views from others, Veronica battled her own beliefs about sexuality, body image and even the thought that her breast removal and reconstruction would be seen as a cosmetic 'improvement' by many, not as a life-saving operation. One thing was certain. The science of genetic identification was expanding faster than cures or treatments and Veronica needed to make a decision now. On one hand she had been forewarned of the potential risks, on the other, there was no certainty of prevention or a cure. Veronica confides, "It's strange. Until a few years ago, my family had never heard of the BRCA2 gene, and now it seems to be everywhere. It's a bizarre predicament to be in, dealing with the concept that you may have cancer, but not yet and to be making decisions on a future that may or may not happen but could kill you. I was screaming out for someone to tell me what to do. I was so confused and wondering just how much time I really had before fate took the decision out of my hands?" Pieces of Me is a beautifully written, informative and thought-provoking account of Veronica's journey from initial diagnosis with the BRCA2 gene mutation to her decision to remove her healthy breasts. It's a topic guaranteed to divide any dinner party. Along the way she shares her choices, insights and fears as she untangles the different perspectives and advice, to eventually find her own way. "My mother consciously always talked to us of death so we would not be afraid. She said she did this because she knew the history of cancer in our family was more than just a coincidence. My great grandmother, my great aunt and my grandmother all died of breast cancer by the time they were 50 years old. My mother developed breast cancer at 49 and her sister a little later at age 59. Needless to say, while growing up there was a shadow of awareness that breast cancer was 'in my genes'." Veronica Neave
The three medieval texts that make up Jankyn's Book of Wikked Wyves have formed a vital part of Chaucerian research for more than half a century. Integrated here for the first time, these texts now form a cornerstone volume of the Chaucer Library series. Near the end of her prologue, Chaucer's Wife of Bath tells how her fifth husband, Jankyn, a clerk of Oxford, taunted her by reading from a collection of antifeminist tracts. The contents of Jankyn's book include three texts that enjoyed wide distribution in the later Middle Ages: Walter Map's "Dissuasio Valerii," Theophrastus's "De Nuptiis," and Jerome's "Adversus Jovinianum." The first two are reproduced in their entirety in this volume, with selections from the third. The editors examine Jankyn's book from many angles, including the extensive manuscript sources from which it may be reconstructed, background information for its literary appreciation, and Chaucer's use of the materials. The publication of this volume, the fourth in the Chaucer Library, represents a major event for medievalists.
After a brief interlude in the afterlife, Harry Dresden’s new job makes him wonder if death was really all that bad in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Harry Dresden is no longer Chicago’s only professional wizard. Now, he’s Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Her word is his command. And her first command is the seemingly impossible: kill an immortal. Worse still, there is a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could mean the deaths of millions. Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent an apocalypse, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound infinite powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own... His soul.
Drawing on examples from art, media, fashion, history and memoir, the author tackles a basic human interaction which has remained curiously unexplored, the human stare. She defines staring, explores the biological and psychological factors that motivate it, and considers the targets and the effects of the stare.
Running more than 1,200 miles from headwaters in eastern New Mexico through the middle of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazos River has frustrated developers for nearly two centuries. This environmental history of the Brazos traces the techniques that engineers and politicians have repeatedly used to try to manage its flow. The vast majority of projects proposed or constructed in this watershed were failures, undone by the geology of the river as much as the cost of improvement. When developers erected locks, the river changed course. When they built large-scale dams, floodwaters overflowed the concrete rims. When they constructed levees, the soils collapsed. Yet lawmakers and laypeople, boosters and engineers continued to work toward improving the river and harnessing it for various uses. Through the plight of the Brazos River Archer illuminates the broader commentary on the efforts to tame this nation’s rivers as well as its historical perspectives on development and technology. The struggle to overcome nature, Archer notes, reflects a quintessentially American faith in technology.
All too often Scripture is read only to find answers to life’s perplexing questions, to prove a theological point, or to formulate doctrine. But William Brown argues that if read properly, what the Bible does most fundamentally is arouse a sacred sense of life-transforming wonder. In this book Brown helps readers develop an orientation toward the biblical text that embraces wonder. He explores reading strategies and offers fresh readings of seventeen Old and New Testament passages, identifying what he finds most central and evocative in the unfolding biblical drama. The Bible invites its readers to linger in wide-eyed wonder, Brown says -- and his Sacred Sense shows readers how to do just that.
Helen of Troy engages with the ancient origins of the persistent anxiety about female beauty, focusing on this key figure from ancient Greek culture in a way that both extends our understanding of that culture and provides a useful perspective for reconsidering aspects of our own.
“A single flow’r he sent me, since we met. All tenderly his messenger he chose; Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet—One perfect rose.” —Dorothy Parker Welcome to the mysterious and sometimes scandalous world of the language of flowers. Since the days of Queen Victoria (and earlier the harems of the Middle East) flowers have allowed lovers and friends to express themselves without saying a word. In Loves Me, Loves Me Not, author and illustrator Peter Loewer explores the fascinating history of floral messages. In this book you'll find intriguing plant lore, unexpected historical connections, or simply an opportunity to connect with a beloved in a unique way. Confess unrequited love with a daffodil. Show happiness with primroses. Wish someone luck with a four-leaf clover. Make your declaration of love not with a rose, but with a tulip! With intriguing stories and stunning full-color illustrations, Loves Me, Loves Me Not, introduces you to flowers that have been conveying message for centuries. As Loewer says: "The language of flowers is a delightful idea. In the world of cell phones and mass communications, sending a simple bouquet that tells a tale of love and affection seems to be a great idea whose time has come again."