17 Mar 2024, 6:43am
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Any Bitter Thing: A Novel” by Monica Wood

Kate’s 2¢: “Any Bitter Thing: A Novel” by Monica Wood

“Any Bitter Thing: A Novel” by Monica Wood a

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   I downloaded this book because it is read by my favorite narrator, Martha Harmon Pardee. She did an excellent job of reading this story and kept me listening almost without stopping until the end. I liked having the prayers of the traditional Catholic Breviary begin many chapters.

A few take-aways:

–The human craving is for story, not truth.  

–Memory embraces its errors, until what is and what is remembered become one.

–The velvety between place…That cushiony , neither here nor there, where my senses both blurred and sharpened

 From www.monicawood.com

Monica Wood is an author of several novels, including ANY BITTER THING, a national bestseller1. Her writing has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, the New York Times and many other publications1. She was born on August 16, 1953, in Mexico, ME2. She graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in 1975 and from the University of Southern Maine with an M.S. in 19812. She is married to Daniel Abbott, a teacher2. She lives in Portland, Maine  with their cat, Susie.

   Monica’s newest novel will appear in 2023 from Mariner Books. Her most recent novel, The One-in-a-Million Boy, has been translated into 20 languages in over 30 countries. She is also the author of When We Were the Kennedys, a New England bestseller, Oprah magazine summer-reading pick, and winner of the May Sarton Memoir Award and the Maine Literary Award. Her novel Any Bitter Thing was an ABA bestseller and Book Sense Top Ten pick. Her other fiction includes Ernie’s Ark, which has been excerpted on NPR’s “Selected Shorts” and selected by several towns and cities as their “One Book, One Community” read; My Only Story, a finalist for the Kate Chopin Award; and Secret Language, her first novel.

   Her widely anthologized short stories have won a Pushcart Prize and been featured on public radio. She also writes books for writers and teachers. Her nonfiction has appeared in Oprah, New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Parade, and many other publications.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Any bitter thing: a novel DB62828

Wood, Monica. Reading time: 9 hours, 44 minutes.

Read by Martha Harmon Pardee.

Family

Psychological Fiction

Recovering from a near-fatal car accident, guidance counselor Lizzy Mitchell thinks she hears the voice of her uncle, Father Mike–her childhood guardian who died shortly after he was falsely accused of molesting Lizzy twenty-one years before. Lizzy investigates the charges while trying to save her marriage. Some strong language. 2005.

Downloaded: March 6, 2024

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17 Mar 2024, 6:41am
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Another Country” by James Baldwin

Kate’s 2¢: “Another Country” by James Baldwin

“Another Country” by James Baldwin a

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   This book was published in 1962. I can imagine the up-roar it must have caused, as it exposes all of the social taboos of the time, except maybe one.

   I did not enjoy the story, although Earle Hyman did an excellent job of narrating the book with his authentic voice.

A few take-aways:

–He was controlled by laws he did not understand. Nor did he understand what force within this body had driven him to such a desolate place.

–A thin tired girl. Unwitting heiress of generations of bitterness.

–His recollections in no way freed him form the things recalled.

–The world is already bitter enough. We’ve got to try to understand.

–Most people have not lived.

He’d merely been taken in the outward adventure of life, in order to avoid the clash and attention of the adventure proceed within.

–Love was a country he know nothing about.Now they were all equal in misery, confusion, and dispare.

From the web:

   I gave up trying to find out more about this author. There were only books to purchase.

   The book jacket tells us he was born in NY and raised in Harlem. “Go Tell It On The Mountain”, Notes Of A Native Son”, and “Geovani’s Room””Nobody Knows My Name””The Fire Next Time” and three plays.

   Why wouldn’t the weg have more information about this prolific author?  

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Another country DB16421

Baldwin, James. Reading time: 14 hours, 43 minutes.

Read by Earle Hyman.

Psychological Fiction

A talented black musician, his beautiful sister, and his white friend strike out against the conventions of sex, race, and society. Violence and explicit descriptions of sex.

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6 Mar 2024, 6:03pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “The Almost Moon: a Novel” by Alice Sebold  a

Kate’s 2¢: “The Almost Moon: a Novel” by Alice Sebold  a

“The Almost Moon: a Novel” by Alice Sebold  a

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Joan Allen did a good job of narrating this story, but some where in the book, the author should have included the national mental health hotline.

      A few take-aways:

–The thing about dementia is that sometimes you feel like the afflicted person has a tripwire to the truth.

–Morality was just a security blanket that didn’t exist.

–The moon is whole all of the time, but we can’t always see it. What we see is an almost moon.

–I was raised by a solitary woman to become a solitary child.

–I was a shadow girl, trying to be what they wanted me to be.

–With each leave taking, those left behind were safe from me.

–Mental illness has the unique ability to metastasize across generations

From: World Biography / 2005 Pu-Z /  Alice Sebold Biography

Alice Sebold Biography

Born c. 1963, in Madison, WI; daughter of a Spanish professor and a journalist; married Glen David Gold (an author), November, 2001. Education: Earned degree from Syracuse University, 1984; attended the University of Houston, c. 1984-85; University of California—Irvine, M.F.A., 1998.

Addresses: Office —c/o Author Mail, Little, Brown & Company/Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Career

Adjunct instructor in English at Hunter College, and research analyst in New York City, c. 1985-93; published a memoir, Lucky, 1999; debut novel The Lovely Bones published, 2002; film rights to The Lovely Bones sold for a film project set to be released in 2007.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The almost moon: a novel DB66820

Sebold, Alice. Reading time: 8 hours, 51 minutes.

Read by Joan Allen. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Psychological Fiction

While attempting to bathe her mentally ill elderly mother, Helen suddenly smothers her with a towel. As Helen spends the following hours awaiting her fate, she ponders her troubled youth and her own stint at motherhood. Commercial audiobook. Explicit descriptions of sex, strong language, and some violence. 2007.

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6 Mar 2024, 6:01pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “All That Glitters” by Virginia C. Andrews

Kate’s 2¢: “All That Glitters” by Virginia C. Andrews

“All That Glitters ” by Virginia C. Andrews

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Being a romance novel, you know who the heroine will end up with, but the psychological trauma of identical twins switching spouses is fascinating and runs the gamut of emotions.   

   I enjoyed listening to Mary Woods read this story.

   Afew take-aways:

–Money and riches won’t buy you happiness if you don’t have love.

–Dependability is the soil   in which a long and lasting love is planted.

–When there is a real live infant, you can’t live in a fantasy world.

–Deceit was a garden in which only the blackest weeds grew. And those who sow their seeds in it, reap disaster.

–The only real antidote for grief and sadness was busy hands.

From: FAMOUS AUTHORS

V. C. Andrews (Cleo Virginia Andrews) was a twentieth century American novelist. Her forte was gothic horror fiction blended with family saga. She is famous for her notoriously bestselling work Flowers in the Attic (1979).

   Andrews was born on June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. She was the only daughter and youngest child in the Andrews household. As a child she had a falling accident and she suffered from crippling arthritis in the aftermath of her surgery. However, she had not lost hope as she completed her studies from home. She then started her career as an illustrator and an artist. She made an attempt at writing with a science fiction novel, named Gods of Green Mountain but failed to have it published. Then she penned a novel, titled The Obsessed for which the publishers suggested her to develop the plot and make it more electrifying. Overnight she edited her work and resubmitted it with the title Flowers in the Attic. Its publication in 1979 brought her huge praise and success as a fiction writer as it instantly became bestselling debut novel of hers.

Subsequently, Flowers in the Attic became the Dollanganger Series owing to its raging success. The first book is a psychodrama centers on the Dollanger family whose head of the family dies in an accident which leaves the mother and her four children financially helpless. The mother, Corrine, ask her mother to provide them shelter which she does only on the condition that her children were to stay hidden in an attic away from their grandfather who did not approve her marriage with her distant uncle. The story revolves around the four children who spend year after year stuck in attic waiting for their mother to free them but only to meet deceit and tragic fate in the end. The book was adapted into a film in 1987.

The book was adapted into a film in 1987.

The sequels, Petals on the Wind (1980) in the Dollanger series, continue the story subsequent to the escape of the children. The third book, If There Be Thorns (1981) centers on Cathy’s life and her married life and children become focus of Seeds of Yesterday (1984). The last novel in the series, Garden of Shadows (1986), is a prequel which explores lives of Cathy’s grandparents. The Dollanger series, although successful, earned the status of highly controversial books for its disturbing sexual themes. The theme of consensual incest had it banned from many libraries.

   Andrews’ idea of a good novel was that it be fast-paced. She was of the view that she only finishes those books that hold her interesting long enough and kept her guessing till the end. Therefore, while writing a book she minded the fact that her readers do not felt lost in the details but it incited the urge in them to find out what was about to happen.

   V. C. Andrews’s other famous works include, The Casteel series (1985), The Cutler series (1990), The Landry series (1994), The Logan series (1996), The Orphans series (1998), The Wildflowers series (1999) and many more. Her works have been translated into many other languages. She suffered from breast cancer in her last days and died on December 19, 1986 at the age of 63. The success of her career had her estate hire a ghost writer after her death. Andrew Neiderman ghostwritten numerous stories under her name.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

All that glitters DB43328

Andrews, V. C, (Virginia C.). Reading time: 10 hours, 6 minutes.

Read by Mary Woods. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Psychological Fiction

In the sequel to Pearl in the Mist (DB 39864), Ruby is living in her late grandmother’s bayou shack with her baby, Pearl. Wealthy Paul Tate wants to marry Ruby even though they now know they are half-siblings. She agrees to a celibate marriage for Pearl’s sake, but cannot forget her love for Pearl’s father, Beau. Meanwhile, Ruby’s twin, Gisselle, continues to be a thorn in her side. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.

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6 Mar 2024, 5:50pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢:” All that’s left to tell: a novel” by Daniel Lowe  

Kate’s 2¢:” All that’s left to tell: a novel” by Daniel Lowe  

”All that’s left to tell: a novel” by Daniel Lowe  

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

    I’m stunned. I’m still thinking of this story. It is a story nested within other stories. I’m not sure what the timeline is, nor which story is fact and which fiction. I wish I could remember which early character was described as having huge, grey eyes.

   George Newbern did a good job of narrating this book. It is short enough, maybe I’ll listen to it again to get things straight.

   A few take-aways:

–It’s strange, isn’t it? The mundane things that wrack your heart when you’re away from everything you’ve known?

–It’s like waking to a life someone dreamed for you.

–I’m in that space between sleeping and waking where images of a dream collide with the coming demands of the day, and I want to go on dreaming.

Daniel Lowe author information – BookBrowse

Daniel Lowe lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has taught writing at the Community College of Allegheny County for twenty-five years. For more than that, he has been writing in relative obscurity, though his poetry and fiction have appeared in literary magazines, including West Branch, The Bridge, The Paterson Literary Review, Ellipsis, Blue Stem, Midway Journal, and The Madison Review. He enjoys hours spent with his children, days spent with his wife, extended afternoons, and watching birds at feeders outside the window while he idly sits at his computer waiting for another sentence to take shape. He runs slowly in the park.

DANIEL@DANIELLOWE.COM

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

All that’s left to tell: a novel DB87044

Lowe, Daniel. Reading time: 6 hours, 51 minutes.

Read by George Newbern. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Psychological Fiction

While in Pakistan on business, Marc Laurent is kidnapped by terrorists and held for ransom. Every night, a woman called Josephine comes to Marc’s cell and asks him to tell her a story about his daughter, who was murdered a month before his capture. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.

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1 Mar 2024, 5:20pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “The amateur marriage: a novel” by Anne Tyler

Kate’s 2¢: “The amateur marriage: a novel” by Anne Tyler

“The amateur marriage: a novel” by Anne Tyler

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Many of these events and issues resonated with me. They brought back a lot of memories from my own experiences of raising children.  The big differences in my marriage were that we never were violent nor out-and-out yelled at each other and we are still married.

   I agree with Michael, who said: Show some charity here. We did the best we could. We did our darndest. We were just unskilled…It wasn’t from lack of trying.

From www.annetyler.com

   ANNE TYLER was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the author of more than twenty novels. Her twentieth novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. Her eleventh novel, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

From NLS/BARD/LOCC:

The amateur marriage: a novel DB57373

Tyler, Anne. Reading time: 12 hours, 47 minutes.

Read by Margaret Strom. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Family

Psychological Fiction

Bestsellers

Baltimore residents Michael Anton and Pauline Barclay fall in love at first sight at the start of World War II and marry impulsively. Remaining completely incompatible despite increasing prosperity, they spend the next five decades making themselves, and their three children, miserable. Bestseller. 2004.

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1 Mar 2024, 5:19pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Observations by gaslight: stories from the world of Sherlock Holmes” by Lyndsay Faye

Kate’s 2¢: “Observations by gaslight: stories from the world of Sherlock Holmes” by Lyndsay Faye

“Observations by gaslight: stories from the world of Sherlock Holmes” by Lyndsay Faye

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   This was a book included on the 7-book cartridge the NLS sent to me. I enjoyed reading one or two stories each evening. In-depth personalities of Holmes and Watson emerged that I’d not known of before.

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyndsay Faye is an American author. Her first novel was the Sherlockian pastiche Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson[1] and she has been nominated for the Edgar Award for The Gods of Gotham[2] and Jane Steele.[3] The Gods of Gotham was named “the year’s best mystery novel” by the American Library Association.[4]

Life[edit]

Having discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation Sherlock Holmes when she was 10,[5] her interest in the famous sleuth continues to be part of her life as a member of both The Baker Street Irregulars and Baker Street Babes.[5] Faye described the debt all mystery authors owe to Conan Doyle saying “You can’t escape Sherlock Holmes as a mystery writer. You simply cannot. It would be like trying to deal with astrophysics without Newton or modern art without Picasso.”[6]

Faye attended R. A. Long High School[2] as did her future spouse, Gabriel Lehner.[2]

Career[edit]

2016 brought Faye’s re-imagining of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre titled Jane Steele.[7]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Observations by gaslight: stories from the world of Sherlock Holmes DB114521

Faye, Lyndsay Reading time: 10 hours, 34 minutes.

Polly Lee; Dan Calley

Short Stories

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Lyndsay Faye-international bestseller, translated into fifteen languages, and a two-time Edgar Award nominee-first appeared on the literary scene with Dust and Shadow, her now-classic novel pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper, and later produced The Whole Art of Detection, her widely acclaimed collection of traditional Watsonian tales. Now Faye is back with Observations by Gaslight, a thrilling volume of both new and previously published short stories and novellas narrated by those who knew the Great Detective. Beloved adventuress Irene Adler teams up with her former adversary in a near-deadly inquiry into a room full of eerily stopped grandfather clocks. Learn of the case that cemented the lasting friendship between Holmes and Inspector Lestrade, and of the tragic crime which haunted the Yarder into joining the police force. And witness Stanley Hopkins’s first meeting with the remote logician he idolizes, who will one day become his devoted mentor. From familiar faces like landlady Mrs. Hudson to minor characters like Lomax the sub-librarian, Observations by Gaslight-entirely epistolary, told through diaries, telegrams, and even grocery lists-paints a masterful portrait of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as you have never seen them before.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

25 Feb 2024, 6:49pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Tahoe Moon” by  Todd Borg

Kate’s 2¢: “Tahoe Moon” by  Todd Borg

“Tahoe Moon” by  Todd Borg

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   This story dispels some of the stereotypes people have about deaf children as Owen strives to solve the mystery of who wants to kill her. A tale well woven with twists and turns as the separate threads eventually come together.

From the web:

As an accomplished author Borg has ma total of 13 mystery novels, which feature the San Francisco ex-homicide inspector, Owen McKenna who practices his investigative trade in Tahoe. Apart from being an accomplished author, many of Todd’s Borg books have received multiple accolades with several outstanding magazine and newspaper reviews.

As an author Borg is not only funny but erudite and has an excellent observation of both art and life.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Tahoe moon DBC13399

Borg, Todd. Reading time: 10 hours, 57 minutes.

Read by Shawn Anderson. A production of Nevada Talking Book Services, Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records,.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

When Tahoe Detective Owen McKenna finds a lost girl, 8-year-old Camille Dexter, he does not realize that her grandfather and only guardian has been murdered and a killer hired to dump Camille’s body in the lake. McKenna also does not know that Camille has no relatives or friends. Complicating the situation is that Camille is deaf. Brilliant but deaf. Violence.

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25 Feb 2024, 6:47pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Give Fudge A Chance” by Nancy Coco

Kate’s 2¢: “Give Fudge A Chance” by Nancy Coco

“Give Fudge A Chance” by Nancy Coco

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   I enjoyed this chicklet mystery and wish I could eat all the candy recipes she includes after each chapter. I especially liked learning more about the mysterious Mackinac tunnels. Laura Hatch did a good job of narrating this tory. 

From her website:

USA Today Bestselling Author, Nancy Coco AKA Nell Hampton AKA Nancy Parra is the author of over 35 published novels which include five mystery series: The Oregon Honey-comb Mystery Series (Kensington), The Candy-Coated Mysteries (Kensington), The Kensington Palace Mystery Series (Crooked Lane), The Wine Country Tours Mystery Series (Crooked Lane) The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime).  Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world.  Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime, and loves to hear from readers. 

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Give fudge a chance DB116623

Coco, Nancy. Reading time: 7 hours, 55 minutes.

Read by Laura Hatch.

Mystery and Detective Stories

“The Mackinac County fair is in full swing, and the air is rich with the scent of funnel cakes and the sound of carnival rides. Allie is focused on the fudge competition—another win would really put her hotel and fudge shop on the map. But she’s willing to take a little break and walk through the haunted house attraction with her friend Jenn. When they come across a body, though, it turns out not to be a prop. Soon Allie’s cop boyfriend is on the scene, and the sleuthing confectioner is hunting for clues. Danger strikes too close to home when the hotel becomes the scene of a suspicious fatal accident, and Allie suspects the two deaths are connected. The case is turning into a real rollercoaster. Allie will need to hold on tight . . .” — Provided by publisher. Some violence.

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21 Feb 2024, 4:26pm
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “From Warsaw with love Polish spies the CIA and the forging of an unlikely alliance” by John Pomfret

Kate’s 2¢: “From Warsaw with love Polish spies the CIA and the forging of an unlikely alliance” by John Pomfret

“From Warsaw with love Polish spies the CIA and the forging of an unlikely alliance” by John Pomfret

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   Oh, Dear Gussie.  How can we ever trust anyone is really who they say they are? The real-life intrigue that goes on behind close doors and, even, right out in the open, is shocking and distressing. I’m not sure we are any closer to being safe then we were years ago.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Pomfret (born 1959) is an American journalist and writer.

Biography[edit]

Pomfret was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1959,[1] and raised in New York City. He attended Stanford University, receiving his B.A. and M.A. in East Asian Studies. In 1980, he was one of the first American students to go to China and study at Nanjing University. Between 1983 and 1984 he attended Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies as a Fulbright Scholar, researching the Cambodian conflict.

He started his journalistic career at the Stanford Daily as a photographer. After that he worked at a newspaper in Riverside County, California, and after a year was hired by the Associated Press to work in New York City, covering the graveyard shift.

After two years with the AP in New York, in 1988, he was sent to China as a foreign correspondent, thanks to his knowledge of Mandarin and his Asian studies background. There he covered the 1989 student protests in Beijing, after which he was expelled from China because of alleged links with student ringleaders.[2]: 237  He then worked in Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. Hired by the Washington Post in 1992, for more than 15 years Pomfret covered the armed conflicts in these countries and the politics of the post-Cold War era. He later served as the editor of The Washington Post′s weekend opinion section, Outlook.

During his career, he received several awards, including 2003’s Osborne Elliot Prize for the best coverage of Asia by the Asia Society and 2007’s Shorenstein Prize for coverage of Asia. In 1996, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in International Reporting for his work in Congo.

The experiences he had when he attended Nanjing University, and his perspective of the Chinese opening, are narrated in his 2006 book Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China.

Pomfret won an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship[3] in 2004 writing about education in China. In 2011, he was awarded the Edward Weintal Award for Diplomatic Reporting from Georgetown University for his work covering America’s relations with China. He was a Fulbright senior scholar in China in 2013, where he researched a book on the interactions between Americans and Chinese. That book, The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom, was published in November 2016. It won the 2017 Arthur Ross Book Award given by the Council on Foreign Relations.[4] Pomfret’s third book, From Warsaw with Love: Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging an Unlikely Alliance, was published in October 2021 to critical acclaim.[5]

He speaks, reads and writes Mandarin, and speaks French, Japanese, and Serbo-Croatian.[citation needed] He lives near Berkeley, California with his wife Zhang Mei and family.[6]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

From Warsaw with love: Polish spies, the CIA, and the forging of an unlikely alliance DB112237

Pomfret, John Reading time: 8 hours, 58 minutes.

Donald Corren

War and the Military

History, Juvenile

U.S. History

World History and Affairs

“The epic story of how Polish intelligence officers forged an alliance with the CIA in the twilight of the Cold War, told by the award-winning author John Pomfret. Spanning decades and continents, from the battlefields of the Balkans to secret nuclear research labs in Iran and embassy grounds in North Korea, this saga begins in 1990. As the United States cobbles together a coalition to undo Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, six US officers are trapped in Iraq with intelligence that could ruin Operation Desert Storm if it is obtained by the brutal Iraqi dictator. Desperate, the CIA asks Poland, a longtime Cold War foe famed for its excellent spies, for help. Just months after the Polish people voted in their first democratic election since the 1930s, the young Solidarity government in Warsaw sends a veteran ex-Communist spy who’d battled the West for decades to rescue the six Americans. John Pomfret’s gripping account of the 1990 cliffhanger in Iraq is just the beginning of the tale about intelligence cooperation between Poland and the United States, cooperation that one CIA director would later describe as “one of the two foremost intelligence relationships that the United States has ever had.” Pomfret uncovers new details about the CIA’s black site program that held suspected terrorists in Poland after 9/11 as well as the role of Polish spies in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In the tradition of the most memorable works on espionage, Pomfret’s book tells a disquieting tale of moral ambiguity in which right and wrong, black and white, are not conveniently distinguishable. As the United States teeters on the edge of a new cold war with Russia and China, Pomfret explores how these little-known events serve as a reminder of the importance of alliances in a dangerous world.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download From Warsaw with love: Polish spies, the CIA, and the forging of an unlikely alliance DB112237

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