Dans cet essai, l'auteur démonte les mécanismes de la lecture, étudie les rapports entre lecteur et histoire, entre fiction et réalité pour déjouer les pièges de leur interpénétration. Pour lui, plus on analyse une oeuvre, plus la jouissance de lire est grande. Il illustre ses thèses avec une foison d'exemples hétéroclites, utilisant même ses propres écrits.
Alfonso Casas's MonsterMind is a very personal account of the inner monsters that live inside his head. But, who doesn't have a monster inside them?Who has never heard that voice inside their head undermining everything they do? You're not good enough . . . You just got really lucky . . . There are people far better and more qualified than you . . .In a very honest exercise, Alfonso Casas identifies and introduces his own monsters to his readers: Mr. Past Traumas, Mr. Fear, Mr. Social Anxiety, Mr. Impostor Syndrome, Mr. Sadness, Mr. Doubt... The pessimistic, the insecure, the self-demanding, the monster that keeps you from sleeping while you think of what you could have said back in that conversation two years ago, or that keeps you looking over the punctuation of every text message to figure out the tone lurking beneath the surface. All those monsters make up the bestiary of contemporary society.But the anxiety generation is expert in more things: in looking inside themselves and their lives, and--why not?--in laughing at their own neuroses as best they can. In the end, if the monsters won't leave us, we might as well get to know them and laugh at them!Anxiety is another pandemic, but the monsters dwelling inside us are funny, too (especially as drawn by Alfonso Casas)
When We Cease to Understand the World shows us great minds striking out into dangerous, uncharted terrain. Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger: these are among the luminaries into whose troubled minds we are thrust as they grapple with the most profound questions of existence. They have strokes of unparalleled genius, they alienate friends and lovers, they descend into isolated states of madness. Some of their discoveries revolutionise our world for the better; others pave the way to chaos and unimaginable suffering. The lines are never clear. With breakneck pace and wondrous detail, Benjamín Labatut uses the imaginative resources of fiction to break open the stories of scientists and mathematicians who expanded our notions of the possible. -- From publisher's website
A gripping narrative unfolds in this novel by Jessie Ann Foley, known for her sharp storytelling and compelling characters. The story explores themes of survival and the complexities of adolescence, appealing to readers who enjoyed the intense atmospheres of Wilder Girls and The Grace Year. With a focus on character development and emotional depth, this work promises to engage and resonate with its audience.
Sometimes it’s easier to believe the lie. But is the truth right in front of you? Everyone says Poppy jumped. My beautiful, creative sister, with her paint-splattered dresses and sunshine smile, took her own life. And I think they’re right. Until the day I get a call from a man with a very similar story. Everyone says his sister jumped too. But he has proof that she was pushed. And if she was, I have to ask could the same thing have happened to Poppy? In the moments before she died, was she really calling me to say goodbye, or was she calling for my help? Was she really alone on that cliff edge? When Poppy’s friends tell me she had a serious boyfriend, I feel like I’m losing my grip on reality. If they were so madly in love, wouldn’t she have told me? Wouldn’t there be pictures of them together? And when I find the silver heart necklace he gave her, I feel sick. It’s the same silver heart another murdered girl was given in the weeks before she died. This can’t be a coincidence. Either I’ve lost my mind, or the man my darling sister loved killed her. And if he could charm his way into her life so easily, what’s to say he’s not already in mine?
Humanity stands at a precipice. We live at a time of unprecedented innovation. Technology is accelerating faster than at any point in history, granting us ever greater power, and creating ever greater risk. In the twentieth century, we developed the means to destroy ourselves - without developing the moral framework to ensure that we won't. The Precipice introduces us to the risks to humanity's future, from the familiar man-made threats of climate change and nuclear war, to the greater risks on the horizon from engineered pandemics and advanced artificial intelligence. With clear and rigorous thinking, Toby Ord calculates the various risk levels, and shows how our own time fits within the larger story of human history. Can we protect the legacy of the hundred billion who have come before us, and secure a future for the trillions of generations that could follow? What can we do, in our present moment, to face the risks head on? Guided by a positive vision of the long-term future, The Precipice is a call for a new ethical perspective- a major reorientation in the way we see the world, our history, and the role we play in it
"As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City's elite: snapping photos of their children's birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for. ARE MADE OF BEAUTIFUL LIES But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub's eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn't behind the lens but a part of the scene--in the Straub family's gorgeous home and elegant life. THE TRUTH WILL BE EXPOSED That's when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting for Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; finding chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she's bathing in the master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren't all she can manipulate"--
Drei Frauen gehen aus unterschiedlichen Gründen nicht nach Hause, jede streift für sich durch die Stadt, bevor der Tag vorbei ist. Für Kata ist sie voller Erinnerungen, die sie vermeidet. Als Kind, wenn die Mutter wohnungslos war, hat sie viel Zeit draußen verbracht. Jetzt, im Gehen, fällt ihr auf, dass der öffentliche Raum manche Menschen ausschließt. Katas Kindheit war anders als die von Mira, ihrer Pflegeschwester, bei der sie auch heute noch unterkommt, wenn sie zu Besuch hier ist. Mira verbringt immer weniger Zeit in ihrer Wohnung, sie ist ihr nicht durchlässig genug. Auf ihrem Streifzug denkt sie über Formen der Gemeinschaftlichkeit nach, in Nischen der Stadt, bevor sie selbst in eine solche stolpert. Sarah wiederum bewegt sich an den Rändern, aus der Stadt und ihrem Leben hinaus. Sie hat gerade ihre Sachen in einen stillgelegten Trakt eines Krankenhauses übersiedelt. Anders als Elias, mit dem sie nur noch die gemeinsame Wohnung verbindet, weiß sie, dass dies auch ein Abschied ist. Dieses Buch lotet einen Raum aus, in dem sich Begegnung und Ausweichen, Fragilität und Widerständigkeit, Begehren und Verweigern verdichten. Es ist aufregend behutsam, zugleich tastend und sicher, erzählt.
