Bringing to life the fabulous, colorful panorama of New Orleans in the first flush of the jazz era, this book tells the story of Buddy Bolden, the first of the great trumpet players--some say the originator of jazz--who was, in any case, the genius, the guiding spirit, and the king of that time and place. In this fictionalized meditation, Bolden, an unrecorded father of Jazz, remains throughout a tantalizingly ungraspable phantom, the central mysteries of his life, his art, and his madness remaining felt but never quite pinned down. Ondaatje's prose is at times startlingly lyrical, and as he chases Bolden through documents and scenes, the novel partakes of the very best sort of modern detective novel--one where the enigma is never resolved, but allowed to manifest in its fullness. Though more 'experimental' in form than either The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion, it is a fitting addition to the renowned Ondaatje oeuvre.

Oral histories of formerly enlaved people and their families along the South Carolina coast Coming Through marks the first complete publication of these interviews with former slaves and their descendants living in the Waccamaw Neck region of South Carolina as collected by Genevieve W. Chandler as part of the WPA Federal Writers Project. Between 1936 and 1938 Chandler interviewed more than one hundred individuals in and around All Saints Parish, a portion of Horry and Georgetown counties located between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean. Her subjects spoke freely with her on topics ranging from slave punishment to folk medicine, from conditions in the Jim Crow South to the exploits of Brer Rabbit. A teacher, artist, writer, and later museum curator, Chandler had no formal training as an oral historian or folklorist, yet the sophistication of her work as documented here anticipates developments in these fields of study a generation later. Her detailed descriptions add social context to folktales, and her careful and systematic renderings of the Gullah language have since been praised as foundational work by Creole linguists. Chandler's Gullah-speaking African American informants range in age from the 9-year-old George Kato Singleton to 104-year-old Welcome Bees. A biography of each subject accompanies the interviews. Collectively these interviews form an intimate portrait of a fascinating subculture of the Carolina coast and the Sea Islands as shared with a remarkable woman who has special access to converse with the people of this traditionally insular world. Moreover they provide an unparalleled firsthand account of the African American experience in South Carolina in the words of those who lived it. The volume is edited by Chandler's daughter, Genevieve C. Peterkin, and two scholars, Kincaid Mills and Aaron McCollough. The three have carefully established the texts of the interviews in a manner that highlights Chandler's skills as a field linguist and have supplemented the texts with revealing documentation. The collection is enhanced with a foreword by Charles W. Joyner, Burroughs Distinguished Professor of History at Coastal Carolina University; appendixes respecting the WPA project and the nuances of Gullah language and culture; and photographs of the subjects taken by renowned photographer Bayard Wootten—many published here for the first time.

The most amazing trains are coming through--with big, bright art and fun facts! Chugga, chugga choo--can you hear the train coming through? Take your train-loving toddler on a ride through the wide world of locomotives. From a chuffing, puffing steam train to a cargo-carrying diesel train to a lightning-fast bullet train, your child will meet some of the coolest trains from early days to modern times. Kids will be fascinated by the fun facts, including what each train looked like, where they traveled, and how they zoomed while big, colorful, dynamic train illustrations bring the railroad right into your tiny train rider's room. Trains Coming Through includes: Colorful choo choos--Vibrant, detailed illustrations of each train show moving parts, as well as a range of settings, railroad workers, animals, and more. Rhymes about rails--A fun rhyming refrain introduces kids to a variety of trains, including helper, long-distance, switcher, high and low, and electric trains like subways. Facts on tracks--Did you know the Maglev, the world's fastest locomotive, floats above the tracks? Your child will love learning simple, fun facts about trains through the ages. Step aboard the train to fun and learn about a world of locomotives with your little one.

Heddon explores such questions as whether one retains memory of a time before birth and if God makes his existence known to those who open themselves to Him.

Lincoln explores the nature of biracial relationships, the issue of transracial adoption, violence - particularly black-on-black violence - the "endangered" black male, racism as power, the relationship between blacks and Jews, our multicultural melting pot, and Minister Louis Farrakhan.