Developing Minds An American Ghost Story

Author : Jonathan LaPoma
Publisher : Almendro Arts
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2019-04-15
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780998840376

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Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story by Jonathan LaPoma Pdf

-Winner of 2015 Stargazer Literary Prizes (Visionary and Metaphysical Fiction category) -Bronze medal winner of 2016 FAPA President's Awards (Adult eBook category) -Recommended by Kirkus Reviews Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story follows a group of recent college graduates who struggle with feelings of alienation and their addictions as they try to survive a year of teaching at two dysfunctional Miami public schools. A poetic and insightful coming-of-age novel, Developing Minds is centered on 24-year-old Luke Entelechy, an aspiring writer who sees his creative output suffer when he begins teaching at one of Miami's most challenging middle schools. As the year progresses, however, Luke begins to relate to the neglect and abuse his students suffer, and is faced with a "haunting" decision: continue to let his dark past destroy him, or rise above the struggle to realize his potential as an artist and a "real" human being. Equal parts disturbing and humorous, Developing Minds offers a brutally honest look at the American public school system and the extreme measures many teachers take to cope with working in it. *Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story is the fourth book in a loosely-linked series, with Hammond, The Summer of Crud, and Understanding the Alacrán as books one-three, and The Soul City Salvation as book five. Each novel can be read independently of the others.

Author : Jonathan Lapoma
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2015-09-14
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0967492297

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Developing Minds by Jonathan Lapoma Pdf

DEVELOPING MINDS: AN AMERICAN GHOST STORY follows a group of recent college graduates who struggle with feelings of alienation and their addictions as they try to survive a year of teaching at two dysfunctional Miami public schools. A poetic and insightful coming-of-age novel, DEVELOPING MINDS is centered on 24-year-old Luke Entelechy, an aspiring writer who sees his creative output suffer when he begins teaching at one of Miami's most challenging middle schools. As the year progresses, however, Luke begins to relate to the neglect and abuse his students suffer, and is faced with a "haunting" decision: continue to let his dark past destroy him, or rise above the struggle to realize his potential as an artist and a "real" human being. Equal parts disturbing and humorous, DEVELOPING MINDS offers a brutally honest look at the American public school system and the extreme measures many teachers take to cope with working in it.

Author : Jonathan LaPoma
Publisher : Almendro Arts
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2018-12-18
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780998840345

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Hammond by Jonathan LaPoma Pdf

"Earnest . . . Compelling . . . successfully captures the anger, frustration, and freedom of kids on the brink of adulthood." -Kirkus Reviews, Recommended Review A group of troubled but charismatic boys in a tough Buffalo, NY neighborhood play basketball at a local park and dream of winning a state high school championship. Driven by raw talent and killer instinct, they dominate the court, but everywhere else, they feel like losers. Hammond is told through the eyes of James Lombardi, a precocious but mentally ill boy who believes winning a championship will ease his "Evil Thoughts" and save his family, long haunted by generations of substance abuse, uncontrollable rage, and suicide. A dark but humorous coming-of-age novel, Hammond offers a poetic and disturbing look inside the complex mind of an adolescent boy as he slowly learns that having the heart of a champion can sometimes be more burden than blessing. *Hammond is the first novel in a loosely-linked series with The Summer of Crud, Understanding the Alacrán, Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story, and The Soul City Salvation as books two-five. Each novel can be read independently of the others.

Author : Jonathan LaPoma
Publisher : Almendro Arts
Page : 477 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2020-03-24
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780998840390

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The Soul City Salvation by Jonathan LaPoma Pdf

-Recommended by Kirkus Reviews "A philosophical story of growth, insight, and discovery . . . which offers rich food for thought long after Jay’s story concludes.” —Diane Donovan, California Bookwatch Ten months—that’s how long twenty-six-year-old writer and aspiring actor Jay Sakovsky decides to stay and teach in the bohemian beach town of Soul City, California, to save up cash and overcome his anxiety before moving on to Hollywood. But after several “friendly chats” with the vice principal about hangover sweats and black eyes from barroom brawls, Jay sees a therapist who helps him connect his self-destructive tendencies and artistic blocks to his undiagnosed OCD, setting him on a ten-year healing journey that drives him to near madness as he explores the limits of his heart, creativity, and psyche. A surreal, darkly comic, and psychologically epic novel, The Soul City Salvation explores mental illness, friendship, aging, masculinity, modern love, the creative process, spiritual awakening, and fighting for respect in an uncaring world. *The Soul City Salvation is the fifth book in a loosely-linked series, with Hammond, The Summer of Crud, Understanding the Alacrán, and Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story as books one-four. Each novel can be read independently of the others.

Author : Jonathan LaPoma
Publisher : Almendro Arts
Page : 131 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2018-02-20
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780998840338

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The Summer of Crud by Jonathan LaPoma Pdf

-Eric Hoffer Award Finalist, 2018 “A slender, fast-paced, fever-dreamed excursion . . . undeniably addictive.” -Kirkus Reviews, Recommended Review The summer after graduating from college, 22-year-old Danny Wolinski takes a cross-country US road trip with his friend, Ian Perez, hoping to find the inspiration to reach his songwriting potential, start a band, and avoid student teaching in the fall. Danny is tormented by intense physical and psychological pain and sees music as his only relief, but the more he searches for this inspiration in an America filled with endless parties, heavy drugs, and lost souls, the more he questions whether it exists. A deeply disturbing and psychological coming-of-age novel, The Summer of Crud explores the complexities of friendships, masculinity, sex, mental illness, and addiction, and shows how the quest to unlock one's creativity can both inspire and destroy a person. *The Summer of Crud is the second book in a loosely-linked series with Hammond, Understanding the Alacrán, Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story, and The Soul City Salvation as books one and three-five. Each novel can be read independently of the others.

Author : Jonathan LaPoma
Publisher : Almendro Arts
Page : 477 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2017-08-23
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780998840314

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Understanding the Alacrán by Jonathan LaPoma Pdf

-Silver Medal Winner of the 2017 FAPA President's Awards (Contemporary/Literary category) Trying to escape the oppression leading him to drinking, drugs, and despair, 22-year-old William James rejects a teaching position offer at a prestigious Buffalo high school and moves to Mexico to find freedom in its beaches, mountains, and culture. But soon, this freedom becomes oppressive as well as William finds himself unable to avoid the pull of the wild party scene in the small town of Lila where he lives. He continues a downward spiral until he meets a complex and compassionate Mexican woman whose love inspires him to face the question he's been avoiding: Is this trip a desperate search for life or a slow death? A dark but humorous coming-of-age novel, Understanding the Alacrán explores many of the questions that haunt young people searching for love and their place in this world, and offers a poetic look at the raw beauty and healing power of Mexico. *Understanding the Alacrán is the third book in a loosely-linked series with Hammond and The Summer of Crud as books one and two, and Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story and The Soul City Salvation as books four and five. Each novel can be read independently of the others.

Author : Scott Brewster,Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2024-07-24
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781040086896

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The Routledge Introduction to the American Ghost Story by Scott Brewster,Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock Pdf

This book traces the historical development of the American ghost story from its Indigenous, Puritan, and Enlightenment origins to its heyday in the nineteenth century and continued vibrancy in modern literary and visual culture. It explores the main tropes, thematic preoccupations, principal settings, and stylistic innovations of literary ghost stories in the United States, and the ghost story’s rich afterlife in cinema, television, and digital culture. Throughout, the role played by ghost stories in nation-building, and the questions these tales raise about race, class, sexuality, religion, and science, will be examined. The book examines major practitioners in the field, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Shirley Jackson, Henry James, Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, and Edith Wharton, alongside prominent ghost narratives in cinematic, televisual, and online form, including podcasts, gaming, and ghost-hunting apps. This study also gives a new prominence to neglected or less familiar authors, including BIPOC writers, who have helped to shape the American ghost story tradition.

Author : Sean Ferrier-Watson
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2017-04-11
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781476664941

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The Children's Ghost Story in America by Sean Ferrier-Watson Pdf

Ghost stories have played a prominent role in childhood. Circulated around playgrounds and whispered in slumber parties, their history in American literature is little known and seldom discussed by scholars. This book explores the fascinating origins and development of these tales, focusing on the social and historical factors that shaped them and gave birth to the genre. Ghost stories have existed for centuries but have been published specifically for children for only about 200 years. Early on, supernatural ghost stories were rare--authors and publishers, fearing they might adversely affect young minds, presented stories in which the ghost was always revealed as a fraud. These tales dominated children's publishing in the 19th century but the 20th century saw a change in perspective and the supernatural ghost story flourished.

Author : Rick Chillot,Matt Forbeck,Geoff Grabowski,Matthew McFarland,Adam Tinworth,Chuck Wendig
Publisher : White Wolf Publishing
Page : 127 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2004-01-01
Category : Fantasy games
ISBN : 1588464830

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Ghost Stories by Rick Chillot,Matt Forbeck,Geoff Grabowski,Matthew McFarland,Adam Tinworth,Chuck Wendig Pdf

"I see you You go about your life like nothing ever happened. You think you're safe now that it's done, like a problem that you've solved once and for all. You're wrong. I remember what you did. You might have killed me, but I'm not gone. I stayed behind and I won't go until you've paid." This book includes: * Your first opportunity to play mortals as characters with the Storytelling System * The mystery of the World of Darkness grows with five ghost stories to play around your gaming table * A great prequel to Vampire, Werewolf and Mage chronicles.

Author : Richard Greene,Rachel Robison-Greene
Publisher : Open Court Publishing
Page : 126 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2017-12-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780812699746

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American Horror Story and Philosophy by Richard Greene,Rachel Robison-Greene Pdf

In American Horror Story and Philosophy, philosophers with varying backgrounds and interests explore different aspects of this popular “erotic thriller” TV show, with its enthusiastic cult following and strong critical approval. The result is a collection of intriguing and provocative thoughts on deeper questions prompted by the creepy side of the human imagination. As an “anthology show,” American Horror Story has a unique structure in the horror genre because it explores distinct subgenres of horror in each season. As a result, each season raises its own set of philosophical issues. The show’s first season, Murder House, is a traditional haunted house story. Philosophical topics expounded here include: the moral issues pertaining to featuring a mass murderer as one of the season’s main protagonists; the problem of other minds—when I see an old hag, how can I know that you don’t see a sexy maid? And whether it is rationally justified to fear the Piggy Man. Season Two, Asylum, takes place inside a mid-twentieth-century mental hospital. Among other classic horror subgenres, this season includes story lines featuring demonic possession and space aliens. Chapters inspired by this season include such topics as: the ethics of investigative reporting and whistleblowing; personal identity and demonic possession; philosophical problems arising from eugenics; and the ethics and efficacy of torture. Season Three, Coven, focuses on witchcraft in the contemporary world. Chapters motivated by this season include: sisterhood and feminism as starkly demonstrated in a coven; the metaphysics of traditional voodoo zombies (in contrast to the currently fashionable “infected” zombies); the uses of violent revenge; and the metaphysics of reanimation. Season Four, Freak Show, takes place in a circus. Philosophical writers look at life under the Big Top as an example of “life imitating art”; several puzzles about personal identity and identity politics (crystallized in the two-headed girl, the bearded lady, and the lobster boy); the ethical question of honor and virtue among thieves; as well as several topics in social and political philosophy. Season Five, Hotel, is, among other disturbing material, about vampires. Chapters inspired by this season include: the ethics of creating vampire progeny; LGBT-related philosophical issues; and existentialism as it applies to serial killers, Season Six, Roanoke, often considered the most creative of the seasons so far, partly because of its employment of the style of documentaries with dramatic re-enactments, and its mimicry of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Among the philosophical themes explored here are what happens to moral obligations under the Blood Moon; the proper role of truth in storytelling; and the defensibility of cultural imperialism.

Author : Catherine Belsey
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2019-09-01
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781474417389

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Tales of the Troubled Dead by Catherine Belsey Pdf

Considers the ways ghost stories appeal to our uneasy relationship with conventional good senseWhat do they want, the ghosts that, even in the age of science, still haunt our storytelling? Catherine Belsey's answer to the question traces Gothic writing and tales of the uncanny from the ancient past to the present - from Homer and the Icelandic sagas to Lincoln in the Bardo. Taking Shakespeare's Ghost in Hamlet as a turning point in the history of the genre, she uncovers the old stories the play relies on, as well as its influence on later writing. This ghostly trail is vividly charted through accredited records of apparitions and fiction by such writers as Ann Radcliffe, Washington Irving, Emily Bront Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, M. R. James and Susan Hill. In recent blockbusting movies, too, ghost stories bring us fragments of news from the unknown. Traces examples of ghost stories from Homer to the present dayDescribes the aspects of storytelling designed to involve readersIncludes stories of attested apparitions, as well as fiction by a wide range of both canonical and popular authors

Author : Richard Hand,Mark O’Thomas
Publisher : Anthem Press
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2023-11-14
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 9781785279355

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American Horror Story and Cult Television by Richard Hand,Mark O’Thomas Pdf

Over ten seasons since 2011, the television series American Horror Story (AHS), created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has continued to push the boundaries of the televisual form in new and exciting ways. Emerging in a context which has seen a boom in popularity for horror series on television, AHS has distinguished itself from its ‘rivals’ such as The Walking Dead, Bates Motel or Penny Dreadful through its diverse strategies and storylines which have seen it explore archetypal narratives of horror culture as well as engaging with real historical events. Utilising a repertory company model for its casting, the show has challenged issues around contemporary politics, heteronormativity, violence on the screen, and disability to name but a few. This new collection of essays approaches the AHS anthology series through a variety of critical perspectives within the broader field of television studies and its transections with other disciplines.

Author : D. Downey
Publisher : Springer
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2014-09-29
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781137323989

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American Women's Ghost Stories in the Gilded Age by D. Downey Pdf

This book shows just how closely late nineteenth-century American women's ghost stories engaged with objects such as photographs, mourning paraphernalia, wallpaper and humble domestic furniture. Featuring uncanny tales from the big city to the small town and the empty prairie, it offers a new perspective on an old genre.

Author : Fred Lewis Pattee
Publisher : Biblo & Tannen Publishers
Page : 410 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 1923-02
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 0819601756

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The Development of the American Short Story by Fred Lewis Pattee Pdf

Author : June Pulliam
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 201 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2014-08-08
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9780786475438

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Monstrous Bodies by June Pulliam Pdf

Recent works of young adult fantastic fiction such as Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga have been criticized for glamorizing feminine subordination. But YA horror fiction with female protagonists who have paranormal abilities suggests a resistance to restrictive gender roles. The "monstrous Other" is a double with a difference, a metaphor of the Western adolescent girl pressured to embody an untenable doll-like feminine ideal. This book examines what each of three types of female monstrous Others in young adult fiction--the haunted girl, the female werewolf and the witch--has to tell us about feminine subordination in a supposedly post-feminist world, where girls continue to be pressured to silence their voices and stifle their desires.