Christopher Newman, a wealthy American businessman, descends on Europe in search of a wife to make his fortune complete. In Paris he is introduced to Claire de Cintré, daughter of the ancient House of Bellegarde, and to Valentin, her charming young brother. His bid for Claire's hand receives an icy welcome from the heads of the family, an elder brother and their formidable mother, the old Marquise. Can they stomach his manners for the sake of...

Frivilous widow Lilia Herriton sets off a tragic chain of events when she travels to Italy with the blessing of her mother-in-law, only to meet and marry a totally unsuitable Italian youth.

Describes the cultures of certain indigenous peoples, such as the Bushmen of the Kalahari and the forest people of Borneo, and examines how such cultures are threatened and changed by the encroachment of modern civilization.

"Jeff Talarigo offers a rare glimpse and alternative point of view into a place few people have dared to visit: the Gaza Strip. These linked stories expose the seven-decade-long Palestinian diaspora in a disquieting allegory of the clash between the occupied and the occupier. In 1993, Talarigo watched two Palestinian boys playing with an injured bird with a string around its neck. The boys tossed the bird into the air, waiting for it to fly before...

The haves and the have-nots, "coastal elites" versus "real America," big cities or fly-over country, people play fast and loose with the terms, but who falls into these groups and are they really so different? Media and politicians alike constantly push the narrative of "us" versus " them," instead of one nation indivisible. But are they correct to do so or woefully misguided? This insightful anthology unpacks the concept of a divided nation and looks...