Andreas Ritter von Buzzi Knihy

Based on the life of Louis Erdrich's grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, this narrative blends lightness and gravity through the story of Thomas Wazhashk, a night watchman at a jewel-bearing plant near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. As a Chippewa council member in 1953, Thomas grapples with the implications of a new "emancipation" bill heading to Congress, which threatens Native American rights and identity under the guise of freedom. Meanwhile, Pixie Paranteau, who prefers to be called Patrice, works at the plant to support her family while searching for her missing sister, Vera, rumored to have had a baby in Minneapolis. Patrice's struggle is compounded by her father's alcoholism and abuse. Her quest leads her to Minnesota, where she encounters exploitation and violence, putting her life at risk. The story also features young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain, his mother Juggie Blue, and Patrice's friend Valentine, alongside Hay Stack Barnes, a white teacher in love with Patrice. Through these characters, the narrative explores the complexities of human nature, revealing their desires and ambitions with compassion and wit, making it a remarkable work of fiction from a celebrated author.

In this audiobook of his satirical, fast-paced novel, Will Ferguson skewers society's obsession with self-improvement. Generica is the story of Edwin de Valu, a beleaguered junior editor at Panderic Press. In desperate need of a new self-help author, Panderic decides to publish a rambling 1000-page manuscript by an obscure author named Tupak Soiree. What I Learned on the Mountain is different from any self-help book before it in one respect -- it works! The book quickly becomes the best selling book ever. Suddenly, everyone CAN be happy, CAN lose weight and stop smoking, and CAN get rich quick. Edwin fears that the bliss he has unleashed on the world may indeed be a curse. One by one his friends and family take up the cult of "Happiness" (a word now trademarked by Panderic Press). Soon Edwin begins to see that any system of blind acceptance is ultimately destructive. He realizes that he is the unlikely champion that fate has chosen to fight the menace of Happiness(TM).

From the bestselling author of The Women comes an action-packed adventure about endangered animals and their protectors. Set on the wild Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, T.C. Boyle's powerful novel blends thrilling adventure with a socially conscious tale about humanity's impact on the natural world. Alma Boyd Takesue, a National Park Service biologist, leads efforts to save the island's endangered species from invasive threats like rats and feral pigs, which she believes must be eradicated. Her adversary, Dave LaJoy, a local businessman, along with his lover, folksinger Anise Reed, opposes the killing of any species and will go to great lengths to thwart Alma's plans. Their escalating confrontation reveals the destructive power of nature itself. Boyle enriches the narrative by recounting the harrowing story of Alma's grandmother, Beverly, the sole survivor of a 1946 shipwreck, and Anise's mother, Rita, who worked on a sheep ranch in the late 1970s. This clash between environmental protectors and animal rights activists raises essential questions about ownership of land and the lives of all creatures sharing our planet. While offering no clear answers, the novel, like Boyle's classic The Tortilla Curtain, deeply resonates and challenges readers to reflect on these pressing issues.