A groundbreaking collection of sacred Christian writings of American origin from Mormons, Shakers, Christian Scientists, and others. "Scripture" is... any work in which the authors, translators, editors, or discoverers all claim to have received wisdom from a source outside themselves, be it revelation, enlightened philosophy, or ancient archive. For the first time in a single volume, American Scriptures gathers fifteen of these texts from religious movements with origins in the United States. Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp's concise single volume will enlighten not only readers interested in the historical and religious aspects of the scriptural texts, but also those whose interest has been piqued by such bestsellers as Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.

This innovative cultural history investigates an intriguing, thrilling, and often lurid assortment of sensational literature that was extremely popular... in the United States in 1848--including dime novels, cheap story paper literature, and journalism for working-class Americans. Shelley Streeby uncovers themes and images in this "literature of sensation" that reveal the profound influence that the U.S.-Mexican War and other nineteenth-century imperial ventures throughout the Americas had on U.S. politics and culture. Streeby's analysis of this fascinating body of popular literature and mass culture broadens into a sweeping demonstration of the importance of the concept of empire for understanding U.S. history and literature.This accessible, interdisciplinary book brilliantly analyzes the sensational literature of George Lippard, A.J.H Duganne, Ned Buntline, Metta Victor, Mary Denison, John Rollin Ridge, Louisa May Alcott, and many other writers. Streeby also discusses antiwar articles in the labor and land reform press; ideas about Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua in popular culture; and much more. Although the Civil War has traditionally been a major period marker in U.S. history and literature, Streeby proposes a major paradigm shift by using mass culture to show that the U.S.-Mexican War and other conflicts with Mexicans and Native Americans in the borderlands were fundamental in forming the complex nexus of race, gender, and class in the United States.

The sermon is the first and most enduring genre of American literature. The essential medium of the Puritan settlements, it continued in succeeding... centuries to play a vital role - as public ritual, occasion for passion and reflection, and, not least, popular entertainment. The 58 sermons collected in this volume display the form's eloquence, intellectual rigor, and spiritual fervor. Ranging from the first New England settlements to mass-media evangelism and the civil rights movement in the 1960s, these texts reclaim a neglected aspect of American literature.

The second edition of American Sexual Histories features an updated collection of sixteen articles and their corresponding primary sources that... investigate issues related to human sexuality in America from the colonial era to the present day.Fully updated with ten new chapters, featuring recently published essays by prominent scholars in the fieldProvides readers with the source documents that historians have analyzed in their articlesAllows readers to see how historians craft arguments based on available sourcesEncourages readers to evaluate historical documents, test the interpretations of historians, and draw their own conclusions

American Sexual Histories is a first-rate collection of fourteen articles investigating human sexuality in America from the colonial period to the... modern day.Contains fourteen essays by leading scholars investigating American sexual history from colonial times to the modern day. Includes general and sectional introductions, primary documents, questions for students, and further reading lists Covers the most crucial topics explored in sexual history including reproductive issues, sexual practices, relationships, gender roles and sexual identity.

During the Second World War, Chinese Americans contributed to the war effort by joining the armed forces and working in the defense industries. In doing... so, they improved their social status, often at the expense of Japanese Americans, and positioned themselves to become the "model minority" and the "good Asian in the good war." In "Americans First", K. Scott Wong uses archival research and oral histories to provide the first detailed account of Chinese Americans in the American military. Wong traces the history of the 14th Air Service Group, a segregated outfit of Chinese Americans sent to China in support of the American Army Air Corps and the Chinese Air Force. His ethnic history of inclusion shows how this new generation of Chinese Americans was more socially accepted, moving from the margins of society into the American mainstream during a time of pervasive racism.

The raucously funny story of one young American?s quest to become the baddest dude on the planet (and possibly find inner peace along the way) Growing... up a ninety-eight-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series Kung Fu. American Shaolin is the story of the two years Matthew spent in China living, studying, and performing with the Shaolin monks. The Chinese term for tough training is chi ku (?eating bitter?), and Matthew quickly learned to appreciate the phrase. This is both the gripping story of Matthew?s journey and an intimate portrait of the real lives of the Shaolin monks, who struggle to overcome rampant corruption and the restrictions of an authoritarian government. Laced with humor and illuminated by cultural insight, American Shaolin is an unforgettable coming-of- age story of one man?s journey into the ancient art of kungfu?and a poignant portrait of a rapidly changing China.

American Short Stories, 8/e is a streamlined anthology that includes "classic" works and contemporary stories that are organized chronologically.  Of... the sixty selected stories making up this anthology, sixteen are new to the eighth edition and nine of the authors are new.  Increased attention is given to the social and cultural contexts in which the short fiction of the United States unfolded.  The stories represent a wide range of themes and techniques, forms and types, motifs, tones, and issues.     

These classic American stories, each adapted for classroom use, are an enjoyable way for students to develop an understanding of American language and... literature, culture and character. Historic photographs and illustrations acquaint students with the time, place, and cultural atmoshphere of each selection.

Offering significantly more comprehensive and inclusive coverage than similar anthologies, this excellent and varied collection features seventy-nine of... the best American short stories written between 1945 and the present. Taken together, these stories document the ever-changing reality of American life since World War II--who we are, where we have been, and where we might be going. Striving to make this anthology representative of all the literary voices of the period, editor John G. Parks includes work from such acclaimed authors as Raymond Carver, John Cheever, and Flannery O'Connor alongside stories from writers who are no longer frequently anthologized, including John Gardner, James Alan McPherson, Leonard Michaels, Wright Morris, J. F. Powers, and James Purdy. Key African-American and new immigrant writers including James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Ernest J. Gaines, Jamaica Kincaid, Bharati Mukherjee, and Alice Walker are also represented, along with such important Asian-American and Latino writers as Frank Chin, Sandra Cisneros, Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Helena Maria Viramontes, and Hisaye Yamamoto. The volume includes a brief biography for each featured author and an introduction that traces developments in the short story form in the United States. Providing a truly multifaceted look into the social, intellectual, and spiritual life of the period, American Short Stories Since 1945 is an exceptional text for courses in the short story, American literature, and creative writing.

This highly Acclaimed collection of short stories by American writers contains only the best literary art of the past four decades. With a bias toward... realism editors Raymond Carver and Tom Jenks have selected fiction that “tells a story”–and tells it with a masterful handling of language, situation, and insight.But what is so special about this volume is that it mirrors our age, our concerns, and our lives. Whether it’s the end of a marriage, as in Bobbie Ann Manson’s “Shiloh,” or the struggle with self-esteem and weight in Andre Dubus’s “The Fat Girl,” the 36 works included her probe issues that give us that “shock of recognition” that is the hallmark of great art—wonderful, absorbing fiction that will be read and reread for decades to come.

Introducing the first revised edition to the original and most extensive pocket-size American Sign Language dictionary ever published. Included are more... than 2,500 of the most widely used words, phrases and idioms in the language, with easy-to-follow illustrations of the hand, arm and facial movements that express each one.Completely updated and modernized, this monumental work introduces 500 new signs that have recently been added to the evolving American Sign Language lexicon.