Shonna Milliken Humphrey Livres

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Gin tastes like Christmas to some and rotten pine chips to others, but nearly everyone familiar with the spirit holds immediate gin nostalgia.Although early medical textbooks treated it as a healing agent, early alchemists (as well as their critics) claimed gin's base was a path to immortality-and also Satan's tool. In more recent times, the gin trade consolidated the commercial and political power of nations and prompted a social campaign against women. Gin has been used successfully as a defense for murder; blamed for massive unrest in 18th-century England; and advertised for as an abortifacient.From its harshest proto-gin distillation days to the current smooth craft models, gin plays a powerful cultural role in film, music, and literature-one that is arguably older, broader, and more complex than any other spirit.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .

Set in the fictional town of Fort Angus, Maine, the narrative explores a community grappling with the aftermath of prosperity, marked by poverty and decay. A grisly murder connects the diverse characters, who navigate a complex moral landscape filled with humor, loss, and the quest for redemption. The story delves into the intricacies of family and community, presenting characters that defy simple categorization, inviting readers to reflect on their own moral boundaries. Its rich character development evokes comparisons to Carolyn Chute's work.

"Told from a wife's perspective, Dirt Roads and Diner Pie is the story of one couple's struggle to confront the long-reaching effects of childhood sexual abuse. Musician and former lead singer of the United States Air Force Band, Travis James Humphrey lived for thirty months in a culture of childhood sexual abuse while studying at New Jersey's prestigious American Boychoir School. After leaving the school, Travis buried his memories deep. Years into the couple's marriage, these memories began to surface and threaten their relationship. In an effort to resolve these problems, Shonna Milliken Humphrey and her husband hit the road and try to navigate their way through the treacherous terrain of mental illness, sexual dysfunction, and shame. Despite the heavy subject matter, Humphrey's approach is wry, witty, balanced, and tender. She details their journey within a three-week road trip of the Southeastern United States taken shortly after Travis made his experience public. While the effects of child sex abuse inform nearly every aspect of their shared life, it does not define their relationship. That is the message Humphrey offers: Sexual trauma may dominate, but it need not define the relationship itself. Shonna Milliken Humphrey's nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Salon.com, Down East, and Maine magazine. For two years, she wrote regular food, restaurant, and lifestyle columns for the Maine Sunday Telegram. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction Writing and Literature from Bennington College"-- Provided by publisher