TALES OF THE INNER CITY is a collection of incredibly original stories, rich with feeling, strangely moving, almost numinous. And when the reader comes to the artwork, it's like walking into an amazing room, and then throwing open a curtain to see a brilliant scene that makes you understand and appreciate everything you've encountered in a deeper way.
Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe, was almost impossible to visit, almost impossible to leave. It was a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police. To Lea, it was home. People were equal, neighbours helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world. There was community and hope. Then, in December 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed. The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote freely, wear what they liked and worship as they wished. There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears. But factories shut, jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships, only to be sent back. Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country, leading to violent conflict. As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment, and as her own family's secrets were revealed, Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant. Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval. With acute insight and wit, Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past, illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality, and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history. -- Provided by publisher
Irlande, années 1970. En plein conflit nord-irlandais, la narratrice, une jeune femme de 18 ans, est accusée d'avoir une relation avec un paramilitaire nationaliste de 23 ans son aîné. En réalité, ce dernier la suit et l'espionne. Mais la rumeur enfle, jusqu'à lui attirer les foudres de sa famille. Son harceleur menace de faire tuer son véritable amant, un réparateur de voitures.
"Let me repeat myself, so we can be very clear. Women are not the enemy. Whilst they may use their gifts against one another and against us men and - dare I say it! - even our beloved, innocent children, we must rise above their ambitions for power and desire for petty revenge. Now, we must work to correct the balance their female excesses have put out of whack. We must protect them from themselves, just as much as we must protect ourselves. In the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ: forgive them, for they know not what they do. Imagine a world in which witchcraft is real. In which mothers hand down power to their daughters, power that is used harmlessly and peacefully. Then imagine that the US President is a populist demagogue who decides that all witches must be interned for their own safety, and the safety of those around them - creating a world in which to be female is one step away from being criminal... As witches across the world are rounded up, one girl begins to discover her power. It's a dangerous force and it brings her into contact with the Sentinel, a shadowy global organisation dedicated to the destruction of all witchcraft. Will Chloe and her helpers survive a breathless chase across Europe and the USA to find and save the source of all women's power before the Sentinel can destroy it?"--Provided by publisher.
Mungo a James vyrůstají na sídlišti v Glasgow a měli by být zapřisáhlými nepřáteli – Mungo je protestant, James katolík. Jenže místo toho se do sebe zamilují. Mungo se usilovně snaží skrýt své pravé já, zejména před svým starším bratrem Hamishem, vůdcem místního gangu s brutální pověstí. To je však nic ve srovnání s tím, co přijde o několik měsíců později, když matka pošle Munga na rybářský výlet se dvěma podivnými muži, kteří z něj mají udělat „pořádného chlapa“. Mungo musí sebrat všechnu vnitřní sílu a odvahu, aby se dostal zpět na bezpečné místo, kde on a James ještě mohou mít budoucnost. Mladej Mungo je strhující příběh o hranicích mužství, o násilí, kterému čelí mnoho queer lidí, a o nebezpečí, jež hrozí, když někoho milujete příliš.