#in a book that won the top canadian history book prizes
Text
Because I mention this every single time I see a corset-defending post that suggest that corsets were in NO WAY constricting, here is evidence that Indigenous women, specifically Anishinaabe women rejected wearing corsets and found them restricting, even when they adapted aspects of white western dress in the nineteenth century (written by an Indigenous historian, fyi). I have stated this before (and will state again and again), that the ideology around corsets was about enforcing a certain type of femininity - specifically a white, upper-class, and thin form of femininity - that did not pertain to many women:
From: Brittany Luby, Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishinaabe Territory (Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2020), 145-149.
#history#indigneous history#fashion history#wow an actual source written by an actual historian#in a book that won the top canadian history book prizes#instead of a hobbyist with an art history degree who thinks mary wollstonecraft is cringe#this book is actually about the ways in which mid-century hydroelectric boom replicated colonialist ideologies and caused unspeakable damage#to both the environment and the Anishinaabe community in northern ontario#makes me kind of sad that i also have to whip out the corset section on a book that is about so much more#but unfortunately hobbyists only care about war or clothing apparently so here we are#i do gender history and i like clothes#but there's like a thousand more things interesting about women's or gender history than rehashing corset debates because you think#the clothing is pretty and you don't want to talk about the larger implications of that#my post
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Top 20 Book Writers of 21st Century:
1. J.K. Rowling - British author whose Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide, making her the best-selling author in history. Rowling's work has had a profound impact on children's literature and popular culture.
2. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Nigerian author whose novels, including "Half of a Yellow Sun" and "Americanah," explore issues of race, identity, and gender. Adichie is also a prominent feminist and public speaker.
3. Haruki Murakami - Japanese author known for his surreal, dreamlike writing style. Murakami's novels, including "Norwegian Wood" and "Kafka on the Shore," often blend elements of magical realism, mystery, and romance.
4. Kazuo Ishiguro - British author of Japanese descent, whose novels, including "The Remains of the Day" and "Never Let Me Go," explore themes of memory, identity, and loss. Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.
5. Zadie Smith - British author whose novels, including "White Teeth" and "On Beauty," examine issues of race, identity, and multiculturalism. Smith is also a prominent essayist and public intellectual.
6. Junot Díaz - Dominican-American author whose novels, including "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," explore issues of identity, race, and masculinity. Díaz is also a prominent activist and public speaker.
7. Donna Tartt - American author whose novels, including "The Secret History" and "The Goldfinch," often explore themes of morality, guilt, and redemption. Tartt's writing is known for its vivid characters and richly detailed settings.
8. Margaret Atwood - Canadian author whose dystopian novels, including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Oryx and Crake," explore issues of power, gender, and environmentalism. Atwood is also a prominent feminist and activist.
9. David Foster Wallace - American author known for his experimental, postmodern writing style. Wallace's novels, including "Infinite Jest" and "The Pale King," often explore themes of addiction, depression, and the human condition.
10. Arundhati Roy - Indian author whose novels, including "The God of Small Things" and "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness," explore issues of caste, gender, and political activism. Roy is also a prominent political activist and public intellectual.
11. Colson Whitehead - American author whose novels, including "The Underground Railroad" and "Zone One," often explore themes of race, history, and social justice. Whitehead has won numerous awards for his work, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
12. Cormac McCarthy - American author known for his spare, lyric writing style. McCarthy's novels, including "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men," often explore themes of violence, morality, and the American West.
13. Elena Ferrante - Italian author whose novels, including the Neapolitan Quartet, explore issues of friendship, identity, and social class. Ferrante is known for her anonymity, as she writes under a pseudonym and has never revealed her true identity.
14. Ta-Nehisi Coates - American author and journalist whose work often explores issues of race, identity, and politics. Coates is the author of "Between the World and Me" and "The Water Dancer," among other works.
15. Jonathan Franzen - American author whose novels, including "The Corrections" and "Freedom," often explore themes of family, identity, and the American middle class. Franzen is also a prominent essayist and public intellectual.
16. Ali Smith - British author whose novels, including "Autumn" and "Winter," often play with form and structure and explore themes of time, memory, and art. Smith is also a prominent short story writer and essayist.
17. Jeff Vandermeer - American author known for his speculative fiction and his exploration of ecological themes. Vandermeer's novels, including the Southern Reach Trilogy and "Borne," often blur the boundaries between science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
18. Mohsin Hamid - Pakistani author whose novels, including "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and "Exit West," often explore issues of identity, globalization, and migration. Hamid is also a prominent essayist and public intellectual.
19. Yaa Gyasi - Ghanaian-American author whose debut novel, "Homegoing," explores the legacy of slavery through the stories of two Ghanaian sisters and their descendants. Gyasi's work often explores issues of race, identity, and family.
20. Jesmyn Ward - American author whose novels, including "Salvage the Bones" and "Sing, Unburied, Sing," often explore themes of family, race, and poverty. Ward has won numerous awards for her work, including the National Book Award for Fiction.
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video -
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
Cleopatra's Vendetta by Avanti Centrae
About the Book:
Bari, Italy, present day. Think tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker and his wife Angie, a self-made CEO, haven't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye. They take a much-needed Italian holiday, but it comes to a shocking end when Angie and their daughter are kidnapped.
Still raw from the death of their infant son, Stryker is desperate to rescue Angie and reconcile their differences. As he works to locate the captors' lair, he discovers the kidnappers are behind a string of recent assassinations and attempting another high-profile hit in only seven days. But when he learns their plans for his only remaining child, the scab on his heart tears open and blood begins to spill.
Working from inside her brutal captors' high-security compound, Angie realizes the cabal is hiding an ancient secret using modern propaganda techniques. And as Stryker races hitmen across India, Egypt, and Greece to thwart the next assassination and save his family, he has to connect a series of deadly dots tracing all the way back to the time of Cleopatra. Ultimately, the estranged pair must shake the deeply-buried pillars of western civilization to save their four-year-old daughter from an unspeakable fate.
Reviews:
“Royal secrets. Epic lies. This “dangerous” and controversial standalone thriller from international bestselling VanOps author Avanti Centrae is a fast-paced bombshell of a story about truth and courage.
Born a goddess, Cleopatra died a prisoner. But the cobra’s deadly kiss was just the beginning…
Fascinating, provocative, original, and timely, Cleopatra’s Vendetta is a sizzling novel that paints a disturbing picture of some of the most intricate issues that have plagued humanity’s past…challenges that color our days and provide the blueprint for our future.”
~ Avonna Loves Genres
Full Review
Buy the Book – Amazon, Bookshop.org
Book Video
youtube
About the Author:
#1 International bestselling author who blends intrigue, history, science, and mystery into pulse-pounding action thrillers
Avanti Centrae always wanted to be a writer. Her father served as a U.S. marine corporal in Okinawa, gathering military intelligence during the first decade after the Korean War and her mom was a teacher. She grew up haunting silver bookmobiles in the Midwest but her practical family urged her to get a degree in computer technology, which she did. Eventually, she became a Silicon Valley IT executive, but her heart wasn’t in it. Before her hair began to turn gray, she had a health scare, which forced her to face her own mortality. At the top of the bucket list was becoming a bestselling author. She decided to break free of the golden handcuffs to pursue her dream. After years of drafting, editing, and finding an agent and publisher, her debut, VanOps: The Lost Power, released as an instant Barnes and Noble Nook bestseller. It went on to win three literary awards. Solstice Shadows, VanOps #2 quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in the U.S. and Canada, before winning a bronze medal at the Readers' Favorite book awards and nabbing the Chanticleer Global Thrillers Genre Grand Prize.
The Doomsday Medallion won an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Awards, was a quarterfinalist in the Publisher's Weekly Booklife contest, and was a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. It also hit the Top 100 in the Canadian and Australian Amazon Kindle stores. Her trademark blend of intrigue, history, science, and mystery has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Clive Cussler. When not travelling the world or hiking in the Sierra mountains, she’s writing her next breathtaking thriller in Northern California, helped by her family and distracted by her German shepherds.
0 notes
Text
P.E.I. carpenter Nicholas Herring wins Writers' Trust fiction prize
Debut novelist Nicholas Herring took home the top fiction prize at the Writers' Trust Awards Wednesday evening for his tale of a lobster fisher whose unhappily monotonous life is upended by a series of unexpected events.
Herring, who hails from Murray Harbour, P.E.I., won the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for "Some Hellish," published by Goose Lane Editions.
"I thought it was a joke," Herring said of hearing his name called at the awards' first in-person ceremony since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My mind went blank. I'm kind of in a state of shock."
Herring said he didn't expect anything to come of his novel, which draws from his own experience fishing lobster off P.E.I.
In their citation, the jury praised the work as lending the "age-old story of human versus nature" a "fresh cadence."
"What Cormac McCarthy did for cowboys and horses, Nicholas Herring does for fishermen and boats," they wrote.
The top non-fiction prize went to Toronto epidemiologist Dan Werb for "The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure," published by Crown.
"(The book) ended up being what I wanted it to be. It ended up being an optimistic counter-narrative about what went right during the pandemic," Werb said at the ceremony as he accepted the $60,000 award.
His book traces the history of coronavirus research and several outbreaks, from SARS to MERS to COVID-19.
The jury described it as "a scientific detective story that leaves the reader frightened that the villain is still on the loose, and maybe in the house."
Meanwhile, francesca ekwuyasi was awarded the $10,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers for her novel "Butter Honey Pig Bread."
The Writers' Trust of Canada handed out hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes Wednesday, including four career awards worth $25,000 apiece.
Non-fiction writer Candace Savage was recognized with the Matt Cohen Award celebrating a lifetime of contributions to Canadian literature.
The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People went to Elise Gravel.
Irish-born, Canada-based writer Shani Mootoo took the Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award, which is given to a mid-career writer in recognition of their past and future achievements in fiction.
Poet and playwright Joseph Dandurand was awarded the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize honouring a mid-career poet for mastery of the form.
Runners-up for the two top prizes each received $5,000.
The other fiction finalists were Rima Elkouri, Kevin Lambert, Darcy Tamayose and Saeed Teebi.
The non-fiction shortlist included Geoff Dembicki, Tara McGowan-Ross, Debra Thompson and Joshua Whitehead.
The Writers' Trust is the first of three major literary awards to be awarded this month.
The winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize will be named Monday, and the Governor General's Literary Awards will be handed out on Nov. 16.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2022.
from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/JLzSH9l
0 notes
Text
8 Great Facts About the Newfoundland Dog
He is the black bear of the dog world, but his imposing size and appearance belies a kind nature and a long history of service to mankind. Here are eight fun facts about the noble Newfoundland dog.
1. The Newfoundland Dog’s Canadian Origins
The Newfoundland dog did indeed originate in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now a province of Canada), where he was used as a working dog by fishermen. He descended from a breed native to the island and known as the Lesser Newfoundland or the St. John’s Dog.
DNA analysis confirms that the breed is also closely related to other Canadian retrievers like the Labrador and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The Newfoundland shares many physical traits (huge head, broad muzzle, stout legs) with the Mastiff and Molosser-type breeds such as the St. Bernard. This was likely due to the introduction of Mastiff blood, probably from matings with Portuguese Mastiffs, which were brought to the island by Portuguese fishermen beginning in the 16th century.
2. The Newfoundland loves water
The Newfoundland excels at water rescue and lifesaving, thanks to his muscular build, thick double coat, webbed feet and innate swimming ability. The breed’s large bones and massive size give it the power to handle choppy ocean waves and strong tides.
Newfoundlands have a huge lung capacity for swimming long distances. The oily, waterproof coat keeps a Newfoundland dog dry and protects them from the chill of icy waters. The breed’s history is replete with examples of courage demonstrated by the Newfoundland in lifesaving exploits. One particularly famous Newfoundland was “Seaman,” who accompanied American explorers Lewis and Clark on their expedition.
3. The Newfoundland’s breed standard
The Newfoundland’s lifesaving prowess would not be possible were it not for the breed’s kind nature. The American Kennel Club breed standard says it in the most emphatic way: “Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed.” The standard starts out with the following description under “General Appearance: The Newfoundland is a sweet-dispositioned dog that acts neither dull nor ill-tempered. He is a devoted companion. A multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, the Newfoundland is capable of draft work and possesses natural lifesaving abilities.”
4. A bear-like breed
A typical adult Newfoundland male stands 28 inches at the shoulder; 26 inches at the shoulder for an adult female. This is also a very heavy, substantial breed, with adult males ranging from 130 to 150 pounds; adult females from 100 to 120 pounds. For all his size, however, the Newfoundland dog is a mellow fellow and doesn’t require a huge amount of room to be happy. Adults will typically spend much of the day napping. While many a child has learned to walk grabbing hold of a Newfoundland, active puppies can easily bowl over a toddler, so adult supervision is recommended.
5. Some Newfoundland dogs are black and white
While the majority of Newfoundlands are solid black, perhaps with a touch of white on the chin, chest and toes, it is the white Newfoundland with black markings that boasts a lasting artistic connection. As an homage to the famous English painter, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, who often chose the black-and-white Newfoundland dog as the subject of his works, this color pattern is known as the Landseer. There are also solid brown and solid gray Newfoundlands.
6. Newfoundlands in pop culture
Although Newfoundlands are often encountered in books and art, the most famous Newfoundland dog in literature is easily “Nana,” the faithful protector of the Darling children in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Robert Kennedy’s family was devoted to Newfoundlands and many casual photos of the young Kennedy children feature a Newfoundland lovingly watching over them.
7. Newfoundland dogs have won at Westminster twice
Many breeds are still waiting impatiently for their day to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club, the most prestigious dog show in America that takes place every year. Newfoundlands have triumphed twice: “Adam,” more formally known as Champion Seaward’s Blackbeard, claimed the top prize in 1984 and, two decades later, it was “Josh,” Champion Darbydale’s All Rise Pouch Cove, who stole the spotlight in 2004.
8. Newfoundlands and Water Dog titles
To honor the Newfoundland’s illustrious history of lifesaving and to appreciate the fun of seeing the dogs doing what should come naturally to them, the Newfoundland Club of America designed rescue and water dog tests. In the Junior Division, Newfoundlands are required to retrieve a bumper, a life jacket or cushion, deliver a rope to a swimming steward, tow a boat and swim calmly with a handler. Performing these and other exercises earns the Newfoundland a Water Dog title.
The exercises get more challenging in the Senior Division, and to earn the Water Rescue Dog title the dog must retrieve two articles in the proper order, leap from a boat to fetch a paddle, carry a life ring to a swimmer in “distress,” retrieve underwater, tow a boat to shore and leap from a boat to save his handler who has “fallen” overboard. There is even a third division for elite working dogs that compete for the Water Rescue Dog Excellent title.
152 notes
·
View notes
Text
From website: Pittsburgh Music History.
Pittsburgh Dance Instructor becomes Oscar wining star of
"An American in Paris"
and "Singin' In the Rain"
Gene Kelly was the leading star in the classic Hollywood movie musicals from the mid 1940s through the late 1950s. Multi-talented he was a singer, dancer, choreographer actor, film director and producer. Audiences love his delightful singing, his athletic dancing, his charming good looks, and his likeable characters. He is credited for reviving movie musicals and redefining dance in films. Kelly was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Academy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Screen Actions Guild, and the American Film Institute. The American Film institute ranks him 15th on their list of “Greatest Male Stars of All Time”. His most memorable performances include starring roles in Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris, On the Town, and Anchors Aweigh. Gene was the star and choreographer of the film ‘An American in Paris” which won 8 Oscar awards including best picture and a special Oscar for Gene recognizing his contributions to screen choreography. Singin’ in the Rain, called "a movie masterpiece" by Vincent Canby of the New York Times, has been voted the most popular movie musical of all time.
Growing Up in Highland Park
Born Eugene Curran Kelly in Pittsburgh on August 23, 1912, Gene Kelly grew up in on Mellon Street in Highland Park. He attended St. Raphael’s elementary school and was an altar boy at the church. His Canadian born father James Patrick Joseph Kelly was as sports lover and a sales executive for the Thomas Edison's Columbia Phonograph Company. Every winter James, who loved hockey, flooded the backyard to make an ice hockey rink for the family. Gene learned to skate at age 5.
Gene's mother Harriet, who as a hobby performed in local stock productions, made all five of her children take music and dance lessons. She enrolled the eight year old Gene in dance classes at Blinsky’s School of the Dance on 6th and Penn in downtown Pittsburgh. The Kelly kids Jay, Jim, Gene, Louise, and Fred began performing dance routines around 1921 as "The Five Kellys" at amateur vaudeville nights and charity events.
After getting in fist fights with neighborhood kids who called him a sissy, Gene quit dancing. He preferred sports. He played on a men's amateur hockey team age at 14 and dreamed of playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Kelly's moved from Highland Park to 7514 Kensington Street in the Point Breeze neighborhood near Frick Park in 1924. Gene attended his first year of high school at the Sacred Heart School.
At age 15 Gene thought dancing would be a good way to meet girls, so he began dancing again. He took dance lessons while also playing on his high school football, baseball and hockey teams. He also participated in gymnastics.
Graduating from Peabody High School in 1929 he enrolled at Penn State to study journalism. With the 1930 stock market crash hurting the Kelly family’s finances, Gene left Penn State planning to cut costs by living at home while studying at the University of Pittsburgh. He dug ditches, pumped gas, worked as a soda fountain jerk and carpenter's helper, and danced to earn tuition money. Gene and his younger brother Fred devised dance routines and found work dancing in local nightclubs as the “Kelly Brothers”.
Gene Kelly Studio of Dance
Gene’s mother took a job as a receptionist at Boulton's dance school in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. When the owner Lou Boulton skipped town leaving behind a pile of unpaid bills, Harriet took over the dance school. She paid the bills and renamed it the "Kelly School of Dance". Gene at age 19 and his brother Fred became dance instructors. Gene worked as a dance instructor while he attended studies at Pitt. He taught tap, toe and ballet. To learn routines Gene went to night clubs, movie musicals and vaudeville shows. He'd teach them the next day in his classes. With Gene’s growing reputation as a teacher the studio was renamed The "Gene Kelly Studio" of the Dance in 1932. The Kelly’s opened a second dance school on the main street of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1933. Gene taught at the Johnstown school on weekends. He continued to teach dance for six years.
The dance school was a great success, but Gene was not content being a teacher. He want to be a choreography and director. Gene wanted to combine the styles of ballet and tap-dance into a new American dance for. To learn ballet he took classes from ballet masters in Chicago and New York during the summers. Gene attened classes at Chicago Association of Dancing Masters. Seeing his talent the school asked him to a few classes. Gene also read every book that he could find on ballet in English and French. He practiced constantly. Putting his skills into practice Gene danced in an choreographed musicals while attending at the University of Pittsburgh.
Pitt's Cap and Gown Musical Reviews
Gene enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in 1931 studying economics. At Pitt he joined the Cap and Gown Club, which staged four times a year at the Stephen Foster Memorial Theater along with an an annual event at the Nixon Theater. Gene performed in the original musical comedy productions written by members of the Cap and Gown Club. Completing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1933, Gene then enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh’s Law School. After two months of study groups and torts Gene decided that he wanted to be an entertainer and dance teacher. He dropped out of school to pursue his entertainment career full-time teaching at the dance studio and doing performances. Gene remained a member of Pitt’s Cap and Gown Club serving as its serving as its dance director from 1934 to 1938. He was the assistant director of their 1936 Nixon Theater show "Out for the Count". Gene first created his rolling skating dance routine in the Cap and Gown's production of "Tt's Always Fair Weather". Gene directed the club's 1937 production of "Trailer Ho" at the Nixon and then took the show on the road for performances in Johnstown, Bradford and Erie. In 1938 Gene Kelly choreographed and directed the Cap and Gown show "Pickets Please" at the Nixon.
In addition to his work with the Cap and Gown Club did choreography for vaudeville and other organizations. Vaudeville acts that passed through Pittsburgh during the 1930’s hired Gene to create dance routines. In 1931 the Rodef Shalom Synagogue hired Kelly to teach dance and stage the annual Kermess show. He kept that position for seven years. Gene continued to perform with his brother. The Kelly Brothers performed in a theater for children at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934.
Broadway Stardom
In 1937 at the age of 27 Gene moved to New York City to become a choreographer. Unable to find work on Broadway, he returned to Pittsburgh to be the choreographer of the musical revue “Hold Your Hats” at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in the spring 1938. He also danced in the production. At the Playhouse, Gene was seen by Broadway choreographed Robert Alton. Alton brought Gene to Broadway making him a star.
On August 5, 1938 just before his 26th birthday, Gene packed one small suitcase and returned to New York for his first role. Alton hired Gene for a Cole Porter musical giving him his first dancing role on Broadway in November of 1938 as a chorus boy in "Leave It to Me". Alton gave Gene a feature singing and dancing role in his next production “One for the Money”. In 1939 Gene choreographed and danced in in the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Time of Your Life". Also in 1939 he choreographed Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe. He danced his way into the heart of cast member Betsy Blair, whom he married in 1941. Gene became a major star in 1940 with his leading role in Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey choreographed by Robert Alton.
Movie Musical Superstar
With his rise to stardom, Hollywood called. His role in Pal Joey captured the interest of Louis B. Mayer and Judy Garland. Gene signed with MGM's David O’Selznick in 1941. He was cast as Garland's romantic lead in his first movie For Me and My Gal (1942), His breakout move role was in Anchors Aweigh in 1945.
After a long career as one of the world’s most beloved musical performers Gene Kelly died in 1996.
Singin' In The Rain
The Five Kelly's
The Kelly Brothers
Cap and Gown Club Production 1938
Pal Joey
All Music Guide
Gene Kelly Internet Movie Database
References
Pitt Cap and Gown Club In Annual Show at Nixon by Harold W. Cohen Pittsburgh Post Gazette April 23, 1936
Pitt Club Plans Show -The Pittsburgh Press April 7, 1936
Annual Pitt Show Satire on Dictators Pittsburgh Post Gazette April 2, 1938
The Kelly Kids -Harold W. Cohen Pittsburgh Post Gazette September 4, 1940
MR. KELLY, OR PAL JOEY; Portrait of a Dancer, From Pennsylvania To the Barrymore Theatre - Robert Van Gelder New York Times March 02, 1940
Gene Kelly Got to the Top Via a "Different" Route -Pittsburgh Post Gazette Dec 3, 1942
Gene Kelly Said He Never Wanted to be a Movie Star -Tom Shales Pitsburgh Press June 29. 1974
How Did Gene Start Dancing -Debra Gene GeneKellyFans.com Jul 20, 2011
3 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
