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Title: Coming Ashore

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Catherine Gildiner

Narrator: Nathalie Toriel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-18

Publisher: ECW Press

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Written with the same spirit and wit as the best-selling Too Close to the Falls and After the Falls, Coming Ashore is the third and final volume of Catherine Gildiner's memoir series.

Picking up her story in the late '60s at age 21, Cathy whisks through seven years and three countries. Whether reciting verse in the classrooms of the University of Oxford, arranging a date with Jimi Hendrix, teaching inner-city kids literature, rooming with a major drug dealer, falling in love, or working in a psychiatric hospital, Cathy determinedly blazes her own trail through all the passion and uncertainty that comes with the cusp of adulthood.

Coming Ashore transports readers to a fascinating era populated by lively characters, but most memorable of all is the singular Cathy McClure.

Critic Reviews:

"Gildiner's adventures are many, from the rough to the romantic, and elicit genuine laughs along the way." (Chatelaine)

"Coming Ashore reads like a super-cool lady whispering secrets over cold tea late at night - a lady who holds her liquor so well, she refrains from self-pity and self-aggrandizement. The result is a clear-eyed look at life." (Globe and Mail)

Members Reviews:

A page turner

I love the easy writing style that Catherine Gildiner uses to describe her life's adventures. Having grown up in the same period, her experiences attending the University of Toronto bring back many of my own memories of attending U. of T. I loved the book.

I just love everything Catherine Gildiner writes

I just love everything Catherine Gildiner writes! What an adventurous life she has led so far! She surprises me at every turn; it is always the unexpected , her delicious humour , her spontaneity of life and her no nonsense spur of the moment - let's do it now!! I read her first memoir and I was laughing so hard I almost split a gut! Her second memoir was just as stupendous and hilarious and touching at the same time. She is an amazing woman; I met her actually at the home of Kimberley Seldon, the designer where she gave a fabulous reading to the ladies attending the event!

The first was outrageously good, the second a bit political but hilarious never ...

The third book of memoirs from Catherine Gildiner which she says is going to be her last. The first was outrageously good, the second a bit political but hilarious never the less. This one takes us through her graduate school years. It makes me very sad to think that I am not going to hear the further adventures of this glorious writer.

Sorry this was the last book.

I liked all 3 of Cathy Gildiner's books about her life. That woman has really lived! She is quite a good writer and did a great job of incorporating enough about her life into #3 in case you had not read #1 and #2 - but you should read them. She was a very funny child!

great books

Loved the series-I too grew up in the Niagara Falls area so it had special meanings for me-great stories of the era

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Title: Every Third Thought

Author: Robert McCrum

Narrator: Robert McCrum

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-21-17

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

After a near fatal stroke in 1995, Robert McCrum has gained an intimate understanding of his own mortality. Twenty-two years on, his friends have joined him in experiencing Prospero's 'every third thought' of death as a dominating theme of life.

McCrum asks: can we make peace with what Freud calls 'the necessity of dying'? Searching for answers leads him to brain surgeons, psychologists, cancer patients and writers for advice and wisdom. For anyone preoccupied by living in the lengthening shadow of mortality, Every Third Thought is an enthralling guide and companion.

Members Reviews:

Ends Lightly, But Boy How Grim!

Every Third Thought is the concept of coming to terms with human frailty and raging against the dying light. It's long on grimness, short on optimism. It's a study of how we all step out of the world, and it sort of reminded me of a modern How We Die, with its chapters on the horrors and indignities of dementia and Alzheimer's.

But there's more! More of the hopelessness and unfairness of Parkinson's. More of the ravages of chemotherapy and radiation. More of the utter futility of being bound by a stroke-damaged brain. More of just plainly and simply aging to the point of humiliating dependency.

It does have its sages, its heroes, its resilient people, but boy was I kinda worn down by it all. I live and breathe dying memoirs, hospice memoirs, books on the grace of dying, and Every Third Thought is a good one, it's just that it's low on wisdom. At the end, McCrum finds the most wisdom from C.S. Lewis's A Grief Observed, and I have to agree. That's a much better, more inspiring work. Still, this book is better than a lot of them and sheds light on the science behind today's leading causes of death.

Don't expect any sense of spirit as it is also unapologetically secular. There is nothing after we die, so McCrum encourages us to live The Now. With that, and a happy ending, I felt I'd managed to catch my breath on a pretty grim tour of what's in store for me, for all of us.

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Title: Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop

Author: Cynthia Millman, Frankie Manning

Narrator: Derrick E. Hardin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-14-17

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In the early days of swing dancing, Frankie Manning stood out for his moves and innovative routines; he introduced the air step in the Lindy hop, a dance that took the US and then the world by storm. In this fascinating autobiography, choreographer and Tony Award winner (Black and Blue) Manning recalls how his first years of dancing as a teenager at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom led to his becoming chief choreographer and a lead dancer for Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, a group that appeared on Broadway, in Hollywood musicals, and on stages around the globe. Manning brings the swing era vividly back to life with his recollections of the crowded ballrooms and of Lindy hoppers trying to outdo each other in spectacular performances.

Published by Temple University Press.

"This vivid memoir by one of swing dancing's innovators and stars is a must for lovers of dance, jazz and African-American history." - Publishers Weekly

"Sit down with the book and you will feel you've sat down with Frankie in person to hear the wonderful story of his life." - Swing Dancer Magazine

"Essential reading for anyone interested in this rich period in the development of America's indigenous dance and music." - Dance Magazine

Members Reviews:

Excellent

Found the book a bit too thick for me before finally settling on it at Audible. It has been a wonderful experience listening to the tale of a Lindy Hop Master.

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Title: A Small Town Love Story: Colonial Beach, Virginia

Author: Sherryl Woods

Narrator: Christina Traister

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Part memoir, part oral history, number one New York Times best-selling author Sherryl Woods gives us a rare and intimate look at Colonial Beach, Virginia.

Rich in narrative history and local color, A Small Town Love Story: Colonial Beach, Virginia is an homage to the town of Sherryl Woods' summers, a place that stole her heart long ago and provided the basis for the many fictional small towns in her best-selling novels.

True to Woods' signature style of focusing on characters who are at the center of their communities, here she has woven together the stories of the very real people who helped shape this seaside Virginia town. She takes us back to the days of her own family gatherings, artfully capturing the unique essence of Colonial Beach and making us yearn for small-town life.

Woods' own memories frame the true stories she features - from the unique history of Colonial Beach itself to some firsthand accounts of the Oyster Wars that once consumed the community to the stories of neighborhood merchants who made it a point to know just about every customer by name. From farmers to restauranteurs and hoteliers, from pastors to librarians and military folk, Woods' research and interviews give life to the personalities of a very special place.

Members Reviews:

A small town love story......

I loved the book!!! I live in the town of Colonial Beach and have read the book twice. Sherryl Woods has, in my opinion, brought honor and wonderful stories to be remembered by those who live in "our town". The people interviewed are a part of the history of CB. They are as proud of our town as I am. My parents and family moved to CB in 1950. I went to the Elementary/High School and graduated in June 1964. I met and married a local boy. We were together for 30+ years. Our daughter went to the beach schools and graduated in 2005. She went on to college at Virginia Tech and graduated in 2009. Every small town has its quirks, however, CB has lots and lots of history that needed to be told.

Thank you Sherryl Woods for writing part of the history that makes our town great.

Unreadable font

The font is so tiny, it's impossible to read! I thought about adding audio, but it was as expensive as the book. I love Sherryl Woods books, but her name is the only words large enough to be read. The book has illustrations on every page. They can't be seen either.

Love this book

Love this book. I live in Colonial Beach and Sherryl Woods lives around the corner from us. This is a neat book especially for people that come to the beach a lot!

Sherryl Woods' other books are sooooo much better. Not happy with this one

Not the kind of book I thought it was. Just can't get past the first few pages. Sherryl Woods' other books are sooooo much better. Not happy with this one. And it cost a fortune.

The author has perfectly expressed what I love about Colonial Beach

The author has perfectly expressed what I love about Colonial Beach; I've been visiting there often for 15 years and bought a condo there just 3 years ago. I go more often now and the reason is exactly as Sherryl Woods has explained - it is a small town with heart! I know many of the people she talks about in this book and love all that this small town has to offer.

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Title: The Vanity Fair Diaries: 1983-1992

Author: Tina Brown

Narrator: Tina Brown

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: Orion

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

The Vanity Fair Diaries is the story of an Englishwoman barely out of her 20s who arrives in New York City with a dream. Summoned from London in hopes that she can save Condé Nast's troubled new flagship Vanity Fair, Tina Brown is immediately plunged into the maelstrom of the competitive New York media world and the backstabbing rivalries at the court of the planet's slickest, most glamour-focused magazine company. She survives the politics, the intrigue and the attempts to derail her by a simple stratagem: succeeding.

In the face of rampant skepticism, she triumphantly reinvents a failing magazine. Here are the inside stories of Vanity Fair scoops and covers that sold millions - the Reagan kiss, the meltdown of Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles, the sensational Annie Leibovitz cover of a gloriously pregnant, naked Demi Moore.

In the diary's cinematic story, the drama, the comedy, and the struggle of running an 'it' magazine come to life. Brown's Vanity Fair Diaries is also a woman's journey, of making a home in a new country and of the deep bonds with her husband, their prematurely born son, and their daughter. Astute, open-hearted, often riotously funny, Tina Brown's The Vanity Fair Diaries is a compulsively fascinating and intimate chronicle of a woman's life in a glittering era.

Members Reviews:

Really dont waste your time or money......

This is a pointless narrative about pointless people who are not relevant now and other than Donald Trump and Jackie Kennedy were probably not that relevant then. Tina Brown may have been capable at what she did in the magazine publishing world (and Im a great fan of Vanity Fair especially at the time Ms Brown was publishing it) but she has definitely overstretched herself in this genre. Im afraid she is boringly wordy (think a talentless Thomas Hardy) and talks about totally irrelevant people who have only names and net worth attached to them but no character (except Jackie Kennedy Onassis whom she draws surprisingly well). Her overriding ego for herself and her husband is the permanent narrative and to be fair they are not appealing at any level as characters and really I did not understand why we as readers/listeners were subjected to their family and children of whom bring nothing to the story of Vanity Fair as a publication. This is a mediocre literally exercise

which I would have no hesitation in not recommending at all. In fact I would say if this is your thing then go with the Alexandra Schulman Vogue diaries instead-its still not brilliant but its head and shoulders above this disappointing rubbish.

Excellent

An excellent insight into editing, society and celebrity. I absolutely loved it.

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Title: A Body of Work

Subtitle: Dancing to the Edge and Back

Author: David Hallberg

Narrator: Vikas Adam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

David Hallberg, the first American to join the famed Bolshoi Ballet as a principal dancer and the dazzling artist the New York Times described as "the foremost classical stylist of our day", presents an intimate journey through his artistic life up to the moment he returns to the stage after a devastating injury almost cost him his career.

Beginning with his real-life Billy Elliot childhood - an all-American story marred by intense bullying - and culminating in his hard-won comeback, Hallberg's brave memoir dives deep into life as an artist as he wrestles with ego, pushes the limits of his body, and searches for ecstatic perfection and fulfillment as one of the world's most acclaimed ballet dancers.

While rich in detail ballet fans will adore, this is a book that anyone interested in a life of creativity will love. Hallberg reflects on themes like inspiration, self-doubt, and perfectionism as he takes listeners into daily class, rigorous rehearsals, and triumphant performances, searching for new interpretations of ballet's greatest roles. He reveals the loneliness he felt as a teenager leaving America to join the Paris Opera Ballet, the ambition he had to tame as a new member of American Ballet Theatre, and the reasons behind his headline-grabbing decision to be the first American to join the top rank of Bolshoi Ballet, tendered by the artistic director who would later be the victim of a vicious acid attack. Then, as Hallberg performed throughout the world at the peak of his abilities, he suffered a crippling ankle injury and unsuccessful surgery leading to an agonizing retreat from ballet and an honest reexamination of his entire life.

Combining his powers of observation and memory with emotional honesty and artistic insight, Hallberg has written a great ballet memoir and an intimate portrait of an artist in all his vulnerability, passion, and wisdom.

Members Reviews:

life changing

i chose this book due to mobility issues and though i am not a dancer it is easy for me to relate to the emotions. bravo david hallberg

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Title: Love, Janis

Author: Laura Joplin

Narrator: Mary Bridget Davies

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-06-17

Publisher: Recorded Books

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

A revealing and intimate biography about Janis Joplin, the queen of classic rock, written by her younger sister.

Janis Joplin blazed across the '60s music scene, electrifying audiences with her staggering voice and the way she seems to pour her very soul into her music. By the time her life and artistry were cut tragically short by a heroin overdose, Joplin had become the stuff of rock-and-roll legend.

Through the eyes of her family and closest friends, we see Janis as a young girl, already rebelling against injustice, racism, and hypocrisy in society. We follow Janis as she discovers her amazing talents in the Beat hangouts of Venice and North Beach - singing in coffeehouses, shooting speed to enhance her creativity, challenging the norms of straight society. Janis truly came into her own in the fantastic, psychedelic, acid-soaked world of Haight-Asbury. At the height of her fame, Janis's life is a whirlwind of public adoration and hard living. Laura Joplin shows us not only the public Janice who could drink Jim Morrison under the table and bean him with a bottle of booze when he got fresh; she shows us the private Janis, struggling to perfect her art, searching for the balance between love and stardom, battling to overcome her alcohol addiction and heroin use in a world where substance abuse was nearly universal.

At the heart of Love, Janis is an astonishing series of letters by Janis herself that have never been previously published. In them she conveys as no one else could the wild ride from awkward small-town teenager to rock-and-roll queen. Love, Janis is the new life of Janis Joplin we have been waiting for - a celebration of the 60s' joyous experimentation and creativity, and a loving, compassionate examination of one of that era's greatest talents.

Members Reviews:

Love, Janis Book- her life in Texas and her life as a Blues Singer

Good book 'Love Janis'. Really enjoyed this book. I was surprised she came from a very loving home with parents who encouraged their children to try anything they wanted and helped them understand worldly goings on by reading Time Magazine.

She was not an abused child or anything like that. She just wanted to find something she loved and art and singing filled those needs for her.She loved music and to sign. She wsa brave and self-confident although once she secured her music deal with Columbia and Clive Davis, she stayed with the drugs. It's just real SAD! Some people are just born restless or are looking for happiness so hard, and find fame and money isn't enough. She was so young she never gave herself a chance to see what could be over the next horizon if she'd of just held on a few more years becuase everyone changes. She did go to a shirk but that didn't help either. ~

I finshed it last night and just a great book and it help me understand more about the ...

I finshed it last night and just a great book and it help me understand more about the amazing Janis. Her sister wrote this and many letter that Janis wrote to them. She was a loving person . And a very good soul. So sad we lost her. I highly recommend this book. As well the book was like brand new. I did not notice ne flaws in the shape of the book its self at all.

Loved It!

This is one of those books that you absolutely cannot put down until you finish reading.

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Title: Bob Dylan

Subtitle: A Spiritual Life

Author: Scott M. Marshall

Narrator: Dan John Miller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Never before has a book like this one delved into the spiritual odyssey of cultural icon Bob Dylan. Tracking an American original - from his Jewish roots to his controversial embrace of Jesus to his enduring legacy as the composer of the Tempest album - Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life delivers the story of a man in dogged pursuit of redemption.

Based on years of research and original interviews, this book sorts through the myths and misunderstandings and reveals Dylan to be both traditional and radical in the way he expresses his spiritual quest for purpose and meaning. "Call Dylan whatever you want, but the name won't stick", said foreword writer and film director Scott Derrickson. What does stick is his music, in part because his songs contain a deep, abiding spirituality that moves listeners more than the songs of any other artist.

Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life bridges the gap between purpose and meaning in grand fashion. It offers listeners an informative, entertaining, and nuanced look into Bob Dylan's spiritual odyssey.

Members Reviews:

The Definitive Work On Bob Dylan's Spirituality

The first thing I immediately noticed was the thoroughness of Scott Marshall's evaluation of this topic. No stone is left unturned. No period of Bob Dylan's life is left unexamined. It does not just regurgitate the same old accounts that have appeared in dozens of books on Dylan. Marshall has relentlessly conducted his own interviews, many concerning the time of Dylan's conversion. His research is thorough and impeccable. It's like reading Clinton Heylin, minus the condescension.

As you would expect the book covers the 3 significant chapters of Dylan's spiritual life - prior to his Christian conversion, during the time of the gospel trilogy / tours, and the remainder of his life after the fervor of those couple years. I didn't learn much new concerning the 1st part but the author details the not insignificant amount of biblical references in Bob's work prior to Slow Train Coming.

The 2nd part concerning the time of Dylan's new-found faith is extremely interesting. There are some new sources that he has accessed. Even after reading well over 50 books on Dylan I found myself appreciating some things about this period that I never did before. There was an incredible bravery on Bob's part to do what he did. It is one thing to make a well produced sounding album like Slow Train Coming and surprise everyone. But it is another thing to double-down by doing a tour and not play one single old song. To ignore 15 years of songwriting brilliance and play 2 hour shows and only sing songs about Jesus. I would imagine that his old friends hate it, much of his audience hates it, his record label hates it, his Jewish family certainly hates it. Then to triple-down (I know that's not really a word) by releasing an even more Christian album with Saved. Add insult to injury by adding an album cover that shows the saving Blood of the Lamb flowing down to mankind. Bob Dylan had to have been seriously touched by God to do all of that. When has that ever happened before to anyone of like stature in the music world? He makes U2 look like dabblers in the faith. We've all read about the period of Dylan's career but for the first time, when reading this book, I get the sense of how outrageous this was.

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Title: Nourished

Subtitle: A Memoir of Food, Faith & Enduring Love (with Recipes)

Author: Lia Huber

Narrator: Lia Huber

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-17

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

A noted entrepreneur, food writer, and recipe developer serves up an evocative adventure story about her quest to find healing, meaning, and a place at the table.

Hunger comes to us in many forms, writes Lia Huber - we long to be satisfied not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. Nourished invites listeners on Huber's world-roaming search to find the necessary ingredients to nurture all three.

She begins her quest with an Anthony Bourdain moment in a Guatemalan village: She's slipping fresh vegetables into a communal pot of soup she's cooking up for chronically undernourished children. Village grannies look on disapprovingly...until the kids come back for more.

From there Huber takes listeners to the Greek island of Corfu, where she learns the joys of simple food and the power of unconditional love; to a Costa Rican jungle house (by way of an 8,000-mile road trip), where she finds hope and healing; and finally to California's wine country, where she steps into the person she was meant to be and discovers her calling to nourish others.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Critic Reviews:

"Just like a delicious meal with a special friend,

Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith and Enduring Love, will leave you feeling both satisfied and inspired. Lia Huber shares an intimate account of her life - her exciting adventures, greatest joys and biggest challenges - and how her relationship to God, good food and family have continued to sustained her. Tempting recipes sprinkled throughout give the reader the opportunity to to taste (and imagine) her most beloved, memorable meals, creating a delightful sense of intimacy with the author and her story." (Myra Goodman, cookbook author and cofounder of Earthbound Farm)

Members Reviews:

Delicious Journey of Love, Faith and Food

What made the experience of listening to Nourished the most enjoyable?

Lia Huber has a beautiful way of writing. I downloaded the Audible book and enjoyed her faith journey, how she met her husband, her adventures in Greece and Paris and Costa Rica along with amazing recipes and stories about her life that pull at your heart strings!!! She takes you there for sure. And don't listen to the book when you are hungry because her descriptions of spices, fresh ingredients, sauces and recipes will make your mouth water for sure!! She is extremely descriptive with her words and it is a book that just makes you feel good!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Her hysterectomy experience made my eyes water up. I went through a similar cancer scare and it is life changing.

A real food travel adventure story!

Such a sweet story of healing and self-discovery with wonderful narration by the author.

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Title: The Shattered Lens

Subtitle: A War Photographer's True Story of Captivity and Survival in Syria

Author: Jonathan Alpeyrie, Stash Luczkiw

Narrator: Qarie Marshall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-17

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Capturing history was Jonathan Alpeyrie's job, but he never expected to become a news story himself. For a decade, the French-American photojournalist weaved in and out of over a dozen conflict zones. But, during his third assignment to Syria, Alpeyrie was betrayed by his fixer and handed over to a band of Syrian rebels.

For 81 days, he was bound, blindfolded, and beaten. Over the course of his captivity, Alpeyrie kept his spirits up and strived to see, without his camera lenses, the humanity in his captors. The Shattered Lens is his firsthand account: the account of a photojournalist who has always answered the next adrenaline-pumping assignment but, during his headline-making kidnapping, was left to consider the value and risks of his career, to ponder the violent conflicts he had seen, and to put the historical events over which he had no control into perspective.

Members Reviews:

Sister enjoyed the book

This was a gift. My sister enjoyed the book.

Jonathan has many strong feelings about the political events in the middle east that might not appeal to all readers but he has

There is so much to say about the this real life harrowing struggle I am not sure where to even began.

Jonathan Alpeyrie job is what most photography dream of but very few have the courage to do.

Jonahtan Alpeyrie story is or about bring a captive guest than prisoner. He wasn't beaten, or torture but the stress of not knowing what was going to happen had to been torture enough. He is very open about the fact it could have been much worse and he understands he was lucky even blessed that it wasn't.

He was able to take a unknown very frightening time in his life and bring humor into by giving his captor's names. He writes about meaningful relationship he developed with some of his captors and still keeps in contact with them.

As readers read this book you wish to have had pictures to be able to better understand the events during his time in Syria. Many times I found it difficult to understand what Jonathan was describing.

Jonathan has many strong feelings about the political events in the middle east that might not appeal to all readers but he has some very strong points I feel everyone needs to look at and question.

In the end what I found this story having me looking for answers to my question. What is the true meaning of freedom.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher Atria Books for the advance copy

Gripping Tale of Capture and Modern Hot Spots

Jonathan Alpeyrie wanted to get that one great shot. Instead what he got was captivity.

"The Shattered Lens" is the account of Alpeyrie's capture by Syrian rebels and his almost three-month stint as their hostage. This is followed by his description of what his family went through trying to free him, and his subsequent return to work as a war photographer, this time in Eastern Ukraine. Throughout his story, Alpeyrie meditates on the meaning of freedom and the experience of being caught up in the tides of history, for better or for worse.

Alpeyrie's story is inherently gripping. His captivity could have been much worse, as he openly acknowledges: he was rarely beaten and suffered nothing in the way of out-and-out physical torture.