Marcello Mastroianni is considered by many to be the consummate symbol of Italian masculinity. In this work, Jacqueline Reich goes behind the popular image to reveal a figure at odds with and out of place in the unstable political, social and sexual climate of post-war Italy.

This book investigates the representation of the Axis War – the wars of aggression that Fascist Italy fought in North Africa, Greece, the Soviet Union, and the Balkans, from 1940 to 1943 – in three decades of Italian literature. Building on an innovative and interdisciplinary methodology, which combines memory studies, historiography, thematic criticism, and narratology, this book explores the main topoi, themes, and masterplots of an extensive corpus of novels and memoirs to assess the contribution of literature to the reshaping of Italian memory and identity after the end of Fascism. By exploring the influence that public memory exercises on literary depictions and, in return, the contribution of literary texts to the formation and dissemination of a discourse about the past, the book examines to what extent Italian literature helped readers form an ethical awareness of the crimes committed by members of their national community during World War II.

The first Latin American actor to become a superstar, Ramon Novarro was for years one of Hollywood's top actors. Born Ramon Samaniego to a prominent Mexican family, he arrived in America in 1916, a refugee from civil wars. By the mid-1920s, he had become one of MGM's biggest box office attractions, starring in now-classic films, including The Student Prince, Mata Hari, and the original version of Ben-Hur. He shared the screen with the era's top leading ladies, such as Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer, and he became Rudolph Valentino's main rival in the “Latin Lover” category. Yet, despite his considerable professional accomplishments, Novarro's enduring hold on fame stems from his tragic death—his bloodied corpse was found in his house on Halloween 1968 in what has become one of Hollywood's most infamous scandals. A lifelong bachelor, Novarro carefully cultivated his image as a man deeply devoted to his family and to Catholicism. His murder shattered that persona. News reports revealed that the dashing screen hero had not only been gay, but he was dead at the hands of two young, male hustlers. Since then, details of his murder have achieved near mythic proportions, obscuring Novarro's professional legacy. Beyond Paradise presents a full picture of the man who made motion picture history. Including original interviews with Novarro's surviving friends, family, coworkers, and the two men convicted of his murder, this biography provides unique insights into an early Hollywood star—a man whose heart was forever in conflict with his image and whose myth continues to fascinate today.

"You want me to what?" Wealthy jet-setter Joaquin Santiago can't believe his ears. He's flown to the tranquil island of Pelican Cay to escape from screaming hordes of adoring women. And now the most unlikely candidate has asked him to teach her how to seduce a man...! Molly McGillivray doesn't want Joaquin to...she needs him to! Molly just isn't a girly girl--but she thinks it's time to get married. And who better than sexy Spaniard Joaquin to teach her how to become a mistress in the art of love...?

The author of this universal saga, Mari Suarez, is a surrealist visionary painter who has devoted herself to painting the images of the unconscious since 1969. Ariadne, the main character of Beyond Homo Sapiens, is a surrealist painter who explains her work in light of the creation of the surrealist movement of 1917. The movement was formed because the artists are closer to the unconscious than most people. Therefore, their work and experience could be used as fertile ground for understanding the psychological theories of Freud, Jung, Adler and Otto Rank. The psychological investigations of these scientists had led psychology to the realization of the fundamental spiritual nature in man; the seed of the Self in personality that unfolds psychologically in each person; the force of the Archetypes dressing themselves in symbols that reach the individual mind. Artists have the advantage that they can freeze these images in sculpture or canvas. Ariadne worked faithfully as a surrealist artist, freezing on canvas the images that reached her conscious mind from the depths of her unconscious. She felt driven to gain the tools to understand the images rooted in the metaphysical foundation of life that is the foundation of the psyche. She immersed herself in books about symbolism, mythologyall the teachings of the great Truth tellerswith the goal of understanding her own work. Slowly, she understood that the images were trying to show her a new view of men and women; they were trying to take her beyond the characteristic separation and limitation of the Homo Sapiens. Through her work, her life became a great challenge and a great hope. Beyond Homo Sapiens is the sum of that challenge and hope. Beyond Homo Sapiens is a historical, philosophical and mystical analysis of the historical events of 5,000 years. It depicts a woman's struggle to understand the chaos she witnesses all around her, hoping to help bring order to the world her daughter will inherit. In the process she formulates radically new ideas, but they are so solidly and clearly explained, readers are left wondering why this wasn't all explained to them in elementary school. In this modern odyssey, Ariadne takes readers through the labyrinth of discovery she has navigated for over thirty years and leads them to a new landscape rich with possibilities. In a manner understandable to all, Beyond Homo Sapiens summarizes the evolution of man towards spiritual awareness. The never-ending struggle of good (anything that helps that evolution) versus evil (anything that thwarts it) becomes apparent in the narrative. Ariadnes fresh perspective gives readers new insights to help them distinguish Spiritual truth from the lies by which we are constantly bombarded. One feels like the author is holding one's hand as she guides one through the past and the present. With compassionate wisdom and insight she describes the necessary ingredients to understand our journey. With masterful perspicuity, she illustrates, by spiritual and intuitive example, the steps we should be taking to make man's relationship to man a thing of beauty and love, rather than one of destruction and hate. Readers will be exhilarated to realize the unity of thought and vision that unites them with the Greek philosophers, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Descartes, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx, Engels, and all the great thinkers throughout history. Beyond Homo Sapiens reminds us that the present is the fruit of the past, and the future is the fruit of the present. Time, therefore, is a wheel of continuous movement. Any hope for a better future requires that we understand the past and change the present. Beyond Homo Sapiens, describes the reasons why men and women continue to be demeaning to themselves, the world and its inhabitants. This trilogy, finally available in English, is recommended for public and academic libraries.

Russo Bullaro's collection focuses on Benigni's Oscar winning La vita e bella/Life is Beautiful, a film which has set off continuous and often bitter debate about Holocaust representation and historical consciousness. The topics covered in Russo Bullaro's collection offer insights from critics around the world in a forum for the consideration of the wider issues that Benigni's films provoke.

This book aims to start the conversation about how the consequences of the historic 2016 election can be addressed in the teacher education classroom. Taking as its starting point the Trump administration’s dramatic influence on education, educational policy, the culture in schools, and the safety of children, contributors demonstrate how teacher educators across the United States are adapting their curriculum. The chapters represent a variety of aspects of teacher support and preparation, and address practices such as rejecting xenophobia, developing critical thinking, and responding to children’s emotional lives. The issues addressed in this volume are a continuation of conflicts and challenges with which educators have long grappled, and the contributors’ insights will be valuable under a range of future political circumstances.

What happens when one of Germany’s most important writers, himself a Muslim, immerses himself in the world of Christian art? In this book, Navid Kermani is awestruck by a religion full of sacrifice and lamentation, love and wonder, the irrational and the unfathomable, the deeply human and the divine – a Christianity that today’s Christians rarely speak of so earnestly, boldly and enthusiastically. With the open-minded curiosity of a non-believer – or rather a believer in another faith – Kermani engages with Christian art in its great richness and diversity. The result is an enchanting reflection which reinvests in Christianity both its spectacular beauty and its terror. Kermani struggles with the cross, falls in love at the sight of Mary, experiences the Orthodox Mass and appreciates the greatness of St Francis. He teaches us to see the questions of our present-day lives in the pictures of old masters such as Botticelli, Caravaggio and Rembrandt – not with lectures on art history or theology, but with an intelligent eye for the essential details and the underlying relations to seemingly remote worlds, to literature and to mystical Islam. Kermani’s poetic school of seeing draws us in as we are carried along by his unique perspective on Christianity, rekindling our interest in great art at the same time. We are captivated by his unique and brilliant Islamic reading of the West.

This book offers an innovative approach to understanding operetta, drawing attention to its malleability and resistance to boundaries. These shows have traversed (and continue to traverse) with ease the national borders which might superficially define them, or draw on features from many other genres without fundamentally changing in tone or approach. The chapters move from nineteenth-century London and Paris to twentieth-century North America, South America and Europe to present-day Australia. Some offer fresh understandings of familiar composers, such as Johann Strauss or Gilbert and Sullivan, while others examine works or composers that are less well-known. The chapter on Socialist operetta in Czechoslovakia in particular will almost certainly be a revelation to anyone from Western Europe or the US, where operetta is often understood to be a bourgeois phenomenon. As a summary of the current state of the field, this collection showcases the many possible pathways for future scholars who wish to explore it.

Beyond Tacos and Tequila: Unveiling the Mexican Iceberg is an engaging exploration of Mexico that delves deep into its intricate and multifaceted culture, moving far beyond common stereotypes. It offers a well-researched, organic view of Mexican society and explores its most pressing social issues, providing a holistic understanding of its vast cultural heritage and its place in the early 21st century. Covering a wide array of topics, from history and language to gastronomy and traditions, this book is a must-read for travelers, cultural enthusiasts, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper insight into Mexico's vibrant culture and way of life.