Bøger udgivet af Akashic Books, Ltd.

"Memoirists rarely begin their work with a stroke of genuine inspiration, and Robyn Hitchcock's ingenious idea to limit his account of his life to the titular year gives this sharp, funny, finely written book an unusually keen, wistful intensity without sacrificing its sense of the breathtaking sweep of time. I absolutely adored every line of 1967 and every moment I spent reading it." --Michael Chabon, author of Telegraph Avenue"1967 . . . in which our hero looks down from the future at his squeaky realm of boyhood, a world of Day-Glo sunsets, and would-be denizens of music and the mind. Cometh the year, cometh the groover."--Johnny Marr, guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left explores how that pivotal slice of time tastes to a bright, obsessive/compulsive boy who is shipped off to a hothouse academic boarding school as he reaches the age of thirteen--just as Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited starts to bite, and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band explodes.When he arrives in January 1966 Robyn Hitchcock is still a boy pining for the comforts of home and his family's loving au pair, Teresa. By December 1967 he's mutated into a 6'2" tall rabid Bob Dylan fan, whose two ambitions in life are to get really stoned and move to Nashville.In between--as the hippie revolution blossoms in the world outside--Hitchcock adjusts to the hierarchical, homoerotic world of Winchester, threading a path through teachers with arrested development, some oafish peers, and a sullen old maid--a very English freak show. On the way he befriends a cadre of batwing teenage prodigies and meets their local guru, the young Brian Eno. And his home life isn't any more normal . . .At the end of 1967 all the ingredients are in place that will make Robyn Hitchcock a songwriter for life. But then again, does 1967 ever really end?

STAY POSITIVE is a charming children's picture book based on The Hold Steady song of the same name. The title track of the band's fourth album (released in 2008), "Stay Positive" is a call to arms to stand strong and persevere during trying times. The song remains a fan favorite and a staple of The Hold Steady's live shows.The book follows the path of an adorable armadillo who discovers along the way how music can pull together a disparate cast of characters. It's also a lesson in tenacity and maintaining a positive attitude when encountering adverse situations. The story ends up in a unified celebration that mirrors the joy of a Hold Steady performance.Singer Craig Finn explains, "'Stay Positive' has a line that says, 'The kids at the shows will have kids of their own, ' and it's true: each year more Hold Steady fans become parents or grandparents. So I'm thrilled that we're offering the children's book version of 'Stay Positive, ' which brings THS joy to the whole family."

FEATURING BRAND NEW STORIES BY: Don Wallace, Stephanie Han, Christy Passion, Morgan Miryung McKinney, Alan Brennert, Chris McKinney, and others.Two thousand miles away from the rest of the country, an American city evades the mind's eye of the empire that claimed it, peddled it as paradise, then largely ignored it. And yet, Honolulu likes its anonymity. Tourists and outsiders corral themselves in hotels and resorts, vacation eyes glued to their beachfront sunsets and mai tais while the people who live here get on with their affairs. And sometimes it's dirty business. Honolulu Noir comprises stories about the people of the city, written by those who know this place best. The volume opens with a story featuring Chang Apana, the Native Hawaiian/Chinese real-life cop who was the inspiration for the controversial Charlie Chan. It ends with a supernatural journey from the Philippines to Hawaii. In between, readers will find multicultural tales of invasion (whether yakuza, ISIS recruiters, or vampires), madness, addiction, and murder--all the stuff that many people don't know happens here. Unbeknownst to the rest of the country, Honolulu can be a very dangerous place. Here, even the alluring crystal-blue waters might kill you. Chris McKinney says, "When the opportunity to edit Honolulu Noir was presented to me, I jumped at the chance. I'd been aware of the outstanding reputation of Akashic's Noir Series, and as someone who was born and has lived and worked in just about every neighborhood in this city, I felt up to the task." E komo mai to Honolulu Noir.

THE LIMITED-EDITION BOX SET is a project started in 2014 to ensure the publication of up to a dozen chapbooks every year by African poets through Akashic Books. The series seeks to identify the best poetry written by African poets working today, and it is especially interested in featuring poets who have not yet published their first full-length book of poetry.The nine poets included in this box set are: Nurain Oládeji, Sarpong Osei Asamoah, Claudia Owusu, Nome Emeka Patrick, Qhali, Connor Cogill, Feranmi Ariyo, Dare Tunmise, and Adams Adeosun.

IN POST-VOLCANIC FOLK TALES, Mackenzie Polonyi considers what it is, what it means, being a daughter of the diaspora. A third-generation woman away from a country called home, she coos into the acoustic wound of an in-between while troubling perceptions of time and death, worming herself into biomythographical spaces by way of vowels and diacritics, and gathering cartographic information from her beloved maternal grandmother's body, name, and belongings.In her debut collection, Polonyi is disobedient and devoted, her world-building is factual and folkloric. Here, she reconceptualizes guardian angels, reclaims her ancestral language of horses, reflects upon imperfections of remembrance, explores complexities of "matriviticultural" psychoemotional inheritance and familial illness, and ultimately archives and grieves by way of imaginative invention.

--Selected for the Locus Magazine 2023 Recommended Reading List --"Rumpus Room" selected as finalist for a 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction"[A] master class in horror fiction and sci-fi written by one of the very best in the genre." --Joe Hill, NPR's Weekend Edition"The Wishing Pool . . . is a major treat, full of major scares. Due excels at twist endings but also brilliantly creates an atmosphere of creeping dread in which you know something terrible is coming . . . Due shows just how much territory she can cover in one short book and just how versatile terrifying tales can be." --Washington Post"Holy hell: These fourteen stories from author and film historian Due might scare even the most dauntless horror fans to death . . . A patchwork of stories that somehow manages to be both graceful and alarming, putting fresh eyes to the unspeakable." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review AMERICAN BOOK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR TANANARIVE DUE's second collection of stories includes offerings of horror, science fiction, and suspense--all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due's stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope.In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due's trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters. The story "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge" is a World Fantasy Award finalist, and this paperback reissue includes two new stories.

"We lived in Britain, a country that had hugely benefited from immigration, but curiously had an innate antipathy to the ideas of multiculturalism and diversity. Daniel Rachel has managed to capture the essence of that contradiction in those Margaret Thatcher-governed years, with this comprehensive, cautionary but nonetheless celebratory saga of the 2 Tone label."--Pauline Black, singer of The Selecter"Daniel Rachel has managed to talk to all the significant players and the story he tells is one that shines a light on the challenges of mixing pop with politics. This feels like the definitive story of 2 Tone. Masterful." --Billy Bragg In 1979, 2 Tone Records exploded into the consciousness of music lovers in Britain, the US, and beyond, as albums by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The English Beat, and The Bodysnatchers burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born. 2 Tone was Black and white: a multiracial force of British and Caribbean musicians singing about social issues, racism, class, and gender struggles. It spoke of injustices in society and fought against right-wing extremism.The music of 2 Tone was exuberant: white youth learning to dance to the infectious rhythm of ska and reggae crossed with a punk attitude created an original hybrid. The idea of 2 Tone was born in Coventry, England, and masterminded by a middle-class art student, Jerry Dammers, who envisioned an English Motown. Borrowing L700, the label's first record featured "Gangsters" by The Specials, backed by an instrumental track by the as-yet-unformed Selecter. Within two months, the single reached number six on the UK music charts. Dammers went on to sign Madness, The English Beat, and The Bodysnatchers as a glut of successive hits propelled 2 Tone artists onto Top of the Pops and into the hearts and minds of a generation.As excitement grew in the United States, 2 Tone bands began crossing the Atlantic to perform for American audiences. Soon, however, infighting among the bands and the pressures of running a label caused 2 Tone to bow to the inevitable weight of expectation and recrimination.Still, under the auspices of Jerry Dammers, 2 Tone entered a new phase. Perhaps not as commercially successful as its 1979-1981 incarnation, the label nevertheless continued to thrive for another four years, releasing a string of fresh signings and a stunning end-piece finale in the activist hit song "(Free) Nelson Mandela."Told in three parts, Too Much Too Young is the definitive story of a label that for a brief, bright burning moment shaped British, American, and world culture.

"Klausen's left-field philosophies and twisted narratives beautifully underscore the stunning large-format artwork and contribute a greater depth of expression. A must-have for any music fan, artist, or aspiring graphic designer." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review, Pick of the Week), on the first edition FROM A BASEMENT IN SEATTLE, THE POSTER ART OF BRAD KLAUSEN: EXPANDED EDITION is an extensive look into the creative process through which artist Brad Klausen generates imagery for rock posters for Pearl Jam, as well as Built to Spill, Queens of the Stone Age, U2, Soundgarden, Explosions in the Sky, MGMT, Mogwai, Faith No More, The Jesus Lizard, Widespread Panic, and others. With introductions from Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, this expanded hardcover edition also includes new posters from Klausen's archive.Starting chronologically with the first poster he ever made, and covering more than seventy-five different works, the book follows the growth and development of Klausen's art. Alongside the image of each finished poster are sketches and detailed commentary of the story behind the execution and concept of the individual designs.All the never-before-seen pieces and parts that were used to build each design are included: the initial rough sketches, the final inkings, the hand-drawn and computer-drawn typographic elements, and all other elements used in the construction of the final piece. Klausen takes apart and dissects each design to show how the artwork comes together, providing viewers a a rare look over the shoulder of the artist.

DEPECHE MODE HAS BEEN DELIGHTING FANS all over the world for decades. From the first gigs in smoke-filled pubs in front of a dozen spectators to sold-out world tours in front of millions of fans--the enormous success of the band is due in large part to their incomparable live performances.Following the critically-acclaimed Depeche Mode: Monument, Dennis Burmeister and Sascha Lange present another visually stunning book focused on the band's live shows which continue to enthrall millions of people across the globe. Depeche Mode: Live traces the band's growth from 1980 to 2023 and includes a plethora of previously unpublished photos, unseen material, and exclusive interviews.

IN THE HEART OF A LANGUID JULY, ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD JOHN REDDY HEART drives a traffic-stopping, salmon-colored Cadillac into the quiet upstate town of Willowsville, New York. His mother, Dahlia Heart, a blackjack dealer, has brought her family east from Las Vegas to claim the rambling mansion left to her by a wealthy suitor.But it is John Reddy--already growing into a heartbreaking hybrid of James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis Presley--who will claim the town itself. It is John Reddy who will arouse the desire of Willowsville's teenage girls and the worship of its boys, the fear and envy of its men, and the yearning of its women. And it is John Reddy who will capture the town's soul forever on the night a prominent citizen is shot dead in Dahlia Heart's bedroom--and a statewide manhunt sweeps Willowsville's rebel outlaw into the realm of living myth.Over the course of thirty years, Broke Heart Blues charts the rise and fall--and the ultimate call to reckoning-- of John Reddy Heart, through the myriad voices of those who find him their whipping boy, savior, dream lover, and confessor. At once a scathing indictment of the cultlike nature of fame and celebrity in America and a deeply moving mediation on human need and longing, the novel explores loneliness, and the profound price we pay for our desires and dreams.

Demons in the Spring is a collection of twenty short stories by Joe Meno, author of the smash hits The Boy Detective Fails and Hairstyles of the Damned, with illustrations by twenty artists from the fine art, graphic art, and comic book worlds--Todd Baxter, Kelsey Brookes, Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, Nick Butcher, Steph Davidson, Evan Hecox, Kim Hiorthoy, Paul Hornschemeier, Cody Hudson, Caroline Hwang, kozyndan, Geoff McFetridge, Anders Nilsen, Laura Owens, Archer Prewitt, Jon Resh, Jay Ryan, Souther Salazar, Rachell Sumpter, and Chris Uphues. Oddly modern moments which occur in the most familiar of public places, from offices to airports to schools to zoos to emergency rooms: a young girl who refuses to go anywhere unless she's dressed as a ghost; a bank robbery in Stockholm gone terribly wrong; a teacher who's become enamored with the students in his school's Model United Nations club; a couple affected by a strange malady--a miniature city which has begun to develop in the young woman's chest, these inventive stories are hilarious, heartbreaking, and unusual. Joe Meno is the best-selling author of the novels Hairstyles of the Damned, The Boy Detective Fails, How the Hula Girl Sings, and Tender As Hellfire. He was the winner of the 2003 Nelson Algren Award for short fiction and is a professor of creative writing at Columbia College Chicago. *A portion of the author's proceeds from the book will go directly to benefit 826 CHICAGO, a nonprofit tutoring center, part of the national organization of tutoring centers with branches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle.*

"American Visa is beautifully written, atmospheric, and stylish in the manner of Chandler . . . a smart, exotic crime fiction offering."--George Pelecanos, author of The Night Gardener American Visa is a stunning literary achievement. It is insightful and poignant, a book every thoughtful American should read, and once read, read again.--William Heffernan, Edgar Award-winning author of The Corsican In his search for an American visa, the high school teacher in this novel embodies the dreams and aspirations of many would-be immigrants south of the border. This is a thriller with a social conscience, a contemporary noir with lots of humor and flair. The streets of La Paz have never looked so alive. This is one of the best Latin American novels of the last fifteen years. --Edmundo Paz-Soldan, author of Turing's Delirium Mario Alvarez is tremendous, an everyman desperate to escape Bolivia's despair who can't elude his own tricks of self-sabotage. At a time when the debate around U.S. immigration reduces many people around the world to caricatures, this singular and provocative portrait of the issue will connect with readers of all political stripes. --Arthur Nersesian, author of Suicide Casanova Armed with fake papers, a handful of gold nuggets, and a snazzy custom-made suit, an unemployed schoolteacher with a singular passion for detective fiction sets out from small-town Bolivia on a desperate quest for an American visa, his best hope for escaping his painful past and reuniting with his grown son in Miami. Mario Alvarez's dream of emigration takes a tragicomic twist on the rough streets of La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government. Alvarez embarks on a series of Kafkaesque adventures, crossing paths with a colorful cast of hustlers, social outcasts, and crooked politicians--and initiating a romance with a straight-shooting prostitute named Blanca. Spurred on by his detective fantasies and his own tribulations, he hatches a plan to rob a wealthy gold dealer, a decision that draws him into a web of high-society corruption but also brings him closer than ever to obtaining his ticket to paradise. Juan de Recacoechea was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and worked as a journalist in Europe for almost twenty years. After returning to his native country, he helped found Bolivia's first state-run television network, served as its general manager, and dedicated himself to fiction writing. Recacoechea is the author of seven novels. American Visa is his first novel to be translated into English.