Ron Powers Bücher

A Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings us the astonishing life story of Mark Twain - America's most influential and beloved author, and the man behind HUCKLEBERRY FINN.

„Die Flaggen unserer Väter“ ist der packende und anrührende Bericht über jene sechs Soldaten, denen es im Februar 1945 gelang, die amerikanische Flagge auf der schwer umkämpften Pazifikinsel Iwo Jima aufzustellen. Die Fotografie dieses Augenblicks ging um die Welt und gilt noch heute als eines der berühmtesten Zeitdokumente, während die Identität jener Soldaten in Vergessenheit geriet. „Der beste Kriegsbericht, den ich je gelesen habe. Die Geschichte der sechs Männer, die die Flagge auf Iwo Jima aufstellten, erfüllt mich mit Ehrfurcht.“ Stephen Ambrose „Eines der bewegendsten Bücher über den Krieg und seine Folgen, das in seiner schockierenden Direktheit “Saving Private Ryan„ in nichts nachsteht.“ The New York Times

Set during the waning days of the Civil War, the narrative follows the Confederate raider Shenandoah, tasked with crippling the U.S. economy. Led by the valiant Conway Whittle and the brooding Capt. James Waddell, the diverse crew embarks on a perilous 15,000-mile voyage, sinking Union ships and capturing prisoners. Their mission takes a dark turn when they learn the war has ended, and they are now viewed as pirates. The story explores themes of courage, nobility, and camaraderie in the face of overwhelming odds.

Focusing on the rural community of Grafton, N.Y., this book blends ethnographic research with personal insights to explore the essence of small-town life. It highlights the unique qualities of these communities that are increasingly threatened by urban expansion. By connecting small-town values to broader American culture, the work ignited discussions and debates during a transformative era in baby-boom America, capturing the tension between traditional lifestyles and modern development.

Ron Powers’s tour de force has been widely acclaimed as the best life and times, filled with Mark Twain’s voice, and as a great American story. Samuel Clemens, the man known as Mark Twain, invented the American voice and became one of our greatest celebrities. His life mirrored his country's, as he grew from a Mississippi River boyhood in the days of the frontier, to a Wild-West journalist during the Gold Rush, to become the king of the eastern establishment and a global celebrity as America became an international power. Along the way, Mark Twain keenly observed the characters and voices that filled the growing country, and left us our first authentically American literature. Ron Powers's magnificent biography offers the definitive life of the founding father of our culture.

New York Times-bestselling author Ron Powers' critically acclaimed narrative of the social history of mental illness in America paired with the deeply personal story of his two sons' battles with schizophrenia.