Gerald W. Haslam Pořadí knih (chronologicky)

Kennedy Marr is a novelist from the old school. Irish, acerbic, and a borderline alcoholic and sex-addict, his mantra is drink hard, write hard and try to screw every woman you meet. He's writing film scripts in LA, fucking, drinking and insulting his way through Californian society, but also suffering from writers block and unpaid taxes. Then a solution presents itself - Marr is to be the unlikely recipient of the W. F. Bingham Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Modern Literature, an award worth half a million pounds. But it does not come without a price: he must spend a year teaching at the English university where his ex-wife and estranged daughter now reside. As Kennedy acclimatises to the sleepy campus, inspiring revulsion and worship in equal measure, he's forced to reconsider his precarious lifestyle. Incredible as it may seem, there might actually be a father and a teacher lurking inside this 'preening, narcissistic, priapic, sociopath'. Or is there... Straight White Male is a no-holds-barred look into the mid-life crisis and the contemporary male sexual psyche. It is a brilliant new satire from one of Britain's sharpest writers.

This evocative book by Stephen Johnson, Gerald Haslam, and Robert Dawson explores the rich natural and social history of California's Great Central Valley. Haslam's text highlights the tenacious spirit of the Valley's people, who rely on hard work and ingenuity for survival and success. The land, though demanding, yields to innovative agricultural practices. Johnson's and Dawson's stunning photographs capture the region's beauty and the intricate relationship between the land and its inhabitants. Spanning 430 miles and up to 75 miles wide, the Central Valley is California's economic heart, covering nearly fifteen million acres—comparable to England. It is the world's richest farming region, producing over 25% of the U.S. table food. Kern County, the southernmost area, generates more oil than some OPEC nations. The Valley's cultural diversity is reflected in its multilingual population, including Tagalog, Hmong, Spanish, and English speakers, alongside a mix of farm laborers, small family farms, and agribusinesses. However, the Valley faces significant threats. Over the past 150 years, agricultural expansion and population growth have devastated much of its original wildlife, leading to critical issues like chemical pollution, soil erosion, and economic inequities. The photographs, alongside historical engravings and paintings, emphasize the urgent need to protect this endangered region and reclaim its lost grandeur.