Tuesday Intros No. 10: The Deadly Sisterhood, by Leonie Frieda

Welcome to First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros,

hosted by Diane @

Bibliophile By The Sea!!

Every Tuesday, each participant
shares the first paragraph 

(sometimes two) from a book
they're reading,

or thinking about reading.

The book I've picked this week is...

 The Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of
Women, Power, and Intrigue
in the Italian Renaissance 
Leonie Frieda
Hardcover, 379 pages
HarperCollins Publishers 
April 2, 2013
Biography, Feminism, History,  
Nonfiction, Politics

About the Book
  
The book is one of drama on a grand scale, a Renaissance epic, as Christendom emerged from the shadows of the calamitous 14th century. The sweeping tale involves inspired and corrupt monarchs, the finest thinkers, the most brilliant artists, and the greatest beauties in Christendom.

Here is the story of eight of its most remarkable women, who were all joined by birth, marriage and friendship, and who ruled for a time in place of their men-folk: Lucrezia Turnabuoni (Queen Mother of Florence, the power behind the Medici throne), Clarice Orsini (Roman princess, feudal wife), Beatrice d'Este (Golden Girl of the Renaissance), Caterina Sforza (Lioness of the Romagna), Isabella d'Este (the Acquisitive Marchesa), Giulia Farnese ('la bella', the family asset), Isabella d'Aragona (the Weeping Duchess) and Lucrezia Borgia (the Virtuous Fury). The men play a secondary role in this grand saga; whenever possible the action will be seen through the eyes of our eight heroines.

These eight women experienced great riches, power and the warm smile of fortune, but they also knew banishment, poverty, the death of a husband or the loss of one or more of their children. As each of the chosen heroines comes to the fore in her turn, she is handed the baton by her 'sister'. Acclaimed author Leonie Frieda recounts the role each woman played in the hundred-year drama that is THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD. 


Prologue

She-Wolf of the Romagna

 14 April 1488

During the late afternoon of Monday, 14 April 1488, inside the ruler's palace at Forli, a family party had just finished their cena. Caterina Sforza, the twenty-five-year-old countess of the small state, rose from the table. At the same time, the tall and fashionably slender beauty, whose long, fair hair framed her renowned features, glanced at her mother and two half-sisters, recently arrived from the mighty Sforza dominion of Milan. Her expression told them to follow her lead. Upon reaching the flabby figure of Caterina's husband, Girolamo Riario, Count of Forli, Lord of Imola and nephew of the late Pope Sixtus IV, the three guests each dropped a deep curtsey, taking their leave. Finally, Caterina made her usual elegant révérence and retired. She would not see her husband alive again.
  

I won this book in a blog giveaway a couple of years ago, and can't believe I haven't read it yet! I don't usually read much history, but this one is definitely very interesting. History textbooks don't tell the stories of empires and nations from women's point of view, so I do want to read this one!
What do you think? Would you continue reading? 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observed In The United States

Wherever freedom and the right to exercise it are honored, so will be the memory of the great Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of the American civil rights movement, who was born on January 15, 1929, and was cruelly assassinated on April 4, 1968.   He followed the nonviolent example of Mahatma Ghandi, and, like him, ironically died a violent death.

Sadly, not every employer in the U.S. chooses to honor the memory of this unforgettable man.  He is indeed honored by those whose moral compass compels them to do so.

Dr. King's famous speech, "I Have a Dream", which he delivered at the 1963 Washington, D.C. Civil Rights March, rallied every citizen who truly believed in racial equality.

His stirring speeches have been gathered into several books, one of which I have listed here.  I have also listed a biography written by 'the reporter who became the unofficial chronicler of the civil rights movement', Marshall Frady.  Also included here is Dr. King's compelling account of the 1963 Birmingham campaign, Why We Can't Wait, as well as a recently-published book on Dr. King's last year of life.

  

 Martin Luther King, Jr., A Life

Marshall Frady

Trade Paperback, 224 pages

Penguin Group, USA

December 27, 2005

American History, Biography, Nonfiction

Politics, Social Justice

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Book Synopsis

Marshall Frady, the reporter who became the unofficial chronicler of the civil rights movement, here re-creates the life and turbulent times of its inspirational leader. Deftly interweaving the story of King’s quest with a history of the African American struggle for equality, Frady offers fascinating insights into his subject’s magnetic character, with its mixture of piety and ambition. He explores the complexities of King’s relationships with other civil rights leaders, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover, who conducted a relentless vendetta against him. The result is a biography that conveys not just the facts of King’s life but the power of his legacy.

A Testament of Hope:

The Essential Writings and 

Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

edited by James M. Washington

Trade Paperback, 736 pages

HarperSanFrancisco

December 7, 1990

(first published 1986)

American History, Politics, Philosophy, 

Nonfiction, Social Justice

Amazon US/ Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Book Synopsis

Here, in the only major one-volume collection of his writings, speeches, interviews, and autobiographical reflections, is Martin Luther

King Jr. on non-violence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope,

and more.

Why We Can't Wait
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Trade Paperback, 256 pages
Beacon Press
January 11, 2011
(first published 1963)
American History, Politics, Philosophy,
Nonfiction, Social Justice

Amazon US/Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
The Book Depository


Book Synopsis

Often applauded as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most incisive and eloquent book, Why We Can’t Wait recounts the Birmingham campaign in vivid detail, while underscoring why 1963 was such a crucial year for the civil rights movement. During this time, Birmingham, Alabama, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States, but the campaign launched by Fred Shuttlesworth, King, and others demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action. King examines the history of the civil rights struggle and the tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about full equality. The book also includes the extraordinary “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which King wrote in April of 1963.

Death of a King: The Real Story of 

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Last Year

Tavis Smiley

(with David Ritz)

Hardcover, 288 pages

Little, Brown and Company

September 9, 2014

American History, Biography, 

Nonfiction, Politics, Social Justice

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Book Synopsis

 A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations -- denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few -- all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.
Smiley's Death of a King paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life -- one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

Famous Dr. King Quotes

 

"I have a dream that my four little children

will one day live in a nation

where they will not be judged by the color

of their skin, but

by the content of their character."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;

only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate;

only love can do that."

"The ultimate measure of a man  is not

where he stands in moments

of comfort and convenience, but

where he stands at times of challenge

and controversy."

"Our lives begin to end the day

we become silent about things that matter."

"I have decided to stick with love.

Hate is too great a burden to bear."

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth101472.html#45IfF1MShZVIm7EU

Online Links

Martin Luther King, Jr.:Wikipedia

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

The King Center Website

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:Infoplease

Martin Luther King, Jr.: BrainyQuote